[Robboman]

You know, like Pete Townsend or Paul Stanley used to?

If not, would you? (say money is no object)

If you actually HAVE, tell us the when, where, how and WHY? And exactly how stoned were you at the time? Did it feel good? Did you regret it later? Did it impress any chicks?

Which guitars would make good smashing guitars?

 

[GuitaristZ]

I have not...and would not. I could give the guitar to some poor kid who wants to learn, but does not have one. Smashing a guitar is like taking a life. :|

 

[Guest]

Seems a pointless, stupid and wasteful thing to do...

 

[Accept2]

Guilty, on a couple of occations. Both guitars had been played to the point where there wasnt much left in them, other than do a cover and smashy-smash...................

 

[Robboman]

Guilty, on a couple of occations. Both guitars had been played to the point where there wasnt much left in them, other than do a cover and smashy-smash...................

:bow:

I could never do it!

One time in my old 4 pc band the bass player was drunk, tripped on stage and landed on top of the other guitar player's Gretch Black Falcon that had been sitting on a stand. That's the closest I've come to seeing a guitar smashed (and a bass player's face smashed), but it's not the same!

 

[Tarbender]

I'm sorry even when it was considered "cool" or "artistic" to burn or destroy your axe on stage I never got it. When Hendrix was lighting his guitar on fire or when the WHO was destroying not just their guitars but the speakers, drums and everything else on stage - it just made me cry. I would have given body parts to have a chance to play that kind of quality instrument let alone own one. I couldn't understand why a crowd would cheer on such destruction.

I know that Townsend and Hendrix were considered guitar gods at the time - and still today - but even they didn't come from the upper classes and knew what these instruments were worth.

I own a lot of instruments today, can't play like Hendrix or Townsend and probably never will, but I have the utmost respect for my instruments. They are an extension of me. I made a very conscious choice when I bought them. I didn't just "want" them. I liked them when I saw them, and then when I played them it was either the flirtatious looks or they had that mojo and I bonded with them and bought it if I had the money.

I'm sure guys like Clapton can play any instrument you put in thier hands, but I guarantee that he has guitars he loves to play and would even consider destroying on stage - and I bet Pete Townsend wouldn't destroy a guitar today either unless maybe he was paid to do it?

Anyways, my point at the end of this is, as a collector and builder of guitars it is just wrong to destroy something that is capable of creating beauty and happiness, and at worst will fill that spot on the wall where the hole is when your fist slipped.

 

[auger]

I think that would be considered a sin in my books...
never.....never......never......
bothers me every time I see it....what a waste

Auger

 

[Geek]

Nope and I don't see the logic behind it.

A mechanic wouldn't destroy his tools,
A trucker wouldn't torch his truck,
A chef wouldn't snap his knives,
A logger wouldn't axe his chainsaw....

Why would a musician break his guitar?

 

[Accept2]

Anyways, my point at the end of this is, as a collector and builder of guitars it is just wrong to destroy something that is capable of creating beauty and happiness, and at worst will fill that spot on the wall where the hole is when your fist slipped.

For those who dont understand smashing a guitar, you just hit the bullseye. Collectors will whine whenever players modify classic guitars to make them better. They will argue about originallity, and they will often say that by collecting they are saving collectable guitars from being destroyed by players. This is pretty much the thought process of George Gruhn and the like. A guitar is a tool. It should be used and abused to the point where it can no longer be abused. I love it when people will complain about dings and scratches. Those things dont affect the guitar at all, but in the collector mindset, its no longer original or 100%, so its ruined. Huh?!? Just remember that people love guitars for very different reasons. We will have collector members here who polish their guitars, keep the hangtags on, and take care of them like they are handling nitro. And of course there are crazy bastards who will put strap locks on their guitars and swing them over their head. And yes, sometimes the locks will break while you do that...............

 

[Mooh]

I've worked too hard for my guitars to want to destroy them. It's wasteful, stupid, and an offense to one's self and others.

But, to put it in perspective, when The Who and Hendrix indulged their anger with destruction of property they were sort of doing it so no one else would need, want, or otherwise be compelled to do it. Not consciously of course, but in the big picture they were teaching the self aware among us that it was cool once and only once, and that the rest of us need not embarrass ourselves with it. Seriously, folks who do it now are pretenders, followers, posers, and fakes.

Peace, Mooh.

 

[Accept2]

Well Im glad to be a poser, pretender and fake, but then I must have missed that hidden message those guys were trying to convey. Here I thought they were just having fun............

 

[GuitaristZ]

Smashing a perfectly good guitar would be like burning money just because you had lots of it...selfish, rude, and just plain arrogant.

That money could be used to do a lot of good things in the world.

 

[Accept2]

I have a better idea than smashing guitars. Maybe we should all be pompous and try to dictate to others how they should act and what they should do. You know like the church ladies and Nazis. Freedom is a very bad thing. Zeig Heil.............
:rockon:

 

[Mooh]

Accept2...Then we agree to disagree, I suppose. But I wonder if folks should feel the same way about smashing other valuables, cars, homes, jewelry, furniture, for example. If an item belongs to you, you are pretty much free to do with it what you want, but others need not be impressed by the destruction.

I suspect we're not going to change any minds here.

Pompously yours,

Mooh

 

[Accept2]

Right on! Freedom to do with your own property is a basis of Libertarian ways. Besides the destruction of your property after its been used up dates back to the Viking funerals when you would be burned with your property as tribute to your life. It has nothing to do with impressing people at all.........

 

[Guest]

"Freedom to do with your own property is a basis of Libertarian ways."
So's the right to think you an idiot for your behaviour... That's the joys of freedom... If yer free to do what you want, then so am I.

"others need not be impressed"
Worse....

" Here I thought they were just having fun............"
John Wayne-Gacy said the exact same thing... as long as we're going to pile on the slippery-slope fallacies here...

 

[GuitaristZ]

I usually find that people which smash guitars...use it to make up for their sub-excellent playing skills

 

[mike7]

I'd do it, no question. Ah that would be badass! Especially at a gig!

 

[Marnacious]

I never have, but I have wanted to smash a few. :banana:

 

[Hamm Guitars]

I had an accoustic guitar that I used to fill up with gas and lite up. It would blow a flame out of the soundhole that would propel it like a rocket when you held it by the headstock. Great fun that was.

The same guitar later fell victim to my Jello experiment - I filled the guitar almost entirely with Jello and put it in the freezer. This didn't do much for the neck and the playability of the guitar and it didn't give me the jiggly accoustic tremolo effect that I was hoping for. It was really heavy and started to stink after a few days so I had to get rid of it.

I've killed lots of guitars over the past couple of years in R&D or just disposing of the evidence.