August 10, 2022
Ok, let’s be real. When you saw the title of this blog post, did it make you just a little bit curious? If you know me, you know that I like to be a good steward of my music equipment.
My dad has always taught me to buy good tools, and to take good care of them. So why would I encourage you to do something like put dents in your guitar?
I’ll explain.
Let’s roll the clock back to almost 30 years ago, to when I bought my first guitar. It was a new, handmade Simon & Patrick Luthier dreadnought guitar that was of good quality and looked flawless. And it was my very first guitar, so I handled it very carefully.
Until I didn’t.
I had just finished playing it one afternoon, and as I moved across the room with it in my hand, I bumped into a chair with it, and put a small dent in the side of it. The dent was so small, that it was hardly noticeable.
But there weren’t any other blemishes on it, so I could see the dent clearly. I felt a tiny bit of sadness come over me as I realized what I had done.
I reached out to a fellow guitarist who had been playing for a lot longer than I, and said, “I just put a small dent in my guitar. What do I do?”
His response was rather unexpected. With a matter-of-fact tone, he said, “Put a few more dents in it.”
It took me a minute before I realized what he was implying. He was basically saying, “Play the thing. Enjoy the instrument. Take it places. Run the risk of it getting a little worn by your travels and your music. But play it.”
Growing up, I remember watching the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and being mesmerized by the red 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder that belonged to the dad of Ferris’ friend, Cameron. Talk about a car meant for the open road. But as Cameron spoke about his dad’s stewardship of the car, he said, “he never drives it – he just rubs it with a diaper.”
Think about that. A car with such beauty and power – kept in a garage…going nowhere.
This could be the fate of our guitar, if we don’t take stock of why we have it.
Now, I know that some who might be on the receiving end of these words may have a guitar that is valued at five-figures or higher. To me, that’s more of a collector’s item, and it’s possible that it doesn’t get played as much as other guitars in a collection.
That’s fine – I’m not talking about the heirloom guitar. I’m talking about the instrument that you’ve purchased or been given, for the purpose of…playing.
If we play our guitars, and I really hope we do, they’ll inevitably experience some wear-and-tear over the years.
Speaking transparently, I’ve done some damage to my first guitar a couple different times that needed to be cosmetically repaired by my friends at Mike Lull’s Guitar Works.
But over time, most of the dents that have appeared on my guitar has just become a part of its personality. That very first dent now blends in with the others.
One thing’s for certain – if I wanted to be 100% sure that my guitar wouldn’t get damaged, I never would have taken it anywhere. I may have rubbed it with a diaper – or probably a polishing cloth. But for the most part, I would have just left it in its case.
But then, the instrument wouldn’t have made the music I’ve enjoyed playing on it all these years. It wouldn’t have been played onstage for countless listeners, or as an instrument of worship, or even in the recording studio.
If we put dents in our guitars, some of those can certainly be repaired. And some need to be.
But a worse fate is if we cause zero damage or wear to our guitars because we don’t play them at all.
So, the next time you’re reluctant to take your guitar out of its comfort zone, be it out of the guitar case, off the stand, or even out of the house, think about that red Ferrari in the garage.
The emblem on a Ferrari isn’t a calm horse quietly grazing in the pasture – it’s a wild stallion rearing with a passion to gallop across the landscape.
Your guitar, if I may be so bold, wants to be played. A lot. It wants to resonate with the songs that come from your soul, and out through your fingers as they dance along the strings and frets.
So, play that thing, have some serious fun as you do, bring glory to the Lord, and if some dents come along as you share your music with the world, so be it.
Far better reach the end of your musical journey and to have a guitar with some dents in it, than to have an untouched instrument in mint condition has never really had the opportunity to sing.
I hope your paradigm of caring for your guitar has been shaken up a bit by what I’ve shared today.
If you can think of a fellow guitar player who might be a little scared of putting dents in their guitar, I invite you to share this episode of Guitar Serious Fun with them. Comments are welcome. I’m excited to see what kind of pot I may have stirred here.
Don’t misunderstand me, though – I want us to take good care of all our stuff, but I also want us to make great music. It’s all about a balance.
So, play that thing, have some serious fun as you do, bring glory to the Lord, and if some dents come along as you share your music with the world, so be it.
ABOUT ME
David Harsh
Singer, Guitarist, Teacher
© 2023 GuitarSuccess4U a ministry of David Harsh Ministries.