Do you guys gig your $$$$$ PRSi?

I've just never paid this much money for a piece of gear before. The closest is my Swart AST (2500) and my Hot Cat (2250). Neither of which are going to the gig either, LOL. I have a couple other amps for getting beat-up. I DO have other guitars that will work just fine, especially my HSS strat with a coil tap on the bridge humbucker.

Pic? here you go... brand new, made in 2022:

67242237335-A8-AE206-F-015-D-404-C-8-C0-E-8-C2-EE5-DD795-D.jpg
Fabulous! That colour is right up my alley.
 
I don’t gig (hell, I can barely play cowboy chords), but I roadied and did sound and lights in my 20’s, so I kind of know the bar gig drill. My thoughts:
1) I personally like to keep my nice stuff nice. Except dirt bikes. I’d always just drop a new one before it’s first ride just to get that out of the way.

2) If you are concerned enough to ask, keep the beauty at home, and gig something that won’t make you sick to your stomach with the first good ding. Nobody at a gig cares what your guitar looks like but you. Including the drunk guy that jumps on stage, trips and knocks you into the drum kit.

3) How much does that much $$$$$ mean to you? If it is what we affectionately call “FU money”, gig it. If not, it’s a more personal question to answer.

I think everyone else kinda said this, I just felt like pilling on…

Best with your decision, she’s a beauty.
 
2) If you are concerned enough to ask, keep the beauty at home, and gig something that won’t make you sick to your stomach with the first good ding. Nobody at a gig cares what your guitar looks like but you. Including the drunk guy that jumps on stage, trips and knocks you into the drum kit.
Our band did my friend's daughters wedding a couple years ago.
A severely drunken lad got up on stage mid song and proceeded to sway and stumble around. I had my precious rosewood P22 there in a stand as a spare. My bass player started yelling at the guy while I continued to sing the song.
I can't believe he didn't kick it over to be honest.
Good times! ;)
 
Weddings and unknown dive bars can be the exception. I used to play a D’Aquisto. I took it to a gig at a wedding. We took a break to eat, and all of a sudden I heard the unmistakeable sound of MY GUITAR! I rushed back to the music room, and some guy had picked it up and was playing it. I held my breath and kept my cool. Jailtime for murder was on my mind. When he stood up, weaving a little, I rushed over, got the guitar and said, “So did you ask the owner if you could play this?” After the drunken reply. We continued. At the end of the gig, I found out it was the best man. No jail time was served, and I got paid. Had to sell the guitar during the divorce.
 
I've just never paid this much money for a piece of gear before. The closest is my Swart AST (2500) and my Hot Cat (2250). Neither of which are going to the gig either, LOL. I have a couple other amps for getting beat-up. I DO have other guitars that will work just fine, especially my HSS strat with a coil tap on the bridge humbucker.

Pic? here you go... brand new, made in 2022:

67242237335-A8-AE206-F-015-D-404-C-8-C0-E-8-C2-EE5-DD795-D.jpg
The shame with not gigging that guitar is that the DGT is probably one of the best gigging guitars ever made.
 
Guitars don't sit on stands at gigs, they're safely in their cases - especially during breaks. I had a drunk dancer spin and stagger onto the stage and into a new Yamaha SA-2000 that was on a stand, lesson learned.
 
David Grissom gigs guitars like that all the time!

Personal choice though. I gig all of mine, or “gigged” I should say post pandemic… gigs have been slow! My main gig partners for many years were a pair of Braz-neck 513s. In addition to the sheer enjoyment of playing them, it was interesting how even non-players would stop and look at them. You could see them mouth the “wow” every time. I wouldn’t knock anyone for keeping one at home, but that’s not me. When Steve eventually gives me that Dragon, I’m going to play it everywhere.
 
Weddings and unknown dive bars can be the exception. I used to play a D’Aquisto. I took it to a gig at a wedding. We took a break to eat, and all of a sudden I heard the unmistakable sound of MY GUITAR! I rushed back to the music room, and some guy had picked it up and was playing it. I held my breath and kept my cool. Jailtime for murder was on my mind. When he stood up, weaving a little, I rushed over, got the guitar and said, “So did you ask the owner if you could play this?” After the drunken reply. We continued. At the end of the gig, I found out it was the best man. No jail time was served, and I got paid. Had to sell the guitar during the divorce.

This is a classic reply - it's an entire novel, in about two paragraphs.

=K
 
Okay, my contribution:

I played a classic-rock cover band gig at a country club party about 2009. Our set list was FM radio circa 1975. I played a Gibson Custom Shop 1962 LP/SG Reissue into a Marshall 20-watter, the Baby Plexi. The guitar was a limited run out of the Custom Shop and a damned nice one.

We were wrapping up after the gig when a middle aged couple approached, and told us all, "You sounded great." (I've heard worse.)

The rather cute female half of the couple said to me, "I love that guitar. Would it be all right if I held it?"

I stared at them both real hard. Neither seemed to be intoxicated. Neither seemed to be weird. It was am upper-income country club.

Okay. I carefully draped the SG on its strap locks around the lady, who beamed. She posed for a couple of photos taken by her husband or whoever. She really looked happy. Then she carefully took it off and handed it back to me.

He said, "She's always wanted to do that, pose with a cool guitar." They thanked me and left.

Go figure.

=K
 
I saved my core PRS guitars for good paying jobs, Playing for recording artists, studio work, etc. It was more a case of saving my main guitar for when I needed it. There were some exceptions. I have beaten up core models for non-paying gigs.

When giving guitar lessons, where I wore frets playing open cords, over and over, I used an SE or MIM Strat. I always tried to play guitars that my students could afford. When I played outdoor shows on a concrete slab, I usually played an SE. Now that I also have S2 models, they make great working level guitars. My core models are now more expensive and tend to be kept at home most of the time, safe in their cases.
 
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I have a couple of photos of my daughter playing with one of my cores when she was 1.5 years old a few days after I got it. "I play too, Daddy?" and I said of course! She wailed on thing with a pick and her fingers having the time of her life. I wouldn't trade that memory for anything.

Do I take excellent care of my instruments and do the best that I can to make sure they stay pristine? Do I have them insured? Absolutely. But at the end of the day they are meant to be played and enjoyed.
 
The shame with not gigging that guitar is that the DGT is probably one of the best gigging guitars ever made.

Indeed. And that is one of the main reasons I bought it (besides being a HUGE Grissom fan lol). It IS fantastic with a varied setlist. It doesn't "do it all", but it comes darn close. My HSS strat is also quite good at this. These would be my main 2 gigging guitars (interestingly, my #1- an old tele I've had for 30 years, is seeing less and less play time with the band. (I still play it at home more than all the others.)
Gig it! That guitar is made to be seen and heard!

Yes, that is the conclusion I am coming to. It's not meant to be a museum piece, even tho it is a work of art. Dinging it would definitely upset me, but not gigging it is going against it's creed, and one of the reasons I bought it. Perhaps I will just have to be extra careful with it in those situations: case not gig bag, stow during breaks. My old tele just leaned up against my combo all night, it's already beat, and I love that thing to death. But I would hate for the DGT10T to get beat up like that...
 
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I have a couple of photos of my daughter playing with one of my cores when she was 1.5 years old a few days after I got it. "I play too, Daddy?" and I said of course! She wailed on thing with a pick and her fingers having the time of her life. I wouldn't trade that memory for anything.

Do I take excellent care of my instruments and do the best that I can to make sure they stay pristine? Do I have them insured? Absolutely. But at the end of the day they are meant to be played and enjoyed.
I did something like this with my little guy. I got kid drool all over a few guitars. The guitars clean up.
 
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