Ever happen to you?

[ronmac]

There is a fine line between adequate care and obsessive behaviour, IMHO.

If you have a guitar that you want to remain in pristine condition it would be wise not to gig with it, or even bring it out when other players are present. If your guitar is especially appealing the temtation for others to try it out may be too much for them to overcome.

[WorksInTheory]

It's not that I want my guitar pristine as I definitely mean to play it, but I don't want to destroy for the sake of destroying it. There is unnecessary damage and there are accidents.

In any case I guess I rather do the abusing to my guitar if there was any abusing to be done. It's different when someone does it to your guitar when he didn't pay for it or spend the time to take care of it and set it up, etc. You spend all this time taking care of your guitar and just to to hand it to some unconcerned guy that tears it in a few seconds.

Your kid needs to be slapped around once in a while to set them in line but it's way different if someone else is slapping your kid around isn't it? (by the way this is a just a hyperbole - I do not condone or nor am I taking any stances on physical child rearing).

[speed4]

I let a good friend take my fairly new, fairly rare, and very expensive Ducati for a ride and when he returned he couldn't stop raving about how quick it was when it got past 7000 rpm.  Forgot to tell him it wasn't fully broken in and still had rev restrictions.  My bad.  We're still friends.  Bike is fine.

[WorksInTheory]

Those are nice bikes.

Here's something to think about - would your friend be as forgiving as you are if you "left your mark" on their guitar. Or let's say that car or bike has something wrong with it you didn't know and they got into an accident - would they sue or expect compensation. Who knows - I have seen best friends become enemies over worse things.

This post was totally philosophical but it did help me decide what to do. But I am not sure he would do the same. In any case was just interested if any of you came across similar situations.

[Tycho]

I can live with dings and playing wear on my guitars, as long as I'm the one who caused them.

.

[Mikeymac]

WIT,

I agree with stuco; your friend's an idiot, and what we used to call a 'boor' which means a rude and insensitive person.  Most people have enough common sense and manners to treat other people's (very nice) things with respect; he doesn't.  You're fortunate he doesn't live close to you...

[WorksInTheory]

WIT,

I agree with stuco; your friend's an idiot, and what we used to call a 'boor' which means a rude and insensitive person.  Most people have enough common sense and manners to treat other people's (very nice) things with respect; he doesn't.  You're fortunate he doesn't live close to you...

Well in his defense actually... I really think he isn't a boor. I think though he isn't aware about how bad his technique is. I think he really think he's rocking out when he plays like that and I don't think he even notices that he did any damage. Not too observant. Plus he's only had a beater Tak around so he woulnd't know the diff I guess. Probably never played a solid wood guitar before I showed him the light!

[Tycho]

People like that have to be allowed to see the light on their own.  I posted once before about a friend of mine who is aggressively ignorant about gear; he makes a point of not learning anything about his instrument.  He decided he wanted to trade up from his Yamaha to a higher-end instruemnt.  I helped him buy a D-03.  He refused to humidify it.  He left it sitting (in its case) in the trunk of his car, outside, in sub-zero weather for three hours.  Etc. etc.  There's nothing you can do.

[WorksInTheory]

People like that have to be allowed to see the light on their own.  I posted once before about a friend of mine who is aggressively ignorant about gear; he makes a point of not learning anything about his instrument.  He decided he wanted to trade up from his Yamaha to a higher-end instruemnt.  I helped him buy a D-03.  He refused to humidify it.  He left it sitting (in its case) in the trunk of his car, outside, in sub-zero weather for three hours.  Etc. etc.  There's nothing you can do.

Just curious - what happened to that guitar. I ask because I once kept trying to convince someone they should brush their teeth more including at night but they were lazy. But they replied that they never had a cavity or any issues whatsoever when I had. Can't argue with that or make them see the light.

[Tycho]

The incident where he left the D-03 out in the cold was last December.  When he got to practice and I realized he had done that, I told him to leave the guitar in its case for half an hour before opening it.  He did, and the guitar seemed fine that night, so I think it survived that incident. 

I haven't actually seen it since December, because I stopped playing with that particular band.  I said to this guy at the time, "If you don't take care of this guitar, it's like taking a thousand bucks and throwing it out the window, and I know you wouldn't do that."  I think he got the message.  But he tends not to take care of his instruments.  I was over at his house once and saw his nice American Standard Strat leaning up against the wall with no support while his kids ran around, etc.  It's sad, but it's not my problem. 

