When I saw Ry Cooder live, he was playing his (old) guitars through a jumble of old (1940’s/50’s/60’s) combo amps. My old bandmate Todd Phillips plays his 18th Century German upright bass when he gigs with David Grisman and Joan Baez. Steve Earle owns Hank William’s 1940’s Martin acoustic. Yeah, a real piece o’ junk ;-) . Modern violin players are still trying to recreate instruments that sound like the Stradivari and Guarneri’s, and rich players are willing to pay millions for them. Out of nostalgia, prestige, or bragging rights? No.
The comparison of old cars to new ones sounds like the argument for CD’s over LP’s. A Toyota Prius is a very efficient automobile. Does that alone make it "good"? I wouldn’t be caught dead in one (it’s hideously ugly). To each his own! Frozen food is easier to make edible than is a gourmet meal. Which would you rather eat?
I wouldn’t trade my 1950’s Radio King or 1960’s Gretsch drumsets for ANY modern kits, regardless of price. The K.Zildjians made in Turkey in the 1940’s and 50’s, and heard on a lot of the old Jazz records (and some new ones. Jazz cats still revere them), though quite variable sample-to-sample, fetch a small fortune amongst the players who value their unique sound (they produce a very percussive "click" when played with the tip of a drumstick, a great "splash" when struck with it's shank, and have a very "musical" spread of overtones). It has NOTHING to do with nostalgia.
