ever have a friend damage your Taylor

[rcoolz]

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?

[jjrpilot-admin]

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.   

[bigb]

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.

[michaelw]

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

[Go Navy]

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.

[cigarfan]

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"! 

[sachi]

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.

[ebick]

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

[roadbiker]

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

[TaylorGirl]

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.   

[Saxacat]

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?  .

[rcoolz]

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

[jjracer]

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.

[jjrpilot-admin]

Next time he came to play I gave him my ovation with the plastic back, no worries there.

Good thinkin'!     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! 

[Iplay2]

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.