My Martin D-28 Guitar Fell Apart Onstage

[@otisgibbs]

I should have mentioned it's a 45-ish year old Martin D-28. It's been quite the workhorse and companion over the years.

[@michaelgregory2231]

They're great steeds. A;; guitars need love from time to time. I'm so lucky that my brother is a luthier.

[@floydstowe]

Is that the one the airlines lost? My uncle had a D28 beautiful I wanted it real bud ended up with my dad's fender concert the finish is not looking to good but it's plays and sounds good

[@dr.buzzvonjellar8862]

I’m glad you gig with that old sweetie

[@woodyburkhalter1]

try the composite/graphite guitars, i am shoppin for one to travel with, cuz my van may get hot being parked somewhere

[@j.d.wilsonoriginalsongs9669]

I have a '41 that was my great Uncle's, then my Dad's.

[@zackamania6534]

My OOOc-16 RGTE started cracking from block to tail while I was playing a gig in Johnson City at a lakeside marina. By the grace of god someone had some titebond and I had two wood clamps. Martin wouldn’t do anything to help me. It was an 8 year old guitar at the time (2010)….

[@SirSneakerPimp]

Otis, Can’t think of a better reason for Martin to give you a signature D-28. It’s amazing that she stayed in tune.

[@bglrj]

That reminds me of the story of Keith Jarrett's greatest album, one that some people think is the greatest album of all time. It was recorded on a destroyed Bosendorfer that they were able to get in tune but it didn't have fully working pedals and it had a ton of other problems and he was going to cancel the whole gig but was talked into doing it. He knew it had been a terrible failure and although it had been recorded for a live album, he just took the tape of it and put it away. One day a few weeks later, he pulled it out to hear how bad it was and was stunned. In overcoming the technical problem of the piano, which had a pedal that didn't fully work, he created his magnum opus. The Koln Concert.

[@jamesmachado8874]

Great album. I must have 3 or 4 copies. I think I will listen to it again tonight, that is, after playing Hoosier National.

[@SeeCSeesCC]

❤great share. I’ve watched the entirety of his interview with Rick Beato. What an artist. It was wonderful. I saw Keith Jarrett with Miles in 1970. bitches brew.

[@mikelord9860]

That's a different take from the story I saw elsewhere on YT - but yours sounds even more amazing! And I've had four different iterations of that album - LP, cassette, CD and download. And the critics said when it was first released that it would be a keeper!

[@toddgreenwood9631]

Multi instrumentalist here. Playing a beer garden at a festival with about 2000 people watching in the afternoon. This was 1991. We were are bar band so we had no tech or assistance or anybody like that just us on a stage with a common drum kit. Changing instruments during a set is a hassle but switching mid song from tel to fiddle (as was our routine at the time) requires particular consideration. The change of instruments was to happen about 2/3rds through the set. So it was an out door event and we were on a typical stage like one would see at a festival like that with a real good canopy. I tuned my instruments before the set and set them were I could do the swap as easily as I could with my fiddle lying in it's open case near my mic stand. As we lumbered through our set I noticed the shadow of the canopy had moved and that my fiddle was now in direct sunlight on this hot July afternoon. I tried to get my front man's attention to cancel the next song but he was in the groove and counted in the number while I helplessly played my guitar part. The switch came, I picked up my fiddle to play the critical fiddle part (you can probably guess which red neck anthem I'm talking about, I'm too embarrassed to say it out loud) and all the strings were like over cooked noodles. I desperately tried to put some tension on one of the strings to see if I could squwak out a note or two but it was a pointless effort in futility. Of course the whole band dropped dead on the spot. The only thing to do really.

[@toddgreenwood9631]

@@cedarbay3994 OOOOOOOOooooooh. So close!

[@TheOldYellers]

That’s a gorgeous Martin Otis. What a story. Way to overcome. Pure Inspiration. Looking forward to hearing you play it.

