Dedicated guitars for gigging, or just use what you have?

[Philly Q]

Ah the "R" word. The irony therein is that if I were to play someone's expensive relic and put a new ding in it they'd go bloody mad.

Do you think so? 

Thinking about it.... scratches: OK, a huge gouge in the body or chip in the headstock: Not OK.

And of course there's the back of the neck - they age it and dirty it up, but they don't put dings in it because it interferes with the playing experience.  So you don't want anyone $%&#ing that up.

Yes, on reflection you're probably right. 

[AndyR]

I haven't gigged for years, and never regarded any gig as a risk back then... added to that my big hero was Rory Gallagher... so go figure what I might say! :lol:

I've had a good ole think about this though. I've got a lot of guitars, but none of them cost over a grand (and the one that nearly did I stripped and refinished myself :lol:). I'd happily take any one of them out. In fact, I'd have to take my favourite for whatever tone I was needing, or however I was wanting to show off that night.

A bit like tom, if I had your LP, and it rang my bell, I'd have to take it out if the gig wanted humbuckery from me. It would be my guitar, as a musician my guitar is part of me, I can't show up to be a musician without part of me. I'd want to use the best one I owned (the one that made me sound and look the best for what I was trying to achieve). This applies to any of my guitars I've bonded with in this way. Some of the others are just tools for a job at the moment (but using them for a couple of hours in a gig would probably form the bond...).

But there is something else about my guitars that might shock/horrify some... They are only guitars, even the ones I love and regard as part of me when I wear them. They're just consumable "stuff" like the rest of the stuff I own. They don't even have any resale value in my mind - each time I buy one I'm disposing of that income right there and then to own the guitar and play it. I'll keep them operational and cuddle them etc, but when they're gone they're gone and I'll get another to replace if I need to. So, yeah, there's no reason for me not to take the thing out, bounce it on the floor for effect during the encore, lean it against a bar-stool while talking to a drunk, etc :lol:

I've realised while thinking this through though, that this might be one of the reasons why I've got a notional "maximum" I'll pay for a guitar... I want lots of guitars for different jobs, not one or two "special ones". So, while I'd love to own something like your LP, I can't really see how I'm gonna go out and get me one... It's probably one of the reasons that PRS is off my chart - the only ones that give me any sort of "ooo, cute" (eg your blue thing) all seem to cost way over what I'm personally prepared to pay for any guitar.

Anyway, that's just me... there ain't nothing wrong with other people's approach as far as I'm concerned. I'm even happy with big stars using copies of their iconic instrument because they don't want to take the original out but want to present the same image. Somehow I don't imagine Rory would have done this, but if he was still with us and he'd got his old strat copied well enough to fool us in the stalls... well, so what? :D (would have p1ssed me off when I was 18 reaching up to touch the holy relic though! :lol:)

So, yeah, don't worry about it Dave - some of us would have to gig one of your most precious guitars if we owned it, but probably most of us don't really have an issue if you'd rather not risk it and therefore end up "keeping it to yourself". It's yours, after all, nothing wrong with owning guitars that don't appear to be "earning their keep". Just getting the bugger out, cleaning, stringing, really enjoying it, even for just a couple of weeks til the strings die, and then putting it away for months/years while you use the others... still plenty justification for owning it!

Er... what was the question? Oh yeah "dedicated guitars for gigging" - actually yeah, I would have probably, but for a different reason... image. Even if the sound was not quite right, when fronting a band as lead vocal/guitar I only really looked like I wanted to when I was banging a strat about with possibly reckless abandon and apparent lack of care for it (an LP would have done that job appearance-wise in my mind, but I can't play them so well, so that ruled them out). But when I was lead vocal and rhythm guitar, I felt wrong wearing a strat and wielding it like a weapon - that job seemed to need a tele or SG for me. In the studio I'd be using all sorts of stuff depending on the tones I was after. Live, I'd want one guitar with a similar back-up, and one more a different shape tuned to G if we were doing any slide stuff. I kind of like the idea of a single man-and-guitar image, it always seems odd to me watching these big stars swapping guitar for every song. So, actually, I did have dedicated gig guitars (back then though, I didn't own that many guitars so only one or two stayed home anyway!)

[38thBeatle]

I use my favourite guitars for gigging.They are valuable to me for sure and if I knew that a venue I was playing was a bit rough then maybe I would think about taking those that I would miss the least. Fortunately most of the venues are reasonable and so I take my favourite old Strat and my Gibson 339.

[Mr. Air]

When I was in a band and was gigging I only had one playable guitar so it was a no brainer  :D

Now that I own a few guitars I would happily bring any of them to a gig, but none of them have a big price tag and they can be replaced as they aren't that special.

