I never liked to see this, not even Hendrix doing it.
I never liked to see this, not even Hendrix doing it.
Basically, I agree with you, Sugarcane. On the other hand, it was part of the Who's act. And it became so routine that Pete Townshend would pick up a guitar he hadn't used all concert for the finale, because it's the one he trashed. He probably got a truckfull of cheap-o guitars from Guitar Center and used them, saving his quality guitars for later use. At least, that's what I saw when I went to a Who concert...
Striving to be ordinary
Proud to be a TFF Dumbass!
Just another luxury of the privileged class
JAJO*
(*just another jerk-off)
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
If I'm a member of the band, I'm telling the guitarist that any cost to replace/repair your equipment is coming out of your share of the tour revenue.
"When You're Riding Down the Highway at Night, And You're Feeling that Wild Turkey's Bite" ZZ Top
Their stuff, they can whatever they like with it. Let freedom ring.
"No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim
Their stuff, they can do whatever they like with it. Let freedom ring.
They call it "show biz" for a reason. As long as kids keep cheering when it happens it will continue. I threw one offstage once; it had pissed me off because it had open buckers and the high E kept getting stuck under the neck bobbin. Got a big round of cheers, felt great! Face it, it ain't like they've quit making guitars.
It's usually all part of the show. Folks pay big money to see a concert, they deserve a good show. If that means the cost of guitar and an amp who gives a shiznet? As long as the tour is making bank it's all good. Guitars are just "things" and they can be replaced. That moment will only happen once though, and it needs to be lived. If you can make a few thousand people feel bliss and forget their troubles for a while for a couple grand that's a damn good deal!
I really don't understand the judgmental stuff, if this is how an artist chooses to express his or her self, I'm 100% backing them. It's their guitar and they can do with it as they wish. None of my business.
Personally, I believe we need more kids smashing guitars and fewer old white men telling everyone else what freedoms they are or aren't allowed to have.
Chuck
Last edited by Offshore Angler; 07-28-2022 at 04:54 AM.
"No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim
I agree with Chuck. Just because *I* wouldn't do it doesn't mean I care what others do.
Sometimes there are consequences. I recall reading that a historic Martin guitar was destroyed while filming a scene of "The Hateful Eight." It was an 1870s model worth $40,000 that Martin lent to the film makers. As a result, Martin will no longer rent or loan guitars to movie makers.
Striving to be ordinary
Proud to be a TFF Dumbass!
Mike Macready is free to do what he wants with stuff that belongs to him. That does not mean that what he does with it is not objectively stupid
I thought this was going to be about using Reverb
"Live and learn and flip the burns"
Striving to be ordinary
Proud to be a TFF Dumbass!
Why is reverb related to relic jobs?!
Nonsense! Reverb is one of the coolest effects ever added to the guitar EVER.
Mr. cane, I couldn’t agree with you more. When I think back to the Who smashing their gear I always thought, “gee, I bust my ass 40-50 hours a week to try to put some cash aside to buy gear so I can get out and play, and these clowns are jamming their guitars into the amp speakers and smashing guitars that would get me out gigging. I failed to see the “art” in destroying the tools of your trade when there are musicians watching this (that may have more talent) that are held back by the ability to get instruments.
While I don’t agree with the practice, to quote Townsend and Mooney back in the day; they got compensated 2-3x the cost of anything broken per gig if crowd response was there.
Remember Townsend lost a decent portion of his hearing with a drum detonation gone somewhat astray
Mark
Some of you guys clearly never owned a race car.
Ya'll should watch a Lamborghini Trofeo race some time. Makes smashing a guitar seem - trivial. Hey if you can afford it go ahead and smash it. If you can't afford to scratch it, don't play.
What's next, we outlaw fishing because some people get upset when a rod breaks? (BTW, good rods cost a lot more than guitars.)
Chuck
"No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim
Do you?
Few of us here are of landed gentry, having matured with a respect for value -- whether fiscal or otherwise. We're not wastrels and we appreciate the meaning of hard work. I'm sure there are people who enjoy watching someone destroy a guitar on stage but for every one who does, there are a score of folks who view such psychopathic profligacy and think to themselves 'geez, what a fucking asshole'.
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
Precisely.
I never understood the guitar smashing show. Guitars are desirable objects which can even make people develop special feelings for them. Smashing a guitar to me is just as pointless as shooting your dog.
But hey, as they say here in Brazil, for each craziness there certainly is a wacko who is up to it.
Well,
I worked my ass off from age 13, worked my ass off to get a really good education and made a lot of money. It costs more to fill my boat than a guitar costs. I'll use my money as I see fit and if I want to smash a guitar NOBODY who can't afford to has the right to tell me otherwise. Sorry if that offends, but I tire of some people's petty values. I'm not going to tell anybody what they can or can't do with their own guitar.
Yes, I have owned a race car and (really) I sucked at it. Also owned an airplane (MAJOR PITA, annual inspections, airworthiness directives, etc.). I like boats better.
"No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim
Last edited by Cogs; 08-02-2022 at 09:47 AM.
I so respect a man of accomplishments for his humility and modesty.
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
In an interview I remember Townsend saying he/roadie would hit the pawn shops in the towns they were playing and picked up some cheapies for the act. The first time I saw The Who I could swear Pete smashed a SG but that was so long ago.
Yes, many of the musicians who do/did that used cheap stuff
to perform the act. Which, however, doesn’t make me tolerate it.
Destroying objects that cost money and can be used to make art while there are people who can’t afford a roof or a meal just transcends my notion of reason.
A bit more respectable is when the player finishes the song and tosses the guitar out into the audience. At least then someone else gets to play it!
"We catched fish and talked, and we took a swim now and then to keep off sleepiness." Mark Twain
As if dents and dings you made from being careless are somehow better than other dents and dings made with care and planning aka "a relic". That is the craziest thing I've heard in the guitar community yet. They're still dents and dings at the end of the day. Whether a person made them by being careless or they did it on purpose shouldn't matter. And it definitely doesn't make one set of dents and dings and scratches any better than any others. Or 'honorable' as you call it.
If it does, that's definitely "1st world problems".
My thoughts on destroying gear and relicing guitars?
#CalmDownItsNotYourGuitarKaren
WGAF what someone does with their own stuff? They paid for it, they can do with it what they please.
"Slide playin' ain't about guitar, it's about harmonica..." - Duane Allman
Human nature never changes -- there will always be deviates among us.
And their sympathizers.
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
And always people who want to dictate how others live their lives and calling them names. I guess they feel the need for control.
It's all about freedom. I'm free to smash a guitar and you're free to criticize me. It's all good and last time I checked this was a free country.
Chuck
"No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim
It's OK to smash a guitar with a Rosewood fretboard - but a crime to smash a maple one!
"We catched fish and talked, and we took a swim now and then to keep off sleepiness." Mark Twain
I like it when an argument makes this forum come alive.