The 1970s: The Lost Decade in Guitars

Last Updated on January 30th, 2020

headstocks1
While I wasn’t playing guitar in the 1970’s, I certainly was around. I mean, I started playing in 1979 on a cheap nylon string (I still have it) and progressed to my older brother’s late ’60s Japanese electric that never quite played in tune. In the 1980’s, a friend of my parents got me a stash of old Gibson and Fender catalogs and old Guitar Player magazines. Boy, did guitars look different back then! There is a reason for those, um, questionable decisions made by the big two electric guitar companies,, and as we look back, I am happy some of those ideas didn’t stick.

Try a Little Fenderness

Is this a good idea?

Is this a good idea?

The mid-1960s was a turning point for Fender Guitars. That is when Leo Fender sold the company to CBS for $13 million (US). That is right, it was sold to a broadcasting company who, in this day, we could say they were ‘expanding their portfolio.’ They also bought the New York Yankees too, so I think they were really diversifying. CBS made notable changes to Fender’s designs which didn’t come fully realized until the late 1960s. Sure, the headstocks got bigger. You can’t imagine Jimi or Ritchie without those huge headstocks. Some people absolutely love those, but to me, they throw off the weight and visual balance of the guitar. They also got rid of the superior 4-bolt neck joint, and saved a little money going to a 3-bolt system, which can actually shift with a little wrist pressure. If you could ask Jimi or Ritchie how many Strats they went through on a tour, the number is huge. They used a bolder font for the brand and model name, so you can see it from the back row. They dalso added a neck tilting mechanism which allowed some adjustment of action on the higher frets. This worked better with later 4-bolt models, but with 3 bolts, it can put pressure on the single wood screw below the F on the neck plate.

Blacked-out 70's-era Strat.

Blacked-out 70’s-era Strat.

Later on, in the interest of changing up the 20-year old design of the Strat, they introduced black plastic parts instead of the standard white. The white would sometimes yellow with age, and black looked sleek and would stay black. Sunbursts looked a little more like an archery target, with less of a fade between colors. Towards the end of the decade, Fender used um, questionable, color palettes such as Capri Orange and Sahara Taupe to disguise multi-piece bodies out of heavier northern ash. A far cry from the hot-rod colors of the 50’s and 60’s, these colors didn’t sit well with the public, and were discontinued after a few years.

Wood? Plastic? Who knows, but not really one of Fender's best colors.

Wood? Plastic? Who knows, but not really one of Fender’s best colors.

There is no doubt that some of these changes were made by a company that wanted to save money. The flat, plastic finishes, the 3-bolt neck joint, the sloppy sunburts and multi-piece heavy bodies were designed to get the guitars made quickly. After awhile, the term pre-CBS coined to describe the coveted guitars built under Leo’s watch. Prices for those guitars went up, while used stores filled with discarded 70’s Strats and the beginning of the vintage guitar craze took off.

Really? Who had this idea?

Really? Who had this idea?

It wasn’t all bad, though. Occasionally a model like the Telecaster Deluxe was introduced, and while it didn’t sound like the Tele everyone knew, it had unique sounding humbuckers that provided an alternative to the Gibson sound.
CBS owned Fender into the 1980s, and as time went on, the memory of the 1970s models faded. Younger guitarists into Hendrix, Blackmore and early Malmsteen sought out those models, and drove prices up. It is funny to me that in every generation, there are people who think things were better back in the day. Today’s Fenders are a far cry better than those 1970s models, in almost every respect, but nostalgia is tough to overcome.

Only A Gibson is…

The Gibson S-1. Um, ok.

The Gibson S-1. Um, ok.

Gibson didn’t escape the awkward 1970s either. They were still producing the Les Paul, but they produced lesser known LP models like the Recording and Signature. The Les Paul Deluxe, with its mini-humbuckers, were popular as artists like Pete Townshend appeared at most Who shows with various numbered ones. In 1974, Gibson was under control of the Norlin corporation, and saw the bulk of production move from Kalamazoo, Michigan to Nashville, Tennessee. Norlin introduced models like the aesthetically-challenged S-1 and made changes to their flagship Les Paul line. Bodies were usually made up of 3 layers, pancake style. Tops were not always bookmatched, and could be made with several pieces with asymmetrical seams. No doubt these changes were introduced to save money too, but they resulted in some of the heaviest guitars that Gibson had ever produced. To be fair, in the 1970s, weight was considered the mark of a guitar that would sustain forever, although now we know that there are many other components that contribute to this.

You can clearly see the layers in this 1970's LP.

You can clearly see the layers in this 1970’s LP.

Unleashed in the East

The 1970s was an interesting time for the builders in Japan as well. While there was still the cheaper guitars with lots of switches and questionable intonation making their way out of Japan (like my brother’s old guitar), brands like Ibanez tried something different. They saw what was coming out of the US factories and not only copied the designs- sometimes headstock and all- but they also added nicer inlays and other appointments. This didn’t go unnoticed by the American guitar makers, and Ibanez was taken to court over their blatant copies. These days, these early Ibanez ‘lawsuit models’ are sought after by collectors.

This 'Fender' is actually an Ibanez 'lawsuit' model.

This ‘Fender’ is actually an Ibanez ‘lawsuit’ model.

Living in the Past

Gibson's The Les Paul, the most expensive model they produced in the mid 1970's. Wood & brass, wood & brass.

Gibson’s The Les Paul, the most expensive model they produced in the mid 1970’s. Wood & brass, wood & brass.

While there are certainly good 70s guitars out there, they still don’t command the same prices as the 50s or 60s models. Looking back, it seems to be a time of a few companies struggling to second-guess the market in an era where guitar was still king. Now, the market seems to have more guitar builders than ever, in an era where guitar doesn’t feature prominently in popular music. The questionable cost-saving choices of some 1970s guitar builders did give rise to the desire to mod your guitar. Companies like Seymour Duncan started rewinding pickups for the stars, and then started making his own designs. For the first time, you could buy replacement bridges, nuts, tuners, and pickups in any music store, and guitarists started their quest for a unique tone by modding a guitar with well-made parts. For this reason, the 1970s were an important time in guitar design. Companies like Fender and Gibson had to go through that awkward period to emerge as the companies we know today. There will always be fans of the fun and funky 70s instruments, and for the time being, there are still plenty of them around.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMUJkauJ-mM
Do you own any guitars from the 1970s?

21 replies on “The 1970s: The Lost Decade in Guitars”

Archives

Please check your items carefully and confirm they are correct for color, position, etc. We are not able to accommodate order changes or cancellations once you have completed the check out process.

My cart
Your cart is empty.

Looks like you haven't made a choice yet.