Gigging Guitar Dilemma

[88prs]

What's the point if you can't enjoy them.... and this "relic" biz is all crap. I have an '88 and a 2001 that I play ALL the time and they are immaculate for their age. Same with my 2016 McCarty. I play them anywhere but am just careful.. (ya, anal)... no Joe Walsh belt buckles.... haha

 

[Boogie]

no Joe Walsh belt buckles.... haha

Exactly! No sense in making things worse than necessary. My Les Paul has rivet worming on the back before I wore shirts long enough to cover the top of my jeans. Just kept the jeans tight so no belt was involved. Did it for the Les Paul...and the ladies.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Just kept the jeans tight so no belt was involved. Did it for the ladies.

So did Robert Plant!

 

[László]

Just kept the jeans tight so no belt was involved. Did it for the Les Paul...and the ladies.

Yeah. And I’m getting my own signature PRS.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Yeah. And I’m getting my own signature PRS.

A Paul Les?!

 

[László]

A Paul Les?!

20th PS Anniversary model, but with three P-90s. Black gold burst wrap. Small moons. Nitro. Boom! Done!

I may need to order one of these in PS at some point.

 

[andy474x]

Late to this party!

My S2 satin is starting to get pick scratches, and the lower edge near the jack got some finish scraped off due to accidentally rubbing on my pocketknife clip. Don’t tell anyone... but I kinda like it.

 

[artisan4]

I gig with two Fender American Strats. My PRS collector guitars are not making an appearance at Skidmark's Lounge.

 

[John Beef]

I gig with two Fender American Strats. My PRS collector guitars are not making an appearance at Skidmark's Lounge.

Why not?

 

[dogrocketp]

I don’t have PRS to look at them. If I own it, it gets gigged.

 

[dmatthews]

I don’t have PRS to look at them. If I own it, it gets gigged.

Yup... there are none in my stable that don't get gigged.

 

[Tonart]

Anything that is coveted for exquisite appearance is going to face such concerns. It’s only natural. You don’t seek out an orange only to deny its tangy taste. It would be a contradiction in itself.

How many times has a guitar on PSF been judged based on its tone?

Some subordinate the appearance aspect to the utility aspect. Some do not.

In the end it’s all zebra stripes. I myself prefer not to mix up the channels so to speak. If I need a guitar for rough use, I’d look for a plain top or something, cos I deem it’s not going to serve an aesthetic purpose.

Know why you’re buying the guitar in the first place. That the best thing to do.

 

[artisan4]

Why not?

Halloween gig, 1997. I was playing by brand-new Rickenbacker 4003S/5 bass. 6 ft drunk in rabbit costume managed to stagger past a support pillar, through all the dancers, past the speaker mains, past our keyboard player and his synth, and into my new bass, knocking it off its stand and against my amp and putting a gouge into it.

Outdoor gig, 1999. I was playing my brand-new Gibson Les Paul Standard. Went in to house to get a drink, came back and the wind had blown the guitar over onto my pedal board, putting two gouges into the body.

Never again. Fenders are indestructible.

 

[RickP]

I have to laugh at myself. I regularly gig ten grand in guitar gear at dates where I’m barely making more than $100. If that’s not musician-math, I don’t know what is.

I gig all my guitars, but have been known to bring a beater when sit-ins might be expected. It’s different when someone else is dinging up your gear!

 

[matonanjin]

I gig them. Why use anything less than your favorite when it really counts?

I have to agree with elvis on this. I first have to say I have never gigged, not since high school decades ago, so that doesn't count. And I never will. So I am ultimately unqualified to comment on this.

And I get your concern about dinging them or their disappearing.

But isn't playing in this environment, making and sharing music, the ultimate goal of why we do this? Do you want less than your most valuable tools in this situation?

 

[John Beef]

Fenders are indestructible.

I'll give you that, but mainly because they're all an assembly of almost random parts, so if anything breaks it's no problem to fix/replace.