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the only gig I don't [didn't] bring my old L-5 to was our weekly Fri which could get a bit on the rowdy side later in the night, I used an Aria PE-180 on that.
I don't buy into the "no one can tell the difference on a gig what you're playing" I only know that I can....
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11-12-2020 06:04 PM
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as a former bartender and event/wedding photographer, this is extremely true. once my band played a friend's party and the drummer used my kit (because he didn't own one
Originally Posted by Marinero
). after we finished, i helped load in some of the guitar cases and stuff for safety's sake, and the drummer pushed the set into a corner to keep it out of trouble. i came back out a few minutes later and found that one of my cymbals was now inverted. as in, it used to point down, and now it pointed up. luckily, i was able to sort of wrench it back in place with no ill effects or noticeable damage. i still don't know what happened.
i play what needs playing. right gear and voice for the gig. luckily, most of my japanese epiphones say "epiphone" on them. but because they are shiny, or have f holes or look cool, it's assumed that they are somehow vintage or expensive or something. those, and especially the gretsches get lots of oohs and ahhs because people are just used to regular looking guitars.
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I know someone who did that, even better! She left it on top of the car one night and they drove off. When they got home, they realized what happened, and they backtracked several miles all the way up Main St through the city and found it there in the middle of the road unscathed. Originally Posted by chasranney
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Hi, C, Originally Posted by christianm77
Try that in Chicago! There's no problem playing a great guitar at a gig. However, as I said earlier, you must be confident about the crowd/venue. I believe electric guitars are much more forgiving in sound, generally, than a purely acoustic instrument and I have heard good/great players play models like the Epiphone Dot/Joe Pass Emperor with great, convincing results. However, for you, your 175 may not be replaceable based on your setup, condition, unique sound, and sentiment. It's a big chance for a fine instrument.
The problem ,really, is that most advanced musicians bond with their instrument and its sound and are unwilling to compromise . . . and there's the rub as old Willy said. I can't imagine putting a scratch, or worse, in your beauty. Play live . . . Marinero
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I'm sure I've posted this before--here's my big band playing at Goodyear Ballpark in 2017, where, as always, I'm playing a Gibson L-5 Signature through an Acoustic Image Ten2 amp, so around $7k worth of stuff. We used to do a number of ballpark gigs every spring (though not this year) and the only time I didn't play this guitar was when rain looked possible. Even then, I played my blonde Gibson Johnny A, so it's not like I was slumming.
To be fair I haven't played in a sketchy venue since the early '70's, and few of them even then. Haven't played in a bar since the mid-'60's and those were military service clubs that were not prone to be wild & crazy. My band typically has 20 people on stage, many of them getting old, so I most worry about one of them falling down on my guitar. Hasn't happened yet, but I've had a few scares.
Danny W.
P.S.: I wish whomever took the phone video had recorded the whole number!
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Get good covers for any precious amp you have and make sure that it is strategically placed on the stage, e.g., where the inebriated cannot get at it. More importantly, put your guitars in their cases between sets and never use music stands unless the stage is gigantic (festival proportions). Stands were designed to get knocked over.
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well one of previous owners scratched their initials into the finish lol. Originally Posted by Marinero
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One of the few occasions I didn't take my ES-125 was playing on a boat in the city's canals, I took my Ibanez AF55 (to be fair: sounds and plays great....); rain was predicted and sure enough, after the first set all hell broke loose... we didn't get too wet because the skipper hid from the thunderstorm under a bridge.
(I have posted this before, sorry
)
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...when I came back the next day, there were two 175s. Originally Posted by christianm77
I'm here all week....enjoy the veal.
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I feel it with guitars to a certain extend. A L5-CES is roughly 9.000,- Euro these days. I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable bringing that to a bar gig, I think I might baby it a bit too much if i did. Since I don't want to do that, I'm comfortable bringing my still expensive but more managable 335 that I bought used. I'm not sure where the line is, but there is a line somewhere after which I get self-conscious about gear if i feel I have to look out for it.
Never felt that way about amps for some reason. They are more utility items for me. Besides, if anyone tries to take off with my Mesa Mk IV, I'm pretty sure they won't get far on foot
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if you're lucky to be gigging in this environment, by all means use your great gear. That's the point of it!
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Exactly. As this pandemic has shown, any gig can be your last. What are you saving the good gear for anyway? Originally Posted by jzucker
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For the next owner it seems... Originally Posted by Stringswinger
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I've got a suit that's too nice to wear. You should see it. Custom tailored. Silk. Fits perfectly.
It's been in the closet since I bought it. Nothing bad will happen to it there.
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Hi, J, Originally Posted by Jonathan0996
I had those clothes when I was a kid . . . they never seemed to get worn! However, I think this mindset is a personality type. There are some people who take meticulous care of things they own and others who have a more cavalier, or perhaps, reasonable attitude. We see it not only in musical instruments but also, in cars, boats, homes, household items, tools, etc. I belong to the more neurotic side of this equation and can tell you about every nick, scratch or imperfection on any one of my 7 musical instruments and how and when they happened. And, even my working Classical guitar, a luthier-built Esteve Cedar from Spain that has seen countless jobs in varied venues is practically pristine. However, the difference is that if it were ever damaged on a gig, I wouldn't be happy but-- I won't go into cardiac arrest like I would if it were one of my concert instruments. And, about a year ago, I resurrected my 1966 Gibson ES125 in near pristine condition that I play daily but will not see any club work since I am looking for a working-guitar, semi-acoustic like a D'Angelico or Epiphone if we ever re-open and get back to playing sans mask in a safe environment. Play live . . . Marinero
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That’s funny! Originally Posted by Jonathan0996
About 3 years ago I was doing some interviewing for a new job, and bought a suit. I think I have worn it twice since then. I have a feeling the waistband of the pants has shrunk by an inch or so. ;-)
Of course with COVID some of my colleagues are just wearing scrubs all day, so a suit seems like a real stretch, but I still wear nice Chinos and a tie at work. Along with a shirt and shoes, of course.
