Battle scars

blazer · Post by **blazer** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 2:56 pm

Let's talk about the guitars we own that have sustained the most damage throughout the years and talk in detail what kind of dings and chip they have.

My most busted up guitar just has to be my 1989 Squier Stratocaster with the affectionate nickname "The veteran"
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e22/guitarman91/My%20musical%20instruments/Veteranrestored.jpg
Everything apart from the body itself has been replaced one time or another. It's already down to its fourth neck and its sixth set of pickups. As for damage, here's the list.

1. Part of the headstock was broken off and I repaired it by glueing on a new piece of maple, you can see the repair because I couldn't get the shade of the color right and the low E string tuner is slightly off.

2. Again on the neck, a piece of maple I inlayed at the thumb end of the first position. A repair of an unfortunate mishap with the beltsander I used to repair the headstock. I used a black felt tip marker to give the illusion of the rosewood fingerboard being unharmed, you can see it but it doesn't hinder playing.

3. At the neck pocket there's a notable gap between the high E end of the neck. The current neck apparently has a narrower butt than the previous ones but it doesn't hinder playing at all.

4. At the same place of the neck pocket a far more serious one, there's a crack running down the lower cutaway. I need to be careful with that one.

5. There's four plugged up holes on both cutaway horns where I experimented with strapbutton placement.

6. And similarly there's four plugged up holes at the bottom of the guitar where I experimented with strap button placement.

7. The most visible thing in the picture, a chip in the finish running paralel with the bridge pickup at the arm end of the body

8. Also clearly visible: there's a chip at the lower cutaway horn.

9. Just below the chip I mentioned is a strange crescent moon shaped ding, no idea how that one came about.

10 two dents on the lower part of the body, not enough to chip the finish but you can feel and see them, they are situated paralel to the middle pickup and the first Tone pot.

11. A couple of nicks at the arm slope at the upper part of the body, silent witnesses of a show where the guitar fell from the stand.

12. A big chip on the back of the guitar around the place where the bottom strap button is, silent witness to one occasion where my strap came loose and my guitar plummetted to the ground. ("Eh, straplocks, what's that?")

13. A message of love from my first girlfriend scratched a little higher. ("I will always be close to you when you play that guitar honey.")

14. A lot of holes underneath the pickguard from replacing pickguards and using a hammer and nail to make new screw holes in order to make a pickguard fit. ("Oh you're suppose to use a drill, blimey!")

Oh if only my guitar could talk...

lyle_from_minneapolis · Sat Dec 30, 2006 3:11 pm

Quote: ("I will always be close to you when you play that guitar honey.")

And was it very soon after that message was scratched that you met your second girlfriend?

kenposurf · Post by **kenposurf** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 3:23 pm

The worst for me was to a mid 60's Gibson LGO Acoustic..left it at a friends..he got up in the middle of the night and stepped on it squashed in the top and added several cracks..pushed the top back out but sad. Years later, a luthier who owed me one took the guitar and cleated the cracks glued it and put on new keys..ended up pretty good and gave it to my son.

blazer · Post by **blazer** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 3:49 pm

Quote: ("I will always be close to you when you play that guitar honey.")

And was it very soon after that message was scratched that you met your second girlfriend? End Quote.

That remark was what she told me when she scratched her message in it, not what the message actually said.

j_gary · Post by **j_gary** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 3:51 pm

Jeez Wouter, I thought I worked some rough rooms.

All that drama on one guitar, yet she looks pretty good in the photo.

I've been dragging around a variety of hardware to some real stink-holes for a hundred years and have never beat one up like that baby. The gal who decided to use your guitar as a scratchpad. I think I know her mother, RUN!!!!

sloop_john_b · Post by **sloop_john_b** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 4:02 pm

Wouter, is it a Korean Squier? Did you just keep finding used 80's Squier necks?

lyle_from_minneapolis · Sat Dec 30, 2006 4:36 pm

It's been said that Tommy Stinson of the Replacements did this:

God knows how this bass got so trashed. I can only attest to the handful of gigs I played with it back in 1992, in which it took a few bangs. But what did I care---it already looked like this when I bought it then, for $150. The druggy dude who sold it said it belonged to Stinson, and I'm pretty sure that's true. I think this is the bass that you see on the Tim album, and on the Saturday Night Live clips on You Tube. Anyway, aside from the Replacements connection, I really didn't know what I had. I knew it was a Rickenbacker, and I knew they made the sounds I like best in a bass, from Macca to Squire...but I didn't KNOW. You know?

But once I found these Ric forums, you folks taught me what I really had, and I slowly freaked out. It was like learning that the dishtowel you've been using all these years is actually from a 16th century tapestry. Now I'm bringing this 1972 4001 back to life, and when it gets there, I'll post pics that won't turn your stomachs.

Say, how about that green?

blazer · Post by **blazer** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 4:46 pm

"Wouter, is it a Korean Squier? Did you just keep finding used 80's Squier necks?"

Yup, it's a korean squier and throughout the years it had a Japanese Fernandes neck, a squier Affinity tele neck and it's original neck. The one it currently has is a 1985 Japanese neck.

I shouldn't have gotten rid of that original neck, but it was all worn out and I was young and stupid.

marc61 · Post by **marc61** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 6:06 pm

Mark...If that bass could talk...it probably has a lot of stories to tell

lyle_from_minneapolis · Sat Dec 30, 2006 6:43 pm

She can't talk, but she sure can sing!

Even in this shape, with one functioning pickup, this bass has made some formidable sounds. Can't wait to hear it with the high gain newly wound by Sergio Silva.

But, yes, where has she been...?

beatlefreak · Post by **beatlefreak** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 7:04 pm

Wouter wrote:
"Oh if only my guitar could talk..."

It'd probably be screaming "ouch!"

jnbass · Post by **jnbass** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 8:11 pm

or 'sonovab_tch!

will_nesbitt · Post by **will_nesbitt** » Sun Dec 31, 2006 2:15 am

My guitars have been lucky so far. The most beaten up so far is my second hand Danelectro U2-56. It's about to be modified too, gonna replace the bridge pickup with a humbucker. The humbucker I found is the only lipstick pickup I could find on the net that's a humbucker! Gonna get it fitted when I have the time to take it to my local guitar shop. Might have the frets sanded down as there's a nice gash on the 3rd fret strip. Gonna get the strap holder done too so it won't keep coming out...

scala · Post by **scala** » Sun Dec 31, 2006 3:13 am

this is a picture of my 1964, serial number dl,
360/12 before any damage was done to it. the guitar was a working tool in the late 80s ,early 90s.the first time it got damaged was when a cleaning lady knocked it of its stand in a rehearsal room and cracked the neck. a while later the guitar had another knock and the repaired neck went in the same place, only this time it snapped in half. the guitar was taken to rickenbacker and mr hall very generously refurbished the whole guitar. it came back from rickenbacker like a new guitar.unfortunately, a while later, a very clumsy roadie knocked the guitar of its stand after a gig in the back of a rental truck and cracked the headstock. it was again fixed and then sold on. i just wish i had it now in its all original condition, would probably be worth a bit now.

kcole4001 · Post by **kcole4001** » Sun Dec 31, 2006 5:04 am

Here's a mystery scratch someone perpetrated upon my '77 4001. I couldn't squeeze any info from previous owners as to the origin. Probably drink & a screwdriver were involved.