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Smoking while playing


WahKeen

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Now, I don't smoke but I do enjoy a good cigar every once in a while. I know it's pretty "rock and roll" to play while smoking a cigarette (Keith, Clapton, etc) and some of you may do it, but I just can't bring myself to do it with cigars. The obvious being the potential ash burns on the guitar. Now, if that doesn't happen, please correct me. If it does, how do you guys reconcile this with your axes?

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Back in the day, it wasn't unusual to see more than one burn mark on a headstock used as a cigarette rest -

 

77cream_19.jpg

 

Yeah, exactly. That hurts to see, BigK.

 

Like I said, I don't do it, so I wanted to see what a bunch of burly hairy monsters had to say [tongue].

Apparently, there are just a bunch of sissies here [biggrin] . Nah, 'course smoking is, umm, bad for you, so I dig the answers. And come to think of it, I mostly play my "gigs" in churches, festivals, christian events, etc, so me coming out with a fat Cohiba or Montecristo would look as bad as a hungover preacher on Sunday morning.... [flapper]

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I smoke...addicted....just cigarettes.

 

I haven't played out sinse they banned smoking in bars, so I don't know if any of what I USED to do would apply.

 

I never thought it was a "cool" thing to smoke while playing, mostly because playing is so cool in the first place, don't need a cig to make it so. The playing and WHAT I was playing is what I thought was cool. Cig is redundant..useless for that, as in, doesn't matter.

 

It is strictly a convenience thing. Smoking while playing is a PIA, but as you know, a smoker can only go so long till he needs a 'fix'. So, rather than take a break from playing it is far easier to just smoke a little while I play.

 

The 'cig in the headstock' is more a PIA because it takes too long...doesn't serve a purpose. I usually had an ashtray near me. If I was 'live' in front of poeple where I was truly busy, I might have it in my mouth for a short time, and the ashtray is there to get rid of it quick. But mostly, I would just take a few puffs between songs or riffs or whatever. Most of the time, while I am playing, I ain't thinking of the smoke anyway, so it is a secondary distraction.

 

If you must, go with an ashtray. Then, you can forget about it without worry.

 

I do have one guitar with a burn on the headstock. I think it was there when I bought it, but I don't remember. Sinse the guitar is otherwise in (surprisingly) perfect condition, I am planning on fixing it because I am thinking of selling.

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I smoked for decade's but gave it ALL up 5 years ago. I can't stay in a smoke filled room for long with out getting a queezy feeling in my gut and it kills my voice so I avoid it. I can't do any gig's in the few club's that still allow smoking, I'd play out side but not inside.

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I guess you don't mind a guitar with a stein, huh stein? [unsure][biggrin]

LOL..it's JUST a guitar! I ain't exactly 'perfect' either...in looks AND otherwise.

 

If I had Jesus' blood all over everything, I wouldn't wash that off either. And, I'm quite sure He would light our stogy's, too.

 

But still....smoking with bloody guitars wouldn't exactly go over well in church. But that is a respect thing-respect for others. The REAL deal has nothing to do with smoking/non-smoking, clean shave, haircut...etc.

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During breaks or outside gigs.

 

So yes.

 

Exactly.

So many states have banned smoking in public establishments, between/after sets is the only option.

outside gig, IE car shows, ect, thats a no brainer, smoke em if ya got em....

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always smoked while playing....'cause i'm an addict w/low impulse control.

NEVER used the headstock for a holder, that's what lips are for.

never burned a headstock, love m'geets too much for that nonsense.....

 

whiskey & blood on the other hand, are on almost every guitar I own

back when I drank, I was sloppy w/it.

always "pricking" my fingers on string ends or cutting my hands somehow, and never "cleaned" intentionally afterwards, to me blood=the base ingredient in "mojo".

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I never smoked on stage,to me it just looks unprofessional.Some people might think that Keith Richards struttingh around stage with a butt hanging out of his beak as looking cool but not me.Of course smoking on stage is no longer a concern in Canada as smoking isn't allowed in bars.

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I quit smoking years ago but I have several guitars with burn marks on the headstock. Mostly the burns are on my old 78 Standard and on my acoustic since those were the guitars i used to write most of the time and I'd stick the cigarette into he E string when I need to try something. The marks don't bother me at all it was a different time and cigarettes were just part of life back then. Now if you want to smoke you have to stand 50 yards from the entrance to a building or sneak around doing it somehow where people can't see you.

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