I play my Epiphone things way more than my Gibson things

[crust]

even though they are precious things , to me :) . Why do I like performing on , and playing the Epiphone guitars more than the Gibsons ? . Maybe because I play bad , on whatever instrument I happen to strum , at the time ? :( lol :( :) :( :) What is it ...any quasi-psychologists around here ?

[jedzep]

I always wonder why I play my two higher end guitars less often than my (slightly) lesser guitars. I think it's because the two finer instruments always sound divine, so I don't work as hard on my 'presentation' and tonal variations. Playing those so-called lesser ones might just be more interesting as a challenge. There are periods though, when I dwell on the sweeter L00 and 00018 for long stretches.

[crust]

I can "get" the "challenge" part in your reply. Yes , that may have a bit to do with it. Performing and practicing on a "lesser" instrument may make it somewhat "easier" to perform on a finer one. That does make sense to me, a little...What else ? hmm :)

[Cougar]

...Why do I like performing on , and playing the Epiphone guitars more than the Gibsons ?...

 

What Gibsons do you have that you're not playing?

 

I used to be quite happy to rotate through my Epiphones, and I didn't have your 'problem' since I didn't have a Gibson. But I've been selling Epiphones lately - just unloaded my cherryburst IB64 Texan yesterday - and going fairly exclusively to the Guild JF30-12, which is just way too much fun, alternating with the Guild F-50R jumbo 6-string. And I still don't have a Gibson. But I still have some Epiphones. :)

[jedzep]

THAT's the question! What AIN'T ya' playin'?

[Retired]

I only have one Gibson and it's the most expensive guitar I own. Love it to pieces but I don't want to damage it and so practice mostly on the Epiphones, Gretsch and Jaguar. Anyway, that's my excuse! But when I want to play songs I know pretty good without making mistakes, I get out the Gibson. Now I have my sons Pelham Blue Custom Pro Epiphone and play that one more. Since he's letting me have it I told him I would let him have my Epiphone Standard as I hardly play it anymore and as little as he plays he said fine.

[Megafrog]

I almost never play my high end Gibsons because I worry I will break them. I never gig with them. I don’t worry about scratching up a SG Special like I do a custom shop LP.

[merciful-evans]

The answers here surprise me.

 

To me all guitars exist to be used & if suitable, gigged too.

 

When I had just one gigging guitar (for 20+ years) I used a cheaper guitar to practice on. This was to save wear on the good guitar. It was necessary too. I eventually wore out the fingerboard of the cheap model, which was then dumped.

[Megafrog]

The answers here surprise me.

 

To me all guitars exist to be used & if suitable, gigged too.

 

When I had just one gigging guitar (for 20+ years) I used a cheaper guitar to practice on. This was to save wear on the good guitar. It was necessary too. I eventually wore out the fingerboard of the cheap model, which was then dumped.

 

I guess for me it is just a huge fear that someone will steal something or I will otherwise damage the guitar. Back 30+ years ago, I would always play my best guitar out. I used to think I would be in a band and make a living off of it. Now that I am older, and I play in a band that I view as a midlife crisis hobby, I don’t see a need to play a flashy guitar live for a low or no pay gig.

[Riffster]

I have had 5 Epis and only own one now, to me they never measure up. I find them dull sounding. Still I will keep the ES 335 because I am not buying the Gibson equivalent.

 

Having said that, it may be that the OP prefers Epiphone neck shapes and string spacing, both are different from Gibson.

 

There may be also a psicological reason, maybe an Epi is good enough for what the OP does.

[OldCowboy]

There used to be a theory that if you practiced with a more difficult-to-play guitar, your performance would be smoother when you played out. Never worked for me - all I ever got out of that approach was a tendency to compensate too much on a well-playing instrument😒

[valtyr]

This is strange to me. If I'm going to invest in an expensive instrument then I'm going to play the hell out of it and get my $s worth.

 

If I have an instrument that sits around for too long without use (or I feel it is being underutilized) I sell it and get something I'll use more.

[Retired]

1509881813[/url]' post='1890543']

The answers here surprise me.

 

To me all guitars exist to be used & if suitable, gigged too.

 

When I had just one gigging guitar (for 20+ years) I used a cheaper guitar to practice on. This was to save wear on the good guitar. It was necessary too. I eventually wore out the fingerboard of the cheap model, which was then dumped.

