jwhitcomb3 Posted October 29, 2009 Posted October 29, 2009 Last winter I loaned my Newport to a friend. Today it came back and when I opened the case I almost puked. There was dried sweat (God, I hope it was sweat) all over the top, the strings (which were new when I gave it to him) were rusty and coated and gross. Shmutz all over the fingerboard. I wanted to disinfect the thing.An hour of cleaning and restringing later, the guitar is just fine (no scratches, dings or anything), but man, this guy isn't coming near my guitars again!Lesson learned, I suppose...-Jonathan
geoff_hartwell Posted October 30, 2009 Posted October 30, 2009 A Faux Pas, for sure. Did he leave the gas tank empty and wrappers all over the floors too? As long as the guitar's basically okay, it's just a minor inconvenience. But you're a cool guy for lending it out like that. Geoff
moozak Posted October 30, 2009 Posted October 30, 2009 i've never loaned a guitar to a friend... and never will. i paid too much for them and i'm very picky about them as well. if they want a guitar... they can get their own.
atquinn Posted October 30, 2009 Posted October 30, 2009 i've never loaned a guitar to a friend... and never will. i paid too much for them and i'm very picky about them as well. if they want a guitar... they can get their own. That's pretty much how I feel. I'm way too anal about my guitars and wouldn't want to be harboring any ill will towards whoever I lent them to. By the same token, I wouldn't want to borrow someone else's guitar either. Although the way I run through guitars, it's basically like I'm borrowing them -Austin
BTMN Posted October 30, 2009 Posted October 30, 2009 1982 I scored an all original '67 SG P90 Jr. Proceeded to put a Leo Quan wraparound bridge on it, new Grovers, and a Cream Bill Lawrence 500XL in the bridge. All done top notch mind you but GAWD I destroyed an original sooo worth something today. It play SUPERB!!! About 6 months later loaned it to a friend at the time and he took it to Milwaukee with him. 6 months later it was stolen from his apartment. THEN he told me he had had it refinished White too.
serial Posted October 30, 2009 Posted October 30, 2009 I will loan guitars to maybe two people-my brother and BCR Greg simply because the guitars will likely come back in better shape than when they went out. I did let McChris use my 8 String bass once and he rocked it, so he's on the short list too.... May be another one or two trusted HFCers, but not many others!
atquinn Posted October 30, 2009 Posted October 30, 2009 I will loan guitars to maybe two people-my brother and BCR Greg simply because the guitars will likely come back in better shape than when they went out. I did let McChris use my 8 String bass once and he rocked it, so he's on the short list too.... May be another one or two trusted HFCers, but not many others! I have no problem with people playing my guitars during jams and whatnot, I just don't want them out of my sight! -Austin
cmatthes Posted October 30, 2009 Posted October 30, 2009 I live by Dan Savage's "Campsite Rule" when it comes to other people's guitars:Return them in as good or better shape than when you first borrowed them (paraphrased, but you get the idea).
BubbaVO Posted October 30, 2009 Posted October 30, 2009 I live by Dan Savage's "Campsite Rule" when it comes to other people's guitars:Return them in as good or better shape than when you first borrowed them (paraphrased, but you get the idea).+1
Jimbilly Posted October 30, 2009 Posted October 30, 2009 It's kind of like Groucho Marx's rule; I wouldn't lend a guitar to anyone who would borrow it from me ("I wouldn't belong to any club that would have me as a member"). I have loaned amps to a couple of other friends, but twice they fell in love and hounded me to sell them.
belgian Posted October 30, 2009 Posted October 30, 2009 My son-in-law Alfonso has one (Newport Pro) in permanent loan. Now you made me aware, if he breaks up with my daughter, i'll be screwed twice.
mc2 Posted October 30, 2009 Posted October 30, 2009 I loaned my '86 Kubicki bass to a bandmate for a session years back and it came back with belt worming on the back...the only marks on it after 23 years. Never loaned an axe after that.
