IA Eklundh leaves Caparison guitars.

[jco5055]

Looking at the Facebook post, I did notice that he loved every post that implied he was going to Strandberg...

 

[Xaios]

Calling it now.

Debris: Gone but not forgotten.

 

[Shawn]

If anything, the future of caparison will be brighter without the apple horn signature. I mean, c'mon man, it's a signature, but you're still supposed to want people to buy it.

I always thought they weren't attractive guitars just because the way the horns look, they look funny to me.

 

[soul_lip_mike]

yeah, but even as a big Capa fan it's kind of trash, it's basically just a "choose your finish/pickups/add a top" level of customization, and starting at $6500 or something

So ESP USA?

 

[jco5055]

So ESP USA?

pretty much, but I guess at least the Caparison's are made by the same people as the regular stuff so it's more like if the ESP Japan Custom Shop operated like ESP USA

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

So ESP USA?

pretty much, but I guess at least the Caparison's are made by the same people as the regular stuff so it's more like if the ESP Japan Custom Shop operated like ESP USA

To be fair Caparison has that over ESP USA now since they quiet doing semi-custom stuff this year.

 

[USMarine75]

I admire his use of different tunings; i've personally delved too deep into interval-based fretboard visualization that I couldn't do anything unless I'm in E standard, or at least a X standard tuning...unless I just played around blindly to find sounds haha

I'm the same way. I'm usually in E-flat standard (or Drop-C#). But I don't view the fretboard or notes any differently whether I'm in E-std or E-flat standard. The 3rd fret on the A string is a C in either tuning to me lol. And 3-2-0-0-3-3 is a G major chord in either tuning. Even on my LP that's tuned to D-standard that's still a G chord to me.

When I was learning slide I started with some open tunings. I really like Open E and Open G tunings. But while I could learn licks and rhythms I couldn't visualize where I was on the fretboard. And I felt like it was having a negative impact on my regular playing. So now I just play slide in reg or drop tunings.

 

[USMarine75]

I remember I almost bought a Caparison Horus HGS from Axe Palace when they first started selling them. Nick had switched the neck pickup to a Dimarzio and I think he was gigging with the guitar IIRC. It was around $1500 and I'm kicking myself for not buying it. Meanwhile I wonder who has ever bought one of those apple horn ones?

 

[ThePIGI King]

I remember I almost bought a Caparison Horus HGS from Axe Palace when they first started selling them. Nick had switched the neck pickup to a Dimarzio and I think he was gigging with the guitar IIRC. It was around $1500 and I'm kicking myself for not buying it. Meanwhile I wonder who has ever bought one of those apple horn ones?

It's an 8 with a trem - @Hollowway would be the best bet for someone on here to have it.

I played a Horus and was not impressed. It wasn't bad at all, but nothing stood out enough at the price it was listed.

 

[Alberto7]

Back when I got back into guitar playing at the beginning of the pandemic, I almost got a used Dellinger M3 Black Rose that was going for like $1900 USD. In the end the guy couldn't ship it because EMS had stopped servicing Canada. I got my Ibanez AZ instead and, honestly, never looked back. Seems it was good decision with everything I've read about them.

At the time I kept seeing those Apple Horns popping up for sale and thinking they were such cool guitars with such an ugly design to them. Like the literal horned apple design on it was such a turn off. I think the only one that didn't get that design is the latest 8 string version of it, but I was only looking at 6-strings at the time. I've yet to play a Caparison

 

[Matt08642]

You're all right, he should have made his signature a plain black HH superstrat. /s

Personally I always thought they were cool, but I've been a huge fan of his for like 15+ years so I guess I'm biased.



Take the Applehorn logo away and it's basically a Horus with just a volume knob, but the point is that it's his signature gear. Might as well complain about the PIA having edges that are too soft, having a petal cutout, having Steve Vai's pickups, etc.

I'd assume he would go Strandberg so he can talk about his guitar being all Swedish with Swedish TT frets as well

 

[Xaios]

Guys....

Strandberg? Wrong.
Kiesel? Wrong.
Solar? Wrong.
Gibson? Wrong.

He's getting a Chapman, duh.

He's going to endorse Esteban's Gift of Guitar.

 

[Kaura]

Come on guys. It's always between Kiesel and ESP these days.

Also, congrats to this dude for having the fugliest signature model for 25 years straight!

 

[Sermo Lupi]

I'm probably just being gossipy, but I find it interesting in his wording about basically fretting over this decision for the past 2 years. I wonder if he either doesn't like the quality of his guitars now, or some other company offered big $$$ and he felt too loyal to Caparison to leave, or something else? Honestly I would imagine the money/better offer thing being the most common, which would be fun to think what company that could be...with his rather "wild" specs on his sig, I feel like it has to be some company that could still do that stuff.

Nah, he just said that to give the decision an air of gravitas.

"Niche guitar dude almost no one has heard of is moving from a brand maybe a few more people have heard of to another brand that will continue making a guitar that realistically almost no one is going to buy."

Doesn't seem that big of a deal in that context.

Occam's razor. It is more likely that Eklundh is telling the truth about fretting over the decision than making it up, though he likely framed it the way that he did because he spent two years feeling torn between respecting Caparison's loyalty to him and his desire to pursue innovation at another company (likely Strandberg).

By the time he came out with that true temperment 8-string, it felt like he may have been tugging Caparison in a direction they didn't want to go in any further.

 

[Alberto7]

And now that strandberg has the fully made in Sweden Futur series with TT frets, maybe he'll get something done in that line? Just speculating.

 

[OmegaSlayer]

Never played a Capa, but always thought they were really cool...love the TAT for example, but it surely sucks that they have such an ass distribution
Price and quality aside, no one can't purchase what's not available
Also...maybe Caparison should start doing some lower budget stuff in Korea or Indonesia like other brands and get a solid ditribution if they want to grow from the niche

 

[neurosis]

I am surprised about the opinions on caparison. I have two. Both purchased second hand. Both great, although the Horus is less inspiring than the dellinger without the right setup. During the 2000s, in Europe you could buy used for way less than USA Jacksons which at the time (late 2000s) were less accessible and not better quality. Between two pretty much identically specked guitars the capas were an obvious choice.

Agree the apple horns are an acquired taste and probably sold low inventory but I hardly think that was IAs or Itaru’s concern. Not everything is business. If it was that company wouldn’t function or promote the way it does.

Strandberg makes sense to me too given the Swedish association and other “ambassadors” like Per Nilsson. I could see them developing something based on that template which also had TT fretwork. There’s also the environmental or green angle to the company which seems to fall in line with IAs personal approach.

I believe everything written on that post. It’s the same reason he stuck with Laney for so long and if you listen to some of the Freak Kitchen lyrics and his interviews over the years it’s clear the guy has a happy go lucky hippy vibe going on. He couldn’t care less how many modes sell (although he probably would welcome the royalties). Guy is happy making videos about Konakol and jokes about hummus.

 

[BusinessMan]

Solar or his own guitar brand.

 

[Crungy]

He's going to endorse Esteban's Gift of Guitar.

If they offer an 8 string acoustic/electric with TT, poor build quality and the little Esteban amp I'm sold

 

[Crungy]

Solar or his own guitar brand.

See post #26