“It ain’t the same, man”: Lenny Kravitz thinks modern guitar gear and digital emulations still don’t sound as good as vintage gear
Few topics divide guitarists quite like the modern-vs-vintage gear debate. While digital modellers and boutique recreations promise classic tones at the push of a button – with a large and growing cohort of converts – there’s still a devoted camp that insists the real things can’t be replaced. Count Lenny Kravitz firmly among them.
For Kravitz, whose records are steeped in the warmth of analogue gear and vintage instruments, modern technology still falls short – even after years of rapid advancement. Speaking in the new issue of Guitar World, the rock icon explains why he remains unconvinced by digital emulations and newer equipment.
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Asked whether he could recreate the sound of his classic albums using modern gear, Kravitz replies: “It ain’t the same, man. It really isn’t the same. I A/B test everything, and while technology has come a long way and some things are very close, they’re just not close enough.”
“Plus, there is the effect of the accumulation of one thing on top of the other, one old piece combined with something else vintage,” he explains. “It begins to build up a sound that modern equipment can’t reproduce. Just look at old guitars – the age of the wood, you know? That’s something almost indefinable.”
His longtime collaborator and guitarist Craig Ross echoes the sentiment, pointing to the physical changes instruments undergo over decades.
“Wood ages and dries; it’s almost like there’s something in the air that imparts a unique sonic effect,” says Ross. “I think you can’t deny that the pickups in old guitars age in a way that is very hard to reproduce.”
The pair were speaking while revisiting Circus, which has recently been reissued as a 30th-anniversary expanded deluxe edition packed with bonus material.
Kravitz, who remains an avid collector of old instruments, also reveals that the Les Paul Goldtop he’s currently using on tour is one of his most recent acquisitions.
“The Goldtop I’m using now on tour. I have several, but this one is a conversion,” he says. “Someone in its history put PAFS on it and took off the tailpiece. It is the most amazing sounding guitar. I think it’s from around ‘54.”
Not every guitarist, however, sees vintage gear through the same lens. While Kravitz swears by the character and tone of older instruments, others argue that age alone doesn’t determine quality. Blues-rock guitarist Chris Buck, for example, has been vocal about his scepticism toward the idea that older guitars are inherently better.
“I don’t subscribe to the idea that all vintage instruments are great,” Buck told Guitar World, “because I’ve definitely played some dogs. Some of my favourite guitars were made after 2020, and some were made in the ‘60s.
“There’s a synergy between you and a great instrument. That could be a $300 Squier or a $5,000 Gibson. It doesn’t matter. If it speaks to you, it’s the one.”
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