[@jammininthepast]

I played two shows on New Years Eve in Denver years ago with the ambient temperature about zero. We opened for a "headliner", packed up and headed for another club to play the last set(s). The drive took nearly an hour.. After a hurried set up, we were on, my axe was in tune at the start of the set but as it (Strat) warmed up it became miserably out of tune. No stage gyrations kept it in tune...I plucked up my other axe (Tele) and started playing that about three numbers in, same thing, progressively out of tune. It got better but the singer had to bs between songs to allow me to tune...arg...Afterwards it seemed no one noticed my struggles, my band was annoyed. That was a sinking, helpless feeling in front of about 5-6 hundred paying customers. The happy ending; we got paid and it seemed people were either oiled up or didn't care. Thanks.

[@SeeCSeesCC]

❤ all right here’s the irony, I have the cheapest, 11 year old Martin dreadnought and I’m a remedial player. I do it for the love of music, and it’s a good way to reclaim my genuine time with myself. I played steel guitar as a kid. FYI I own that Magnatone lap steel still, but the point here is that even my cheap Martin stays in tune, miraculously well. I’m grateful for that and for your channel too Otis. You are a good place to visit

[@crazywisdom2]

Otis. Great story. You are a road dog my friend. The show must go on.

[@senatorjimdracula1603]

Los Angeles, early 1992: I was playing a gig with Ron Asheton on the Sunset Strip. Ron was the guitarist for The Stooges, as I'm sure you know. Anyway, I'm playing my '74 Telecaster with a hot bridge pickup I put in it, just wailing away. As we started the last song, I Wanna Be Your Dog, the entire input jack on the guitar fell out and one of the wires disconnected. I had to grab a hollow body Epiphone (I think) that the other guitarist had brought as a backup, and somehow he never bothered to tune it. No strap on it, either. So here I am, trying to "one note it" through the song while balancing the guitar on my leg that I had to put on the drum riser. Luckily Ron did all of the solos on that (naturally) so I just kind of limped through the song. Bummer ending to a great gig, but the rest of it had been great.

[@danielstoddart]

The key factor with old Martins or Gibsons is to make sure the guitar is humidified, especially during the winter months. The best way to do this is with a sound hole humidifier, especially when the guitar is being stored long term in the case. If you have an f-hole jazz box (or you have a vintage instrument and you don't like the idea of putting a humidifier in the sound hole), another way to do it is get a big garbage bag and put the guitar inside it, lay it on the floor or on a large flat surface somewhere undisturbed, and put a damp (but not soaking wet) sponge inside lying under the neck and not touching the guitar, then tie off the bag and leave it alone for a couple of weeks. This will keep the guitar from drying out and decrease the potential for cracks, belly bulge, dried out glue, bridge separation, binding falling off, &c.

[@otisgibbs]

Ways to support this channel. www.patreon.com/otisgibbs kzbin.info/door/YX2MTovE0vYjD8touqRH7Qjoin Tip jar for anyone who wants to help support this channel. paypal.me/otisgibbs?locale.x=... www.venmo.com/OtisGibbs Paypal: @otisgibbs Venmo: @OtisGibbs

[@gregmock6808]

I could never gig without a backup guitar....amazing story Otis...I'd also probably not tour with an old Martin due to the humidity changes etc. I've had the bridge pop off my uke and my nylon string guitar in my studio after lighting the woodstove in the winter from the temp change. The nylon string had that happen twice but I wasn't in public when it happened..I'm now the proud owner of an HPL Mexican Martin which can handle any changes ...that's a gigging guitar for me. I used to tour with an Ovation which also handled the changes well but I didn't like the round back

[@tommylandbeach8049]

I saw Albert King at the Lone Star Cafe NYC . He had a custom V and broke a string. 20 minutes of tuning.I was honored to speak with him after the gig.He said he didn't have a spare guitar. I love HD28 s. Had the whole back of a cheap 335 copy come off on a hot stage. I have a 1932 C2 Rosewood f-hole Martin, love it but I couldn't bear to road it. Great Channel. Stay well

[@frogmorepipester7490]

I am the luckiest guitar player in the world. My bass player is a retired luthier from Gruhn Guitars.

