Unofficial Taylor Guitar Forum - UTGF

The Lounge => The Lounge => Topic started by: rcoolz on February 18, 2012, 06:13:16 PM

Title: ever have a friend damage your Taylor
Post by: rcoolz on February 18, 2012, 06:13:16 PM
At a bluegrass festival a guy rode up on a bike where I was playing a Taylor  1996    amber stained  610.. asked ikf he could see it.. I handed it to him  ..He never got off the bike.. he played a couple tunes and gave it back.. I wasnt paying attention but later found several scratches and wiggly marks on side of lower bout..  when playing ha must have layed it on the handle bars to help steady it..  Man did I learn a lesson.  But thats the chance you take handing  your guitar to someone....It was pristine  up to that point  ......EVER have this  bappen to one of yours?
Title: Re: ever have a friend damage your Taylor
Post by: jjrpilot-admin on February 18, 2012, 07:07:49 PM
At a bluegrass festival a guy rode up on a bike where I was playing a Taylor  1996    amber stained  610.. asked ikf he could see it.. I handed it to him  ..He never got off the bike.. he played a couple tunes and gave it back.. I wasnt paying attention but later found several scratches and wiggly marks on side of lower bout..  when playing ha must have layed it on the handle bars to help steady it..  Man did I learn a lesson.  But thats the chance you take handing  your guitar to someone....It was pristine  up to that point  ......EVER have this  bappen to one of yours?

Not to my GS8, but my old Alvarez...got some scratches via other people.  I look at em' like battle scars.   ;)
Title: Re: ever have a friend damage your Taylor
Post by: bigb on February 19, 2012, 12:05:44 AM
Well my wife sent my 314 to the hardwood floor and put 2 very small cracks in the top wood on the lower bout. I wouldn't have called it pristine to that point but it was close. Of course that happened after I made the decision to sell it.
Title: Re: ever have a friend damage your Taylor
Post by: michaelw on February 19, 2012, 01:24:34 AM
i had someone that i considered a friend who was entrusted to be responsible for a new Taylor 414eL30 -
it ended with a broken e string & left in a room that was not temperature or humidity controlled &
not too long after, it developed a bridge crack, side crack & sustained damage to the electronics ...
needless to say i was very disappointed in that person's 'stewardship', but i guess it can happen :(
Title: Re: ever have a friend damage your Taylor
Post by: Go Navy on February 19, 2012, 07:00:42 PM
I generally will not hand my guitars to anyone even if they ask----I politely decline.  I suppose someone might think  that's rude but at the same time I never ask someone to let me hold their guitar, sax, bass, trumpet etc. either, nor would I touch someone's instrument without their permission. I personally think that's bad etiquette in the world of music (retail stores excepted of course).

I will voice appreciation of a fine instrument but won't ask to hold it. I played in a 18-19 member big band for years and there were personal instruments sitting all over the place all the time; everyone had a lot of money invested in them. Every reed player had two or (usually) three; the trumpet section players had two.  No one handed their instruments to someone else. No one ever sat down at the drum set during a break and started banging away. During breaks, my guitar went into its hard case and stayed there. 

If the circumstances were different and I had an El Cheapo in my hands and someone wanted to hold it, I'd agree to that.
Title: Re: ever have a friend damage your Taylor
Post by: cigarfan on February 19, 2012, 09:05:08 PM
There are very few people I trust to play my "good" guitars. If it's the old Yamaha, no problem. Just builds more character.

