Ever had an unfortunate accident with your guitar?

[Godin15]

I haven't so far keep my fingers crossed. But last summer at the campground my wife and I had my buddy and his wife over for a campfire. I said bring your guitar and we will have a quiet evening around the fire and play a few tunes. Well we started at 6:30 pm thought we will play a bit then sit back for the evening. Should have known better right. Well more friends showed up within the hr we had 25 people show up no problem. We played for a couple of hrs were just about to pack it in, now by this time it was dark. My buddy put his acoustic Fender on his case beside him. Then it happened one of the ladies was having a good time came over where we were set up went to jump on my buddies lap yep guess what she stepped on his guitar there was this huge snap sound then the gathering went completely silent. Of course it was an accident and she was very apologetic after a few minutes my buddy looked over to me and said that puts a damper on the evening. I take my Squire Strat out around the campfire not any expensive models of mine. The lesson I learned is hang onto it and never sit it down anywhere. when your finished using it put it away somewhere safe. Needless to say I felt bad for him. Nothing you can do stuff happens.

 

['87 sherwood]

Re: Ever had an unfortunate accident with your guitar?

I snapped the headstock off my Les Paul last summer. I sat the guitar down on the stand and when I walked away my shoe caught the dangling strap and pulled it right over onto its face. It's repaired now and you'd never know it was broken. It sure killed my night and a few days afterwards too.

It was the one in my avatar.

 

[fordmugg]

Re: Ever had an unfortunate accident with your guitar?

Broke the headstock on my les paul too, mine was due to faulty Dunlop strap locks, one let loose and it fell. Now I use schaler

 

[DeadandBuried]

Re: Ever had an unfortunate accident with your guitar?

I've not managed to break any of my guitars thankfully but have had them knocked off stands before in the past and left some dings and chipped paint.

 

[Little Pigbacon]

Re: Ever had an unfortunate accident with your guitar?

I was playing with some friends one night, drunk, and I knocked my Music Yo! Kramer out of the stand and onto the floor. Snapped a small corner off the headstock, bringing a tuner with it. Fortunately I had other guitars with me, so I kept playing.

I did a nice mush-fake repair with carpenter's glue. It seems very solid but is also very visible, which is the way I wanted it.

View attachment 70533

 

[allbutromeo]

Re: Ever had an unfortunate accident with your guitar?

I snapped the head off of a BC Rich Warlock Bass. I was taking the strap off over my head and my hands were sweaty after practice and it slipped out of my hands and hit the floor hard. I also had an incident when loading gear after a show the strap on my gig bag broke and my guitar fell about 3 feet straight down, but other than taking a chunk of wood out of the side of the body it was ok

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Ever had an unfortunate accident with your guitar?

I had a Fender Acoustic I kept in the back room
had some company that requested that I play a tune
as I carried it by the neck up the hallway with it in front of me
it caught a door knob of the closet, then my hip came up behind it
crushing the guitars body between the too

I got it repaired but it was never the same

on the good side it caused me to get my Martin

but I did get a Yamaha acoustic to carry out to campfires

 

[daan]

Re: Ever had an unfortunate accident with your guitar?

My one live gig I've played, my dopehead cousin showed up and shot at the stage with a BB gun. I still have a dent in the top of my JBP bass from it. THank god he didn't hit anybody in the eye... That same gig, I stepped on the cord and broke the corner off the pickguard with the output jack... I kept playing, with the jack dangling by the wires still attatched to the corner of the guard... Man I looked professional that day (eye roll)

Red circle around the BB dent, I screwed down the guard with extra screws and left it like that for 10 or so years until I got a new guard made.

You could also say my kids are the "unfortunate accident" happening daily to my guitars now...

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Ever had an unfortunate accident with your guitar?

10 or 12 years ago, I knocked my '01 Junior over to the side, breaking the head. Luckily it didn't break through the veneer, as can sometimes happen when a guitar falls back. I immediately got out the Elmers, and was playing it the next night. Didn't change a thing about the guitar's greatness. I always meant to touch up the finish, but never bothered.

Here she is now:

 

[BriGuy1968]

Re: Ever had an unfortunate accident with your guitar?

