Guitar Gear

To the left is my beloved “Amber,” a 1958 Les Paul Standard Historic Reissue. She’s my #1 guitar. That picture was taken six years ago and despite a couple of hundred gigs since then, she still looks pretty much the same. She might have some super-minor dings, but they’re small enough where they’re not even noticeable.

You see, I like a nice, shiny guitar. I like things that look new. I don’t do anything special. I wipe her down with a soft, microfiber cloth after a rehearsal or gig. But I don’t oil the fretboard or any of that kind of stuff. But I do take care of her. It’s like a car. I have an old 2002 Subaru Outback Wagon. It is definitely showing its age, but I take care of it. I get it washed once or twice a month, but I keep the interior clean.

Same thing with all my guitars; actually, all my gear. I’m not one to abuse it, but if I do get dings, it’s not going to be the end of the world. But at least I’ll know that it happened while I was using it.

My Yamaha APX900 has a lot of road wear. I play about over 200 gigs with that guitar a year, and it has some dings, and I’ve had to duct tape a spot where the top got banged and started delaminating. But I did that damage, and that’s just a consequence of it being used so much.

The point to all this is that I’ve never really gotten into the “road worn” or artificially relicked gear. I’ve played the Road Worn Strats and Teles and one fine Nash Telecaster, and they play and feel and sound great. But my problem with them is that I didn’t cause the wear. To me, it’s cheating. To me, scars and dings are battle marks. They’re signs that my gear has been and is being played.

Mind you, I’m not putting anyone down for wanting that kind of gear. All I’m saying is that it’s not for me. Never will be.