Had an accident with my Les Paul, and a miracle
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Posted on Aug 06, 2009 01:17 pm
Tadpui
I am not a crook's head
Member Since: Mar 14, 2003
I had a very traumatic experience yesterday afternoon. I was working from home and decided to take a lunch break to go play guitar in the basement. I went down there, picked up my Les Paul Classic and started to put the strap over my shoulder. There was apparently a kink in the strap that caused it to come undone from the strap button on the butt of the guitar. I continued to put on the guitar and OOPS...SLIP...CRASH!!!
My basement is unfinished so the floor is bare concrete. No forgiveness for dropping a 9-pound piece of mahogany and maple from waist-height. I was stunned. My prized posession lay at my feet. I felt like I had just watched my own child be shot down. Normally I have issues with rage in situations like these but I was too stunned to even get mad.
I instinctively checked for damage. The guitar fell straight down in playing position. I very apprehensively picked it up and turned it over.
Here's the miracle part:
Apparently, the cable and the input jack took the entire brunt of the impact. The cable connector was shoved up into the guitar, the plastic jack plate shattered in a rough circle around the nut that holds the jack in place. The cable took a beating, the jack plate is ruined, one of the jack washers is bent...but the guitar...the guitar...the guitar doesn't have a single scratch on it. Not a single little blemish, scuff, scratch, nothing. It wasn't even out of tune afterwards.
A $6 piece of plastic saved a $2000 guitar from almost certain irreparable damage. I've heard horror stories of headstocks breaking off of Gibsons at the slightest fall, of necks cracking or snapping, of totally debilitating damage being done to the body. But mine was absolutely unscathed.
After getting my heartbeat back to normal and swallowing the burning fire and fury brewing in the pit of my stomach, I gently sat my LP back in its stand, walked straight to my computer, logged in to Musician's Friend, and placed an order for a set of Schaller strap locks in nickel, a replacement Gibson brand creme-colored plastic jack plate, and a new 18.5' ProCo LifeLines instrument cable. The jack plate is on backorder, but the straplocks and cable will be here in a couple of days.
Needless to say, those straplocks are going on the second I open the box they arrive in. This scare taught me the importance of protecting my most prized posession, the instrument that still inspires me as much today as it did 10 years ago when I first brought it home.
Sorry to make a short story long, but I had to share it in a fashion dramatic enough that it would properly reflect how freaking close I came to having a coronary yesterday afternoon!
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zekthedeadcowEat Spam before it eats YOU!!!Member
Since: May 11, 2002
Aug 06, 2009 01:35 pm don't forget to buy a couple extra of those plastic plates to duct tape to family cars and any children... :)
I once had a guitarist get enraged while playing during practice and go to throw his guitar down... he lifted it over his head and 'very tensely' laid it down on the ground while bursting at the seams with rage... he then snatched his pop can off his amp and wound up to throw it ... and shook it to make sure it was empty... before throwing it at the wall... it was one of the funniest things I've seen...
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Aug 08, 2009 12:05 am It is funny how attached we become to things in our lives, especially tools we use and love. Glad it all worked out in the end and your prize suffered no major damage.
Aug 08, 2009 05:03 am Traumatic ! Glad it's gonna be ok.
I live at the top of a hill and one night in winter after the band dropped me off I fell on my back still clutching my much loved strat. The case sprung open and ejected it in the air then off it went on the ice about 15 feet. It was all ok but only after I'd hugged it.
HuePinnipedal Czar (: 3= Member
Since: Apr 11, 2004
Sep 11, 2009 11:11 am Heh... took me a bit to seek this thread out. : )
I love a happy ending! So glad that your baby is still rockin', Tad!
Les Pauls... every Les Paul... is special to me. Their design, shape, and history make them the quintessential electric guitar for anyone seeking out the honest, and true music within themselves... these guitars keep one an 'honest player', in my opinion.(true to ones musical intent)
Here's my 'LP-drop-horror-story'.
Same drop as yours happend to my '77 Les Paul Custom. It did not land on the jackplate, though. It landed on the side of the body, directly next to that plate. The damage done consisted of a 'dent' in the bottom-side of the guitar-body, and a lifting-up of the nitrolouse laquer in a cresent-shape on the front. I wept upon seeing what I'd done,(hugged it too, Hujambo) as this is not just a guitar to me, it's an heirloom that my dad had passed along to me just before he died.(a VERY rare model, as well) As bad as it sounds, it is barely noticeable, and doesn't effect the guitars playability whatsoever. No spitting, or neck-breakage, so I consider myself VERY lucky. It weighs in around 12lbs... no 'weight-relief' on this puppy. : )
jetgloMember
Since: Jul 23, 2004
Sep 11, 2009 02:27 pm yeah same thing happened to me with my vintage Rickenbacker 4001. I kind of stared at the back of the body facing up at me. It landed facedown and punched the pickup selector toggle into the control cavity..cracking a nice hole in the pickguard.
When it comes to loose straplock screws.. loose in the body.. a good fix is to jam the hole with a few toothpicks then screw the screw back in.. no problems for many many years since.. still tight.
HuePinnipedal Czar (: 3= Member
Since: Apr 11, 2004
Sep 11, 2009 03:06 pm Yeah jetglo, I use the toothpick trick on my Epi Lp-Studio, and yes it does work well... no arguement there. I'm simply not going to replace the 'wood' of a '77 Gibson, that may indeed be an actual 'one of a kind' guitar, with 'toothpicks'. I realize that the peace of mind I lose will keep me from getting nutty with her on a stage, but I have since aquired other guitars that I use for this purpose, so it's not really an issue anymore, and what's done is done, so...
No straplocks for that one. No upgrading, customizing, modifying, part-swapping, refinishing, or anything like that for that guitar. The only time you'll see/hear it, is when I pick it up to play it in the studio. I would use it for gigging if it were all I have to use, but even then, I'd keep 'em off, and just be really careful. : )
