So what would YOU do?

[Beakybird]

Some people have different values with boundaries and property. Talking to the guy might be as useless as talking to a bear that broke into your cabin.
I'd just move on.
When I was a teenager, several friends and I were hitchhiking from Kenai to Valdez, Alaska. This rich guy stopped for us in a luxury RV. After driving for 30 minutes, he asked if one of us could drive so he could take a nap. I couldn't believe that he would trust his expensive vehicle (and his life) to a bunch of kids.
I'm so sorry that your pride and joy got a little scuffed. That sucks!

[RP]

Originally Posted by Gordon Currie

...I have observed that some guitarists do not care like I do. Therefore, I long ago adopted a rule that I only allow someone who is a) known to me, b) demonstrably respectful of the instrument, and c) washed their hands in the last 60 seconds to play any of my guitars.

Or just say, "No."

[Dbone]

Originally Posted by skyblue314

I don't care WHO it is. NO ONE BUT ME touches my expensive guitars.

Best advice in here. I wouldn’t care what anyone thinks. It’s not their hard earned money at stake. Nobody will care for your instrument like you do and these problems are inevitable...people suck...lol...whether they want to or not...

Having said this, there are worse things. As someone else said in here....lesson learned...Just learn from it...

[Chickee]

Originally Posted by MichaelD23

Did you confront anyone, or just take a deep breath, knowing that dings happen eventually to even the best protected guitars?

I guess that this guitar must be expensive, soooo, why would you bring it to an open mike night if you are not prepared for some road rash? Just taking a guitar out of its case is an opportunity for an issue.

As we all know, we normally inflict damage to our own guitars, as unintentional as it may be. The case lid closes unexpectedly, the bass player turns and slams his headstock into yours(argh), you wife walks in to show you her new blouse and the belt buckle catches that lovely Adie top as she walks into the room(oh, sorry honey)and so on and so forth.

I get you are upset but honestly, it’s a guitar. If it’s more than that put it in a glass case and leave it there.

[Mandobart]

It probably doesn't apply to anyone here, but there are 1000's of people who play or think they can play who have absolutely no knowledge of guitars - certainly not their value. This is why many guitar stores keep "the good stuff" in a separate room and don't let just any yahoo pull 'em off the wall and thrash 'em.

If you wouldn't leave $5000 or more lying around or eagerly loan it to strangers, why treat anything of value differently? Don't ask to borrow my tools, instruments or vehicles. I will show you how to properly use and care for them if you ask.

[Dwight]

Next time you can bring a beater so you don't have to worry about it.
(That's why God made Martins and Gibsons.)

[Mr. Jelly]

Learn your lesson. You get burned often enough and you will either learn to say no, and live with it, or become a door mat. It's your choice. I think most people that try to be accommodating get burned now and again. Some of us that have learned to say no from experience are looked on as buttheads. So there really is no winning in such situations. It's a matter of which negative you will be willing to live with.

[jefflaher]

Wow, really? That's about as rude as the dude who did the damage

[Russ C]

1. I would get the dings filled and buffed - on that guitar they'll bother you much longer than the cost of fixing them.

2. I expect most of us have been in similar situations with similar outcomes. My comfortable rehearsed response is "at home, just us, sure anytime. In public, if I lend to you I must lend to everyone or risk offence and I don't want either. Sorry, but not here."

[Glennwillow]

Hi Michael,

I feel badly for you, first, because your beautiful Collings got dinged up, and 2nd, because so many here seem to feel that this was your mistake. I know you were trying to be generous and giving and then you got burned. I have made the same mistake.

I like Wade's advice. See if you can get the dings drop filled and buffed out. It will make you feel a lot better. Many technicians are not going to want to mess with this kind of work because it's tedious, but I'd suggest you should have it done anyway.

- Glenn

[FOG01]

The first cut (ding) is the deepest as they say. Sorry that happened to you. On the bright side, I'm sure it still sounds just as awesome.

[mtdmind]

Yeah..just don't worry about it. I had a friend ding my guitar inadvertanty. Over the years, the guitar is still great.

[musicman1951]

People have different attitudes about the appearance of their instruments. You obviously care about yours.

I'd take it to my luther and have it repaired as best as possible - the cost will be well worth it for your peace of mind - and then stop loaning out your instruments.

You don't need a long sob story, "sorry, I don't loan out my guitar" is all you need to say.

[gfirob]

Meaning no disrespect to anyone, but if you are going to play out and if you are going to play with other people, guitars will change hands and dings will happen. If you take ownership of this fact you will either have to leave the good guitars at home, or learn to get over it. I had a 30's Gibson knocked off a guitar stand in my home by my granddaughter, with some damage. I wasn't going to fire my granddaughter and I wasn't going to keep my guitars in their cases, so I gave her a hug and got the guitar fixed. In jams, in places where others are playing, if you have a guitar worth admiring, people will ask to see it and play it. You can be anal (meaning no offense) and say "Nobody touches my guitars but me!" or you can share your guitar and hope for the best. Eventually somebody will put a ding in it or even break the headstock off. That is how life is.

Guitars live in a world of risk—low humidity waiting to crack the top, guitar case lids waiting to fall and ding the spruce, baggage handlers waiting to drop them from 20 feet or run into them with a fork-lift and junky musicians waiting to steal them. We care for them the best we can, we protect them in every way that is reasonable, but eventually they will take an injury. That is one of the reasons I like old guitars, they have already been battered so I don't have to worry about it. If you want to keep a guitar in a virgin state, never, ever take it out of its case. Otherwise, get over it.

[string1399]

Originally Posted by Chickee

I guess that this guitar must be expensive, soooo, why would you bring it to an open mike night if you are not prepared for some road rash? Just taking a guitar out of its case is an opportunity for an issue.

This is what I was thinking. Why take a Collings to an open mike?