Bringing my guitar to a Bluegrass Festival

[martingitdave]

This topic comes up every year. There are two schools of thought:

1. Bring a beater. It's outside and you don't know what the weather and security conditions will be.

2. You're playing bluegrass with, potentially, competent players, so bring a guitar that can keep up. Beaters typically can't keep up, so why bother bringing one at all?

I don't own any "beaters", per se. I found that I didn't like playing them. So, I use an HD28E for everything and I have a more expensive guitar that I reserve for other stuff. I don't hesitate to take my HD28E with me wherever I go. I figure every standard factory made guitar is replaceable. If I can afford to replace it, or it is insured, I don't hesitate. My CS, on the other hand, is not replaceable because it is a one off. So, I don't risk it.

[DenverSteve]

Just ask Dan......... He almost always brings his 1946 D-28.....

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Seeing Southern_Soggy Bottom Boys_ Stuart Duncan and Dan Tyminski.jpg

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[Tahitijack]

Take your beater. You never know when Elmer is going to take your guitar and start hard strumming with a quarter for a pic or someone accidentally put a dent or ding it you guitar.

[1Charlie]

Originally Posted by ManyMartinMan

Those are both horrible stories but....... both well covered herein. It is every person's responsibility to keep their instruments... safe. NEVER under any circumstances leave a guitar in a car unless it's for minutes to run in somewhere or ....... and NEVER leave an instrument anywhere it can be sat or stepped upon. Both preventable catastrophes.

No real difference than at home: Never leave your guitar in an unlatched case. Never lay your guitar on a bed, chair, couch - it will be sat, elbowed, fallen, laid...upon. Never leave your guitar out on a stand with children, pets, drunks around.... personal responsibility.

Agreed, but the point is that there aren't very many "safe" places to leave a guitar at a music festival, which you are going to have to do unless you are going to cart it around with you everywhere you go.

Car? No.
Tent? No.
Left outside the port-a-john? No.

[DenverSteve]

Originally Posted by 1Charlie

.... Left outside the port-a-john? No.

Probably been done.

[DenverSteve]

Originally Posted by Tahitijack

Take your beater. You never know when Elmer is going to take your guitar and start hard strumming with a quarter for a pic or someone accidentally put a dent or ding it you guitar.

I know exactly when Elmer is going to take my guitar........... never. Just like playing any gig or event. No one, no how, not then, not now. Not with a cat. Not in a hat. Not in a box. Not with a fox. Not ...........

[ManyMartinMan]

I would guess that the vast majority of folks attending these jams own one guitar and take it everywhere. I was certainly there until about 10 years ago. Most people (not necessarily herein) attending festivals bring their one or best guitar without incident. You can overthink anything but in the end take your best or the one you feel most comfortable with. I saw an interview with Dan T. a few years ago in which he stated he owned 2 guitars. Two. His 1946 D-28 and a 1936 D-18............ So when packing up for a festival or jam put on your WWDD bracelet........ WHAT WOULD DANNY DO? That's what you pay insurance for.

[grasser]

I was playing in a jam a month or so ago and someone was playing an old FG-180, like the OP has. It was more than adequate. But most of the jams I go to the guitars (almost never fewer than 4 or 5) are part of the overall mix and nobody's going all Bryan Sutton or anything like that. I believe guitars are really at the mercy of the banjo player as far as being heard. I think the best bluegrass guitar is a considerate banjo player.

Guitars aren't as fragile as we often tell ourselves. I'd bring the 28.

Theft might possibly be an issue, but you could always bring a bike cable and lock the case to a tree or something. But I'd be willing to bet there'll be folks whom you can trust to keep an eye on it should you want to wander around a little. I refuse to believe that everyone there is going to bring an Ibanez or that those who bring their Martins suffer any dire consequences.

[Shades of Blue]

This is what I need to "get over"...taking my guitars outdoors and to get togethers. We pay all this money to enjoy something, and then we are scared to use them. Just gotta enjoy our crap!

[DesertTwang]

Life is short, so I bring whichever guitar I want to play at the festival, not the guitar I should play at the festival. I've even dragged my 1933 Epiphone Olympic, which I consider irreplaceable, around campfires at night. It's a very personal decision, and there is no right or wrong answer. The way I personally look at it is this: If I worried about putting the occasional dent or ding in my guitar, maybe I shouldn't play bluegrass in the first place. ;-)

[DesertTwang]

Originally Posted by 1Charlie

Agreed, but the point is that there aren't very many "safe" places to leave a guitar at a music festival, which you are going to have to do unless you are going to cart it around with you everywhere you go.

Car? No.
Tent? No.
Left outside the port-a-john? No.

Depends on where you are. Here in Arizona, you can leave your guitar in any of those places (I have), and it will stay there.