[@effronwhite1]

I was in the middle of a gig one winter, when I heard a big, loud POP! I thought immediately that I had popped a string, which is fairly common for me to do. But this was an extraordinarily loud pop. I looked down to find the string that broke, but there was no broken string to be found . Then I notice this big crack in the top of the guitar! The sound was a little different, but not bad enough not to play the rest of the gig. This was a lesson to me to keep my guitars humidified during the dry wintertimes here in Nashville. I got the crack cleated and I’m still playing the guitar, but I am still missing a little bit of it’s original richness in tone. Sad, but that’s what you put up with when you have a good tool that still does the job! Thanks for you videos, Otis. We enjoy them so much!

[@bobooten]

"Cowboys are the only ones who stay in tune, anyway" Jimi Hendrix

[@RahulSharma_JaiMataDi]

Speaks QUALITY of all Martin Guitar .... they are just great ...you should share this to Martin

[@sevenmileridgeband]

Incredible story. 6 or 7 gigs between turnings? whoa... incredible

[@johnDBoone]

Hey Otis. Had an old Martin back in the early 90s. Bridge started pulling up during a gig. Got about two songs between retuning. By the end of the gig it was pulled up to the point I thought it would fly off at any point. Action was a bit high to say the least. Luckily it was mostly cowboy chords. Forgotten all about it till now. Thanks for the video. Brings back some great memories for me. Keep em coming.

[@stevevice9863]

I have a 1990 Alvarez Yairi with Rosewood back and sides with a Sitka spruce top that I bought new. I've never even had to adjust the truss rod. I did do a partial refret about 10 years ago, just the first 5 frets. It stays in tune too. I check it every time I play it, but it is always either right on or very close to tune. I've taken it camping in just about every season and every type of weather and it has been very stable...no cracks, the action is a low as the day I bought it. I have a 2009 Taylor 414 ce limited that I bought new and I have had to tweak the truss rod occasionally when the seasons change. I noticed the other day that the action is starting to feel a little high up the neck. Might be time to get the neck re-shimmed, but that is an easy job on a Taylor. I do keep both guitars properly humidified during the winter, but the Taylor is a little fussier. Can't believe your guitar stayed in tune while the top was coming off....that's a keeper.

[@gregoryantoniono3673]

Time to get a Guild F-50, Otis! Overbuilt for a reason! No guitars falling apart but plenty of amps imploding - once because I had an ohm mis-match and blew the speaker mid-show (before I knew that ohms had to match!) We weren't even that loud!

[@scottkidwellmusic9175]

Not an acoustic guitar, but an electric bass... playing a bar gig in Boise in the middle of winter. Tuned my 4-string up right before our set, put it in its stand behind my amp. Played my 5-string for the first few songs. Came time to switch, I hit the first few notes, everything was out of tune. Somebody had propped the back door open. Didn't even think about it. Scrambled to get close to in tune, adjusted on the fly. Got through one song, and was able to get it tuned for the next sing. Singer/ guitarist kept shooting my dirty looks, as if I'd done it on purpose...

[@JosiahWhitley]

Had a ‘72 D-35 Martin as my main guitar. Broke a string mid song. Finished the song, set the guitar down leaned up against my chair and got up to grab a string and string cutters from the guitar case. Guitar fell over and broke the headstock clean off. Show had to be cancelled. I cried.

[@Starcrunch72]

1999--I have an 86 Squire strat that I had played the frets right off--so I replaced the neck with one from Stewart MacDonalds. After the 2nd set in the variety band I was playing in at the time, someone tripped on my guitar stand and it fell face-first on stage. The headstock snapped right in the grain between the D and G tuning machines...that was it for that neck, and the guitar for the night. I had another strat as a backup to finish the gig and I had to put another neck on that guitar....still have that guitar, it's on its 4th neck now. I got that guitar when I was 14.

