Guitar design elements that make your eye twitch uncomfortably?

carlos · June 2023

Pickguards on Les Paul's apparently!

crunchman · June 2023

Tenebrous said:

Gold hardware. Almost never looks good, & gold in general just looks tacky to me.

There are some guitars that it looks right on:

Image: https://www.fmicassets.com/Damroot/Zoom/10001/2401513805_gtr_frt_001_rr.png

digitalkettle · June 2023

crunchman said:

Tenebrous said:

Gold hardware. Almost never looks good, & gold in general just looks tacky to me.

There are some guitars that it looks right on:

I dunno...it's missing something...perhaps the owner's name inlayed down the fretboard in MoP?

digitalkettle · June 2023

This clunky thing always annoyed me...

LastMantra · June 2023

crunchman said:

Tenebrous said:

Gold hardware. Almost never looks good, & gold in general just looks tacky to me.

There are some guitars that it looks right on:

That guitar, in my opinion, is just so unnecessary.

I don't really like any electric guitar where the body is bigger, and more awkward to play, than is necessary.

Don't like guitars (generally strats) with only one pickup. Just looks weird.

impmann · June 2023

LastMantra said:

crunchman said:

Tenebrous said:

Gold hardware. Almost never looks good, & gold in general just looks tacky to me.

There are some guitars that it looks right on:

That guitar, in my opinion, is just so unnecessary.

I don't really like any electric guitar where the body is bigger, and more awkward to play, than is necessary.

Don't like guitars (generally strats) with only one pickup. Just looks weird.

I prefer the White Falcons that nobody likes with chrome hardware. And that aren't white. Or made by Gretsch.

impmann · June 2023

The things I find hard to like on guitars are:

Tiger stripes
Sunburst (especially Cherry Sunburst)
Gold Plating
Soppy inlays
Abalone
Metal fronts
Tortie pickguards
Kluson 6-inline tuners without split posts
Super high output humbuckers
V-necks
Floyd Rose Trems
Kahler Trems
Bigsbys
Shred necks
Onboard effects
Pointy headstocks
24 frets
General ponciness

Although that said... if the guitar played amazing, sounded great and 'spoke' to me, I wouldn't rule it out if it featured any/all of the above.

bertie · June 2023

Offset said:

Basher said:

Hmmm....

Telecaster bridges (knuckle-skinning, crude looking things and, yes, I'm sure that's what appeals to Tele players)

Not unless you get a proper Tele bridge - six block saddles which intonate properly and are nice and smooth on the old mitts.

<takes deep breath, stands back and awaits the hate>

or real men get these

Image: https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/VqkAAOSwKa9g9XPN/s-l500.jpg

normula1 · June 2023

Pickup rings on single coils is another one for me as is most gold hardware

mikeyrob73 · June 2023

Gonna get flamed here but

uncovered humbuckers

can’t stand them, hate them, always looks cheap and unfinished to me .

Offset · June 2023

mikeyrob73 said:

Gonna get flamed here but

uncovered humbuckers

can’t stand them, hate them, always looks cheap and unfinished to me .

Depends what they're on :-)

OilCityPickups · June 2023

mikeyrob73 said:

Gonna get flamed here but

uncovered humbuckers

can’t stand them, hate them, always looks cheap and unfinished to me .

With me it's the opposite ... people pay good money for a pickup, then want me to stuff it into a glorified sardine can ...
Madness ... but it pays the rent :-)

Offset · June 2023

OilCityPickups said:

mikeyrob73 said:

Gonna get flamed here but

uncovered humbuckers

can’t stand them, hate them, always looks cheap and unfinished to me .

With me it's the opposite ... people pay good money for a pickup, then want me to stuff it into a glorified sardine can ...
Madness ... but it pays the rent :-)

Indeed. What's not to like?

Image: https://tfb-user-images.eu-central-1.linodeobjects.com/4ad64eb724528e8ae867770ae944f776ae595cd40b12f144fb

axisus · June 2023

mikeyrob73 said:

Gonna get flamed here but

uncovered humbuckers

can’t stand them, hate them, always looks cheap and unfinished to me .

I was the opposite, I always thought that covers looked crappy and cheap.

