A new guitar is like a Dog.

All things guitar, Les Pauls, Strats, Teles, Tokai, Ibanez etc. etc. etc.

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Capt. Black
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Re: A new guitar is like a Dog.

Post by Capt. Black »

jvpp wrote:

...It probably is all in the mind of the player and or owner
I actually agree and think there is more than an element of truth to this, which we don't realise.

I think it comes from how we unconsciously approach a new guitar vs and old guitar. Especially if the old guitar is really well preserved vs well worn in.

I noticed this when I worked in a shop dealing in collectible cameras back in the 80s. At that time, the latest and greatest cameras from Leica sold for about $6k new. Then you added lenses on to that!

Vintage second hand versions from the 50s and 60s could sell anywhere between $2k to $10K depending on condition and rarity. The more pristine, mint and complete the camera was, the higher the value but also, the greater the reverence it received. Back then we could sell an empty Leica box and case candy for a few hundred to the right collector.

As a photographer who liked to get out and take actual pictures, there was no way I could see myself owning such cameras, new or used.

Then one day a beaten up old shitter of a Leica M2 found its way to us and no one paid it much attention because its collectors value simply did not exist. I picked it up with a reasonably decent lens for about $550. Spent about $100 to service it and then USED the thing every day for years. It ran faultlessly and took fantastic pictures.
Later I started buying and selling various Leicas if they turned up as affordable. Especially if it was considered a user model vs a collectors item. I had probably 3 M2s, an M4 and 2-3 M6s over the years. None of which I paid more than $1600 for. I would happily use them day to day. Chuck them in the car. Leave them laying around the house in case a good shot presented itself. Even used them commercially for a while.

But if they were MINT I'd have been shit scared of putting a scratch on them or using them as any sign of wear would immediately halve the value of the cameras and lenses.

I think a very similar thing happens with guitars. I've only owned two guitars from new. One Ibanez when I was young, which I traded within a year for an older Strat and a tele that Ash built for me about 6 years ago.
All my other guitars and amplifiers have been used and you could easily tell that by looking at them. If they felt good and sounded good, I'd buy 'em and use the fuck out of them. Those were the ones that I connected with most.

If someone handed me their brand new Martin or even their precious vintage Les Paul, no matter how nicely it played, I'd be terrified of bumping or damaging it in some way. Same with new gear. I tend to treat things sooooooo carefully........... until the first scratch! After that I'm like, "FUCK IT! It's a user guitar now!!!" Then I relax and start to enjoy owning the things.

I hate seeing an instrument abused and try to take good care of my gear. But I can't stand the pressure of preciousness. It sucks the enjoyment out of what I bought the gear for in the first place. To make music (or good photos)

So in a way, I don't think things necessarily need to wear in over time to be better. Although that does occur quite often.
I think that the age, condition and rarity of a guitar affects our perception of it. It changes how we think of them and how we handle them. How unconsciously comfortable we are with them.

Oddly enough, my least mint guitar which I love playing most, is my 1981 Tokai. It is far from pristine and none of he hardware on it is original but the guitar is so rare that it has become my most precious. If I was ever in the (unlikely) situation where I had to tour with a band, I'd rather buy some common garden Les Paul than risk damaging or losing that guitar!

Oh and... I've got no time for dogs.

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Re: A new guitar is like a Dog.

Post by Slowy »

Capt. Black wrote: Oddly enough, my least mint guitar which I love playing most, is my 1981 Tokai. It is far from pristine and none of he hardware on it is original but the guitar is so rare that it has become my most precious. If I was ever in the (unlikely) situation where I had to tour with a band, I'd rather buy some common garden Les Paul than risk damaging or losing that guitar!
Of all the guitars that have visited me, the Black Tokai placed me under the most stress! :rofl:
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Re: A new guitar is like a Dog.

Post by GrantB »

I've played some old dogs...I've played some new dogs.

To me, old guitars that sound great and haven't been hacked to pieces hold a mystique that surpasses any modern equivalent. Cars are the same, although the old ones are almost guaranteed to underperform compared with new models. Even my Grandfathers old wallet holds a power over me more so than any Rodd & Gunn thing could ever.

I've seen so many intawed fights about the old vs. new thing...it's so dreary. Usually it starts with a random young buck reading too much into posts about vintage guitars from others. All of a sudden they are exclaiming the BS surrounding the vintage scene, suggesting that "old wood" is a complete myth and that PAF's are shyte because they feedback or whatever and old pots are just resistors so how can they sound different. As I say, embarrassing and dreary reading that misses the point altogether. Maybe they're right...but still, point missed.

I have old and new. I don't try to compare their tones and justify why the old version of the same thing was three times as expensive. Hell, if I did that, and the new sounded better, I'm screwed :moresarc: .

There's very little logic in my head about old vs. new guitars. I just like the old ones.
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Re: A new guitar is like a Dog.

Post by calling card »

Guitar won't leave dog shit for you to step in.
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Re: A new guitar is like a Dog.

Post by NippleWrestler »

I just got a dog, and I got a new amp.

The dog is way more fun.

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Re: A new guitar is like a Dog.

Post by Slowy »

GrantB wrote: There's very little logic in my head about old vs. new guitars. I just like the old ones.
Old stuff has stories. This has value to people who don't think material objects should be binned and replaced every 6 months. (Not judging; just saying).

I still use 3 handsaws purchased by my Grandfather. They are now over 100 years old and still putting food on their owner's table. I just love that. Guitars have the same potential and the more of it they've done, the more I love them.

Best ever satire of my love of the story is Drew's, "Whogivesafuckocaster". Drew, you're a legend mate!
Beyond a critical point within a finite space, freedom diminishes as numbers increase. This is as true of humans as it is of gas molecules in a sealed flask. The human question is not how many can possibly survive within the system, but what kind of existence is possible for those who so survive.

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Re: A new guitar is like a Dog.

Post by Molly »

Slowy wrote:
GrantB wrote: There's very little logic in my head about old vs. new guitars. I just like the old ones.
Old stuff has stories. This has value to people who don't think material objects should be binned and replaced every 6 months. (Not judging; just saying).

I still use 3 handsaws purchased by my Grandfather. They are now over 100 years old and still putting food on their owner's table. I just love that. Guitars have the same potential and the more of it they've done, the more I love them.

Best ever satire of my love of the story is Drew's, "Whogivesafuckocaster". Drew, you're a legend mate!
Similarly, I tend to think nothing perfect is interesting, and one new xyz is exactly the same as another.

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Re: A new guitar is like a Dog.

Post by Aquila Rossa »

Like a dog? Good, can leave my guitar to guard my amp and pedals when i go out

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