What does gigging a guitar mean?

Answer 1

When someone sells a guitar, they sometimes mention that they never 'gigged' with it. 'Gig' is slang for any paying job; hence 'gigging a guitar' means playing live shows or performances with it.

A guitar can be dragged, scratched, knocked over, dented, etc just going to and from the show, and the seller is hoping you might pay more for a guitar that has never spent hours being sweated on in a smokey club or had beer splashed on it by some drunk chick in the front row.

But face it, most Guitars are not owned by people making money anyway, so in general, don't be too impressed with that claim.

I would tell any new player to take the money he/she was going to use on a new guitar and spend it on an older higher quality guitar off Craigslist or at a pawn shop. Find a knowledgeable player and bring him/her along to help you buy. Give him a Guitar Center Gear Card for his trouble.

So, unless a showpiece that you have to baby, and won't ever play, is what you are after....don't worry too much about looks at first. An old dented guitar that's been played often and has actual wear marks on the neck wood will be cheaper, and may even sound better! IMO, guitars actually improve with age and playing, so find a sweet-sounding old axe that you can leave in the living room and grab any time the mood strikes you....