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I took my guitar to a house party (not flamenco) a couple of weeks ago and we had a sing-song. Things were a bit cramped in the lounge. I used my guitar and kept it carefully lying horizontal on my guitar case right next to me. I watched it like a HAWK as there were kids walking around and all sorts of hazards.
Despite my most attentive efforts, my friend managed to knock a music book off the sofa arm next to me so that it landed (cornerwise) on the guitar and knocked a sizeable 3mm chunk out of the varnish/wood - on the front right next to the bridge ...
Fortunately, this wasn't my best guitar (a Camp) - it was a mellow classical-sounding spanish guitar with 'Rivas' written on it - I don't know its pedigree.
I was really mortified by this! It wrecked my evening!
Well, on one hand, I could go all 'Taoist' and say that this makes it more authentic now ... Or, on the other hand, I could ask the forum how they manage to protect their guitars from these hazards ... if they do.
And should I decide at some stage to fix it, any advice on how to do that??
RE: My preciousssss guitar (OCD synd... (in reply to junheng)
Did you have a good sing-song though? That's the main thing - guitars are made to withstand most sing-song parties, and it will survive and grow from the experience
RE: My preciousssss guitar (OCD synd... (in reply to junheng)
Sorry for your loss.
My advice is to only take guitars to a party that you can accept to be under risk. ( I have a beater guitar that is ideal for such and sounds pretty good still.)
Never take instruments with you that you cherrish. On parties with all that noise noone will tell the difference between a humble and a fine guitar anyway.
RE: My preciousssss guitar (OCD synd... (in reply to clevblue)
Hi clevblue! Yes, it was a good party. We had a great sing-song. Rhythmic chord bashing with raucous singing by all of Simon and Garfunkle hits! It was an ecclectic gathering of English and Japanese and this was the best common ground. :)
RE: My preciousssss guitar (OCD synd... (in reply to Ruphus)
quote:
My advice is to only take guitars to a party that you can accept to be under risk. ( I have a beater guitar that is ideal for such and sounds pretty good still.)
Never take instruments with you that you cherrish. On parties with all that noise noone will tell the difference between a humble and a fine guitar anyway.
Ruphus
Hi Ruphus. Yes, a very good idea
I could use this guitar for this purpose - its chink in the middle of the tapas kinda qualifies it for that. Or I could buy something really cheap to use instead.
But I still wonder how you protect your guitar in flamenco gatherings/guergas etc ... Is there a spirit (or saint) of the guitar that you could call on for protection? Has anyone ever tried body guards? And do you let anyone hold your guitar without checking their credentials (not to mention the length of the their left-hand finger nails!)? ...
Posts: 1756
Joined: Jul. 11 2003
From: The Netherlands
RE: My preciousssss guitar (OCD synd... (in reply to junheng)
Hi Junheng,
I have been a lot on parties, boats, fiesta's etc.
There is a thing you can do. Put the guitar back in the case and never lay the case on his back. People can stand on it or use it as a chair or table. Put the case up. If something happens it will fall on his back, nothing will happen with the guitar, and everybody is warned.
Also be careful if you give your guitar away " to play a bit" say the guitar is french polished and scratch very soon, and the guitar is very expensive. Be allert, that the guitar does not go from one hand to the other....it will end up with the most drunken guy.....
And if you want to have it layed down, be sure it is on a table.
Another thing I sometimes use is a cable with a lock, if you put the cable around the case under the handle, the case you can lock on to something and it cannot be opened far enough to get the guitar out. Nice for Hotels or if you want to leave the guitar alone at a party.
And last thing.....pray to all the flamenco gods.....
RE: My preciousssss guitar (OCD synd... (in reply to gerundino63)
quote:
I have been a lot on parties, boats, fiesta's etc.
There is a thing you can do. Put the guitar back in the case and never lay the case on his back. People can stand on it or use it as a chair or table. Put the case up. If something happens it will fall on his back, nothing will happen with the guitar, and everybody is warned.
Also be careful if you give your guitar away " to play a bit" say the guitar is french polished and scratch very soon, and the guitar is very expensive. Be allert, that the guitar does not go from one hand to the other....it will end up with the most drunken guy.....
And if you want to have it layed down, be sure it is on a table.
Another thing I sometimes use is a cable with a lock, if you put the cable around the case under the handle, the case you can lock on to something and it cannot be opened far enough to get the guitar out. Nice for Hotels or if you want to leave the guitar alone at a party.
And last thing.....pray to all the flamenco gods.....
Some superb ideas, gerundino63! I will try out all of them!
