Your New Gibson Guitar: Tool or Work of Art?

[Sgt. Pepper]

They are Tartools.

[kidblast]

Really depends on where you live.  I'm in the US North East. about 45 miles west of Beantown.  it's very dry this time of year, well below 30% RH

Electrics are a bit more resilient 

Fret sprout can be a thing ,  it can crack, and push out the binding if it gets really bad.  I've seen a few pretty badly damaged fret board edges.

For acoustics left out on stands in sub 30% RH, well time will take it's toll, that is a sure bet.

How much time is debated on how much damage you are willing to tolerate before you try to reverse things.  That is until you can't go back.  Cracked tops, popped off bridges, sunken tops, neck resets...  Oh the humanity!!!  

 

[NighthawkChris]

My R9 stays home, my Strat/LP Standard goes to the bar.  My R9 gets played, but again stays home.  I would be pretty unhappy if my R9 had a bang-up, but I could deal if my "tool" guitars were dealt some cosmetic injury.  So yeah, my R9 is more art-like to me in the sense that it is used only at home.  I find nothing wrong with having a guitar no matter the cost as purely "art".  It's your money, do with it what you will I say.  I get compliments from others how nice my R9 looks all the time from friends/family that visit me and look at my guitars.  And as I said, I play my R9, but it doesn't leave the house because I want it in as pristine condition as it can be aside from what normal playing wear will inevitably happen to it. 

[ksdaddy]

I take care of my instruments, at least making sure I don't have acetone on my pant leg before I sit down to play one.  Wash my hands, don't park it near a wood stove.....you know, dumb stuff. I've had the Telecaster for 44 years and I can pretty much tell you where every ding came from.  And there aren't that many. A few chips from it being bumped against something, some odd forearm wear patterns in that weird Fender Thick Skin (registered trademark) finish. The crazing from leaving it in my truck overnight at 30 below, sure.... and the fact it looks like it was dipped in a giant spitoon. But as a rule, I'm quite careful of them. But not to the point of needing to ask myself, "who owns who?"

[Sgt. Pepper]

19 minutes ago, ksdaddy said:

I take care of my instruments, at least making sure I don't have acetone on my pant leg before I sit down to play one.  Wash my hands, don't park it near a wood stove.....you know, dumb stuff. I've had the Telecaster for 44 years and I can pretty much tell you where every ding came from.  And there aren't that many. A few chips from it being bumped against something, some odd forearm wear patterns in that weird Fender Thick Skin (registered trademark) finish. The crazing from leaving it in my truck overnight at 30 below, sure.... and the fact it looks like it was dipped in a giant spitoon. But as a rule, I'm quite careful of them. But not to the point of needing to ask myself, "who owns who?"

Why would you have acetone on your pants? Do you swim in a pool of it with your clothes on?

[jimmiJAMM]

3 minutes ago, ksdaddy said:

I take care of my instruments, at least making sure I don't have acetone on my pant leg before I sit down to play one.  Wash my hands, don't park it near a wood stove.....you know, dumb stuff. I've had the Telecaster for 44 years and I can pretty much tell you where every ding came from.  And there aren't that many. A few chips from it being bumped against something, some odd forearm wear patterns in that weird Fender Thick Skin (registered trademark) finish. The crazing from leaving it in my truck overnight at 30 below, sure.... and the fact it looks like it was dipped in a giant spitoon. But as a rule, I'm quite careful of them. But not to the point of needing to ask myself, "who owns who?"

I like that one bro! "Who owns who?" 

I often equate a guitar collection to owning classic cars. They're built to drive but also deserve to be properly taken care of. I try to wash my hands before playing and wipe it down afterwards but not always. Honesty, sometimes I'm too wasted to remember but that's rock-n-roll! I believe that there's basically three factors to consider when acquiring a guitar. Looks, feel, and playability. Notice looks comes first? Sounds shallow but much like a woman, that initial attraction is a key factor. Since all three are subjective let's be glad there are so many makes and models out there to choose from. I've owned many new and old over the years and definitely feel that "mojo" on certain vintage guitars but then again there's also nothing quite like a brand spanking new one!

[merciful-evans]

25 minutes ago, jimmiJAMM said:

I like that one bro! "Who owns who?" 

I often equate a guitar collection to owning classic cars. They're built to drive but also deserve to be properly taken care of. I try to wash my hands before playing and wipe it down afterwards but not always. Honesty, sometimes I'm too wasted to remember but that's rock-n-roll! I believe that there's basically three factors to consider when acquiring a guitar. Looks, feel, and playability. Notice looks comes first? Sounds shallow but much like a woman, that initial attraction is a key factor. Since all three are subjective let's be glad there are so many makes and models out there to choose from.

Jimmi re: Looks, feel, and playability

I'm not sure what the distinction is between feel & playability here?

And what about the sound? Thats my number #1 consideration. I once found a superb Godin Kingpin which played outstandingly well. Really surprisingly so. It also had the looks. I put it down again because it had an indifferent sound. 

[Karloff]

I gig with all my guitars. I try to take care of them, but I don't pamper them & I certainly don't abuse them. I expect & accept whatever wear takes place from normal use. it's going to happen.  that is one nice thing about used guitars, they're usually "pre-dinged"

[jimmiJAMM]

33 minutes ago, merciful-evans said:

Jimmi re: Looks, feel, and playability

I'm not sure what the distinction is between feel & playability here?

And what about the sound? Thats my number #1 consideration. I once found a superb Godin Kingpin which played outstandingly well. Really surprisingly so. It also had the looks. I put it down again because it had an indifferent sound. 

I guess I consider sound part of playability as it's also somewhat dependent on the Amp or pedals and such. Feel refers to the overall feel of the guitar around your neck or on your lap ie; body shape, weight, contours while playability is more a matter of fretboard material, action,  neck profile, radius, etc. These factors contribute greatly to how well the guitar performs. It ain't rocket science, folks! Lol

[saturn]

I'm like most other here. I do my best to keep them safe and pretty. They mostly stay in the cases at home when I'm not playing. But I do take them out to gigs and practices and jams. They all have dings and scratches and one even has a cracked headstock. I don't like when they get banged up but I also don't dwell on it. The alternative is to put them in a glass case and just look at them. 

[duane v]

My guitars are sometimes in cases, or all over the floor in the music room.... hanging on the wall..... some of them make it downstairs to the living-room couch and hang there for a few days... occasionally I forget about them in the garage.... they're kinda like a pack of puppies...... When you have 53 guitars in the house, they end up everywhere.... 

I don't freak out about the occasional self inflicted dent, I usually do a good job of making sure I don't slam my guitars against things.

I did discovered my wife's swifter dusters to periodically dust the guitars.... but I only perform thorough cleaning when I change strings.