Does this damage my guitar and how?

  • Thread starter Thread starter VomitHatSteve
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VomitHatSteve

VomitHatSteve

Hat STYLE. Not contents.
A technique I sometimes like to use when playing (electric bass) is to hit the body of the instrument to make the string(s) resonate. It sounds really cool, but I've been told that this can damage the instrument.

Is that true? Does punching my bass damage it? If so, what am I actually doing? Does this hold true for all guitar-type instruments (i.e. can I punch my bass but not my guitar)?
 
Solid body? Don't worry about it. You might need to repair the bolt holes for the neck someday, but I wouldn't worry about it.


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"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Don't wear any jewelry when you do it. When I was younger I uses to "slap" the strings a lot (on guitar) until one day when I noticed a lot of "ring dings" in the finish just above the pickups. Of course if you don't care about the finish, disreguard this comment.
 
tc4b said:
In my experience what most often needs punching is the vocalist. You can achieve some good resonance, but, I'm afraid, they break very easily.
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*GULP...!*
I'd better watch out next time....oh wait, I don't sing in a band....phew.....
:):):D:D
 
TelePaul said:
Cmon dude, do you really have to ask? There's a huge difference between slapping your instrument a la John Martyn or Rodrigo y Gabriella and punching it...
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Yeah, I wasn't really sure how to describe how I hit the bass. I'm not really punching it, but I'm not slapping either (since I don't want the slapping sound to be audible).

It's more of a thwacking with the side of my fist

Thanks for your input, everyone.
 
VomitHatSteve said:
Yeah, I wasn't really sure how to describe how I hit the bass. I'm not really punching it, but I'm not slapping either (since I don't want the slapping sound to be audible).

It's more of a thwacking with the side of my fist

Thanks for your input, everyone.
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so...the consensus is: Punching bad, thwacking OK?


:o
 
VomitHatSteve said:
Yeah, I wasn't really sure how to describe how I hit the bass. I'm not really punching it, but I'm not slapping either (since I don't want the slapping sound to be audible).

It's more of a thwacking with the side of my fist

Thanks for your input, everyone.
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I've done the exact same thing on every solid-body guitar I've owned. Sometimes the strings just need a little nudge to start resonating (like if you want to invoke feedback without picking any strings).

There has never been any harm to the guitars.
 
Look you guy's beating on your guitar is not good. Leave it to us qualified technicians and luthiers.

I suggest that if it is a crucial part of your performance art you emploY an experienced tech who can appear on cue and deliver said blow in a safe and non destructive manner and then slink away almost unseen.
 
Sometimes it is worth it to possibly dammage your instrument in the pursuit of getting a cool sound ...we all have to make sacrifices and so do instruments....:D
 
muttley600 said:
Look you guy's beating on your guitar is not good. Leave it to us qualified technicians and luthiers.

I suggest that if it is a crucial part of your performance art you emploY an experienced tech who can appear on cue and deliver said blow in a safe and non destructive manner and then slink away almost unseen.
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I would gladly do so, if I could find someone who work work for beer, beans, and canned spam. ;)
 
I would give the neck a slap when I was gigging a few times a night whenever I wanted the strings to resonate in G or Em. Usually whenever break time was close and I wanted to check the time on my wristwatch-as long as you didn't slap too hard the tuning wasn't affected.
Especially Strats & Teles-------They love a good spanking!!
Dammit-I sound like True!:eek:
 
muttley600 said:
Look you guy's beating on your guitar is not good. Leave it to us qualified technicians and luthiers.

I suggest that if it is a crucial part of your performance art you emploY an experienced tech who can appear on cue and deliver said blow in a safe and non destructive manner and then slink away almost unseen.
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If only my church had sound techs...

We'd draft them into running the mixing board. (It's a church, our band is perpetually understaffed.)
 
Everytime you hit your guitar, a kitten dies...

But it souds cool, so screw the kittens.
 
I thought I was one of the only ones who hit his bass! I do it once in a while, but I'd be afraid to keep it up all night long, just cuz I can't afford to replace my main ax.

BTW, I literally registered minutes ago, and this is my first post.
 
If it's a solidbody, I'd be more worried about hurting your hand than hurting the guitar.
 
DrewPeterson7 said:
If it's a solidbody, I'd be more worried about hurting your hand than hurting the guitar.
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I've found that is a concern. I usually find myself switching up my technique as a song progresses to bruise a different part of my hand.
 
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