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Posts: 256
Location: chicago | We all talk about guitar shapes, color ,sizes,prices how many we own etc.but really is or shouldnt it be just a means to an end...to be creative and or just play music? Heres my point, Dobrov and I did probably the best gig we ever did together this last saturday,and on our first break the owner of the art gallery knocked over my Elite x-768 BAM it hit the floor,and my buddy looked at me and said "what if its broke"? and I looked down at my fingers and said I can always buy another one.
Just my opinion......it all about the music,and the tone....not how many we own.
Jeff |
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Posts: 7233
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | The one who dies with the most toys wins. Period.
Seriously tho... I think there may be something profound in your post, I'm just not getting it.
Shapes and Sizes create the "tone" and many times one tone is not enough, at least for me. So I'm not understanding your post... and yet I think I want to. |
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Posts: 12759
Location: Boise, Idaho | True, Jeff, but some are very personal and possibly irreplaceable pieces of art as well. I'm sure the art gallery owner would understand that viewpoint if you knocked over one of his statues and broke it. I suspect he wouldn't just say, "I can always buy another one." |
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Posts: 4832
Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Means to an end.
1 - It gets the girls.
2 - I don't have to deal with people. They're on the dance floor, I'm on the stage.
3 - How can you not just dig the sound of this note progession, man? No, no. this new one.
Shades of Django meets Angus Young in a New Orleans hock shop...! |
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Posts: 972
Location: PDX | I think that is definitely one way to look at. But i don't think it is the only way. Nor do i think it de-legitimizes a collector's viewpoint.
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gh1 |
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Posts: 1330
Location: ms | A lot of the places we play are just a ding or worse waiting to happen. We did two partys this past weekend and it never fails , cousin Joe or somebodys son wants to set in on a song. Thats fine and we like it cause we are there for them to have fun but it can be hard on guitars. Some guitars like my J45 i only use live when i play solo but when its a full band i hide the nicer guitars and pull out the work horse. |
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Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | True, if it's just a guitar, you can always get another one.
But in many cases where there is a memory, a story, a personal reason making that guitar special to you... you can get another guitar, but you can't get that guitar again. |
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December 2006
Posts: 6995
Location: Jet City | There are guitars that are not replaceable. |
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March 2005
Posts: 12759
Location: Boise, Idaho | My wife used to proudly announce that she bought my Matrix for me, which was partly true. I used to correct her, but I'm smarter now. Recently, she pointed out that she bought the OFC for me. As long as she's happy with that, so be it. I won't sell either one, unless circumstances change drastically.
I can see the "tools" approach, and I've talked to several women who think if you have a guitar you should make money off it. I see it as something much more personal, at least for several of mine. |
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Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | My first thought was... It must be nice to be able to buy another one.
Yes, I know what my sig looks like. But I have known many a person that their $79 pawn-shop special was all they could afford, and it was a means to an end...
Putting food in their belly and maybe a roof and a shower once in awhile.
(so maybe I missed the point too) |
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April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Originally posted by The Wabbit Formerly Known As Waskel:
True, if it's just a guitar, you can always get another one.
But in many cases where there is a memory, a story, a personal reason making that guitar special to you... you can get another guitar, but you can't get that guitar again. You can ALWAYS replace merchandise but the Wabbit's comments are correct (at least for me). |
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November 2004
Posts: 4413
| What jeff says is true when you're talking about an off-the-shelf guitar. odds are that the next off-the-shelf guitar you replace it with will sound pretty much the same and you will be able to play exactly as before.
But others are right too - if the broken guitar was a ute 12 string then there are only 4 others in the world. An original slothead?
Some just can't be replaced. |
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October 2004
Posts: 256
Location: chicago | Dont get me wrong ....nothing can replace true nastalgia.Example;I played my HS talent show with one of my first guitars that I still own and 22 years later got to see my son playing his HS talent show with that same axe.While my words may have been hasty,there is no disrespect for anyone who owns owns 15 guitars or some who can only afford what was gifted to them.The truth is that at the end of the day if you just play three chords for 8 hours or you try to play like wingway malmstien I do hope you enjoy the spirit that is your music! I still believe its all about the music. |
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Posts: 7233
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | " I do hope you enjoy the spirit that is your music! I still believe its all about the music. "
Ahhhh. I'm not sure what "it" in "it's all about the music" but I now understand your post. |
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Posts: 256
Location: chicago | Music = joy! |
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March 2008
Posts: 2683
Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | When the bridge crack on my old Gibson got so bad that it had to be replaced, I knew it would lose some tone. It did, and every time I would play it, I would cry. So I had to sell it. I eventually looked at it like this: I was so lucky to have had it for so many years. A lot of people never have a guitar like that. AND, I can still play. So now I have different guitars. Better? No. Worse? No. Just different. AND, I can still play. |
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October 2008
Posts: 639
Location: NW of Philadelphia | If you see your guitar as just a tool that fits the job, great. Its a piece of equipment.