If I owned a really expensive guitar I think I would be in two minds about gigging it, but I think I would come to the conclusion that it simply had to see some action. Nothing like a "real relic"  :D But I would take well care of it and probably be a bit anxious that it might get damaged in a critical way.

[Twinfan]

An interesting mix of opinions - cheers guys!  :)

[dave_mc]

i don't gig but i would agree with you, dave.

I have all this nice gear that I've "justified" by sort of saying to myself, "Oh, well, if I ever do get a gig, at least I'm ready for it"... and then when I think more about it realise I'd be scared to take most of it out to a gig in case it got nicked or damaged :lol:

Even a lot of the stuff I have which wasn't *that* expensive I often got good deals on, so while it's not exactly "irreplaceable", I'd be struggling to replace it for what I paid for it. (Though I guess if I really had to I could just insure it for the "replace" value...)

[Sollophonic]

I have two Teles that I usually gig with, but for rehearsals I like to take along others for a change of scene

However I am facing hernia surgery soon, so some of my lighter guitars are going to get used at the next few gigs whatever happens.

I have a couple of Squier 51s, a Melody Maker and a Danelectro which will fit the bill.

Now I just need a lighter loud amp.......?

[d1dsj]

I gig with mine, my main 2 at the moment are the Page LP and Wayne "Dave Kilminster" super Tele (the others are a '57 R.I Gibson Custom, Yamaha SG3000 and G&L Legacy). I always try to way up the risk but then go back to thinking that I've bought them to play, to bring ME enjoyment regardless of what others think. I do keep the guitars close at gigs and we all watch out for each other, but if you start to think too much then you wouldn't take your amp out either and that's a fair old chunk of wedge too. Would I gig Francine or the ME? Hell yeah........ it doesn't get much better. Funnily enough, the Page and DK are now feeling much better for the regualr use and I swear that now I'm tuned into them they sound so much better too.... even if I don't.

[nfe]

I'm always a bit puzzled by folks gigging their cheaper stuff and not the good stuff. I've always gigged with the best stuff I had available and I wouldn't buy an expensive guitar I wouldn't gig, it seems absurd. Though I'll buy cheapy guitars on a whim for pottering about with in the house. I also play in several bands which share members with various other bands and we always let people borrow gear should they ever need it. They're just guitars/amps whatever. They can all be replaced and I whilst I look after everything, if they pick up dunts, so be it.

Then again, I've mates that go to pub jams and let everyone play their 50's Gibsons. One who regularly takes his two '59 Standards. I probably wouldn't do that...


EDIT: Also, while thefts at gigs happen, they're so rare as to not be worth worrying about. I usually leave my stuff lying about at gigs wherever there's a space and worry about it at packing up time and I've never lost so much as a lead. And that's been at hundreds of gigs.

[Philly Q]

Then again, I've mates that go to pub jams and let everyone play their 50's Gibsons. One who regularly takes his two '59 Standards.

Is that true?  :o

[PhilKing]

The last gig I played (which was a while ago), I used my 1953 Les Paul conversion and my 1990 PRS standard.  I'm not sure that I'd take the Les Paul now (but that is because of it getting more delicate and I've got a lot of other Les Pauls since).

[Ratrod]

I gig with my favorite, best and most expensive guitar.

I'm not that wild on stage but I have jumped around with it, stood on an upright bass with it etc.

Most damage can be fixed.

I don't leave it unguarded. If it gets stolen, it can be replaced but I'd rather get it back. I have the paperwork at home with the serial number proving I'm the owner. That makes it hard to sell.

[nfe]

Then again, I've mates that go to pub jams and let everyone play their 50's Gibsons. One who regularly takes his two '59 Standards.

Is that true?  :o

Yep. The latter's son played one at a school battle of the bands, too.

[gwEm]

if I had a pearly gates or a real '50s Les Paul, I wouldn't gig with it either.

its good to have workhorse guitars but then you become sentimentally attached and don't want to gig them so much.

i don't really know the answer, but the guitars one gigs with have to have a certain amount of versatility, in order to play the songs you've got on the setlist - you don't want to bring 100s of the things, 2 max i reckon. for that reason i'm unlikely to play my WezV Firebird live, even though I use it very often at home.

[Twinfan]

I'm thinking I'll keept the "workers" I have and look after the good 'uns by using them only in safe places.  Francine isn't versatile enough to be one of my two live guitars, and I'm not talking three to a pub!

The Esquire and McCarty Korina will carry on as they are then, with the Modern Eagle getting the occasional outing...