‘Washington Post’ Says the Electric Guitar is Dying

Yesterday, Washington Post shared an online article titled, "Why My Guitar Gently Weeps: The Slow, Secret Death of the Six-String Electric. And Why You Should Care."

You can read it here.

The piece, written by Geoff Edgers, includes quotes from a myriad of guitar industry gurus—from legendary dealer George Gruhn, to artists like Paul McCartney and Lita Ford.

The moral of the story? The guitar is dying a slow death.

Mike Molenda, our friend and editor at Guitar Player magazine, penned his own response yesterday, which you can read here. GP also published their own online thought piece back in February, and devoted a cover story to the subject for their March 2017 issue.

“There are a lot of points to ponder in the Guitar Player and Washington Post stories,” Molenda says. “And there are tons of yet unclaimed guitars out there hoping that you or me or someone—or a whole bunch of someones—can get young people of all ages, styles, sexes, and artistic levels to adore those planks of wood and rescue them from being orphans.”

But what do you think? Is it time to panic? Or will the legacy of the electric guitar never die?

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Guitar World Staff

Since 1980, Guitar World has been the ultimate resource for guitarists. Whether you want to learn the techniques employed by your guitar heroes, read about their latest projects or simply need to know which guitar is the right one to buy, Guitar World is the place to look.