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Salty gig... good gits? Or the knockoff?


MorrisrownSal

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Heading back from vacation Tuesday...

Thursday night dilemma... gig in Breezy Point Brooklyn (or Queens?). Outside. Salt air. Sand.

My best live sound is my Gibson J50 or D18 - with K&ks. But I'm fearful of taking either after reading about a guy on the Martin forum who gigs all summer near the beaches in South Carolina. His tuners rusted out on his D18.

Do I take my good guitars? Or do I take my Farida (LG2 knockoff)? What would you do?

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I'd take one of my cheaper guitars.......If you have any apprehension over it, take a cheaper guitar. I understand those who say they only want to present themselves as best they can, but it's true that those listening (aside from folks like "us") don't know or care if you're playing a Gibson or Martin or Rogue or Daisy........Be interesting to hear from someone who lives very close to salt water.

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I don't have a beater. For one gig, I wouldn't sweat it (see what I did there.....) I'd spray Fingerease all over everything and go for it.

 

However, I lived on the Gulf Coast and if it was going to happen a lot, I'd use the beater.

 

If I had your money, I'd buy a J-15 to use for a beater.....

 

[thumbup]

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hey Sal, it is probably true that a few hours exposure should make much of a difference. But that said, if I was going to be doing this gig, I'd probably also consider take something I wasn't going to worry about. Buc and Larry nailed it btw.. no one in the audience knows one guitar from another. If it plays good sounds good, then it is quite likely good enough.

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A couple of years ago on an impromptu week long vacation in FL - the highlight of which was a trip down to Key West and back - we stopped at a nice waterside (obviously) casual restaurant I think on Islamorada. One side of the restaurant actually sat on a boat dock for those unfortunates who didn't have cars I guess. The other side of US 1 was maybe 50 yards to the Gulf. There was a guy just setting up for the lunch crowd. He used a cheap Martin. I"m guessing plywood and richlite. A Mexican Martin?

If I lived on one of the Keys - literally surrounded by warm, salty water - I'm sure I'd not be taking my Gibson's outside much at all.

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Further, in 3 weeks we'll be having a migration of our 5 families east to Destin, Florida for a week at a beach house on the Panhandle Gulf. I've decided to go guitar-less. Make me appreciate the little buggers more when I get home.

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Unless you are flying in for the one gig, I say take your better guitar to present yourself and be the best you can be. These things are meant to be played. (Also, bring extra strings, guitar cords, and batteries just in case they are needed as anything can happen at a live gig.)

 

Just my two cents.

 

QM aka Jazzman Jeff

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Beater guitars exist to be played in circumstances where the conditions are potentially threatening or uncertain for the instrument. When in doubt, I'll use the beater every time. As folks have said, most of the audience doesn't have a clue. Sure, you want to sound your best, but is a non-repeat gig worth repair costs on a guitar that deserves decent treatment?

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My J50 is simply Nirvana. It is not replaceable in any way or means... the tone... the setup. I had it set up a few years back st Brothers Music in PA. I made the drive during a lull in business... mine and theirs. They did fret work, new nut, new saddle, tuner install, pickup install... I have never had any guitar that plays with the ease that one does. I would take every guitar of mine there now if I could. Their wait is extensive now, so I don't .

I have done about 50 bar gigs in the last two years... most of the time I have gigged with the D18 I have... and twice I have gigged with this Farida. The Baggs M1A pup does an ok job. I think it will make the trek. At nearly every gig, some friend of a friend comes up to play or sing with us, and I often ... actually always... am eager to hand over whatever guitar I have with me. I think this is the main reason I don't gig with the J50 anymore. I'm not willing to share it.

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My J50 is simply Nirvana. It is not replaceable in any way or means... the tone... the setup. I had it set up a few years back st Brothers Music in PA. . . Their wait is extensive now, so I don't .

Gee- I wonder how that happened ;) .

 

Don't forget, there are beater Gibsons out there, too. My favorite Gibsons are beaters.

 

If this thread was a poll, I'd vote for you taking the Farida, considering how you've got the J-50 just as you like it.

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First you have to know where you are going. You should be so lucky to be heading to Brooklyn. Breezy Point is in Queens. Got nailed by Sandy pretty hard. Folks who will be out there listening by and large do not give a fig what guitar you are playing. So bring what you are comfortable bringing.

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Yup. I know Breezy well... just never knew if it was Brooklyn or Queens technically. Or maybe I did. I spent every day of the summer as a teen on Riis Park beaches (neighboring). Much nicer than Brooklyn’s Coney Island.

 

Yes they got hit by Sandy hard. Almost as bad as Normandy Beach NJ... ground zero for Sandy, and where I lost my home.

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My J50 is simply Nirvana. It is not replaceable in any way or means...

 

Although I did the setup myself, I feel the same about my D41 Special. Everything else falls short. I could sell off everything else and be happy with it.

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gulp, D18. J50 is too precious even for normal gigs, and as i understand it the only increased threat is the salt air. if it was going to be several nights a week for the summer, I'd say beater, but a one off gig (one night of salt air) wont kill it.

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This is exactly why a person needs great beater guitars.

 

But bar gig vs salt air gig, I would think the danger level may be a wash...

 

 

My brother-in-law once borrowed my 1980 Guild D-55 for a bar gig. That guitar went from smelling like rosewood and lacquer to smelling like stale beer. I no longer own it and it's the one instrument I truly miss.

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Yup. I know Breezy well... just never knew if it was Brooklyn or Queens technically. Or maybe I did. I spent every day of the summer as a teen on Riis Park beaches (neighboring). Much nicer than Brooklyn’s Coney Island.

 

Yes they got hit by Sandy hard. Almost as bad as Normandy Beach NJ... ground zero for Sandy, and where I lost my home.

 

Had some family in Queens but did not spend a whole lot time there. Not sure how old you are but I remember Coney Island more as it was. The Nathans hot dogs were worth the price of admission alone. Then you could head over to Canarsie and wait for Rudy the knish guy.

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