In a recent video, David Gilmour cited his belief that vintage guitars will always sound better than their modern counterparts. Speaking about his beloved 1945 Martin D-18 as part of a YouTube series that sees the Pink Floyd guitarist detailing the guitars that feature on his forthcoming album, he’s provided evidence for his argument. “No new guitar sounds quite as good as an old one in my experience,” he says with the Martin – that’s “older than me” – in his lap.
“I think a guitar like this gets better and better with age, maybe something the glue that's holding it all together, and these different pieces of wood gradually come in harmony with each other over years of playing.” Granted, the 78-year-old is simply stating his opinion. But given the fact that his vast guitar collection – some of which sold for a in 2019 – includes a staggering amount of instruments, he can certainly talk with a degree of authority.
The other guitars thus far showcased by Gilmour ahead of the release of his fifth solo album – which arrives in September – includes ‘Alice,’ a late '70s acoustic named after his daughter built for him by luthier Tony Zemaitis. Zemaitis has been dubbed the , having built instruments for Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Ronnie Wood. All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox! This particular guitar was commissioned for Gilmour's children to learn to play on, but “it was so nice and so.