Do you have a "beater" guitar? Why?

[Cabarone]

I would like to have a less-expensive guitar to leave @ work...something smaller, but still good quality...like a B25 (excuse the Gibson reference)...

[bukarew]

I recently bought a Rainsong "Shorty" to keep at the ranch.  I don't have to haul any other guitar there, i don't have to worry about temps, humidity, and it's rarely out of tune... it's hardly a beater, but it is so awesome to have a good sounding, fun guitar waiting for me when i get there.

I never realized how good a carbon fiber guitar can sound.  It has become one of my favorites.

[Guitar Cowboy]

I would like to have a less-expensive guitar to leave @ work...something smaller, but still good quality...like a B25 (excuse the Gibson reference)...

I guess my old Yamaha would be considered my beater, but I loaned it to a friend a while back, so currently don't have access to it. Before I loaned it out, it got virtually no play time after I bought my first Taylor, so I guess I don't really need a beater.  My 224 K dlx is my leave at work guitar. It is nice to have one there so I can practice over lunch.  My GS mini is an excellent travel guitar , fits in  some overhead bins on an airplane. Neither of these two would qualify as beaters. For me, guitars are for playin', not sitting in a display case somewhere. I gig with my  816, K26 and 618 and try not to worry  about  them getting hurt. However, the new 814 has not left the house yet , so she's still getting special treatment. 

[Jersey tuning]

My 1970 Yamaki Deluxe qualifies as a beater.  Laminated mahogany, plenty of buckle rash, a roller coaster top.

[mgap]

I guess I could call my GS Mini my beater.  I take it to places that I won't take my other guitars.
Most of my guitars never leave my home.

[TaylorGirl]

I guess I could call my GS Mini my beater.  I take it to places that I won't take my other guitars.
Most of my guitars never leave my home.

I agree with you here. My GS mini travels with me in the motorhome. Maybe that's the definition of a beater. But, I still baby mine like a regular guitar. 

[mgap]

I guess I could call my GS Mini my beater.  I take it to places that I won't take my other guitars.
Most of my guitars never leave my home.

I agree with you here. My GS mini travels with me in the motorhome. Maybe that's the definition of a beater. But, I still baby mine like a regular guitar. 

It would not matter if I was at a campfire or a five stare hotel I will treat my GS Mini with all the care that my higher end guitars receive.   
So for me, I think that being a beater guitar simply means it is the guitar that will have the least financial loss if an accident happens.

[TaylorGirl]

I guess I could call my GS Mini my beater.  I take it to places that I won't take my other guitars.
Most of my guitars never leave my home.

I agree with you here. My GS mini travels with me in the motorhome. Maybe that's the definition of a beater. But, I still baby mine like a regular guitar. 

It would not matter if I was at a campfire or a five stare hotel I will treat my GS Mini with all the care that my higher end guitars receive.   
So for me, I think that being a beater guitar simply means it is the guitar that will have the least financial loss if an accident happens.

Glad to see I'm not alone in how I feel about my guitars. 

[Earl]

duplicate post - should have looked through page 1 first.

To me a beater is an expendable commodity guitar that can easily be replaced in kind for minimal $$$. 

I have a nice old Seagull M6 (precursor to the S6, with laminated mahogany and cedar top).  It has been on many flights, guitar camps, the back of motorcycles on long trips, and some iffy situations where the expensive ones just don't go.  This one is nearly 30 years old and it's been mine for most of its life.  Come to think of it, it would be a real shame if anything happened to it, so maybe it isn't a "beater" any more.

[Markob]

Never would I call these beaters..at least not in their presence. I take my little 67 Guild F20 everywhere mostly out of convenience. Small, light and when cased she takes up hardly any car space.

[Strumming Fool]

Never would I call these beaters..at least not in their presence. I take my little 67 Guild F20 everywhere mostly out of convenience. Small, light and when cased she takes up hardly any car space.

Love the bear claw figure on both those guitars - NICE!!

[Markob]

Love the bear claw figure on both those guitars - NICE!!
[/quote]

Thank you Strumming Fool. The little Guild is filthy with figuring. The '93 D16H a bit more subtle. Some find bear claw to be an undesirable flaw. Though I didn't seek out a guitar with figuring I like the "flawed" look and have never noticed any negatives in tone.

[Strumming Fool]

Love the bear claw figure on both those guitars - NICE!!

Thank you Strumming Fool. The little Guild is filthy with figuring. The '93 D16H a bit more subtle. Some find bear claw to be an undesirable flaw. Though I didn't seek out a guitar with figuring I like the "flawed" look and have never noticed any negatives in tone.
[/quote]

On the contrary, there are those who believe that bear claw figure is an indicator of higher density, which may yield a bolder tone to a guitar.  Enjoy!

[JTC111]

Meh... I have no desire to play a crappy guitar just so my great guitars stay in a protective bubble. I paid a small fortune for some of my instruments. I want to play those and not some cheap box with strings.

[Taylor224]

I don’t have a beater guitar per say.  Now that I am older I take much better care of the things I invest in.  More so I keep the least expensive, most easily replaced guitar at work, the Fender.   Interesting, one person’s “beater” guitar is another persons lifetime keeper.  It’s all relative...

M