keeping your guitars in pristine condition all the time?

[Tisca]

I have a few guitars from 2003-2004 that still have the plastic film on the back covers. It's pretty effin stupid but now that I've invested so much time in keeping them that way I can't bring myself to removing them =).
I do appreciate my banged up guitars when I don't have to worry about the condition anymore.

 

[Discoqueen]

I’ve been trying to do better lately. I find I like it when my guitars are shiny. I am starting to wash my hands before I play, but that is more to keep the neck clean for the more functional purpose of maintaining playability.

Conversely, I do like that my guitars have little dings and pick swirlies, ect. I just don’t like dust or grimy strings. After spending months saving up for a guitar which I would consider expensive, that first dent really hurts, though.

 

[pahulkster]

Not playing out so it isn't too hard to keep things nice. The majority of my guitars are just on stands in my music room with a few in their cases. I wash my hands before playing but I'm ocd with that anyway. I won't wear a zip hoodie or something like that while playing either. Beyond good maintenance and keeping the room clean with the shades down there isn't much else to do. I wouldn't say I baby anything and play everything as much as I can. How some guitars get so destroyed is beyond me.

 

[vejichan]

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...

Thank you. This video from Trey explains everything. It's just sad that I am coming to this conclusion and realization now after all the years of babying my guitars and gear. All the fear and worry about dents, scratches and damage on my guitars is pointless and meaningless.

 

[narad]

If you're takin' advice from Gear Gods, feel bad for ya, son.

 

[Spicypickles]

I don’t worry about dents/scratches much, but I don’t go out of my way to make them happen either. I don’t lean my guitars up against things, I generally just play sitting down so I’m not walking the headstock into walls or doorways. I feel like most scratches I’ve gotten have been from maintenance of some sort.

 

[Mathemagician]

My first guitar in the mid-2000’s was an ancient Harmony “strat knock off” with dings, a terrible set up, and the “gold hardware” was rusted green in places.

I just played it, didn’t care. And now when I want an awesome guitar I won’t let some body dings prevent me from swooping the fuck in on a good deal.

I may treat my more expensive gear a tad better, but it will get dinged eventually. So I’m not going to waste time worrying about it.

 

[gujukal]

I try to not care, but the times when i have dinged/dented a mint $3000 guitar it stinged for a while.

 

[iamaom]

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

Channel whose purpose is to advertise and sell gear suggests you wear out your gear faster, hmm...

 

[noise in my mind]

Now I know who not to buy used guitars from in this thread.

 

[vejichan]

If you're takin' advice from Gear Gods, feel bad for ya, son.

I'm not but he does make some valid points

 

[Fenriswolf]

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?

I got my money's worth because it was the only guitar I played for 10 years.

 

[narad]

I'm not but he does make some valid points

The only point I heard in that video that I wouldn't classify as (a) obvious or (b) incorrect, is that there's not some incredible guitar out there that's going to blow everything you know out of the water. Some will say that too is obvious, but this is in the same forum with threads like, "Are blackmachines worth $20k?". And even still, after many years of buying and swapping high-end guitars, I still keep learning new things about them and my preferences.

The guy has this rant against flippers without even understanding what a flipper is. A flipper, as the name implies, flips gear, i.e., is trying to turn a profit. Everyone else is just trying things out. Not many stores you can walk into and try many high-end guitars, let alone with anything resembling what you'd spec out for yourself. Buying is how to gain experience in these matters, and selling is the only way to sustain it if you're not loaded.

 

[MetalHex]

It's just like dinging your new car. You may as well intentionally put the first ding in it to get it over with then you won't feel so bad about the rest!

 

[MetalHex]

I have a few guitars from 2003-2004 that still have the plastic film on the back covers. It's pretty effin stupid but now that I've invested so much time in keeping them that way I can't bring myself to removing them =).
I do appreciate my banged up guitars when I don't have to worry about the condition anymore.

Some people still have unopened packs of baseball cards from 1991. Are you sure you arent just a collector? You're a collector AND a player. I kid of course!

 

[IbanezIsLife]

If you care you are spending too much of your disposable income on guitars and you need to think how are spending your money.

I disagree. Personally, I was raised to take care of all of my stuff. No matter how much it cost...I take good care of it. I have a ~$150 LTD that's about 15 years old that's in almost the same condition of my Mayones.

 

[Zahs]

I'm the type of player who keeps all his guitars in the case.

When I want to play one, open the case. Play the thing. Then once i'm done, clean the guitar from use. Place back into the case. Case Closed.

Yes I do like to take good care of my guitars. I actually enjoy cleaning them and taking care of them.

 

[Jonathan20022]

I disagree. Personally, I was raised to take care of all of my stuff. No matter how much it cost...I take good care of it. I have a ~$150 LTD that's about 15 years old that's in almost the same condition of my Mayones.

That's not the point, the point being made in this is allowing your desire to keep your instruments in the way from actually using them for what they were intended to be.

Instruments are instruments, if you want to keep an instrument pristine take a photo of it the day you get it and frame it up as artwork but use the original product for it's intended use.

The only significant exception to this are instruments that have an immense amount of sentimental value (IE: First guitar, Instrument passed down from parents, heirloom etc). Spending 6x the amount on an instrument doesn't give it meaning, it's a blank slate. And it remains so until you use it.

 

[budda]

You can take care of your gear and it will still wear. See: natural relics.

 

[Fenriswolf]

You can take care of your gear and it will still wear. See: natural relics.

Those are the guitars to get. It's like my dad's Strat, it's just an American Strat with Lace Sensors, but he's been playing it for going on 30 years. He's played it so much it's basically scalloped under the frets he plays most, and the pickguard is wore down were his fingers rub, but it still doesn't look like someone's taken a belt sander to that one spot that every relic has wore down to bare wood.

Even my Les Paul that I posted earlier has been through it's share of late night drunk jam sessions, and it has it's share of dents and dings and I've wore the finish of the back of the neck and it's not wore down there.