[@NoviJimB]

I love the fact that people thought your guitar was supposed to look like that. :) My story.... Belleville, Michigan has a Strawberry Festival every June. There's a bar right on Belleville Lake where we used to play now and then. We had a bar gig one Saturday night during the festival. That afternoon they had a water skiing show on the lake as part of the Festival. Friends of ours are part of the group that puts that on, they asked us to play for about an hour before the boat show, at about 1 PM. We were told they would have sound equipment for that afternoon show, all we had to do was bring guitars, mics and cords. We were playing on a pontoon boat out in the water. We would load up by the shore and go out onot the water,s et up real quick and play. We get there at about 11;45, figuring that's plenty of time to just load on the small amount of equipment we needed - two acoustic guitars, three mics, a few cords and our drum machine (we don't have a drummer or bass player, we have all that on the machine). It's already about 85 degrees out at noon. We get to the boat and find out they don't have any sound equipment, so we now have to load our monitors and mains and PA do a full set-up. It takes us a while to load all taht gear on and then get it all set up, so now we only have maybe 25 minutes to play. We're now out on the water. It's a hot, sunny day. Our singer realizes that he can't see the digital display on the drum machine - the glare from the sun is too much, which renders our drum machine useless. We're sweating profusely by now, especially with having to do all the extra work of carrying everything to the boat, etc. We fianlly start playing, just guitars and vocals. Somewhere during the first song a boat they're using for the show comes out. They want to warm the boats up before the show, so the boat starts cruising around on the water. Well, boats create waves, so now we have waves hitting the pontoon boat and our mic stands start wanting to fall over. So while I'm playing guitar I'm having to reach out and grab the stand so it doesn't fall down every time the boat drives by. I think we played four songs and it was time for the boat show to start. Then after going back to shore and unloading we had to get our gear over to the bar and unload and set up again later on and wait all afternoon for our evening gig. That was a long day.

[@stephenhenion8304]

Ton load of work for 4 songs. Makes a great story, but it really sucked. Didn't It!!

[@jerrymullin2058]

Last weekend I played a farmers market. It was in a parking lot. Hour 3, the guitar strings start de'tuning. This is Texas. It's hot. I thought thry would have a cover. I recently designed one. Hopefully, some of you can use the idea. I removed the top section of my patio umbrella and placed it on top of a speaker stand. It fits perfectly! I'm read for the next farmers market in June. Lemme know if anyone wants a photo of it. Thanks Otis for all you do.

[@Mignarda]

I've got one for you. I play the lute, an instrument that is nearly impossible to play, let alone tune or perform with. We lived in the humid woods in upstate NY and made 100% of our living playing 500-year old music. We filmed a live concert at the PBS TV station in Binghamton, NY, and when the instrument finally adjusted from the soggy woods to the hot lights of the TV studio, all 15 strings let loose at the same time. The real challenge was to tell entertaining stories to an overly polite audience and impatient camera guys for the next ten minutes while I tuned. That's what happens when you play sit-down-and-shut-up concerts, and it finally drove me back to playing hillbilly music.

[@groverwindham9761]

Doing exactly what you said do Otis. Im opening for a country guy out of Nashville in NC tonight. Done my sound check and now I'm getting the F out the way.

[@akeithing1841]

Ive had to do some diy janky fixes on my Martin D2R and it always feels good gettn her back in shape. Sure theres dried super glue all around it but sounds great!

[@jviss07]

I really enjoyed that story, Otis, and my interest in guitars is what led me to discover you and your music, so thank you! I lusted for a 1970's D28 when I was a teenager in the '70's, but couldn't afford one. I ended up getting a clone, a Takamine F-360S, the "lawsuit" Takamine. It's really built so well, I can see why Martin sued them. Of course I don't work it nearly as hard as you do yours, but after 50 years it's solid as a rock, no cracks, and stays in tune forever. I only wish the case as as nice as those 1970's blue molded Martin hard cases!

[@wshow11]

Much love back Otis! Cheers brother!

[@tedgay8427]

Picked up an old 1960 Gretsch Jet Firebird from a friend of my parents. He had broken the headstock off many years before and repaired it with a hot glue gun. But it sounded great. About a year of gigs later, it refused to stay in tune one night. Then in the opening lick of " Stand By Your Man," I leaned into the Bigsby and the headstock came flying off. So I took it to Second Street Guitars in Claremont, California for a proper repair. I didn't hear back from them for a couple of weeks so I stopped by one day. The shop was empty with a for lease sign in the window. Never saw that guitar again.

