Great Guitars...That Suck to Own

Never buy a guitar that you won't play, guitars, like cars, are meant to be used. I'm don't buy them because I think they might become a good investment. I buy them to play them.

We, as players, should all learn to wear the hat of guitar tech as well. Being able to set up your own guitar is not only convenient, its ultimately liberating. There isn't really that much to it. It can all be very easily learned and once you know how, it adds a whole new dimension to your enjoyment of the hobby we all love so much. If you think it feels good to find a guitar with that something special, you should try finding one that has the potential, and make it something special. Rescuing a forgotten, mistreated guitar and giving it a new life is an indescribable feeling! If you want to REALLY LOVE a guitar, rescue one. It will love you back!

When I was growing up, nothing looked cooler than Bob Mould slamming away on his Ibanez Rocket Roll Flying V and screaming into that microphone. 🙌

Used to own a 1977 Explorer from the first run of reissues. This guitar immediately came to mind when the "cool on stage" category was mentioned haha. I was lucky enough to find a buyer that got to do guitar tech for The Edge when the 360 Tour came to town. I was a kid in the bleachers for that show so it kind of came around full circle. He happened to know a ton of sources for vintage and knows everyone I know who is in that market so I'm lucky enough to have a trustworthy source. He even lent us a few vintage Fender guitars and amps while trying out the Explorer that I'd otherwise would never gotten to try. Was a fun summer! I feel even more fortunate to have that opportunity after seeing this.

"Buying too much guitar gets in the way of your enjoyment." A lesson to live by.

I have owned and gigged with a number of collectable, vintage Martin acoustic guitars. My old, tired hands have fallen in love with a pair of new, Squire Mustang electrics under $200 each. They feel right and sound great off the back of a hay wagon, in someone's greasy, old machine shed or at someones back yard BBQ. Ya just wipe the BBQ sauce off, and you're back in business. They're made for playing in "the mud and the blood and the beer".

I enjoy setting up my strat, tweaking and fine-tuning it for an afternoon every few months. Great vid

Great episode and everything you said makes complete sense. I just want to say that your editing skills are great. Your visuals and auditory combination are spot on. I use to record and edit books on tape and worked on at least 100 or more books and when you get the timing and pauses right as well as to know the levels of the sound in the background and when to bring them up to the right level for the setting is so monumental, and you have that down in spades! It brings your guitar passion to the professional level that we so appreciate. Thank you and I proud to be part of the Five Watt World.

My thoughts on dings - the first one usually hurts, but soon comes the realisation , this came about because you regularly get it out the case and play it. It's the sign the guitars a keeper, a badge of honour. There is surprisingly great satisfaction in seeing the guitar relicing naturally over time. Over time guitars improve with age but they have to be played and sometimes take the knocks and scrapes from transporting from one place to another and/or the bedroom wall.

Speaking about waiting on videos,… Still Waiting on the Short History of G&L 🙁

Great takes Keith. I love to gig out with my guitars and consider all the dings little birthmarks. They are unique and I love to play them as much as they beg to be played. They become part of you and you them. It's symbiotic and I love it. Keep the great videos coming.

Cool... thank Keith for adding my Photo at the end... so cool to be part of your gig... regards from Prague... keep on Rocking! 👍👍😉😉😎😎🎸🎸🤟🤟🙌🙌😃😃

If you've played long enough you should know how to adjust the truss rod, set pickup & string height, and set the intonation. It's not that difficult to learn how to do these things. Learning these skills will not only save you money, but will also give you a closer connection to your instruments.

#1 really resonates. I had a 2020 Troublemaker in black. It was perfect. I couldn’t stand seeing dust on it, let alone scratch or ding it. After two long years of cleaning it every time I played it, I sold it. What a relief.

Dad left me his 1948 Gibson J-45 and his 1968 Jazzmaster accompanied with his Fender Deluxe Reverb amp. All original. I couldn't be happier.

Thanks for this video! I've felt surrounded by a world just saturated with obsession over purchasing and owning, but my favourite part of any piece of gear is the bond you get to form with it. I'm not the best player, and I like guitars that are inexpensive and feel like they align with my ethos of originality over virtuosity. Of course, whatever works for other people is fine, but I just don't have the type of mind or lifestyle for endless practice to where I'd feel that I needed a "precision instrument" so much as a guitar or amp that feels like that old flannel or your favourite pair of sneakers - it's just there for you, meeting you where you're at, and you get to take care of each other. Thanks for being a voice of moderation in a world that often feels like it's at the beck and call of product catalogue refreshes and convention cycles.

When we were really young musicians, we had an older friend who could drive, and whose dad bought him a new truck. He loved to drive through mud and rocks and all sorts of inclement weather, but was weirdly worried about every little scratch. I remember saying to him, "Dude, it's a truck, it's going to get scratched. It's just the physics of driving a big machine through the world." He was a drummer, and as we got older, and I was finally able to buy better equipment, I remember him fretting over every little scratch my equipment acquired and kind of being weirded out that I was not more upset about it. Again, I would explain to him that this is just going to happen. Fast forward to the more recent relic craze, and I started to remember those days and really put into words what it was I was feeling and how that had changed over the years. I don't hate on people who like relic, it's a thing and a choice. But one day, in light of the subject, I said to my wife that our guitars don't so much just acquire their wear and tear, as EARN it. I do like the clean "newness" of my newer guitars, but it's nice to finally have touched upon a philosophy to help me reinforce my feeling that scratches and dents and chips happen, and a guitar exists to be played. Like us, our instruments earn their scars, and their scars deserve to be seen.

The discussion points of “negatively impacting the guitar’s value” reminds me of the phrase “knowing the cost of everything and the value of nothing.” The “value” of something as a measure of what someone else would pay for it is irrelevant if you’re enjoying it for its intrinsic value- that you’re enjoying the experience of playing it. That when you look at it in the case or on the stand, you’re reminded of the good times you’ve had playing it.

My grandpa always said, "dings on a guitar are like dents on a car.... adds character." I always loved that idea. That those scratches and dings are like scars, and each one tells a story.

More of a Drummer than a Guitar Player, I still love this channel! Some years back I picked up a Les Paul Special II. It was a nightmare to own, especial for a novice guitar player. I just could not keep it in tune going up and down the neck. I sat down in the basement for about 2 days, with a You Tube video on how to set the intonation, setting the truss rod, and what ever else was involved for a basic set up. (It's been a minute so I don't recall everything) I still have to be carefull when playing not to bend it out of tune by putting too much physical pressure on the neck with my left hand while putting too much pressure on the body with my right arm...(Again, a novice player) but the difference is like night and day after setting it up properly. It sounds great with my '67 Deluxe Reverb and the sense of pride of accomplishing the set up made it go from a nightmare to own, to probably out of 15 to 20 ish... my favorite guitar I have ever owned. Thanks, Keith. I appriciate all that you do and, Say hi to Rick for me!