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  #31  
Old 01-20-2021, 02:16 PM
JGinNJ JGinNJ is offline
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I have 2 beater guitars (though they're in very good shape) I use for practice at lunchtime, one electric, one acoustic. I can leave them in my car all day. They cost me about $100-125 each so if something happens to them, no big deal. The important thing is, they play well, so there's no hindrance to my playing. For their purpose, I don't much care about the sound.
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  #32  
Old 01-20-2021, 03:00 PM
Purfle Haze Purfle Haze is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MidfieldGeneral View Post
I find I am playing my Martin all the time, even to practice. I am thinking about buying another OM / 000 size mid price guitar as my practice guitar.
You don't mention what your non-practice playing is.

Quote:
What do you do? Do you regularly practice with your best guitar? I know a guitar should be used but I wonder if a second acoustic makes sense
In the cycling world, some riders have race-day wheels, which are faster/more expensive/more delicate than their training (practice) wheels, and I understand that. But I gather that many performing guitar players do the opposite, not taking their most prized instruments out to play.

I have three guitars, I only play my favorite one. Consider doing the same! Wear out its frets with pleasure, then buy another guitar while it's in the shop.

Best of luck!
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  #33  
Old 01-20-2021, 03:13 PM
varmonter varmonter is offline
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I wanted a guitar I didnt have
To leave in a case.
I bought a rainsong shorty
Carbon fiber. We heat
With wood . I play this
CF guitar more often then
My others because its there.
And doesnt require humidification.
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  #34  
Old 01-21-2021, 10:39 AM
printer2 printer2 is offline
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Turned a cheap guitar into a practice guitar. I am a beginning player so lot of repetition. Made the guitar a lot more comfortable.

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  #35  
Old 01-21-2021, 11:12 AM
Scotso Scotso is offline
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I have a practice guitar- a decent not expensive one that I do not worry about for travel or whatever.
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  #36  
Old 01-21-2021, 11:23 AM
Mr Bill Mr Bill is offline
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I keep the D-28 in the house, and I have a Jasmine dreadnought about 100 feet away in the office, in case I need to pick something out quickly. Two different buildings, and I like the security of the house better than the office.

The Jasmine is surprisingly good for a cheap guitar. And the D-28 is a 52 year-old Martin.
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  #37  
Old 01-21-2021, 11:55 AM
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blindboyjimi blindboyjimi is offline
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I agree with the OP and disagree with a lot of other posts. My practice guitar is a fairly expensive Martin and here’s why it’s my practice guitar.

One poster said, “Practice doesn’t make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect”. This is the truth. So my practice routine is to play measure by measure over and over, slow....very slow, often at 40% of the suggested tempo. I have several programs that slow down and have a built in metronomes plus I can loop it. I’ll play this until my fingers are exact and my pressure is perfect and my placement is right on the fret wire. What this can do is lead to repetitive stress on me and my guitars. Yet this is the best way to progress and why fight a bad sounding instrument and injury by reaching and stretching too much?

I want to hear the nuances of tone when I practice so I can hear every mistake. If I’m pushing a bit too hard and making the note sharp, I want to hear it. The only parts of the guitar that wears out are the frets and strings so I have my practice guitar re-fretted with stainless steel frets that will always perfect and will never wear out.

So my practice guitar must have stainless frets, be perfectly set-up, be smallish bodied so as not to cause strain with the right shoulder, 12 fret and short scale to limit left shoulder and arm pain as the reach is less (you could capo), be wider necked so fingers don’t cramp, and be similar enough to my other guitars so that when I have it down, I can transition to any other guitar. My choice is the Martin 000-18NB which is 1 13/16” x 2 5/16” and is an OM body but a 12 fret neck. I also sit on a SoundSeat chair.

I clearly differentiate practice from playing. So when I want to sit and play, I pick any guitar in the collection, but when I practice it’s always the same guitar. My tech charges $360 for a complete re-fret, new nut, new saddle, with a perfect set up regardless of nickel, EVO, or stainless which is a complete deal
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  #38  
Old 01-21-2021, 12:06 PM
RalphH RalphH is offline
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But doesn't that make you perfect at playing a piece that guitar, esp if it's very different to your 'performing' guitar and you're practicing to perfect finger pressure and placement etc. A bit like doing all your practice sitting down then trying to perform standing up. Ok, not that bad, but you know what I mean.

I certainly find if I learn a song on one guitar it takes me a little adjustment time to be able to play it as well on the other.
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  #39  
Old 01-21-2021, 01:57 PM
Earl49 Earl49 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MidfieldGeneral View Post
....Do you regularly practice with your best guitar?
Yes. I don't have a practice guitar - I play them all to one extent or another depending on my mood. Some regularly get more time than others. The only distinction I ever make is between a couple of pristine case queens versus gigging / travel guitars that get out into the real world.

Life is too short to play a lesser guitar, if you have a good one.
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  #40  
Old 01-21-2021, 02:48 PM
martinhubltz martinhubltz is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Earl49 View Post
Yes. I don't have a practice guitar - I play them all to one extent or another depending on my mood. Some regularly get more time than others. The only distinction I ever make is between a couple of pristine case queens versus gigging / travel guitars that get out into the real world.

Life is too short to play a lesser guitar, if you have a good one.
this is my everyday practice guitar: https://i.postimg.cc/ZRFjr08R/two-guitars-IMG-1870.jpg

On the left: the Taylor 814ce BRW. On the right, Martin D-18
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  #41  
Old 01-21-2021, 03:11 PM
PeterD18DK PeterD18DK is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MidfieldGeneral View Post

What do you do? Do you regularly practice with your best guitar? I know a guitar should be used but I wonder if a second acoustic makes sense. Thanks for any thoughts. Thanks.

Yes and no. I practice daily with a metronome and for that I use my Epiphone Dot. And I play a lot of tunes with current my best guitar
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  #42  
Old 01-21-2021, 03:15 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by printer2 View Post
Turned a cheap guitar into a practice guitar. I am a beginning player so lot of repetition. Made the guitar a lot more comfortable.

Thought I'd mention that whatever guitar you use for practice, it should have strings on it for optimum results...
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  #43  
Old 01-21-2021, 03:45 PM
Br1ck Br1ck is offline
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Play the best you can on the best you've got. Go buy a very good guitar that is battle scarred for the beach, camping, and bars.
My Guild D 35 works for this purpose. 50 years of patina, no worry about dings, but still a desirable satisfying guitar.I'm not one to want to sit round a campfire and play a plywood guitar.
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  #44  
Old 01-21-2021, 04:11 PM
RalphH RalphH is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RP View Post
Thought I'd mention that whatever guitar you use for practice, it should have strings on it for optimum results...
that make me properly laugh out loud
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  #45  
Old 01-21-2021, 06:19 PM
alnico5 alnico5 is offline
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My life is so non-complicated. I have a guitar. I play it.
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I don't have a bunch of guitars because they all sound just like me.

1984 Carvin LB-40 bass
1986 Carvin DC-125 two humbucker
1996 Taylor 412
La Patrie Concert
2012 American Standard Telecaster
1981 Carvin DC 100
Harley Benton LP JR DC
Bushman Delta Frost & Suzuki harmonicas
Artley flute
Six-plus decade old vocal apparatus
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