Dirty Ol' Relics

Nostalgia isn't what it used to be. Once upon a time the instruments in this collection were revered as technological wonders, titans of musical prowess. It sometimes took several large men to carry them to and from your gig, and they often cost more in maintenance than their purchase price. Nowadays, we buy and sell instruments rapidly, change our software more often than our underwear, and generally regard few things as permanent, let alone classic. I believe there are a lot of musicians around today who have never seen a real Hammond B3 or played a Fender Suitcase, and probably don't even care to. But the sounds of these instruments still carry a vibe. We know the sounds from famous recordings, and those sounds are imbued with character from the music that was played on them. So, in our contemporary disposable way, we borrow, appropriate, and freely use and abuse those references. I don't think there is anything wrong with this; it's the natural progression of culture to undermine it's predecessors. The original blues riffs of Robert Johnson now find themselves in Underground Garage or a Madonna track.