Player or Inspector?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Biddlin
  • Start date Start date
Sérgio said:
Good to see you having a good time, Robert!!
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Yes! It was a private birthday party and I filled in on bass, but I always have my SG with me, just in case.

Late in the evening, the vocalist was starting to lose his voice and they wanted a few more tunes. Naturally, I always honor the bandleader, because I work for them...so, I said, "I could do a song or two if you like while your voice is recovering..." His response was immediate..."Sure! That would be great!"

So, without much real practice and without any rehearsal, I kicked off Rory's 'Road to Hell' and the band jumped in. I followed that with Rory's 'Million Miles Away.

It was really fun, Man....probably the most fun I had in a long time!!!
 
Biddlin said:
Slightly weird weekend, I played a wake for a friend on Friday, placed his ashes where he had requested yesterday morning and filled in for him at a gig last night.
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oh man... that is very weird. But very cool. Glad you were able to fill in for him, and
think about him while you played. He'd probably appreciate that, at least I hope so.

This is the time of our lives... those of us who are a bit grey around the muzzle.
You young guys, ya get to look fwd to this kind of stuff when we're gone.
Every day is a gift. I actually heard that when I was young, from a guy who came
back from Vietnam. He survived warfare in Vietnam, and partied himself to death
in the '70s. Tale of the times.
 
SG John said:
I can't see being too fussy, especially if you're a gigging musician. No matter how pretty it is, it's going to look like this.
And if you play a lot, this is what the fingerboard will look like.
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If you're a gigging musician, often your SG will appear like Tubestack's in this picture:
Tube Stack's 74 SG:dark.jpg
Are there any nuances of finish apparent here? Does it matter if it's red or brown?
Does it matter if it's a fine antique or a new guitar? no...
This is an action shot, a picture taken in a lowly dive where SGs rule. The only important
issue is your tone. If your tone is good, and if your style and technique are good, then
the appearance of the instrument becomes a very low priority. A humble faded special can
equal or exceed the performance of a guitar costing three to ten times as much.

There it is.
 
smitty_p said:
No, not really. I mean, I do give the guitar a good looking-over to look for legitimate build issues.

I can find little non-critical things on just about every guitar I have, even the ones I acquired new. But, much like you, I make a mental note of it and move on. I usually forget about them, too. I really would rather play the thing!

This may strike some as a little weird, but I actually kind of like finding unique little oddities like that. I'm not talking about straight-up structural flaws. But, a little dimple here, a swirl in the fretboard there...things like that...these things make me feel like my guitar is a little more unique.

Here's an example of some "flaws" that some players would straight up reject. This is the ebony fretboard on my Taylor. There are two flaws, here. One, the ebony is more brown than black, and there is a small, blonde streak in the wood. However, I very much like my "flawed" Taylor and see these peculiarities as something that makes this guitar special to me.

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I prefer beauty marks like grain swirls and color variations on fingerboards.
 
If I pay new guitar prices for a new instrument, I want near perfect construction like a well cut nut, good fitting parts, straight neck and good fretwork. If it is set up, that is a plus. If not, I can do it myself.
If a used guitar, I test it and based on my look see and test playing. The rest is like Zappa said. Shut up n play...
 
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Col Mustard said:
Are there any nuances of finish apparent here? Does it matter if it's red or brown?
Does it matter if it's a fine antique or a new guitar? no...
This is an action shot, a picture taken in a lowly dive where SGs rule. The only important
issue is your tone. If your tone is good, and if your style and technique are good, then
the appearance of the instrument becomes a very low priority. A humble faded special can
equal or exceed the performance of a guitar costing three to ten times as much.

There it is.
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OH NO!

LOL!!!

I'm crazy about the condition of all my guitars. My 1987 Squirecaster gigged for nearly 30 years and still looks good for a guitar of that age...
It's had countless fret jobs. The frets measure only about .020" high now...It's never had a case. That's the original 1987 nylon bag it came with and even the bag still looks good...

Strat H-H PAF's.jpg

The Schecter has been played enough, since buying it new in 2005, that it required three fret dressings because of "holes" in the fretwire...
Photo taken about 6 months ago...If you look close, you will see the black chrome finish worn off the bridge near the top screw and the front
leading edge of the bridge pickup has been beveled by furious 1.0mm pick attacks...

C1.jpg

I'm taking good care of my Gibson SG too. In this photo, the body is resting on the little Gibson cloth they send with the guitar, the back of the body is resting on a cigarette filter, the upper horn isn't touching the bench, so only the keys are resting on the wood.

I guess OCD/ADHD may have some advanatges after all??? :)

2016 SG Completed 03-17-2017.jpg
 
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Robert Herndon said:
View attachment 3556
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SG John said:
I can't see being too fussy, especially if you're a gigging musician. No matter how pretty it is, it's going to look like this.








And if you play a lot, this is what the fingerboard will look like.



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Exactly!

This is a 23 years old Strat that has been especially relic'd... Using stages and elbow grease

AA614151-20C7-45BD-AF41-14C34E37FE15_zpsucmej6rc.jpg




Col Mustard said:
Is Brahma Beer any good? Or does it just make you fall down like that.
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Not at all. It used to be until the mid 90s, now It's like piss

Anyway this is Brazil, our coffee is second to none, but our beer sucks

Col Mustard said:
If you're a gigging musician, often your SG will appear like Tubestack's in this picture:
View attachment 3568
Are there any nuances of finish apparent here? Does it matter if it's red or brown?
Does it matter if it's a fine antique or a new guitar? no...
This is an action shot, a picture taken in a lowly dive where SGs rule. The only important
issue is your tone. If your tone is good, and if your style and technique are good, then
the appearance of the instrument becomes a very low priority. A humble faded special can
equal or exceed the performance of a guitar costing three to ten times as much.

There it is.
Click to expand...

Yeap! This is my favorite gig pic so far

SG_zpsplodfsje.jpg


You can't even tell if it's faded red or brown
 
SG John said:
I can't see being too fussy, especially if you're a gigging musician. No matter how pretty it is, it's going to look like this.








And if you play a lot, this is what the fingerboard will look like.



Click to expand...

That doesn't look bad at all. It shows use, not neglect and/or abuse....
 
Sérgio said:
Exactly!

This is a 23 years old Strat that has been especially relic'd... Using stages and elbow grease

AA614151-20C7-45BD-AF41-14C34E37FE15_zpsucmej6rc.jpg
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Wow! Those are HUGE frets for a Stratocaster!!!!!

Mine are half that width and about .022" tall. but that's after multiple fret crowns over 29 years....
 
The fellow inthe original post here would faint if he saw the damage to the T-40 I have.......it looks (and feels) like it was drug behind a car on a gravel road.....and these are just body shots the neck has been abused as well........but the Earth trembling deep vibrations that eminate from this thing ----I could care less what it LOOKS like only how it plays and sounds......
t-40b - Copy.jpg
t-40c - Copy.jpg
t-40d.jpg

Much Like me (and all of us over the age of 25) the scars and wounds and damage are what MAKES us what we are ----- a pristine bass ........is not TRULY a bass IMHO --- they NEED battle scars--- chunks missing and MOJO scars --- this particualr beastie has been around since 79. .......she has earned her mojo...and she plays and sounds AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!

THIS would certainly cause that dude to faint.........I was assured it has been taht way for at least a decade---- I am monitorinbg it but seems ok.
No truss rod issues.....cant "feel" it seems a stress crack from Lord Knows When.....

mojo baby
t-40 neck crack.jpg
 
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