But seriously, you need to be a little more discriminating than "someone who just rode up on their bike"!  ???
Title: Re: ever have a friend damage your Taylor
Post by: sachi on February 19, 2012, 09:48:28 PM
I let people play my guitars. I like to share my pleasure in the instrument, and I'm not going to be too upset if it gets a ding or two.
Title: Re: ever have a friend damage your Taylor
Post by: ebick on February 19, 2012, 11:37:49 PM
But seriously, you need to be a little more discriminating than "someone who just rode up on their bike"!  ???[/font][/size]

This.....I certainly wouldn't mind letting the guy play it, but on my terms........get off the bike and handle it properly
Title: Re: ever have a friend damage your Taylor
Post by: roadbiker on February 20, 2012, 08:17:44 AM
One night a few years ago I was playing my guitar when a neighbor came over all upset because of things going on with his wife and divorce. My wife sent him down to my man cave, I gave him a drink and did what I could to help calm him down. He picked up my prized Guild and started playing it, if you could call it that. It was more like he was beating on it - strumming really hard and basically "attacking" it. I was pretty worried. After a minute or so, I couldn't take it anymore and distracted him and got my guitar awya from him. I was really mortified. Luckily there was no damage. I have let only a few others play it - friends that I know and trust, and who appreciate the value of a quality instrument and treat it as such. Always in my presence. I would never lend my guitar to anyone. No way. Not happening. Never. Especially some one on a bike. I may have let him check it out, but not while on the bike, and only after finding out a little about his experience.

Jim
Title: Re: ever have a friend damage your Taylor
Post by: TaylorGirl on February 20, 2012, 09:53:43 AM
I generally don't let people use any of my instruments, including my Taylors. I am very picky about my instruments.  I have always been this way about my belongings...my parents always taught me this.  "You know, money doesn't grow on trees!".  I know it probably sounds wierd to some, but it's just the way I do things.  I have let select people play my instruments, but it's always under my terms. I have found that no one takes as good of care of my instruments as I do.  As a result, they are all in excellent condition.  I'm proud of it, too.   ;D
Title: Re: ever have a friend damage your Taylor
Post by: Saxacat on February 20, 2012, 11:22:23 AM
I positively encourage my daughter's other half to play my Taylor. He is a very good player and although all his guitars are electric, he really appreciates the quality of the Taylor. It is a pleasure to hear my lovely guitar being played by a good player.

Also, if I can trust him to look after my daughter, I've got to be able to trust him with my guitars, or should that be the other way round?  :).

Title: Re: ever have a friend damage your Taylor
Post by: rcoolz on February 21, 2012, 08:26:07 AM
This guy who rode up on a bike wasnt a perfect stranger  . he goes to a lot of bluegrass festivals and was a  banjo player who was playing on stage... I THOUGHT I was being discriminating because I new him  .also he plays expensive banjo ....so  You NEVER know   .......rcoolz
Title: Re: ever have a friend damage your Taylor
Post by: jjracer on March 01, 2012, 12:13:51 PM
Yes and I was quite surprized since he is a accomplished guitar player, but was not cognizant of zippers, buttons, belt buckles and such and he put a small buckle rash in one of my taylors.

Next time he came to play I gave him my ovation with the plastic back, no worries there.
Title: Re: ever have a friend damage your Taylor
Post by: jjrpilot-admin on March 01, 2012, 02:17:16 PM
Next time he came to play I gave him my ovation with the plastic back, no worries there.

Good thinkin'!   ;D  BTW those Ovations are pretty great sounding guitars!  They're hard to hold in your lap and play, but man they do have a great sound to them! 
Title: Re: ever have a friend damage your Taylor
Post by: Iplay2 on March 01, 2012, 02:48:41 PM
I leave my old Ovation Applause sitting out in my room where I keep all my guitars (who other than the Ovation stay in their cases).  If people are over and someone wants to grab something and start playing/ beating on it, its just hanging on the wall waiting.  I of course take out the others for people who know how to play and will appreciate them.  But until I am pretty sure that they will treat my guitars well, they get pointed to the really cool black one haning on the wall.  ;D
Title: Re: ever have a friend damage your Taylor
Post by: CodeBlueEMT on March 01, 2012, 09:40:46 PM
 I take credit for the ding on my 314ce. The top bumped a case latch (sharp cornered little devils) and instant ding.

