How much do you baby your instruments?

Roland · August 2023

My electric guitars are tools for a job. I’ve no intention of selling any of them, so resale value is irrelevant. They get looked after to the extent that they remain playable. When I change the strings I might wipe the nail dust off, but they don’t get polished or cosseted. They only go into cases for transport or storage. If they can’t stand the occasional knock then they’re the wrong tools.

Acoustics are a different matter because they are so fragile. One of them lives on a stand for easy access. The other lives in its case.

guitarjack66 · August 2023

guitarjack66 · August 2023

guitarjack66 said:

Tried to imgur a stoning gif but didnt work on mobile. Aimed at @punchesjudy

Tone71 · August 2023

I have a couple in cases, a few hanging on wall hangers and a couple left wherever they were played last, I really can't be overly precious about them but am as careful as I would be with anything that I like, always think of them as being played not abused so any marks and dings are part of the playing process.

Dirty fretboards are a no no though for me.

SPECTRUM001 · August 2023

When I was younger and playing professionally, I (and my band mates) didn’t give two hoots.

I am much more careful now though.

I like worn in guitars (original or artificial) as they have a more organic feel (to me), and of course further wear isn’t an issue.

Unless….the back of the neck. Don’t know how or why, but I always used to acquire dings on the neck back. I am more conscious now of trying to avoid them.

All of that said - I have spent the last five years finding and modding my perfect guitar selection, so am not keen on lending them out. Aside from my banged up 1978 P Bass - which is currently loaned to some musician friends who are exceptionally talented and a little accident prone. So heaven knows how it will come back. But y’know - it’s indestructible !!!!

jasonbone75 · August 2023

Binary choice for me. If it's a keeper anything goes. If I might sell it kid gloves to maximise the value.

axisus · August 2023

All my electric guitars are aged - well the ones that I use.

normula1 · August 2023

Most of mine live on racks for easy access, this week's fav sits on a stand next to my desk. My resonator sits on its arse in the lounge to grab for a few mins cat wailing slide whilst waiting for others to get ready to go out, or a noodle to the TV.
The only one that stays in a case is my Larrivee acoustic as I really don't want that getting damaged by neglect, but even then the case is on one of the racks.

Grumpyrocker · August 2023

I babied my Les Paul for years after I got it. It's a present from my wife and I wanted to keep it perfect. But over the years it's picked up some dings and now I'm actively not looking after it the same because I'd like it to be more worn, but without me doing damage on purpose.

A few of my guitars have natural or oil finishes and they are never going to stay pristine, but that's part of why I like them.

Meanwhile my Schecter PT has a beautiful perfect flip purple finish that I want to keep pristine for as long as possible.

ScreamingDave · August 2023

I look after my guitars, but I’m not precious. I usually use a stand or lay it back in its case when not being played, but I play with a belt on and belt rash is just natural ageing, as are other dings and scrapes. I don’t get upset unless it’s something major.

In an old band we tried out a new bass player who turned up with an immaculate Ricky. He proceeded to get a university scarf out of his bag and tie it round his waist with the knot at the back so as not to mark the bass with his belt buckle.

He didn’t last

PLOP · August 2023

I don’t care that much. I used to, but these days I just lie it on the floor or on a chair or on top of a cabinet. As long as it’s a flat surface and the neck isn’t poking out asking to be knocked off then it’s fine. The only thing I worry about is it falling, so as long as it’s a sturdy level surface then it’s fair game.

I’ve treated my main telecaster like this since I got it, and it still looks fine. And guess what? The chips on the paint don’t affect how it sounds. I know some of you may be shocked to hear such heresy.

fretmeister · August 2023

Cols said:

The strings naturally get dead skin cells and sweat deposited on them over the course of playing, and the hotter it is the more there’ll be. Wipe them down soon after playing and it’ll mostly come off. Leave it there and it’ll harden on, dull the sound and start to corrode the strings. It’ll also get caked onto the fretboard and pile up against the frets.

Sounds perfect for bass flatwounds.

Duck Dunn used to eat lots of fried chicken when he changed to new strings to get them sounding older quicker.

And this really works:

I've done it myself.

Rowby1 · August 2023

I look after all my stuff. I wouldn’t say I baby them. I just don’t do daft things with expensive stuff….simple. I would never put a guitar on the floor if other people are around because I’ve seen a guitar get accident smashed that way. My guitars and amps are all in pretty good shape and I gig them a lot. I can cope with the odd scratch and ding on the body, its necks with scratches dings and divots I hate. That’s just carelessness to make a mess of a guitar like that.

Roland · August 2023

normula1 said:

… a few mins cat wailing slide whilst waiting for others to get ready to go out ...

