NVGD - OMG - GAS over!

57Deluxe

I have my Solar Balls out too now!

IvisonGuitars

merlin said:

So here's the thing. It's bloody perfect but I'm not sure I can justify keeping it. There's a big part of me that just wants to keep it and another (possibly bigger part) that would rather a new CS version that I can relax with and gig with and not shit my pants with in a noisy, crowded venue. Sad but true. This is NOT a hidden sales thread, but I'd love to know your feelings. Bear in mind that my main living is not playing guitar, but clarinet. I gig on guitar, and have a tour coming up in March, where I will play on about 8 songs, but mainly clarinets... Gulp. 

I've been in this exact situation. As a caveat I'm a gigging musician like yourself and every guitar I have needs to be able to be taken out and earn it's keep as it were as a gigging instrument. Anything that is not a reliable gigging instrument or doesn't make the grade gets ousted for something that does. I own 3 vintage guitars that I gig, all are 'player grade' with either a headstock crack, a refinish, refret or changed parts, they are not collectors pieces.

I wanted a Cherry DC Junior since I don't know when and I'd been looking for a while when I found a 100% original, no breaks, untouched solder joints, lightweight, resonant DC that was spectacular. It was everything I wanted in a DC Junior. An absolute stunning guitar (that now happily resides with @monoamine).

But, for me, the experience of owning it was horrible. It was the most i'd paid for any guitar and I was scared to death of taking it out to gigs in case it might get knocked off a stand or dropped and get broken or stolen and I was even scared to have it in my house in case I was broken into. I just couldn't enjoy it. Perhaps I held it in too much esteem as a 'holy grail' guitar? Either way, it had to go. 

So I totally understand where you are at with this. I get what @ICBM is saying in that it's not a museum piece BUT it is an all original, unbroken, beautiful example of a Single Cut junior so is still very valuable vintage guitar and an accidental headstock break will halve that value and your investment in an instant.

IMO Vintage guitars, actually ANY guitar should be a joy and a pleasure to own and play and gig without fear. If it's not that then move it on.

merlin

You get a WIS for that @miserneil !  

Sadly, I think I need to replace it with either a CS Junior SC or just keep my Arbiter, which is an excellent instrument in its own right. 

@ICBM you are right about classical players regularly gigging with violins (and cellos, violas, harps, pianos) worth well over 10X my Junior, but look at the difference in environment!  
 

IvisonGuitars

Thanks @merlin.

The CS Juniors are superb guitars in their own right, ive had 3 over the years, GREAT gigging guitars and if I could find a sunburst one at a good price, I'd not hesitate in pulling the trigger.

ICBM

miserneil said:

So I totally understand where you are at with this. I get what @ICBM is saying in that it's not a museum piece BUT it is an all original, unbroken, beautiful example of a Single Cut junior so is still very valuable vintage guitar and an accidental headstock break will halve that value and your investment in an instant.

I agree in principle, although an expertly repaired head break doesn't halve the value - more like about a quarter off (and even that's too harsh, in my opinion - but I understand that some of the value is driven by collectors rather than players). Still painful though.

merlin said:

@ICBM you are right about classical players regularly gigging with violins (and cellos, violas, harps, pianos) worth well over 10X my Junior, but look at the difference in environment!  

Sorry, I misread the original post, I thought you were playing in an orchestra-type setup - that was the clarinet .

If you're playing rough gigs just get a Telecaster...

Trude

My missus plays a £10k 200 year old fiddle at pub gigs all the time. It's insured - no biggie. A good job too, because she once reversed her frigging CAR over it, and the repair bill would have cost her about the same price you paid for the LP Jr, had the insurance not covered it!

I shit you not.