Bought my first nice electric guitar, a 1985 Westone Spectrum LX, back in 1987. Here's a pic of what it looked like (not my pic, but just like it):



Had a house fire back in 1995 the day after finding out that I was getting a promotion and would be moving. Lost an amp, a keyboard, and my first electric guitar (a cheap Lotus LP Jr. copy). My Westone was badly charred, but I couldn't bring myself to throw it away. Kept it wrapped in a blanket in closets for several years.

In 2004 I was telling a buddy of mine about it. He's a woodworking kind of guy and he told me he had an idea and wanted me to bring him the guitar... wouldn't tell me why. Three months later he brought it back to me. He had covered all the char and scarring with clear epoxy, making it perfectly smooth but leaving the scars visible. I named it "The Phoenix" because it had risen from the ashes.



Last year I finally got around to replacing pickups and other hardware and the end result was this:



It's an absolute player now, and the story has a happy ending... but I was absolutely heartbroken about it back in 1995 when I pulled it out of the carnage!

 

[SlyFoxx]

Re: Ever had an unfortunate accident with your guitar?

Nothing major. Cracked my Gibby at the volute at bit back in college. Repair had her good as new. My (310CE) Taylor's got a half dozen thin cracks on the soundboard but I've put that thing through hell for fifteen years thumping the top like a drum during solo gigs. She still sounds great. Other than that just your kinds normal gig wear...the headstock of my PRS is really dinged. I was always turning around and whacking mic and cymbal stands an the like.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Ever had an unfortunate accident with your guitar?

Nothing major for me either. One time I was adjusting an amp on a chair with a guitar around my neck, and the bottom strap button let go of the strap. The guitar (a Strat, from 82) swung down and hit the amp (one of those all wood Crates from the 80s) in the corner, causing a big dent on the edge of the Strat. I went out and bought strap locks that day, and it is the first thing I do with every new guitar. I have no idea why new guitars don't come with them stock.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Ever had an unfortunate accident with your guitar?

I escaped for the most part. I never put Les Pauls on stands. Never.

My big bumper is the doorway between my mancaver and the bigger room next to it where I tend to crash necks into the upper frame. I have foam there but sometimes it falls off.

Straps coming off is another one. Sadly strap locks are not a pure fix. Since they have the strap further out from the body there are additional lever forces on the screw. With soft body wood they can pull the screws out.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Ever had an unfortunate accident with your guitar?

I snapped the head off of a BC Rich Warlock Bass. I was taking the strap off over my head and my hands were sweaty after practice and it slipped out of my hands and hit the floor hard. I also had an incident when loading gear after a show the strap on my gig bag broke and my guitar fell about 3 feet straight down, but other than taking a chunk of wood out of the side of the body it was ok

Admit it, you were trying to do one of those around the neck spins weren't you??? j/k

Tho I do LOVE watching the vids on youtube of failed attempts at that.. hahahahaha

My one live gig I've played, my dopehead cousin showed up and shot at the stage with a BB gun. I still have a dent in the top of my JBP bass from it. THank god he didn't hit anybody in the eye... That same gig, I stepped on the cord and broke the corner off the pickguard with the output jack... I kept playing, with the jack dangling by the wires still attatched to the corner of the guard... Man I looked professional that day (eye roll)

Red circle around the BB dent, I screwed down the guard with extra screws and left it like that for 10 or so years until I got a new guard made.

You could also say my kids are the "unfortunate accident" happening daily to my guitars now...

Luckily the guitar shielded you! Yeah, never been fond of guitars where the cable comes straight in like that. Any of them Ive had, the jacks usually fail cuz of the downward weight of the cable. Was before I learned to route the cable thru the strap and button in the back end.

The kids got themselves a nice balance beam there...



