To Thrash And Abuse or Conserve and Protect?

[Jessie's ghost]

Re: To Thrash And Abuse or Conserve and Protect?

Let's see, who are you playing for? Typical local bar with a bunch of people who've had a lot to drink, most of which will be pretty hazy about what occured that night? Does the room have the usual bad acoustics? It's one thing to beat up a guitar when you're playing for thousands of people under ideal conditions. For an everyday (low paying) bar gig, hmmm...

Do your chops match your slick stage moves? Some guys put emphasis on the strange things. Did the crowd come to watch a gymnist, or hear some good music, or maybe both? To me, the top priority, and by far the most entertaining, is a tight band with great musicians, good arrangements, and an innovative song list. Pros. If you already have all that, then hop around like a jumping bean. If you don't, you may want to rethink things.

Some of us manage to gig on the local level without injuries to our guitars. It can be done. Where I 'cut loose' is on solos; I leave the fancy moves to "Dancing with the Stars.'

Once again you assume that everyone else plays the same kind of gigs you play. In this case, I'm going out on a limb and wagering that it might not be true. How's Astroglide going to line up his after-show hookup if he stands there presenting like he's Eric Clapton or some other aging rocker who might need a hip replacement at any moment?

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: To Thrash And Abuse or Conserve and Protect?

It's mine until I choose it isn't or until it is taken away from me. I don't believe in defacing a 57 strat, but a 90's MIM is mine and I will do whatever I want to it! How likely is it that 30 years from now a 1994 MIM strat is considered the holly grail? About as likely as my 1990 Thunderbird being considered a classic car!

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: To Thrash And Abuse or Conserve and Protect?

When you're talking about guitars less than $1000, the answer is simple.

When you've got a bunch of high dollar guitars, you're forced to decide how to handle them. I've divided it into 3rds. There's guitars that get the beating. Then there's ones that get played and wiped down. Then there's precious ones that I'd love to play daily, but don't. Those are ones I consider 'special occasion guitars.' I hate to think that way, but I would puke my guts out if I put a big ding in a $4000 collectible.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: To Thrash And Abuse or Conserve and Protect?

I hate to think that way, but I would puke my guts out if I put a big ding in a $4000 collectible.

if it makes you feel better, let me play it for awhile, and I'll put a big ding in it for you. lol

 

[Jessie's ghost]

Re: To Thrash And Abuse or Conserve and Protect?

When you're talking about guitars less than $1000, the answer is simple.

When you've got a bunch of high dollar guitars, you're forced to decide how to handle them. I've divided it into 3rds. There's guitars that get the beating. Then there's ones that get played and wiped down. Then there's precious ones that I'd love to play daily, but don't. Those are ones I consider 'special occasion guitars.' I hate to think that way, but I would puke my guts out if I put a big ding in a $4000 collectible.

It is a different thing if you own collectible guitars. If I had say, an anniversary JEM or something, I might consider it a legitimate case queen and fuss over it to the point of agony.

But most of my guitars are middling crap that's meant to be played, and that's why I bought them. I'd cheerfully throw my keys at any but about two of them.

 

[Powdered Toast Man]

Re: To Thrash And Abuse or Conserve and Protect?

Is the Black Top Jaguar HH made in USA or another country? If it is American made, surely, the smart thing would be to keep the expensive guitar tidy and beat seven shades out of the cheaper one.

Mexico.

 

[SabbathFan0220]

Re: To Thrash And Abuse or Conserve and Protect?

I think it's worth having a guitar (or two) designated as stage guitars. Ones you keep with the assumption they'll get played hard, and sometimes a little abused. This saves you from worrying about protecting them.

 

[ravendouglas]

Re: To Thrash And Abuse or Conserve and Protect?

i treat my guitars with great care.....i wipe strings,i play with no buttons on my shirt sleeves....im having a fit right now over some scratches on my eclipse,that were put there by some one else....it is getting a buff job today..i hope it works.

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: To Thrash And Abuse or Conserve and Protect?

worrying about the scratches on your guitars is a really good way to spend more time thinking about guitars but not actually playing them

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: To Thrash And Abuse or Conserve and Protect?

This is the SDUGF - pretty much everyone here says "shut up and play yer guitar," but if you asked the same question on TGP, you'd hear "what's the point in beating one up when you can take a few simple precautions, like storing it in a humidified temperature controlled case, using straplocks, wearing a Snuggie at all times while playing, and only gigging in rubber rooms, and avoid the problem?

 

[Kam]

Re: To Thrash And Abuse or Conserve and Protect?

^^^ And that's why I've never posted on TGP.

 

[blueman335]

Re: To Thrash And Abuse or Conserve and Protect?

worrying about the scratches on your guitars is a really good way to spend more time thinking about guitars but not actually playing them

You guys can't play a guitar wiithout scratching and gouging it up. Is it a hand-eye coordination issue? If you're not beating it up, you're not playing it right? Or as some genius said: "It's rock and roll' so you're supposed to have a guitar that looks like a truck ran over it.

 

[lex666]

Re: To Thrash And Abuse or Conserve and Protect?

...wearing a Snuggie at all times while playing, and only gigging in rubber rooms...

LOL, I just shot Red Bull out of my nose and the bubbles makes my eyes water!

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: To Thrash And Abuse or Conserve and Protect?

For the record, I have about 2,000 posts on TGP, I contribute financially to TGP every year, and I consider them a valuable part of my online guitar education.