I have warmed to them in my old age though, particularly worn ones. Still don't like really shiny ones.

sev112 · June 2023

Acoustic guitars that look the same as every other acoustic guitar from the past 100 years

Philly_Q · June 2023

The covered versus uncovered humbuckers question - I think it depends entirely on the guitar. A "modern" guitar usually looks better with uncovered pickups, covers are mostly for your traditional guitars... but on the other hand a set of zebras on a Les Paul makes it look much less stuffy and conservative.

skullfunkerry · June 2023

OilCityPickups said:

mikeyrob73 said:

Gonna get flamed here but

uncovered humbuckers

can’t stand them, hate them, always looks cheap and unfinished to me .

With me it's the opposite ... people pay good money for a pickup, then want me to stuff it into a glorified sardine can ...
Madness ... but it pays the rent :-)

Oh no

scrumhalf · June 2023

Foil pickups. Foil is for food, not guitars. They look ridiculous.

ICBM · June 2023

skullfunkerry said:

Oh no

Exactly... I think that would look even better with an uncovered humbucker, with some combination of black, red or white (not cream!) coils.

Kittyfrisk · June 2023

Almost agreed about the uncovered bridge humbucker looking better, then I remembered my Squier Showmaster that I fitted with a black plated Wilkinson HB ... now I'm not so sure.

skullfunkerry · June 2023

ICBM said:

skullfunkerry said:

Oh no

Exactly... I think that would look even better with an uncovered humbucker, with some combination of black, red or white (not cream!) coils.

I do agree with that actually, although I think that nickel cover looks cool too...

guitarjack66 · June 2023

skullfunkerry said:

Offset said:

Hideous, hideous, hideous. All of it.

They are hideous, but I really like them. I first saw one in Def Leppard's video for Me & My Wine, being played by Steve Clark. Years later I did actually get one:

I think mine was marginally nicer looking. It sounded great, but it was heavier than a forklift truck so I moved it on.

Looks like it could have substituted for your Darts.

nacnudnai · June 2023

A recently acquired dislike for me - 22 frets on any "classic" colour/configuration Strat. Completely acceptable on an Aerodyne, a HSS Strat, etc. On an SSS strat in any normal colour...absolutely not.

Offset · June 2023

7.25 radius
'Vintage' frets (ie, tall and narrow)
Truss rods which require you to take the fucking neck off to adjust them
Non-locking tuners
3-saddle Tele bridges (and any other bridges that don't intonate properly, come to that)
Bigsbys

axisus · June 2023

At the start of this thread I was nodding sagely at various opinions, and respecting our individuality.

As time goes on it's more a case of ARE YOU FRIKKIN MAD!?!?!?

Sporky · June 2023

There comes a point in every thread where people start saying things just to get a reaction. I'm joining in.

Frets. Frets are for losers who can't play in tune. Like having stabilisers on a £4000 carbon fibre bicycle.

Frets. PAH. TISH AND FIE.

carlos · June 2023

nacnudnai said:

A recently acquired dislike for me - 22 frets on any "classic" colour/configuration Strat. Completely acceptable on an Aerodyne, a HSS Strat, etc. On an SSS strat in any normal colour...absolutely not.

Of course! 24 frets or forget about it.

Philly_Q · June 2023

nacnudnai said:

A recently acquired dislike for me - 22 frets on any "classic" colour/configuration Strat. Completely acceptable on an Aerodyne, a HSS Strat, etc. On an SSS strat in any normal colour...absolutely not.

I'm the opposite, I wish I'd ordered mine with a 22nd fret, even though it would be obviously non-vintage.

nacnudnai · June 2023

carlos said:

nacnudnai said:

A recently acquired dislike for me - 22 frets on any "classic" colour/configuration Strat. Completely acceptable on an Aerodyne, a HSS Strat, etc. On an SSS strat in any normal colour...absolutely not.

Of course! 24 frets or forget about it.

The more fretboard overhang, the better!

Philly_Q said:

nacnudnai said:

A recently acquired dislike for me - 22 frets on any "classic" colour/configuration Strat. Completely acceptable on an Aerodyne, a HSS Strat, etc. On an SSS strat in any normal colour...absolutely not.

I'm the opposite, I wish I'd ordered mine with a 22nd fret, even though it would be obviously non-vintage.

That's the thing. Functionally, it makes more sense to have 22, and it doesn't effect the position of the neck pickup. But, it just hurts my eyes so much!

stickyfiddle · June 2023

Sorry for lateness, am on holibobs.

Has anyone said old-fashioned Tele control plates with the Volume control too near the switch? Im utterly clueless how Fender has never done a single model with an adjusted plate to fix it even in their most modern models.

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Guitar design elements that make your eye twitch uncomfortably?

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