As an old rocker, I have a collection of old guitars most of which are in various states of wear. Gigging, being dropped, being thrown across stages, being used (on the odd occasion) as a weapon (my Les Paul has been a particularly useful tool to prevent drunken punters from getting onto the stage).

Anyway, a friend of mine convinced me to purchase one of the recent issue George Harrison full rosewood Telecasters. Its a beautiful instrument and a Telecaster was sadly absent from my collection. Here's the thing, though it plays and records beautifully I just can't seem to love it. It's too new, precious and pristine. Im always aware of its condition.

A guitar is tool to aid in the manufacture of music as far as Im concerned, so Im thinking I might sell it and find and old beaten up Tele to replace it.

Anyone else suffer from New Guitar Syndrome?

 

I know exactly how you feel. A new guitar is great, a new guitar sucks The thing is as you have proven again and again is that our guitars are tools, creative extensions of ourselves, and in the vast majority of cases (certainly falsely in mine) not museum pieces or financial investments. Resale value notwithstanding (though important to some), our guitars are gonna take hits which are inadvertent, or in the case of that Les Paul of your's, functioning as a weapon of mass destruction wearing proudly the scars of stage battle. Every guitar that I have ever owned has recieved marks in a variety of ways, from buckle rash, divits from case latches, pick stroking and other scratch marks and various dings and dongs from interacting with this hard and cruel world, and every single imperfection adds to the magic and mojo of our beloved gitfiddles and seem to even make them an integral part of our beings.

I'm definitely not implying implicit abuse on that there new, shiny and expensive addition to your stable of axes, but if is not your aim to keep it as a financial investment remember that every piece of snot that lands plop hurling from a showery sneeze, every colony of bacteria that cultures on the fretboard and in front of the bridge or every dent that your mind can conjure up marring the finish will certainly accumulate over time as it is inherent in the lifecycle of a well played instrument. Cherish and strum the shit out of it, and now venture forward young man, and please shut up and play your guitar.

 

Eloquently said (as usual), Lois.


...and does humour belong in music, Frank?

 

I just LOVE instruments that show the scars of being used. My strats are all clean and properly set with fresh strings (I use 10s in all of them, except for one with 11s and tuned in open D) but I just don´t mind the scratches and marks; my old Strasser Marigaux alto saxophone looks like survived a zombie war and it probably did, as when I bought it in 1987 it was already showing the scars of many stories to tell. The same thing with mi Yamaha U3 piano from 1965, I just can´t imagine how many beautiful (and ugly) chords were played on it. Every scratch on it is a story. I remember when my wife took his father's favourite wrist watch for it to be polished and fixed. The watch still works, but it lost the marks, scratches and dents, and clearly it seems that her father is not in that watch anymore.

 

Well said, if you keep thinking of it as money you'll wont enjoy it as long as it not causing any undue burden on your life by being there give it a chance. You'll eventually accidentally ding it and scratch it enough to be able to just enjoy it for what it is.

 

Correct.

That does it. Im convinced.

Anyone want to buy a new, barely played Telecaster?

 

.
That's what I have asked him for years, "Does humor belong in music, Frank, really"? The look on his face is always as blank as his unmarked grave.

 

I like spotless, immaculately cared for guitars.
My Jackson was new out of the box and my Ibanez was too high on the music store wall for anyone to filth up with their grubby fried chicken fingers.
I play the hell out of my instruments and they might get a ding here and there, but I respect them and treat them with love.

 

I like them used, abused, worn, dinged, DIY-burned/scorched and personally adjusted/modded for highest personalized/personification and an extension of my hands.

 

Last edited: Nov 4, 2021