[WorksInTheory]

The incident where he left the D-03 out in the cold was last December.  When he got to practice and I realized he had done that, I told him to leave the guitar in its case for half an hour before opening it.  He did, and the guitar seemed fine that night, so I think it survived that incident. 

I haven't actually seen it since December, because I stopped playing with that particular band.  I said to this guy at the time, "If you don't take care of this guitar, it's like taking a thousand bucks and throwing it out the window, and I know you wouldn't do that."  I think he got the message.  But he tends not to take care of his instruments.  I was over at his house once and saw his nice American Standard Strat leaning up against the wall with no support while his kids ran around, etc.  It's sad, but it's not my problem. 

Yeah but until anything actually ever happens to the instruments he won't ever get it - just like the brushing teeth story. Until they get cavities and get drilled into - they won't take much urgency to it.

[Cowgirlie]

If a friend has nice guitar(s) and is a good player, I hand them my good guitars...but if someone does not have a good guitar,or their gutrar looks like hell, well it's because they don't know the difference. I would never hand my guitars to someone who comes to a jam session, and says " I don't have a guitar right now, I had to sell mine" or something like that.

That being said, I have a clear plastic buckle guard I lay on the back of my guitars, several layers thick, that stays on my guitars when I am out on the road, and can lift right off if my guitars will not get played for a week or so. It keeps the back scratches down. It does not cover the whole back, just the soccer ball sized circle that is likely to rest against my concho belt when I'm standing and playing. I don't worry about other folks' belts then if I share.

As for the front, you can do the same thing. Go to anyplace that sells fabric, upholstery materials, etc and get a sheet of that clear vinyl. It won't seem like it will cling, but it has a paper backing on it to help you find the edges, etc. Cut a circle or a pickguard or oval or whole bottom half of the front of your guitar shape, and if someone wants yto play who's style you don't know, slap it on. I keep my bucklel guard rolled up in my case when I'm not using it. If someone is offended by you putting on the guard, they don't understand...i.e. they probably should not play your good guitar.

I used to worry I'd offend, but I have only had to say "no" a few times, and ten the reply I got told me the person was drunk, or not respectful of my things anyway. Once I handed my beloved custom LS 10 to someone who banged it against a chair and then handed it so someone who got out a pick and was about to strum, when I stepped in and said, "ummmm, no picks on my guitar"
I got very selective after that!

[rcemech]

Had a similar situation, except it was my boss.  He really started me on guitar, and lent me a nice classical that I learved to play on for a couple months.  He owns some extremely nice classicals including a Braz Ramirez thats valued about 18k. So, I am willing to let him play one of mine out of consideration and respect.  I just had a handbuilt made.  It is a Claro wlnut/ Sinker Redwood kind of Grand Auditorium style by Simon Fay.  I dont have a ton of money and Simon built the guitar at cost but it was still over a grand, and to me thats expensive, plus I worked with Simon, picked and bought the woods myself, and was very hands through the whole process.  I visited Simon twice and played two of his first guitars and then mine and another when i picked mine up, this guitar is my baby.  It's awsome and my boss was excited to see and play it, so I brought it in for him.  He came in my office and opened it up, he looked at it and i noticed he had a BIG ring on his right hand.  An then I knew what was gonna happen...ding, ding, ding...he keeps knocking the back and sides with the ring as he handes it.  My friend was in the office with me and he was cringing at the sight and the noise.  He started to play and that was better, I put a pick gaurd on (thank god) cause his pinky nail was about an inch long and he uses it for a holding point.  Well, he finished playing and layed it down gently and I thought he was done, my co-worker said "Awe man I thought we were gonna get a concert."  So my boss picks the guitar back up and plays another piece, finishes twirls the guitar around to get one last glimpse and starts to put it back in the case, and stops, hovers it about 8 in over the case and just DROPS IT IN!!!!  I was furious!  I wanted to bash him in the head with a stapler or something.  I held my tounge and stared at my guitar in shock as he leaps up out of the chair and says "nice guitar" and saunters off.  I couldnt believe it, I was dumbfounded.  I will never let him play one of my guitars ever again.  What was I supposed to do, yell at the guy who signs my paycheck?  I'm not that dumb :TON>.

I feel for you man, you want your friends to play your instruments so they know what a great instrument sounds and feels like, and you would think they above all would have the brains and courtesy to respect your belongings.  I know when my guitars get scratched or dented, a little bit of me is as well.  Its hard to keep your instuments in good shape, and I will particularily be more carful about to whom I let play my guitar. 

Sorry bout the dents  :<>
-Rich

[Mikeymac]

Rich,

Your boss is definitely an idiot and a boor...