Do you think this guitar has been played often?

Sean

My wife bought a cd featuring a guy called Glen Hansard. I quite like his style. Anyway, in the cd sleeve I saw this photo of him with his Takamine. I did a bit of searching and found the picture and wanted you guys to see it. The photo has been cropped, so it does not show the headstock.

I'm just wondering when he's strumming, how his fingers don't pick up splinters and whatnot?

vic

Sean wrote: My wife bought a cd featuring a guy called Glen Hansard. I quite like his style. Anyway, in the cd sleeve I saw this photo of him with his Takamine. I did a bit of searching and found the picture and wanted you guys to see it. The photo has been cropped, so it does not show the headstock.

I'm just wondering when he's strumming, how his fingers don't pick up splinters and whatnot?

That guitar has been stepped on I'm affraid...maybe at a barbeque or something... ?

Squonk

I think this pic is from the movie 'Once'.

Cute little Irish film about nothing, but you get to see the bashed up Tak quite often.

vic

Here's another one..

inflames

His sound has a natural chorus to it ?

vic

I'm trying to work it out....either the guy does not suit the guitar or vice versa...? ??? Back to the original question...I don't think it has been played a lot...looks like it has been distressed on purpose...poor guitar. ☹

Squonk

Takamine's are tough little buggers ?

I can slap mine around at will.

If I had a Larry or a Taylor, I would only do gentle fingerpicking ???

Riaan

It's been played often, but not as often as Willy Nelson's guitar.

Keira-WitherKay

Squonk wrote: Takamine's are tough little buggers ?

I can slap mine around at will.

If I had a Larry or a Taylor, I would only do gentle fingerpicking ???

? squonk i saw you play at TJ's but just at the table and noticed your "heavy ' right hand technique.which sounded awesome........... you a real power player and it gets you good tone ...which i like, as you can imagine......... so promise me if you ever get a taylor or larry you WON"T change your signiture style cos it what sets you apart ............ and forget the guitar it can handle more than you imagine..... i know all about that ....... but you gently picking to protect the guitar ..nah ...never go there ....... you have a way cool right hand technique .... never forget the playing technique and original style that makes a player NOT the guitar .... it's just the tool in your hands ....

Bob-Dubery

Squonk wrote: Takamine's are tough little buggers ?

I can slap mine around at will.

If I had a Larry or a Taylor, I would only do gentle fingerpicking ???

Would you?

There's a difference between playing hard and being hard on a guitar. Some guitars you have to dig in a little to get a tone. Some players put more energy into the strings than others. So it's more like a matter of finding what responds to you best, what works for you.

Thinking of my acoustics I find the Smoothtalker likes a light touch and will give quite a lot of volume with a light touch. With the Larrivee I have to dig in a little, put a bit more energy into the strings and thus into the top. The Morgan is somewhere between those two, giving a rich tone with my natural level of attack (whatever that is) and real balls if you dig in.

DonovanB

Keira's right....

The guitar is made for Squonk, not Squonk made for the guitar.

Once you've played holes in one you can always get another...

Sean

Squonk wrote: I think this pic is from the movie 'Once'.

Cute little Irish film about nothing, but you get to see the bashed up Tak quite often.

So the guitar is a prop? And has been made to look like that?

I just can't imagine anyone being able to go through a top like that.

singemonkey

Maybe if you used a penny for a pick - and played like that (drunk) for 5 years or so...

Bob-Dubery

Sean wrote: I just can't imagine anyone being able to go through a top like that.

No doubt you've seen the reference to Willie Nelson's guitar in this thread. He calls the famous instrument "Trigger".

Meet Trigger

singemonkey

Both those guitars actually creep me out a little - like a crack-head who's lost all his teeth. Something gruesome about that hole in the top. I'm not phased by holes in the sides or heavy wear. But those guitars look critically injured.

Sean

X-rated Bob wrote: No doubt you've seen the reference to Willie Nelson's guitar in this thread. He calls the famous instrument "Trigger".

Meet Trigger

Goodness, that is something... ?

Jack-Flash-Jr

Sean wrote:
X-rated Bob wrote: No doubt you've seen the reference to Willie Nelson's guitar in this thread. He calls the famous instrument "Trigger".

Meet Trigger
Goodness, that is something... ?

Yep, and it sounds pretty much how it looks... just happened to be watching Willie on Clapton's Crossroads benefit concert...

Bob-Dubery

singemonkey wrote: Both those guitars actually creep me out a little - like a crack-head who's lost all his teeth. Something gruesome about that hole in the top. I'm not phased by holes in the sides or heavy wear. But those guitars look critically injured.

Well that damage is in an area of the top that is important to generating sound, so I'd guess the tone must have been effected. Maybe the owners think it sounds better.

In the case of Nelson it has become a part of his image, maybe his fans would think he'd gone weird, or want their money back if he played something else. He must like it. He had a chance to retire it a few years ago when the bridge broke. But it was fixed and went back on the road. In fact the guy who fixed it (Rick Turner) had less than 24 hours to do the job, so it seems like Trigger didn't miss many shows.

Keira-WitherKay

i love beat up guitars.... they way cool...and especially if you the one who put the wear/hole in the guitar ......... must be quite awesome to know you played so many gigs and all on one guitar ... mmmm yes i know i'm a hippie but that would be way way cool for me........

Bob-Dubery

If you believe that a guitar is a tool then the important thing is that it functions correctly, that it does it's job.