I feel you picked out that guitar for a reason: the sound, feel, looks, whatever. There was a connection made. So in my eyes, it becomes a part of you. Why do you think I still have the Bradley? :) |
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December 2006
Posts: 6995
Location: Jet City | Originally posted by stephent28:
You can ALWAYS replace merchandise... Good luck!
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December 2004
Posts: 4394
Location: East Tennessee | Without music the world would Bb . |
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March 2007
Posts: 843
Location: CA | Take it from me: don't ever tell a guy whose house just burned down that "it was just a house. You can get another one." |
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May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | I agree. My guitars are only tools. That said ...
However, if someone breaks my tools, they pay to fix them, subject to legitimate wear and tear.
Knocks, scratches or nicks will happen, but a fall with a broken neck is something else.
As I understand my insurance policy I have my guitars at replacement cost, less a $500 deductable. Never had to use it, thank god. |
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April 2006
Posts: 2491
Location: Copenhagen Denmark | I do not see any disrespect for any one here , but , if disaster would strike , then get over it and move on .
Do not forget the past ,yet , do not dwell on it , look forward , not allways easy to do .
I have lost precious items , and still feel sorry for it , some could be replaced , most were not , and at times the new ones were even better.
But having seen/heard clips from Gregg and Jeff ( gitarras fuego ) I guess their best gig is yet to come :) allthough I do not see where the improvement could be ..
Vic
...Did the guitar survive.. :confused: |
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March 2005
Posts: 12759
Location: Boise, Idaho | Here's another car analogy: I wanted a VW bug convertible since the 60s. In the early 90s I found a late model one and got it. My daughter was probably about 10 and begged me to give it to her when she was old enough. She helped me clean it up and do some minor repairs. I taught her to drive in that thing and we had a bunch of fun riding around with the top down. When she finally got her license she proudly drove it to school
One Sunday afternoon she rolled it on the Interstate. Fortunately, she and her friend weren't injured, but the car was totalled. Everyone said it was just a car and could be replaced, but we never replaced it and she and I have always missed that car. Sometimes the material thing creates the memories that can't be replaced. It becomes a symbol of those memories. |
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April 2008
Posts: 2985
Location: Sydney, Australia | Originally posted by Oddball:
Take it from me: don't ever tell a guy whose house just burned down that "it was just a house. You can get another one." I hope you are recovering nicely from that black eye. |
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January 2006
Posts: 2120
Location: Chicago | I'm pretty serious about my first guitar: the 1117 Legend (still gig with it as my Number One). It would take a toxic amount of booze or chemical for me to be comfortably numb as I watch someone bash my axe. I never drink before (or during) a gig because chemical detachment is the death of music. You think it rocks when, in fact, it sucks. |
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March 2002
Posts: 15676
Location: SoCal | Things are just things. But we do grow attached, not because of what they are, but because of the part they played in our lives.
Some people feel that way about dogs. It's been almost 2 years and I still miss Charlie...... |
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January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Some of mine are tools and could probably be replaced, but it might be difficult to find something exact, i.e., a well-broken in 1881 Adamas SSB. Some are are just eye candy and wall art, but there's also a few prototypes, limited editions and pristine vintage models that would be nearly impossible to replace. |
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February 2008
Posts: 747
| For me it's just about the music.
I prefer plain guitars that have good action and sound great. Dot markers and no inlay on the sides of the neck etc.
That said though I really look after the two that I have; I'm attached to them and I appreciate the beauty in their simple design and wood grain.
I find some guitars to be just too ornate for my liking and as for collecting, it doesn't interest me much - If I was looking for another sound I'd consider adding another guitar but I'm still exploring the ones I have and I've been playing for probably 42 years.
Most of the players I know are the same way; they have a couple of good instruments and when they're not being played they're in the case. |
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Guitar... a means to an end.