The most effective method I’ve found for getting my wife ready to go out is to start playing guitar

Voxman · August 2023

I think I'm pretty realistic and sensible with my guitars. I never lay them on the floor though. 3 are kept in gig bags the rest in hard cases. I generally use guitar stands or lay the guitar in its case and close the lid enough to cover it even at home.

With the exception of my TE52NA bought new, all my guitars were bought pre-owned. My 2002 PRS Cu24 was immaculate when I bought it but it's my main gigging guitar and inevitably it now has some little dings and some very light scratching on the back but I'm not overly precious about it. My second main gigging guitars currently are a 1997 Patrick Eggle Berlin Pro with modified switching, and a 2006 Gibson SG Standard. I don't baby my guitars but neither am I careless with them.

I do have a 2004 50th Anniversary US deluxe Strat that I bought purely for investment and is pure mint with tags, unopened case candy etc. But everything else gets played and I tend to rotate what I play.

The only guitar that I baby is my 2009 Limited Edition US Strat with delta tone. I do sometimes gig it but it's daphne blue, very pretty, and it doesn't have a mark on it. Its the only guitar I have that if it got dinged I'd be pissed off. But hey, babying one out of 14 guitars that I play ain't exactly excessive.

I have a lovely Yamaha acoustic that's also immaculate but I bought that for playing at home or with friends at their home and I dont do acoustic gigs at the moment. But if I did and it got a ding I wouldn't be devastated.

I do look after all my gear though. I'll nearly always wipe down strings and use fast fret to keep the strings cleaner and brighter for longer. When I change strings I'll clip the ends for tidiness and safety, clean the fretboard and get rid of any gunge built up by the frets, and give the guitar a general wipe down or even a quick polish if needed. I'll intonate, check the action and adjust if needed, tweak the Truss rod if needed, check that the switches, knobs and guitar input are all still working fine and use some electrical switch cleaner to help keep contacts clean.

It's not about 'babying' it's just about treating my gear with respect and in good condition. I'm a firm believer that if I look after my gear, it will look after me and hopefully not let me down. Similarly I keep the jack inputs of my amps and mfx clean and get them serviced when needed.

nacnudnai · August 2023

I treat my instruments with respect, but I don't baby them in the slightest. I always keep them well set up and maintained, and "clean" - but I do not care about dings, chips, dents, lacquer cracks or the like. I quickly learned that trying to keep paint and wood damage-free was more anxiety than its worth. When I bought my first actual Gibson, I dinged it within an hour of getting it home and felt awful. Within a week I didn't care anymore! I felt better not caring.

They do all get regular string changes though - I cannot stand grubby or dead strings.

I also agree with @roberty, relics do have that particular advantage. I think it was Mick from TPS who said he prefers relics because he doesn't like the feel of brand new pristine guitars, but doesn't always want to have to buy a genuine 60s strat to get that worn-in feel. Perfectly valid reasoning, not that anyone should have to justify what they spend their money on within the confines of the law.

Offset · August 2023

I keep all of my guitars out of their cases, ready for grabbing whenever the mood takes me. None of my guitars are relics and all of them are in very good nick and I intend to keep them that way within reason.

I don't like dirty fretboards either and I HATE old, crappy strings.

CaseOfAce · August 2023

Roland said:

normula1 said:

… a few mins cat wailing slide whilst waiting for others to get ready to go out ...

The most effective method I’ve found for getting my wife ready to go out is to start playing guitar

You too? Yep - no quicker method to getting out the front door I've found.

As for being careful with my gear - the more I gig the less I care about it. As long as it can hold it's tuning and playability is unaffected it's good to go for me.

TheBigDipper · August 2023

I keep electrics in a Quiklok rack, out of their cases. All I do is wipe the strings after playing and give them a bit of a clean when I change strings. They only go into a case when I take them out of the house. The same goes for an inexpensive Dobro. Acoustics, however, are another matter. They're all solid tops and stay in their cases unless they're getting played.

All my guitars have some dings apart from the last one I bought new - the Strandberg. I play them and they get banged from time to time. The very first day I brought my immaculate CS 59 Les Paul home I dinged the back of the headstock against a wall (it's a tiny chip in the finish on the back, you'd never know if I didn't show you). It sort of freed me up to not care, TBH.

OilCityPickups · August 2023

In prefer second hand guitars with dings and scratches - as I don;t have to worry about them or pay for somebody to relic them :-) Generally I hate the feel of new instruments.
I think I've only ever bought more than a handful of new guitars in my life - bought a new SG and a couple of Harley Bentons as pickup mules - everything else has been 'pre loved' 'pre abused'.

flying_pie · August 2023

I'm not precious about guitars or music gear in general. They are tools for the job and also have additional uses outside of making music.