RE: My preciousssss guitar (OCD synd... (in reply to estebanana)
Haha! Scary thing is ... I just looked at the mirror that I use to check my posture etc when playing ... and I bear a startling resemblance to that handsome creature! Bags under the eyes (from lack of sleep due to pressure of work), fanatical eyes (showing that I need to get out more), lurid grin ... I guess these are all symptoms of being 48!
RE: My preciousssss guitar (OCD synd... (in reply to junheng)
Man, I completely agree with you. I was much more careful with my guitars and that is why they survived 12 years of playing at different venues and still are in mint condition. However, I have always had a remedy for that which is that when I am going to an event where I know someone else (who likely will be wearing a belt with a huge, metallic buckle) is going to ask to try the guitar, or where I fear someone will bump into it or me and cause an unfortunate outcome, I always take my affordable, "beater" guitar and now I don't care about those instruments anymore. That doesn't mean they are destroyed, but they are surely not in as good condition as my "better" instruments. So that's my solution...
RE: My preciousssss guitar (OCD synd... (in reply to rombsix)
Dont you mean..
"When I bring my guitar, everyone's belt buckle gets bigger, rougher and sharper. Even shirt buttons turn into dangerous weapons. What magic is this?!?"
Posts: 357
Joined: Dec. 5 2008
From: New Jersey USA
RE: My preciousssss guitar (OCD synd... (in reply to junheng)
A true story as told by Juan Talegas:
"Like now, Diego (del Gastor) used to be our favorite accompanist, except for one thing; the guitar that he played was so inferior and beat up that it could not even be tuned properly. So we decided to organize a juerga and present Diego with a fine guitar. If I remember properly, it was a Santos Hernandez. Everyone chipped in, and what a juerga that was. Diego was like a child with a new toy, and played and played and accompanied us all like never before. Finally, late at night, he grew tired of playing and wanted to rest, but couldn't find a safe place to put his guitar, as none of us had thought of buying a guitar case. Diego solved the problem by locking it in our car outside. He rejoined the gathering jubilantly, and amidst the ensuing drinks and merry-making, completely forgot the existence of the guitar. At juerga's end, still unusually exuberant for some reason he could not quite recall, Diego danced out to the car, hurled himself drunkenly into the back seat, lit atop his beloved Santos and smashed it into pieces. The guitar never could be properly repaired, and was the last good guitar, to my knowledge, that Diego has owned."
Recounted in Lives and Legends of Flamenco, 1964, by Donn Pohren.
RE: My preciousssss guitar (OCD synd... (in reply to Sr. Martins)
quote:
"When I bring my guitar, everyone's belt buckle gets bigger, rougher and sharper. Even shirt buttons turn into dangerous weapons. What magic is this?!?"
RE: My preciousssss guitar (OCD synd... (in reply to runner)
quote:
"Like now, Diego (del Gastor) used to be our favorite accompanist, except for one thing; the guitar that he played was so inferior and beat up that it could not even be tuned properly. So we decided to organize a juerga and present Diego with a fine guitar. If I remember properly, it was a Santos Hernandez. Everyone chipped in, and what a juerga that was. Diego was like a child with a new toy, and played and played and accompanied us all like never before. Finally, late at night, he grew tired of playing and wanted to rest, but couldn't find a safe place to put his guitar, as none of us had thought of buying a guitar case. Diego solved the problem by locking it in our car outside. He rejoined the gathering jubilantly, and amidst the ensuing drinks and merry-making, completely forgot the existence of the guitar. At juerga's end, still unusually exuberant for some reason he could not quite recall, Diego danced out to the car, hurled himself drunkenly into the back seat, lit atop his beloved Santos and smashed it into pieces. The guitar never could be properly repaired, and was the last good guitar, to my knowledge, that Diego has owned."
RE: My preciousssss guitar (OCD synd... (in reply to runner)
quote:
exuberant for some reason he could not quite recall, Diego danced out to the car, hurled himself drunkenly into the back seat, lit atop his beloved Santos and smashed it into pieces.
Man that sucks! The sort of thing you never forget your whole life long. I guess the motto is that sometimes (even in juergas) it is expedient to exercise restraint ... he should have ushered his friend into the back seat first and said person would probably have noticed said obstruction ... :)
RE: My preciousssss guitar (OCD synd... (in reply to junheng)
Guitars just don´t match well with lengthy seating objects, be it back seats or worse even common sofas. Sofas must have been the grave for a huge number of smashed guitars, from cheap duds to finest makes. Sofas could be sent as diabolic spell after lord´s six string present. ;OP