symbolofmylife
I am sure we all love our guitars. Well, I think that's an understatement.
But now-and-again these beloved instruments fall victim to other objects, seemingly out to destroy our beloved instruments, and you end up with a ding or two on your previously-untarnished baby.
So, what's the most memorable (if I can call it that) dings out there?
Here's mine:
About 10 years ago my late father bought me a Washburn Millennium acoustic. At the time it carried a pricetag of just over R5k, and it's extremely limited ed, with only 24 made. Mine is nr 12.
I only used the guitar once to complete my grade 1 music theory and put it back in it's case. Safe, secure. I am more of an electric player anyways. "You cannot kill the metal..."
So the guitar was left in it's case for a number of years. In spanking new condition.
So around three years ago I made a trip down to the coast with some friends. And stupid me decides: Take the acoustic, which I did.
A while after arriving at our sea-view accommodation, I decide to take the acoustic out and jam a bit. And in mid-jam I felt like a beer, so I rested the guitar against the couch, and got up, making my way over to the freezer. During this time a friend of mine is making her way past the couch with one of those suitcases with wheels that you pull behind you. She stopped in front of the guitar and made the suitcase stand up, and walked away. And somehow this suitcase decided to tip over, with the metal handle hitting the lower top of the acoustic, imprinting a nice scratch across the body. When I heard it the impact was so loud that I thought the guitar got cracked. Luckily not. But the scratch chipped off the varnish in a 7cm line. (Anyone know if this can be fixed by the way?)
Yes, I was pissed, but shame, she burst out in tears and her boyfriend also gave her an earful. She apologised for two days straight but what can you do? It was a mistake after all. I do still have the guitar though and it still sounds great, despite the eyesore.
slyd
All my guitars have received their own personal share of "road wear" along the way, that's what happens.
But for some reason, the first half-centimetre squared chip out of my Candy Apple Red Strat, made me quite glum for quite a while ☹
singemonkey
I gave mine to a skilled luthier who spent four weeks painstakingly adding little scratches, scrapes and dings in his workshop...
Jokes ?
Reinhard
I once stuck a Les Paul Std's headstock up into a cement ceiling, fortunately no real damage.
My 59 reissue Les Paul has gotten the most knocks. Chipped the binding setting neck relief, dinged the top when I picked up the case and the lid wasn't closed.
You feel like a moron, but at least you put the battle scars in yourself. Some companies charge a lot for that ?
guidothepimmp
Offtopic..
For anyone wanting relicing done to your fiddles, I'd be happy to assist.. Would love to chuck stuff at it, sand, hit with all sort of goodies, sh!t I'll even take a grinder to it if you really want..
Pm me
ActionArnie
Clumsy drummer kicked over my Les Paul stand-and-all. I can still remember it falling in slow motion. Dinged a bit of the neck binding and the string made an indent in the fret board after my Boss GT-10 broke its fall. Damn Boss and their tank like casing.
Sometimes sorry just doesn't cut it :'(
AlanRatcliffe
Broke my Aria doubleneck's 12-string neck on a concrete stage when a Dunlop Pick Boy strap lock failed.
Otherwise they all get dings and scratches. I patch 'em up when possible, refinish when I have the time.
ZarK
I've never dinged or scratched a guitar... ??? Light OCD can be a good thing too, I suppose?
I did crack a neck once, though. About 12 years ago I placed my Jem on a flimsy acoustic guitar stand and walked away with my arm still semi-caught in the strap. Being an original Jem without a volute neck and bolts going all the way through, I got the traditional Jem neck-crack for my effort... Was so p!$$ed-off that I didn't play any guitar for more than 2 years... In the end it was an easy fix... About 6 years after the fact I was upstairs in my house and the same Jem was parked on a super-deluxe stand down stairs. Also unattended downstairs was my brand new puppy... I heard a loud bang almost instantaneously followed by heart-chilling screams and yelps from my puppy. I ran down to find the guitar on the floor (again) and my puppy shivering in the corner... He must have started playing and pulling at the strap and in the process pulled the guitar off its deluxe stand onto or close to himself... Neck cracked again... This time 1/2cm next to the initial crack but I handled it better this time and checked on Timo first to calm him down. Since that day he has never tried his luck with a guitar again and I use Hercules Triple stands now... Maximum stability!!
evolucian
My guitar "accidently" flew out my hands and the stupid frikkin drummer and his drumkit got in the way... twice. Maybe two or three serious dings... a couple of chips here n there... Jeff Beck tantrums are the best! ?
BMU
No accidental falls or scratches so far, amazingly. But then I don't gig.
But confidentially? Sometimes I take sandpaper to an Ibanez Prestige I have. (An RG1527) Usually after enough beers to make further attempts at playing that guitar pointless anyway.
It has a sickening sparkly blue colour I hate ("Royal Blue" but I call it "royal princess blue"), and I wanted to see what the wood looks like. Or round out a piece of the lower horn that bothers me. Or make a half-assed attempt at deepening the cutaway...etc. I'm no luthier. It ain't pretty. But it's mine and I love it.
Banditman
I did pretty much the same thing as Reinhard with a '57 Goldtop reissue. Playing on a stage in a biker venue which was half out into the room and half recessed with a low ceiling. End of set, lifted guitar from around my neck - and was just far back enough to nick a small chip into one corner of the headstock, luckily not bad at all though I felt sick at the time.
My current LP had it's major battle scars inflicted on it by an audience member of the previous owner. He was playing a pub gig and someone threw a glass beer tankard at him. I never heard him play, so it may have been accidental collateral damage or deliberate aim!
That mug took a few small chips out of the body between the cutout and the scratch plate, which he "repaired' with what may be red enamel painted onto the gouges. I was going to get it repaired but then decided blow that: guitars - like people - pick up scuffs and bruises over a working life. She's well looked after, cleaned etc. but is slowly accumulating honest play wear from me, and that's fine. It's my main working guitar, not a "collector's investment" for future sale.
Oh yes: +1 for Hercules multi-stands for stability and security on stage.
singemonkey
evolucian wrote:
My guitar "accidently" flew out my hands and the stupid frikkin drummer and his drumkit got in the way... twice. Maybe two or three serious dings... a couple of chips here n there... Jeff Beck tantrums are the best! ?
?
costafonix
about 35 years ago I had my mint Epiphone EA-250 semi-acoustic in its case with the lid open,, and running around was my hyperactive cousin who grabbed a dart and threw it towards the guitar,,,, and (you guessed it) it landed bulls-eye on the guitar body >☹
I still have that guitar today and its still in mint condition..
oh and my cousin is also still alive and well and living in Australia ?
free2rhyme
A few years ago I had an esp eclipse 1.
Received a huge ding at black dahlia from a guitar flick, I misjudged how low the ceiling was, hit the roof, then swung back and hit the drummers cymbal stand ☹
I took a whole panel off of the roof from it 8)
Alex-B-Broadway
Keith has an interesting story ???
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