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L5 nazi!!! :-) Originally Posted by Hammertone
...when I came back the next day, there were two 175s.
I'm here all week....enjoy the veal.
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Maybe more to the point, I have a PRS Hollowbody that I love. It is (to me, at least) an expensive guitar, but the playability, sound and versatility of the instrument makes it my go-to guitar. I did a lot of regional road gigs in my state and neighboring states for a while and always had it with me.
One time I was playing an outdoor park venue on a concrete stage and the guitar was knocked off the stand. It fell flat on it's face. Knocked the "P" out of Paul Reed Smith on the headstock and gouged the guitar up some. Now it says, "aul Reed Smith." Luckily there was no structural damage. That was maybe 15 years ago. I still have the guitar. I'm sure the damage reduced the value of the instrument, but not to me. It still plays great and sounds great. It's still my go-to. I suppose if I was in the habit of buying and selling guitars I'd be more upset. But I look for "keepers" when I buy a guitar. I'd rather have all the time I've had onstage with that guitar than the dollar value that it lost in that little mishap.
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I don't buy anything based on its resale value, I buy things because I need or want them. I never expect to resell anything for the most part. I bought one guitar as an investment, and made good money on it, but I got it for much below market value, and was afraid to play it for fear of putting a scratch on it. Once was enough. Some of my guitars were gifts, most were bought because I wanted them, and I still have them. I've sold a couple of guitars that I bought to play, after buying others and having some degree of duplicates, but that's it. I sold them for about what I paid, and didn't really care whether they sold or not. I have never been in the business of buying and selling guitars, so I'm not really concerned about resale value. Nor am I inordinately worried about a guitar being damaged or stolen. I take care of my gear, whether it's musical or something else, but I don't panic if something gets a scratch. As I said, I don't take my Vibrolux Reverb out of the house just because it's too damn heavy, and too big to deal with at my age, and it doesn't really sound any better than my other amps. I rarely play through it. I probably should sell it, but shipping it is more trouble than it's worth. I don't even know the value, because I just don't care that much. What does a mid-80s VR with new speakers go for? Anyone have an idea?
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There’s a whole world between need and want that makes all the difference...... ;-)
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Hi, J, Originally Posted by Jonathan0996
Interesting post. I looked up PRS online and they have some amazing looking guitars with impeccable finishes. What would you compare them to, if possible, on the market today? However, I have a question asked in all honesty: did you ever consider sending your guitar back to the factory for a professional repair? If not, why? Also, I noticed the signature is in the middle of the headstock underneath the strings in the center. Did anything happen to the tuners or the strings when it fell? Play live . . . Marinero
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There is an entire continuum between need and want. Some things I need, but do not want. Some I want but do not need. Some I both want and need. And a lot of things that I neither want nor need.
Last edited by sgosnell; 11-15-2020 at 05:44 PM. Reason: typo
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damn i miss playing in a big band. sounds great Danny Originally Posted by Danny W.
I'm sure I've posted this before--here's my big band playing at Goodyear Ballpark in 2017, where, as always, I'm playing a Gibson L-5 Signature through an Acoustic Image Ten2 amp, so around $7k worth of stuff. We used to do a number of ballpark gigs every spring (though not this year) and the only time I didn't play this guitar was when rain looked possible. Even then, I played my blonde Gibson Johnny A, so it's not like I was slumming.
To be fair I haven't played in a sketchy venue since the early '70's, and few of them even then. Haven't played in a bar since the mid-'60's and those were military service clubs that were not prone to be wild & crazy. My band typically has 20 people on stage, many of them getting old, so I most worry about one of them falling down on my guitar. Hasn't happened yet, but I've had a few scares.
Danny W.
P.S.: I wish whomever took the phone video had recorded the whole number!
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When I was gigging, and I haven't been for several years because of lingering health issues, I would sometimes not take my Artist Award to a gig in a few places where the crowd got rowdy, but instead would take my X170 or HR Custom. I have good Heritage Insurance coverage, so loss or severe damage was covered, but older AAs are not that common so not that easy to replace.
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Those guitars, or very similar ones, are still on the market today. https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...bacco-sunburst Originally Posted by Marinero
They're ridiculously expensive; I bought mine used and didn't pay anything like what they now want for a new one.
I don't think there's anything comparable. They're fully hollow, very light and well constructed. Mine is only about five pounds.The pickups are great and the playability is outstanding. You can play screaming lead and they won't feed back. You can play jazz and get a gorgeous sound. The fall off the stand didn't harm anything functionally. I picked it up, tuned it up and played the last set. And I never really considered sending it to PRS for rehab. I imagine that rehab would be expensive (and I'm too cheap). They'd probably have to refinish the whole guitar to make it right. I also never wanted to part with it for that long, although it's about due for a refret so it'll be in the shop for at least a little while.
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