[@willpipes9795]

My Buddy has an old Conn,Moving,on day,I watched it fly out of the back of the pickup,fly out of the case,and land in a ditch,one bent tuning peg,but that's was it,so a few years ago by,he loans it to an elderly gentleman,who sits it down to put in his trunk,forgets about it,and backs over the guitar with his car, crushed the lower bout,but oddly enough,it still plays great,and sounds phenomenal,10 times better than when it was in one-piece.He and I have found a few more of the same model,they sound good,being old,but nothing matches the " Crushed" guitar.

[@PaisleyPatchouli]

You and Willie Nelson! ;) Can't beat those Martins! No real horror stories here, and I did at least 20 years of consistent gigging... But the opposite, we were doing a string of club gigs in Ontario in Januarykdl, and one of the guitar players wanted me to bring along a 12 string that I had, (a 60s Mosrite Ventures model with A WHAMMY BAR!). I was playing bass at the time, so only had to worry about a plank of wood with 4 strings on it (Fender P bass). Anyway, that Mosrite sat in its case in the trunk of my car, and would come out 10 minutes before showtime every night, and I'll be damned if it wasn't perfectly IN TUNE every night, for several months. Same set of flatwound strings, 10 thru 42s, and it never had to be tuned the whole time but for the odd single string here and there. Not to mention that it sounded killer, sort of a mix between a Ric 12 and maybe a Fender 12; I think it had P90s? Its candy apple red finish, iirc, developed some pretty good long finish cracks which were purely cosmetic. I have no recollection as to what happened to it, but by the next year it was gone. Sure missed it when we played the Animals "It's My Life".

[@devonfulton1759]

I don’t get acoustic guitar envy very often. I have a D18 with scalloped braces that’s around 30 years old. It’s opened up and obnoxiously loud. I sure like your 28.

[@bottlefinger]

Playing You've got a Friend at church. No capo so I tuned up the old Fender. Stood up to play....church quiet. The strap falls off and he guitar Booms a it hot the pew. Strapped up and played it. No broke guitar but this reminded me of this event

[@stinkyghost4341]

Casually name dropping Billy Brag, I thought it was impossible for you to be any cooler

[@otisgibbs]

Billy is a solid gold human being. I can't say enough good things about him.

[@gibby6904]

It happens to new ones too....my 2016 Martin 000-18 has binding issues.....im in Northern Indiana. For my horror story.....I don't play out these days due to disability but back in 1981 I was playing in a bar band and my 1968 Les Paul Gold Top came off the strap and landed face first making a horrendous noise.....it was OK and I finished the night with it.....the crowd went...wooooooow...

[@lilburro3]

I was road man (basically outside sales/pick up repair) for a music shop for 16 years calling in junior high and high school band/orchestra programs. I've seen kids pour glitter into a sousaphone thinking it would spray out when they played. The worst by far was a kid who was learning trumpet, was at home practicing and didn't have valve oil. His mother was frying chicken so they poured hot chicken grease on all 3 valves. By the time it got to me the grease had congealed and smelled terrible. After an intense Chem bath it was fine, and hey at least this kid was putting in the practice! I know you were at least a little stressed Otis, sorry that happened to you, amd that work of art!

[@kevinjamison123]

I have played the same old Telecaster now for about 25 years. One night the soul band I was in was playing a local bar when the strap button in the upper bout pulled out. The Tele fell off of me peg head first! The peg head hit the monitor wedge so hard that the neck shifted in the pocket. I nursed it until the set break. The bar owner lent me a flathead screwdriver. I took the guitar to a table, ordered a beer to calm my nerves, and shifted the neck back straight in the pocket. After I tightened the neck bolts back down, I didn’t have to tune the rest of the night!

[@beverlymichael5830]

I have a D28 Golden Era and I kept having trouble getting in tune. Then one day as I was playing the saddle Just shattered. I was devastated. A luthier in the Indianapolis area built a new saddle. Apparently the last few times tuning it the saddle had been moving enough to get tuning off then it blew apart.

