keeping your guitars in pristine condition all the time?

[vejichan]

Are you someone who likes to keep their guitars in pristine condition, always worried about getting it dented, scratched or damaged? Do u baby your instrument? Overly protective? I am like this I have guitars that are over 20 yrs old that would be almost mint condition. But recently I am beginning to think maybe I should not care so much..because those dents, Mark's, scratched etc is from you. It shows history and the love you have and leaves your imprint on the instrument. All the greats like Tommy Emmanuel, Lincoln Brewster, Christopher McKee they all have dents, Mark's, scratches. So to put it another way, you are an author and your guitar and music is your book...do you want to write on it or leave it blank..sorry bad analogy. To clarify you should still take care of it but I was bit too extreme. Thoughts and opinions?

 

[vejichan]

Are you someone who likes to keep their guitars in pristine condition, always worried about getting it dented, scratched or damaged? Do u baby your instrument? Overly protective? I am like this I have guitars that are over 20 yrs old that would be almost mint condition. But recently I am beginning to think maybe I should not care so much..because those dents, Mark's, scratched etc is from you. It shows history and the love you have and leaves your imprint on the instrument. All the greats like evh, vai, Tommy Emmanuel, Lincoln Brewster, Christopher McKee they all have dents, Mark's, scratches. So to put it another way, you are an author and your guitar and music is your book...do you want to write on it or leave it blank..sorry bad analogy. To clarify you should still take care of it but I was bit too extreme. Thoughts and opinions?

 

[prlgmnr]

the fuck is Lincoln Brewster

 

[Metropolis]

They're tools and marks of use don't matter. I don't like big signs of wear in any part of a guitar, but don't care about small dents and scratches. If an instrument is a very valuable piece which is collectible and benefits from being in best condition as possible, it's another thing.

Then this 19 minute rant by Trey Xavier came into my mind...

 

[NickS]

the fuck is Lincoln Brewster

He's the worship pastor and Christian musician at my parent's church in California. He's a good musician, if that's the kind of thing you're in to, but I think calling him one of the "greats" is certainly a stretch....

 

[diagrammatiks]

No. My cat fucking peed in my core prs. After that idgaf.

Actually I’m pretty sure it was jizz

 

[Andromalia]

Depends. I'm more careful with some than others, given that I play a few RR models. I'm ok with traces of use, but not with banged fins.

 

[jephjacques]

nah, guitars are meant to be used and natural wear and tear gives them character.

 

[jaxadam]

If it so much as goes out of tune, I send it back for a full refund.

 

[budda]

I give no fucks. It's a piece of equipment and its going to get dinged.

Nothing stays perfect, time wont allow it.

I get my guitars set up, my fretboards get cleaned, my frets get polished - but I do not care about how dinged or worn it gets.

Definitely bought a satin guitar for the wear factor.

 

[DudeManBrother]

I don’t go out of my way to ding them, nor to protect them. They’re guitars meant for playing, so that’s what I like to do with them.

 

[Avedas]

Don't give a shit at all. I'll keep my guitar clean because grime and dust gets pretty disgusting, but dents and scratches are no big deal at all.

 

[jephjacques]

If it so much as goes out of tune, I send it back for a full refund.

classic SSO

 

[efiltsohg]

I don't care, but through sheer luck all my guitars are in remarkably good shape

 

[Catalyst Collide]

Yeah, no - I want them to age and show their use. If we're talking just aesthetics - one of the biggest bummers (for me) of modern manufacturing techniques is the use of thick poly finishes. They don't wear the same way as old nitro finishes. Not that the chipping is bad, but there something magical about a nitro finish that's worn down from playing. Keeping them in top playing condition? (setup, strings, intonation..) yes - worrying about their finish - nah.

 

[guitaardvark]

Nah. This is my number one and while I bought it with a lot of that damage already there, it doesn't bother me and I don't do much to prevent further damage. I actually kind of like it; it looks like a guitar that's been played every single day for the past 19 years, which means that it must be a damn good guitar (it is).

 

[Jonathan20022]

I take care of them and when they get dinged which is an inevitability, who cares. You can't completely cover those situations, so being a cautious owner who recognizes you'll get dings is the best thing to do.

You paid 3k for that instrument, and it's function is to be played. So just be careful while you play it and actually use it, if you have instruments that live in their case then it's kind of pointless to have them unless you're planning selling them in the future. It's better to enjoy an expensive purchase and take a $100 - 300 hit when selling rather than trying to maximize how much of your original cost you can recoup.

Having a mint or like new condition instrument should be the result of careful ownership and actual use, not never using it.

Even when I had a huge collection I rotated instruments on my rack every week so I could actually enjoy all of them. I prefer having a smaller collection now, but I made sure to play my guitars and basses when I didn't have room to keep them all on the rack.

 

[angl2k]

I baby all my guitars <3

I even wash my hands and make sure my clothes are clean before playing.

 

[vejichan]

I guess if my cost 1k I wouldnt care but my guitars are 4k and 5k. So for those people with expensive guitars, what are your thoughts?

 

[elkoki]

My picking hand rests in between the pickups, so the movement usually scratches up and fades the finishes on my guitars. I guess its my pinky scratching it all up. Can't help it.... If you got a bunch of pristine looking guitars, you're probably more of a collector than a player