So you buy a new guitar off the wall at Mom & Dad's Music Store. To what extreme, if any do you go to keep that new guitar in pristine condition? Do you clean it and wax it down after each use? Do you cover your belt buckle when you play it? Is it carefully stored in the case when you aren't playing it? I can remember going into music stores years ago and having to put on an apron with a sheepskin fur front just to play a guitar-and NO PICKS!
Now at Guitar Centers, you can take down the highest priced PRS off the wall and bang away. Or have a jam session with your buddies, all playing the high end LPs and Custom Shop Strats. Then the next guy pays full price for a "used" guitar. I try to keep my new stuff new looking, but my '89 LP looks like it's been thru a battle zone, and my '04 Strat has it's share of dings and scratches. You can try and keep it new for a while, but I prefer to let it relic on it's own. Granted, it's easier to resell if it looks new, and you really don't get what's it's worth when you do a trade in, so either way-what works for you?

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Life is like a sh*t sandwich. The more bread you have, the less sh*t you have to eat.

I take good care of mine,wipe it down after use and polish it often,but I like the normal wear it shows also....use but not abuse.

I just play them and don;t worry too much about dings, scratches...unless they got damaged because I was being careless. But if I am playing and bump something or my buckle makes a scratch on the back, i could care less, I buy guitars to play them. Those that I buy to collect I take much better care of though.

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Blues with a feeling.

GUILD GUITARS: MADE TO BE PLAYED!

Normal wear and tear and courtesy wipe down after a sweaty session. I would clean them properly 2-3 times a year. Not too worried about having a guitars in pristine condition they are not a "strad" or "steinway". I don't abuse them ala SRV either.

I guess the next logical question would be, how picky are you when you go buy a new guitar with the catalo finish? Does it need to be completely flawless without a speck on it or does it matter more how the overall color and gloss looks, or even the faded, roadworn, relic, etc stuff is your flavor? You hear guys being pickynwith finish but then why is the aged guitar market so big?

i collect as well as play.
when i buy a new guitar i want it to be close to perfect. if its not i usually get a discount.
if im buying used then thats what it is, used.
if the piece is to be collectable in afew yrs i look for the best i can afford
and expect a clean guitar.
i guess it depends on how much im spending in short.
i do take care of all my guitars. everybody in the rack except those with extreme value, they stay in the case and are carted off to the bank
for storage.

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63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

I never intentionally beat up a guitar, but things happen if you use them.

I polish the ones that take polish well, and keep all of them as "clean" as possible, I don't try to keep them pristine.

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Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

30+ years ago I dropped a pair of pliers onto the top of my black Les Paul custom,it was fairly new and it knocked a good chip of paint out....I touched it up with Chevy black paint..that made me sick.
Since then,I've gotten used to little mishaps like that....I'm careless at times.

I keep 'em clean and try not to scratch or ding them. But if something does happen I'm not completely heartbroken about it.

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Website: http://www.rebeccalaird.com
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wipe it down good with a clean cloth, and have taken to wearing most my shirts un-tucked, I've worn a suit and tie way too long so an un-tucked shirt (except for work) is me being rebellious, beside a clean guitar sounds better, just like a clean car runs smoother, goes faster and gets better gas mileage.

Wiped down after every time I play 'em, stored in the case when not in use. I won't say they're in pristine condition, but I like them cleaned and polished. I don't beat em up at all, that's what my $150 acoustic is for ^^

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I traded my car in for a microphone.

Fortunately most of todays guitars that use the poly finish are less prone to chips and dings. The minor scratches that come from picks or clothing can be buffed out with a good polish. Laquer finishes are more prone to permanent damage and wear but are easier to repair if the dings are not into the color coat or wood.

I wipe mine down after each use and clean it thoroughly every time I change strings which is fairly often. I check for loose screws and nuts and tighten as needed. My oldest Strat is a black 05 and except for one small black smudge from an encounter with a grand piano on the top edge of the headstock it still looks brand new. I could buff it out but I let it stay so I'm reminded to watch where I'm going... Like many have said before guitars are mean't to be played and honest wear adds character to an instrument as long as its genuine and not artificially done. Just my 2 cents.

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I'm not slow... and I'm not fast... just sort of halffast...

for some reason i don't. i tend to baby my firearms much more than my guitars.

All my guitars are players not museum pieces. My 57 Dano was found in the trash LOL. It's a great sounding guitar. My 72 Strat is well worn and dinged but nothing deliberate.

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Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal

i'd like to keep all of my guitars in nice condition, but I'm hopeless at it. i wax and clean mine once a month, and clean the fretboard when it gets dirty with dead skin.

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riley