[@leftwrite]

Listening to your story it made me wonder if that Martin could talk, what kind of stories would it have to share. The road it has traveled with you. Getting lost by an airline, etc. It's easy to romanticize about a guitar. For us singer/songwriter types they are our one true companion. Good luck with the repair Otis.

[@richardbarrett9599]

Great story I have a Martin 12 string that I had customized back in 2012 and the bridge lifted twice and now all the binding is separated My 1970 FRAMUS is always in tune and in one piece my 1974 Sigma Martin 12 also no problems my custom 12 stays in its case humidified but not played Martin won’t warrantee the shrinking binding

[@bobbydee1187]

Wow. That would be wild. Never happened to me and I sure hope it don’t. My very best to you.

[@allenleggett4361]

Respectfully, and this is meant with all kindness. Martin recommends store in your guitar at 75° and 55% humidity repeated seasonal variations example high humidity warm temperatures in summer low humidity very cold. Temperatures in winter wiil reek havok with the instrument. Life is short, and I often enjoy playing mining conditions, where I shouldn’t exposing my instrument to extremes of temperature and heat will necessitate, more frequent and more extensive maintenance. Love your content and enjoy all of your frequent posts a big fan.

[@guitardog]

Another great story, Otis!

[@michaelhager4270]

Martin's are notorious for binding issues. I have a 80s B-40 bass and one day I went to get it out of the case and when I picked it up, the complete back binding just came off and laid in the bottom. I looked it up on line and it seems it's pretty common

[@mikelord9860]

Me being a lefty (but playing only rhythm guitar), I had to quick-change with a spare righty when one of my strings broke (it was in a worship service and you just don't change strings in that event) - I had a kill switch on my cable, so during a pause I switched and played my chords backwards.

[@championhairpuller]

There's nothin' like a great old guitar. A Martin is even better.

[@williammccormick966]

I had to duct tape a snare drum stand together on a live broadcast 😢

[@timmcgurl]

Back in 1972, I had just finished my opening Solo set in an old Vaudeville movie theater before several other bands and someone just turned all the stage lights off where I could not see my way off the side of the stage. Suddenly, I fell off the 6-foot high stage into the side of the Orchestra Pit, landing on my butt with the body of my 1969 Martin D-18 sandwiched underneath me and the floor. The only thing left of my D-18 is its Neck, which is still hanging on my living room wall to this very day. I could barely walk for two weeks afterwards. The owner of the theater felt really bad about the accident, so he wound up giving me $500 towards a new guitar. In '72, that was enough cash to upgrade to a D-28 which cost $425 back then. I had $75 extra, which wasn't nearly enough to pay for all my medical bills after the fall. But I still have and play my 52-year-old 1971 Martin D-28 that I got for $425, which has been my primary workhorse acoustic for 5 decades later. I've since purchased several more Martins, a 2015 OM-28E-Retro, a 2019 000-28 Modern Deluxe, and a D-18E-2020, plus a real nice Eastman E10SS (J-45 copy). I still have numerous Cervical and Lumbar Herniated Disc's to this day from that fall. But dems the breaks I always tell myself!

[@willpassinault3650]

great story Otis ! .....I remember one night Pete Townshend's guitar came apart on stage 🤘

[@crazylegslife]

I had a 1967 fender villager 12-string (gumby headstock) _. It had an electric guitar 12 string neck on an acoustic body. My gig was after work at the end of July, so I had to bring my guitar with me, which sat in the car during 98° weather... When I got to the gig and pulled out the guitar, you could drive a Mack truck between the neck and the strings, the bridge gave up the ghost and started separating from the body. Needless to say I played electric instead of the acoustic for that song

[@LeeFKoch]

I almost always play standing up with a strap. I have an LAG Grand Auditorium; the bottom strap pin is also the cable jack. I was about to go on-stage, and at first I thought that my strap must have slipped off the bottom pin, as the guitar dropped lower. In reality, the nut holding the jack in place from inside the body had come loose. The strap pulled the jack out, and the guitar was hanging by the soldered wires. I quickly yet carefully pushed the jack back into the body, and by angling the guitar neck upwards like a classical guitarist, it stayed in place. It probably wasn't my best performance, as some of the fingerings felt awkward at that angle, but I made it through the set. Luckily, I wasn't on tour and my guitar shop owner fixed it in no time the next day.