  Some slip-on silicon latch covers would be a nice addition. Something similar to those color-coded silicon fobs you place over keys. They might work with a little bit of modding.

 Lesson learned: Make sure all latches are pushed down flush with the case.

 A friend of mine allowed me to play his brand new 814ce. I was impressed enough to become a Taylor owner myself.
Title: Re: ever have a friend damage your Taylor
Post by: michaelw on March 02, 2012, 12:42:23 AM
Next time he came to play I gave him my ovation with the plastic back, no worries there.

Good thinkin'!   ;D  BTW those Ovations are pretty great sounding guitars!  They're hard to hold in your lap and play, but man they do have a great sound to them!
ovations actually have 4 different body 'bowls' & the 'contour' is designed to help 'keep it in place' ;)
http://www.ovationguitars.com/guitars/product/cc29s_4c (http://www.ovationguitars.com/guitars/product/cc29s_4c)
i had a cs057 (mid-depth, laminate top, 1 11/16" nut) that i put custom light PolyWeb 80/20s
on to 'warm it up' - it played well, sounded pretty nice plugged-in & it did ok acoustically too :)
Title: Re: ever have a friend damage your Taylor
Post by: TaylorDude on March 02, 2012, 07:44:28 PM
I don't trust anyone with my taylors, not even myself :)
Title: Re: ever have a friend damage your Taylor
Post by: dougboy1970 on March 02, 2012, 10:56:38 PM
I was playing with a very experienced friend who asked me to play a weeknight Church function.  He said there would be two other guys there who were going to play some songs as well.  One of them brought a guitar that didn't have a pickup so I thought, in the spirit of Christian giving, that I would offer to let him use my GS8 so that he wouldn't have to go to the trouble to mic his.  WRONG!  He was a younger guy who really didn't know how to play, or better said, in my experience, all certain teens seem to be able to is to hit the crap out of it and then some!  My Dad was with me watching the mortified look on my face as I wondered if the pic was just digging into my pic-guard-less GS8.  I resigned then to be careful about letting anyone play my guitar, and not to assume just because they're playing a Church event that they're a capable, experienced musician.  I thought I would be less protective of my new GS Mini Mahogany, but a friend played it the other day for way over an hour and all I could think was, "man, I'm going to have to buy new strings now..." Those Elixirs are expensive! HA!
Title: Re: ever have a friend damage your Taylor
Post by: flyingace71 on April 03, 2012, 10:18:06 AM
I just spent $2k on my taylor, I'm thinking I'll ask anyone who wants to play it to let me hold on to something of theirs that's worth that much while they play it!  ;)
Title: Re: ever have a friend damage your Taylor
Post by: dougboy1970 on April 03, 2012, 10:25:32 AM
I just spent $2k on my taylor, I'm thinking I'll ask anyone who wants to play it to let me hold on to something of theirs that's worth that much while they play it!  ;)

LOL...that is a very astute point!
Title: Re: ever have a friend damage your Taylor
Post by: mgap on April 03, 2012, 05:05:12 PM
Quote
I don't trust anyone with my taylors, not even myself
I know what you mean, I am my own worst enemy.
Title: Re: ever have a friend damage your Taylor
Post by: S MS Picker on April 03, 2012, 10:32:53 PM
Next time he came to play I gave him my ovation with the plastic back, no worries there.

Good thinkin'!   ;D  BTW those Ovations are pretty great sounding guitars!  They're hard to hold in your lap and play, but man they do have a great sound to them!
ovations actually have 4 different body 'bowls' & the 'contour' is designed to help 'keep it in place' ;)
Ovation=Strap
http://www.ovationguitars.com/guitars/product/cc29s_4c (http://www.ovationguitars.com/guitars/product/cc29s_4c)
i had a cs057 (mid-depth, laminate top, 1 11/16" nut) that i put custom light PolyWeb 80/20s
on to 'warm it up' - it played well, sounded pretty nice plugged-in & it did ok acoustically too :)