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: To Thrash And Abuse or Conserve and Protect?

You guys can't play a guitar wiithout scratching and gouging it up. Is it a hand-eye coordination issue? If you're not beating it up, you're not playing it right? Or as some genius said: "It's rock and roll' so you're supposed to have a guitar that looks like a truck ran over it.

no

dude

we play heavier faster crazier music than you do

yeah when i'm sitting down and playing the blues it's whatever

but i prefer playing punk rock and heavy metal and i'm not gona worry about digging in too deep while i do!

 

[tone4days]

Re: To Thrash And Abuse or Conserve and Protect?

This is the SDUGF - pretty much everyone here says "shut up and play yer guitar," but if you asked the same question on TGP, you'd hear "what's the point in beating one up when you can take a few simple precautions, like storing it in a humidified temperature controlled case, using straplocks, wearing a Snuggie at all times while playing, and only gigging in rubber rooms, and avoid the problem?

LOL
except for the TGPers who would look at a pic of a guitar player actually playing and actually played guitar (e.g. natural relic) and ask where they could send their guitar to get 'aged' that way


last night at rehearsal i noticed that my prs sc245 got another top ding at a gig friday night ... i winced for about a half a second then kinda smiled and reminded myself that i use this guitar alot and want to look that way - no worries

i gotta laugh reading Joe's post 'cus he's the guy who told me to 'play the snot out of' the 'deep blue sea' PRS mccarty brazilian i bought from scott for just under $3k about 5 yrs ago ... i guess the recession has him recalibrating his thresholds

play em - dont look at em

t4d

 

[phil_104]

Re: To Thrash And Abuse or Conserve and Protect?

You guys can't play a guitar wiithout scratching and gouging it up. Is it a hand-eye coordination issue? If you're not beating it up, you're not playing it right? Or as some genius said: "It's rock and roll' so you're supposed to have a guitar that looks like a truck ran over it.

It's just rock and roll man. It's not suppose to look like it has been ran over by a truck. It doesn't need to look like anything. It's probably gonna end up looking like it's been through a lot of rock shows. You know, where you play outside with a leather jacket that might scuff it a bit, get really into the tune and scratch it up under the strings, ding it while switching guitars, has a few cigarette burns on it from warming up, rub marks from the strap since you move around the stage a lot, smack a mic stand with the headstock while turning after going to the edge of the stage to solo where 100 people are grabbing at the air about 2 inches away from your guitar.

Just regular rock stuff. It won't strip the paint off, but it won't stay mint. And it's not a question of being an acrobat on stage, it's a question of charisma. If you play with the basic stage "interaction" of most well known guitar players that people idolize (Page, Iommi, Hendrix, Blackmore, you get the point) and bring your instruments regularly into live situation, it will not stay mint. Period. It's not a bad thing, it's not neglect, it just happens.

I think a great example is WahWah's strat. I've seen posts by the man for years, his strat is beat to hell cosmetically, and it's not due to neglect. The man is a (great!) working musician, and his instrument has been used. It's been loved, and I know to this day he states that it is his soulmate (it surely is, we can all agree), but that love has been showed by regular use.

There is nothing wrong with wear, it doesn't represent a lack of care.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: To Thrash And Abuse or Conserve and Protect?

i gotta laugh reading Joe's post 'cus he's the guy who told me to 'play the snot out of' the 'deep blue sea' PRS mccarty brazilian i bought from scott for just under $3k about 5 yrs ago ... i guess the recession has him recalibrating his thresholds
t4d

I consider all my guitars to be players. Only two of them are closet queens....the 35th Ann. Black Beauty in mint condition and vintage sunburst McCarty. There's no reason to put them into regular rotation when I have so many others I can use.

 

[jeremy]

Re: To Thrash And Abuse or Conserve and Protect?

unless its a collectors item worth big bucks, just play the silly thing and stop worrying about it

 

[Andrew Lamprecht]

Re: To Thrash And Abuse or Conserve and Protect?

It's just rock and roll man. It's not suppose to look like it has been ran over by a truck. It doesn't need to look like anything. It's probably gonna end up looking like it's been through a lot of rock shows. You know, where you play outside with a leather jacket that might scuff it a bit, get really into the tune and scratch it up under the strings, ding it while switching guitars, has a few cigarette burns on it from warming up, rub marks from the strap since you move around the stage a lot, smack a mic stand with the headstock while turning after going to the edge of the stage to solo where 100 people are grabbing at the air about 2 inches away from your guitar.

Just regular rock stuff. It won't strip the paint off, but it won't stay mint. And it's not a question of being an acrobat on stage, it's a question of charisma. If you play with the basic stage "interaction" of most well known guitar players that people idolize (Page, Iommi, Hendrix, Blackmore, you get the point) and bring your instruments regularly into live situation, it will not stay mint. Period. It's not a bad thing, it's not neglect, it just happens.

I think a great example is WahWah's strat. I've seen posts by the man for years, his strat is beat to hell cosmetically, and it's not due to neglect. The man is a (great!) working musician, and his instrument has been used. It's been loved, and I know to this day he states that it is his soulmate (it surely is, we can all agree), but that love has been showed by regular use.

There is nothing wrong with wear, it doesn't represent a lack of care.

unless its a collectors item worth big bucks, just play the silly thing and stop worrying about it

+1 to both of these comments.