[@dsthorp]

@dsthorp 1 second ago I have busked in Central Park on a borrowed viola with an uncharacteristic hole in the top. I had to play from the heart!

[@rogertinker1813]

I love the guitar stories, thank you

[@RnRanimal]

I have a 2013 HD28V same problem with binding.

[@jasonhammond6592]

It'll be better once ya get that fixed. It'll sound different, but it'll still retain that familiar sound. It may open a new old sound you haven't heard before, or in years. Guitars talk. You'll get a new old mojo. Love your stuff, from east central Indiana.

[@johnmitchell1614]

Well done for improvising Otis. Haven't got a brilliant story for you. Best regards. 🙃

[@mojo6778]

That story is a living nightmare, wow did you overcome adversity!! Super Kudos to you Otis! The horror stories of a touring musician - could be a great series! 😅 Todd Snider would write a song about that.

[@thejames9681]

I was tuning my pedal steel and 2 or 3 very important tuning and adjustment knobs failed and I couldn't get it in tune and had to play a 2 hour set with a basically non-functional pedal steel. We did it anyway, and everyone I talked to said it sounded fine😂

[@robertgriffin7569]

That,s a great story... idk man maybe the perfect storm of circumstances, humidity, temp, altitude, and being under string tension. But the show must go on, and it did.. great stuff painters tape, haha, thats a pretty cool repair in a pinch, played every gig too. Must be good karma calling... keep taking care of those little squirrels man.Sometimes it,s the little things that makes a big difference. ✌️❤️😁

[@joshporter08]

My Martin D28 also stays in tune for long periods of time. They are great guitars

[@Fratoni55]

My 1994 D28 is suffering from the binding coming off, been using my Larivee. 2nd time... need to get it over Martin folks here in NC. My Martin holds its tune... I laugh at fella I play with... poor guy has to tune his Mandolin every song... told him to loosen his purse string and buy a real instrument

[@waynemiracle8928]

My ‘52 Gibson ES 125 came apart once - but not on stage! I was playing at my house and sat it down to get some thing in the next room. While I was in the other room I heard a noise which made a funny sound on the guitar strings. I came running back in and the entire side and back had separated from the guitar! I panicked! I lowered the strings and it went back together perfectly!The next day I drive over to Randy Woods. He acted like it was no big deal. He said old wood and old glue causes these things happen from time to time. He put it back together for me that day and the guitar has been completely fine for those past 7 years!

[@MrMarkar1959]

that tape fix did look sorta cool. like Stiches on a Indian Canoe,,hmm🎸but,,my 1979 Yamaha case is gonna get that stitches tape look!! the whole case finally just let go. i had to look at the guitar again just to settle my mind🙏🏼

[@LucasHaneman]

Wow what a crazy story about you having to hold it together with your arm on stage for 45 minutes. Haha I had a Gibson electric where the binding flew off a big chunk of the neck as I was playing, and I had a tuning peg break in half on a different guitar as I was tuning ones. But never an entire guitar fall to pieces, not yet anyways lol

[@leecrowell3198]

30-40 years ago. Late for a gig about 20 miles away. Put my guitar case in the truck. Arrive. Open case. No guitar. In such a hurry I didn't notice how light my guitar case was. I could picture it leaning against the couch. Can't borrow one. Left-handed. The only upside is that I became a singer/percussionist that night and I don't think my rhythm playing was missed.

[@raysmusic49]

Worst that happened to me was the screw holding my strap stripped out on my Gibson EB2 bass…and i dropped it…didn’t do anything to the bass. My Martin stays in tune forever!

[@RandyH400]

Great story Otis

[@callanturner4749]

Even though it held together it must have always been on your mind while on stage. True pro Otis. PS if things didn’t expand and contract…none of us would be here.😉

[@woodyburkhalter1]

composite/graphite guitars are great for travel, temp changes, humidity

[@msalty2823]

Amazing story and guitar. I understand loyalty and comfort but at some point I would consider buying a backup just in case it blows apart like in your story. Glad it worked out.