Thankfully, three of my biggest misfortunes came on my Squier strat. First one. Was drilling out the tuner holes to put sperzels on. First attempt at something like that. I A) dont have a drill press and B) didnt know to graduate sizes of the bit up. So, go at it with the drill and the bit I need and POP!!! broke the back edge/corner of the headstock halfway through the low E hole.. luckily, Elmers wood glue fixed it fine. Not a perfect seam, but not bad. Then, as I was drilling out the holes for the pins that keep the key in place, I drilled all the way thru. One of those little putty filler sticks made it mostly invisible. The final thing, I got it out of the case one day, found a chip in the paint.. Where did this come from??? I knew it wasnt the spouse.. If she were to touch the guitars, would be to sell, burn, throw it away, sell it.. Something complete.. So, down the line with the kids... Got 5 not me's... Few years later my son fessed up to playing with it..

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Ever had an unfortunate accident with your guitar?

Bought my first nice electric guitar, a 1985 Westone Spectrum LX, back in 1987. Here's a pic of what it looked like (not my pic, but just like it):

View attachment 70549

Had a house fire back in 1995 the day after finding out that I was getting a promotion and would be moving. Lost an amp, a keyboard, and my first electric guitar (a cheap Lotus LP Jr. copy). My Westone was badly charred, but I couldn't bring myself to throw it away. Kept it wrapped in a blanket in closets for several years.

In 2004 I was telling a buddy of mine about it. He's a woodworking kind of guy and he told me he had an idea and wanted me to bring him the guitar... wouldn't tell me why. Three months later he brought it back to me. He had covered all the char and scarring with clear epoxy, making it perfectly smooth but leaving the scars visible. I named it "The Phoenix" because it had risen from the ashes.

View attachment 70550View attachment 70551

Last year I finally got around to replacing pickups and other hardware and the end result was this:

View attachment 70552View attachment 70553

It's an absolute player now, and the story has a happy ending... but I was absolutely heartbroken about it back in 1995 when I pulled it out of the carnage!

Great story.. snif sniff... I love a happy ending!! Very cool what your buddy did!! and great that the neck wasnt warped from the heat. Whats the middle pup??

 

[BriGuy1968]

Re: Ever had an unfortunate accident with your guitar?

Great story.. snif sniff... I love a happy ending!! Very cool what your buddy did!! and great that the neck wasnt warped from the heat. Whats the middle pup??

Thanks! The middle pup is a Hot Stack, bridge is a JB and neck is a Jazz.


[emoji450]Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk [emoji441]

 

[dystrust]

Re: Ever had an unfortunate accident with your guitar?

I've had pretty good luck as far as guitar mishaps. The biggest one was probably with my '01 LP Standard Plus a couple weeks after I bought it. The very first time I changed the strings I dropped the stop bar and left a dent in the lacquer of the top about 3/4" long near the bass side bridge post. My Explorer has been my #1 for 16 years now, and the end of the top horn is chipped down to bare wood on both corners.

 

[The Guitar]

Re: Ever had an unfortunate accident with your guitar?

The first guitar I got was a Westone that had a licensed Floyd. It was blocked with a piece of wood. Took a screw driver and popped it out. Heard a non pleasant wood cracking sound as the studs tore loose. It was repaired.

 

[greekdude]

Re: Ever had an unfortunate accident with your guitar?

My first Aria strat caught in the elevator while going to a rehearsal and broke the high-E tuning key. I was about to playing thrash rythms mostly so no worries for this specific day, but the concert was near and could not find a part that would fit. In my agony I took the boat to Athens, and got this Kramer 210, which would be my no1 for the next decades (till I got into Carvin's and Ibanez's). Needless to say how my jaws looked like when I first played the Kramer with the Livewire Metal on the bridge (compared to the generic japanese single coils in the Aria)
Finally some 2-3 years back, I went and gave my Aria strat the treatment she needed, I bought a fender replacement part and after a noon full of sanding and filing she was ready!

 

[KeeperOS]

Re: Ever had an unfortunate accident with your guitar?

Nothing as extreme as what I read here but I had one heart wrenching moment.

I was in my room, in a hurry to change from gym to go somewhere (don't remember where) and I somehow lost my balance while putting on my pants. One thud that lasted a decade later, I saw that the belt buckle had landed on the side of my custom-built Stinnet, leaving a 1-2mm dent on the clear nitro finish but that didn't go through the wood.

It obviously didn't affect the guitar but it hurt so so bad.

I hope one day I have the time and money to take here to someone that can do sth about it.