"Never been gigged"......it's not a race car man....

[Mustard27]

Been looking at a few of the for sale threads for guitars and noticed that a lot of people mention that the guitar "has never been gigged".

I am not a professional muso, don't play in a band on stage or anything, but I just can't for the life of me see what "damage" playing a guitar on stage can do compared to have a serious jam by yourself at home for a few hours does. Surely the wear and tear is exactly the same?

If it was a hotted up car that had "never been raced", I can see why you would mention it. But it's a guitar. I could say my Epi has never been gigged, but it has had the crap played out of it!

Is there something I am missing? Or is it just a nice thing to say in an ad, along the lines of "sustains for daaaaaays"........

[FennRx]

guitars get bumped into things, knocked over, fall off of straps, etc. throw booze into the mix and things get worse. buckle rash tends to be worse as well, most people dont play standing up as much when being at home.

i also think the "never been gigged" slogan is a way of the saying the guitar has been well cared for.

[v8ko]

Originally Posted by FennRx

guitars get bumped into things, knocked over, fall off of straps, etc. throw booze into the mix and things get worse. buckle rash tends to be worse as well, most people dont play standing up as much when being at home.

i also think the "never been gigged" slogan is a way of the saying the guitar has been well cared for.

YEP. Plus sometimes my gear gets exposed to some pretty extreme temps. Most guys I know including myself just play harder on there guitars during shows. During practice Im pretty controlled on stage lol...not so much!

[brettk7]

I thought the same thing too...

Until I started gigging.

[Phil47uk]

Not the same thing at all. Playing at home and the guitar is not subjected to extremes in temperature and humidity.
Go play a gig in mid January and you put the guitar in it's case.. Take it out into the freezing cold and shove it in the boot of the car. Get it back out into the freezing cold and take it into a steaming hot sweaty club. During the gig, your hands sweat etc. On the way home just reverse the above.
Amps are even worse. Look at a bedroom guitar players amp and a pros. The vinyl is all scuffed and torn in small places. Also grubbby from throwing it in and out of the trunk of your car. If you look at my 59 Bassman RI, you would would think it was an original. Dust..Scuffs.. Small tears...Mind you, it still sounds like the dogs bollocks when plugged in.

[Mike60]

Originally Posted by Phil47uk

Go play a gig in mid January and you put the guitar in it's case.. Take it out into the freezing cold and shove it in the boot of the car. Get it back out into the freezing cold ...

or reside in Canada...

[Stowburst]

Originally Posted by Phil47uk

Not the same thing at all. Playing at home and the guitar is not subjected to extremes in temperature and humidity.
Go play a gig in mid January and you put the guitar in it's case.. Take it out into the freezing cold and shove it in the boot of the car. Get it back out into the freezing cold and take it into a steaming hot sweaty club. During the gig, your hands sweat etc. On the way home just reverse the above.
Amps are even worse. Look at a bedroom guitar players amp and a pros. The vinyl is all scuffed and torn in small places. Also grubbby from throwing it in and out of the trunk of your car. If you look at my 59 Bassman RI, you would would think it was an original. Dust..Scuffs.. Small tears...Mind you, it still sounds like the dogs bollocks when plugged in.

So true.. I now live in a flat and have to lug my old marshall up 3 flights of stairs too.. every sunday at the end of practice when I turn the amp off and put it in the car to start the 30min drive home I know that I have too take it out and go up the stairs.. valves are still hot when I get home too.. takes about a hour to cool down. It was coooo cold last sunday that my guitar nearly checked.. came out of a red hot and smoke studio into the -1 boot of my car thenback into a nice hot house.. Ahh the joys of being a Musician

Now I know why Roadies are cool people to have!

[Phil47uk]

Originally Posted by Mike60

or reside in Canada...

Oh yeah I forgot living in Canada..Sorry Mike..
Temperatures that can get so low outside ones igloo that the neck just falls off as if you've dipped it in liquid nitrogen. Freaky place...

[Stowburst]

Originally Posted by Mike60

or reside in Canada...

My Auntie lives in Canada and she has just come over to visit.. I think she brought the cold weather with her!

I would LOVE to go to Canada..one day

[zoso304]

If you do make sure to go to Montreal! Thats where its at!

[bgyj]

Canada rocks******see picks******

[Mustard27]

Originally Posted by FennRx

guitars get bumped into things, knocked over, fall off of straps, etc. throw booze into the mix and things get worse.

Sounds like Saturday night at my place haha!!!

So it is not really the damage from playing the guitar, more the logisticcs of getting the gear everywhere that makes the diff. I can understand the amps getting totally trashed. They are hard bastards to move around at the best of times.......one of my mates managed to put a nice hole in his wall trying to lug his amp downstairs haha!

[lp_junkie]

would you rather buy an older sports car from an old lady that drove it on Sundays or the same car from a guy that got it when he first got his license, same principle.

You just have to look at the instrument and determine if the wear is acceptable to you.