A Les Paul for example does an excellent job of compacting hardcore if you're laying a patio. There's also no need to waste money on expensive hammers when a SM58 microphone works just as well

ScreamingDave · August 2023

Large valve amps make excellent bolards to stop your neighbours parking on the verge outside your house

flying_pie · August 2023

ScreamingDave said:

Large valve amps make excellent bolards to stop your neighbours parking on the verge outside your house

I've used mine to provide an anchor point for ladders!

Lestratcaster · August 2023

I do like to take care of my guitars but not in an visual aesthetic way, I get them setup and restring often, clean them etc. As for wear and scratches I think it adds character and makes it look like they're being used.

I'm a bit protective over them too and don't like other people playing them without asking me first!

p90fool · August 2023

I look after mine inasmuch as I don't bash them against anything and would hate to ding a fret or break a pot, but they do just get worn from gigging.

Here are my Les Paul, Stratocaster and SG, all with wear rather than impact damage, the first two have also had refrets and refins;

inewham · August 2023

I'm strictly a bedroom player only but my strat only just got it's 1st scratch a couple of months ago. My Wife bought it for me so I looked after it. I just put it in a flimsy sleeve and it's kept on a stand and it's almost as good as when I got it in 1991.

Blueingreen · August 2023

Not at all, but I must be reasonably careful in some ways because I almost never get dings etc. I don't regularly wipe down anything although I will (very) occasionally wipe guitars down with a damp cloth if they are looking dusty or a bit grubby. I used Elixirs and they still last for ages.

Even less frequently I'll have a go at getting crud off a fingerboard when changing strings. I'm not at the Mike Campbell end of the spectrum (he bans his techs from removing crud because he thinks it adds to the character of the guitar) but to be honest I only have a go at removing it if it's starting to look a bit obvious.

I'm a relief and action tinkerer though, always tweaking to try and get the playability optimal.

I have no problems with other people playing my guitars. Many, many years ago I played a gig and I had a Les Paul Custom and we had a support band and someone in that band asked if their guitar player could use my Les Paul. I refused, some weird mixture of possessiveness and competitiveness, and immediately felt ashamed and still cringe at the memory. I made a promise to myself I'd never do anything like that again.

BillDL · August 2023

I don't own any artificially relic'd or "roadworn" guitars, but some of them have some natural wear. I still cringe and curse if I knock one of them against a hard object, and always look immediately to see what additional damage has been caused, but it's more a case of checking to see if it has caused any chipping of lacquer that will start peeling or has left a rough dent or chip that will catch on things like my hand and clothing. I hate having even the slightest dent or chip on the neck or edge of the fretboard because the feeling annoys me. I like smooth guitar bodies and necks and often drop fill dings with superglue to make them smooth even though this doesn't disguise the ding for aesthetic purposes. One thing I dislike is the roughness and "powdery" feeling of metal hardware that has aged and started to oxidise, so I tend to wipe the metalwork down and oil springs, set screws and saddles regularly.

I don't own any particularly expensive/valuable or collectible guitars these days, so I don't really have to worry too much about dings, scratches and scuffs on them, but like somebody mentioned earlier about keeping their workshop tools clean and wiped, I still try to be as careful as I can with my guitars within sensible reason. They are all on racks apart from my acoustics that stay in cases, so they do get knocked. The exception is an 80s Japanese "big brand name" electric I've had for a long time and isn't around in high numbers on the used market. When I bought it there was a lot of buckle rash, long stress cracks in the lacquer on the back from either a sharp blow or expansion of the wood, and it has loads of scratches and minor dings all over apart from the neck, but I would be more annoyed if I carelessly caused more dents in it, so that one lives in a hardcase in between playing. If it got another ding it wouldn't be the end of the world, but I try to be more careful with that guitar because it might just become more collectible in the future and help me pay a car deposit or bills down the road if I needed to sell it.

A hard knock on an acoustic can be enough break glue joints inside, and I don't like visible bare wood dents in the soundboard, so I am quite careful about how I handle them.

Strat54 · August 2023

Off on a slight tangent it's amusing to see the earlier 'Cunetto' era relics receive post shop faux wear....even if like on this one the seller doesn't admit to it. This never left the Custom Shop like this in 1997....nor with that case either lol.

Image: https://images.reverb.com/image/upload/s--vsNjvVt2--/a_0/f_auto,t_supersize/v1686928618/aiplrypozsvmoohvykkw.jpg

Image: https://images.reverb.com/image/upload/s--ZeuyLPG---/a_0/f_auto,t_supersize/v1686928608/owqe7fuic4ztobokfwza.jpg

Fishboy7 · August 2023

Strat54 said:

Off on a slight tangent it's amusing to see the earlier 'Cunetto' era relics receive post shop faux wear....even if like on this one the seller doesn't admit to it. This never left the Custom Shop like this in 1997....nor with that case either lol.

That looks awful. Lucky he's in no rush to sell

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How much do you baby your instruments?

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