 

That's more or less the same as I do. I figure it took me 30 some years to get this Gibson and I have cheaper ones to wear out and play on them a lot. Don't really want to mess this nice LP up too fast. I did play a lot on it at first as it was all I had. But now I don't have to and at 4K I want to enjoy it time from time as I see fit.

[IanHenry]

The guitars are there to be used, it's a tool what's the point of having it if your not going to play it? I suppose you could always keep it in pristine condition for someone to sell when your dead

 

 

Ian

[zigzag]

I bought a used Epi Dot and added some Fralin P-92s; paid a total of $600. It feels and plays the same as my ES-335 and sounds better.

[Murph]

I almost never play my high end Gibsons because I worry I will break them. I never gig with them.

 

That's weird.

 

I always gigged with the best stuff I owned. Gigs are where you're heard and seen.

 

My Custom Shop ES-339 went to work the day I got it. And I drank heavy and played some rowdy places in those days.....

 

I took my J-45 to a Coffee House gig the other night.

 

I like the Epiphone stuff and am looking at a few deals, but would never leave a Gibson at home for fear of breaking it.

 

Just me.

[rct]

Nothing like telling the audience you brought the shitty guitar because you didn't want to mess up yer good ones.

 

I've never understood walking past a great guitar to use some junky thing, and I never will.

 

rct

[rct]

My D-18 is my new beater acoustic.

 

[laugh] [laugh] [laugh]

 

First world problem.

 

rct

[pippy]

Anytime I'm going out anywhere I take the best I have which, currently, is my R0. It was in "pre-owned but mint" condition when I bought it (the original owner kept it from-new in a glass display case ) but is now the most chipped, dented and scratched guitar I own.

 

If I'm just going to noodle-around in the house unplugged then I'll usually still pick it up first - it plays and sounds divine both plugged and unplugged - but sometimes, for a change, I'll be in a Strat/Tele/D'Angelico/Di Mauro/whatever-else mood and it will sit back in its spot by the side of my chair listening whilst the others have an outing (shaking its head and tutting, no-doubt).

 

I do also very much love playing my cheap-as-chips Squier Affinity but that's a different story...

 

Pip.

[MichaelT]

I bought my first Gibson in 1984. It is a 1981 Gibson "The V" and I still have it. I've played it at practice, on stage from one side of the country to the other, at home and wherever else life took me. Sure, it has some wear, some dings, some scratches. But, that guitar is the best playing and best sounding guitar I own and for a while it was the most expensive guitar I've owned. I bought a 2017 Les Paul Standard and at $2799 or whatever the retail price was, it became the most expensive in cost. I take it out to practice, other friends houses, on stage, at home on the couch and wherever else. They're designed to be played. If I were going to play a full gig or go on the road, I'd probably take my best ones with me. I'm just going to make sure they're insured and make sure I do my best to take care of them. The case on my V is all beat to hell, covered with stickers and is heavily road worn.

 

That being said, I also have an off brand Flying V (a Dixon) with a high output pickup and Kahler whammy and I used that a lot as well when I was on the road but my '81 V was always my primary. If I were shopping for a good used guitar, I'd look for a good worn guitar in good condition as opposed to one that looks like it's never been played. Those old worn ones have been played, adjusted, broken in, adjusted some more and broken in some more as opposed to a guitar just out of the factory. Someone took that guitar and made it playable and kept it playable.

 

I'll never understand not using your best guitar. If it's a real 1950's or 1960's Les Paul or something and it's worth over $200,000 then maybe I'd get not playing it. I know a guy who still plays his 1961 Les Paul (the SG looking one) every time he plays. He played it in our first band together in 1982 and still does to this day. I know he's had some work done on it but that little guitar is a player.

[Black Dog]

I'm the opposite. I like my Gibsons and reach for them way more than Epi's. In fact, I got rid of most of my Epi's once I started getting Gibson's. Not that Epis are bad, just that my Gibson's are all better than the Epi's I've had.

 

As for the wear and such... when I gave my nicest LP it's first ding, I was upset. Now, as it gets more dings, it just becomes more and more MY guitar. I love each and every ding.

[Black Dog]

The first ding is the deepest.