instruments? because whenever I go to GC and try some older used gear they sound better, warmer
build quality is better and usually the design is better so what's going on with technology? are we going backwards?
I am keyboardist so I'm talking mostly about keyboards and organs. I guess it will be probably less visible with guitars 
since they haven't changed that much, have they?


p.s.
To answer my question yes I prefer older, they can teach you a lot.

i think generally anything sub £500 has improved immeasurably in the last ten years, due to cheaper production costs in places like Indonesia, Korea and China and computer-aided design/manufacture resulting in far fewer mistakes/seconds. OK, keyboards have also become more sophisticated and perhaps less intuitive, and certainly they're not made of wood and valves and weigh several hundredweight, but equally the range and depth of sound produced is awesome. so i would have to disagree, in general - but certainly some instruments (thinking wood-based ones mainly) can gain with age, hence your premium for a 1890 Steinway piano, 1690 Stradivarius violin or 59 Les Paul...

mgh


i think generally anything sub £500 has improved immeasurably in the last ten years, due to cheaper production costs in places like Indonesia, Korea and China and computer-aided design/manufacture resulting in far fewer mistakes/seconds. 

I don't think so, besides let's not compare here the prices but the same type of instrument. Obviously today you'll get cheaper good instrument then 15 years ago. E.g. in roland line have you tired current gaia synth? the same equivalent from seventies/eighties is better built (keybed) and has way better sounds. There are many more examples like this.

I went to Guitar Center to look for older instruments once.  I asked for a Lyre and they sent out the Manager.

I agree with the quality of the cheaper instruments getting better with all the computer controlled machines they now use to make a guitar....... 

The older instruments do, for the most part, have better woods in them, and with the new prohibition on using wood from rain forests, well, those woods are simply not available in the quantity or the quality that they once were. So the dense quality woods that luthiers crave to build quality instruments will become scarce and will be replaced with other substitutes. 

I'm personally looking forward to seeing this go into production. Old pine boards from barns..... slap on some parts and call it a guitar. 

The new Squier...

As a keyboardist, I have a 1930s vintage Hammond AV and a 60s era 147 Leslie. and a 1978 Rhodes Stage.
The smell of wood, oil, electrical parts, tolex; the sound od real tonewheels , tines, and speakers can never be duplicated by my Nord or sample libraries.

Do I haul these to gigs?? Never..SO there is a compromise with purist vs practicality.

UbiquitousBubba


I went to Guitar Center to look for older instruments once.  I asked for a Lyre and they sent out the Manager.

Laff!

UbiquitousBubba


I went to Guitar Center to look for older instruments once.  I asked for a Lyre and they sent out the Manager.

I see what you did there.


The salesman kid was unable to help lie to you so he went and got the manager better Lyre.

Prolly the kid got fyred for not being a good Lyre salesman.

my '77 ibanez artist sounds and feels AWESOME.


my 2006 custom USACG strat build, sounds and feels AWESOOME


so i guess i prefer one of each, please.