Willie G. Moseley Posted October 30, 2009 Posted October 30, 2009 Got one beater guitar and one utility bass (but both are still collectible) in my collection that would be the only ones I would loan out (and I have done so). Loaned only to persons I know to be responsible musicians who are either pros or have a pro attitude. Even though those two instruments show a bit of wear, I always ask the borrower to put a couple of band aids across his belt buckle. In fact, I actually furnish the band aids; I stick 'em in the strings---that way, the preventive measure won't be forgotten, and it's a reminder (without being too blunt) to be careful. When I've followed this procedure, all I've ever had to do (at most) when I got the instruments back was get a polishing cloth after the forearm marks on the (glossy) top. Not a problem. One more than one occasion, the player had polished it back up himself, which validates the aforementioned pro attitude.
ArnieZ Posted October 30, 2009 Posted October 30, 2009 I would loan most of my guitars, not all, to certain people. I have accidentaly dinged my guitars etc and though I'm never happy about it, shit happens. I would not expect them to be abused or taken care of in less than the fashion I would. I think anyone I would consider loaning a guitar to would inherently understand that.ArnieZ
Scottcrud Posted October 30, 2009 Posted October 30, 2009 Lending guitars...Is a BAD idea. That said, I change pickups a lot, and I mean a LOT. I have a buddy who has a very high taste in equipment, especially amps, Diezals, Cornfords, Engl SE's, Elmwoods, and his newest amp is a $4500.00 Wizard... I could never afford one of these, but he'll let me take one to band practice...So when I get a new pickup he wants to check out, I always let him borrow my guitar(s). But he does not gig, and doesn't take his equipment out of his house, so I'm fairly comfortable with his using my gear.
hamerhead Posted October 30, 2009 Posted October 30, 2009 Many years ago, when my LP was in the shop, they loaned me a goldtop. I lent it to a buddy while doing some work on his guitar, and he had it slip off the strap. Snapped the headstock. Oooops! Now what?!?Nowadays, I can think of one person I'd loan a guitar to. And he would never ask.
cspot Posted October 30, 2009 Posted October 30, 2009 I remember years ago a sticker on a guys guitar case "A guitar is like a toothbrush, you dont use someone else's" Thats stuck with me...
MCChris Posted October 30, 2009 Posted October 30, 2009 "A guitar is like a toothbrush, you dont use someone else's"Or, "A guitar is like a toothbrush. You only stick it up your ass and give it back to the owner if you dislike that person."I echo Austin's sentiment. I let other people play my guitars at my jams all the time; as long as they're in my sight, I'm cool with it. I prefer that people I don't know play my Strats and not my Hamers, though.Currently my Cruisebass is on indefinite loan to my bass player, because he loves it so. He's welcome to play the shit out of it; I trust him, and I don't mind if he relics it up a bit.
tomteriffic Posted October 30, 2009 Posted October 30, 2009 I live by Dan Savage's "Campsite Rule" when it comes to other people's guitars:Return them in as good or better shape than when you first borrowed them (paraphrased, but you get the idea).Ditto.I don't mind swapping them around at a jam, but I don't lend them out any more. There may be a few folks around here that I'd consider, but I'd still be pretty gun shy. Back when I was in college, I loaned an ES-175 to a buddy who was going to school across the state. When spring came and I went over to pick him and his stuff up, I found that his house had been broken into the week before. He was absolutely cleaned out and was right down to the clothes on his back. Of course, my guitar was gone too.
gorch Posted October 30, 2009 Posted October 30, 2009 Lesson learned: It's not Shmutz. It's Schmutz. Made in Germany this word is. Therefore, an import value or value import.
robbie Posted October 30, 2009 Posted October 30, 2009 When I was in college, and poor, and just learning guitar my then roommate borrowed me his no name knockoff Les Paul and a cheap amp that he had gotten many years prior, during his I want to be a rock star period... probably from Sears... very cool looking equipment but after considerable bedroom jamming the guitar basically fell apart in my hands one day... I think it was built for show, or very low hours... I gave it back with two missing tuning pegs and one very "just hanging there" pick-up... I told him it was in rough shape, but I don't think he ever opened the case. A few years later he gave me the amp, 8 watts of pure solid state power... I wish I had that guitar too, oh what I could do with that now that I know a few more things...
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