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Can a guitar be cursed?


Fatstrat

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Rewind to last January. I find and buy a 1952 Gibson J-50 at a pawnshop for $136.00. Pawnbroker obviously had no idea what he had.

One week later I get fired from my job of over 12 years over a minor screw up. The USUAL company protocal is a write up, then unpaid suspension. Then termination. I was a top employee who trained new hires. And the company JUMPED OVER the 1st two steps to terminate me over a fueling mistake.

Took 1.5 months to find another job doing a different type of trucking. Which turned out to be HELL working for a shrew of a (female) supervisor and I that I quit just over a month into.

Then in short order I find another GOOD job opportunity. Same type of work for same type of trucking company as the 12 year job. I'm told the job is mine IF my application/job history checks out. 2.5 weeks later the shrew I quit refuses to respond to the inquiry. I'm terrified that this job will pass through my hands.

In the meantime the old J-50 bellied rendering it uncomfortable to play w/high action and needing expensive repairs. That although it was certainly worthy of, I was uncomfortable laying out the cash for at this point. Nothing but BAD LUCK since I got that old Gibson.

Then on Monday and old friend from High School (in Texas) who also plays guitar came to town (Tulsa). And we met at the local Guitar Center to catch up and do a little picking on their guitars. Where I found a new Gibson J-45 that I liked. Nicely discounted due to the "Guitar-a-thon' sale. But again I still couldn't afford at this point.

So after pondering it for a day I decide to call the local guitar collector and see if he wants to buy the old Gibson. He does and I sell it to him for $2K. ON THE WAY to sell it I get a call from the prospective employer. Still haven't heard from the shrew. But concluded that she was jerking me around and tired of waiting. They want me to take a physical TODAY. I GOT THE JOB!

Then after passing the physical I go back to GC and buy the new J-45 (with case etc.) for $7.55 out of pocket!

So getting immediately after deciding to get rid of the old Gibson, my luck seems to have turned around. I got the job I wanted, and the new Gibson I wanted. I think that guitar was CURSED.

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Hmmmm.......

 

Not sure I believe a guitar can be cursed, but I do believe in karma, for what that's worth.

I think that's a part of it. Although one would think a pawnbroker SHOULD know the value of the items he sells. This one obviously did not. And one has to wonder about the person who sold it to him. I'm sure they got 1/2 what I paid.

Nonetheless, I knew it was worth FAR more than I paid for it.

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Rewind to last January. I find and buy a 1952 Gibson J-50 at a pawnshop for $136.00....

 

Haha, great story. Yeah, the devil will tempt you with that $136 price tag, but once in a while, the guitar gods will look down upon you in favor. Or else it was a magical guitar, which turned itself into a brand-new J-45 at the proper time.

 

Or actually, it was your guitar knowledge that recognized that J-50 would be worth at least 10 times what you could get it for. Knowledge is power... to get a new J-45 for next to nothing in this case!

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Haha, great story. Yeah, the devil will tempt you with that $136 price tag, but once in a while, the guitar gods will look down upon you in favor. Or else it was a magical guitar, which turned itself into a brand-new J-45 at the proper time.

 

Or actually, it was your guitar knowledge that recognized that J-50 would be worth at least 10 times what you could get it for. Knowledge is power... to get a new J-45 for next to nothing in this case!

So ah... just discovered the nylon thing inside the guitar on the joint. I assume I'm supposed to remove it?

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Remember reading that Dylan once passed a guitar thinking it had some kind of bad luck stuck to it.

 

Curse/karma, , , yeah good questions.

 

Guess a guitar can have some bad karma inside - but karma can be straightened out or worked up, can't it. . .

 

Your story was fascinating and deserves a song - maybe a short story if it's too hard getting it down in verses.

 

As if bigger forces played in here - Be J-45-happy now ^

 

 

 

 

 

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Fascinating concept.....

 

I bought, and live in, a haunted 100+ year old house. At first some really weird things happened, although it has calmed down much in the last 7/8 years. I won't hijack your thread with details but totally believe in "something".

 

I never considered spirits following a guitar, but it makes total sense.

 

You should have kept it, if the next owner makes the spirit mad, it might come back and blame you..................

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I heard about a bloke that bought a Taylor and all his hair fell out!

 

No, He was a Taylor who traded his Gibson for an Olson. And all his hair fell out.

 

(Obscure reference for those obsessed with guitar trivia.)

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Not sure I believe a guitar can be cursed, but I do believe in karma, for what that's worth.

 

Well in that case, bad luck will continue to follow him around. He should have sold the J-50 back to the pawnshop for $136. [tongue]

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A guitar can be cursed regularly when it is picked up by the tuning end and a string bit sticking out that tuner goes through your finger and you go: WTF you *^*+*^%^#%#}#}{}#%% !!!

 

Same curse applies when you are changing strings and that first string just wont come out of the tuning peg without a decent heave, and then ka-bing it comes out at the speed of light as you watch that string end impale your right hand fingerpicking thumb right in the spot you play the strings........like I did last weekend....YiYiYiYiYi....still playing and picking but it aint as much fun! :angry:

 

 

 

BluesKing777.

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A guitar can be cursed regularly when it is picked up by the tuning end and a string bit sticking out that tuner goes through your finger and you go: WTF you *^*+*^%^#%#}#}{}#%% !!!

 

BluesKing777.

 

 

If I had a dollar for every time I've poked a hole in one of my fingers with the cut-off end of a string, I'd be a rich man. Why is it always the tip of your finger?

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Time to bring J. Mitchell's 1956 Mart. D-28 into the picture.

 

It was originally owned by a soldier, who went to Asia for the war.

At some point his camp was blown to smithereens by a shell that damaged everything except, , , the Mart.

 

When the singerin got it, the dread sounded extraordinary good and she fantasized that the explosion might have sent special vibes through the woods.

 

What could have been a curse in this case turned into a blessing - and of course :

If guitars can be cursed or burdened by bad karma, then of the opposite can be the story too.

 

Sadly the 28 was stolen in an airport in Hawaii and - staying in this vein of thinking - that might have added some black aura to the thing.

 

Wow, , , wonder where it is and how it sounds now, , , did you take the serial #, Joni. . . .

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