[@deepwater2652]

Better take it to Richard Starkey in Franklin - he's the "Guitar Whisperer"!

[@thesongwritersdropin2565]

Hi Otis. Sorry to hear your guitar going on you like that. I have a story about my old Ibanez acoustic. we were going to the beach and my girlfriend at the time pleaded with me to take my pride and joy with me. I adamantly kept refusing her, saying that it was to valuable an instrument to have on a beach ,plus it wasnt in an hard case ,just a gig bag. she eventually got her way because I felt bad. when we got there I kept it very close to me so I could keep an eye on it . What happened next was so unpredictable. two guys playing frisbee ,one tossed it ,it passed him and he decided to run to try and catch it and in the act of doing so ploughed straight into the group of people that I was sitting with and split the headstock right the way through. It was awful at the time. its still at my freinds years later while he's trying to figure out how to fix it. thankfully I have another beautiful acoustic that Ive played for years. Hope yours gets a nice job on it Otis. All the best

[@josmotherman591]

😀😀👍👍👍. I'm proud of you.

[@krajmatt]

Never heard the rest of that story. That was worse than I thought. I've had it happen with my upright too.

[@patmayer7222]

,,,,,,,,...... Land o' Lakes,wi......here ! ......... I'm crazy,,,,,,,your story ain't so😯...so cool to have a guitar like that,,,,don't fix it if it ain't broke😐😐..,,,,,,,,,,,,,my Sovern acoustics head stock cap came off while playing,,,kept gowing!!!!....it was cracked before,,,but that time more than half of it fell right off !!!!.....crisis?what crisis?,,(supertramp).............tnx,pat&family...

[@doughill8475]

Hey Otis, regarding an earlier post, I've been listening to Adam Carroll today. He's great. Thanks for the tip.

[@doughill8475]

PS: Love his guitar playing.

[@davidrush6547]

Hey Otis, you probably have a Luthier already in mind, but if you want someone closer to Indianapolis, I would recommend a guy by the name of Jamon Zeiler in Aurora Indiana. He used to be my go to guy until he moved. He builds his own guitars and those are fantastic if you can afford them, and definitely worth every penny for a hand crafted piece.

[@SamBerry59]

My worse experience was walking across cement them reaching out to shake another players hand as the strap came off the bottom of my D-35 and it smacked the concrete and broke the bottom and back . Shattered and so was I . Lesson learn though, never take your hand off the guitar.

[@MarkFromHawaii]

Oh man - sorry about that Otis.

[@leechild4655]

After about 50 years of being inspired by my cousin`s acoustic guitar (it had F holes!) I was reunited with it and put flat wounds on it, played the heck out of it, set it aside awhile, came back and noticed the back was pulling away like yours. Its an old Harmony and doesnt even have a truss rod in it. Anyway ya, after laying dormant for decades in a closet, a few good plank spanks and the glue that holds it together starts to crack. Maybe it would be better as wall art? lol

[@leechild4655]

Another horror story guitar but its almost like a zombie story. Bought an old acoustic at pawn shop. It had a sound i liked, still does, but its gone from found to abanboned and repeat that a half a dozen times. It doesnt want to die i guess. unusual arched back, not top, Echo brand. Some Itailian brand thats been around. Its not easy on the eyes with paint scratches and stickers cracks running through the neck, it has every kind of issue yet, with a minor tweak or two just to make it play it sounds good enough to record i think.

[@stephenhenion8304]

Martin guitars are " Legit"... damn reliable and they sound magnificent . A bass player i knew , would squeeze his stand up bass between his legs, so it wouldn't fall apart. I can't come close to massive glue failures, but i admire your approach to Adversity!🎶🎵🎶

[@daviswall3319]

I love a nice D-28. Wish I hadn’t of sold mine but I’ll get another one someday. Still have a mahogany D-15 that plays really well but doesn’t compare to the 28.

[@T-roy33]

Was pickin with 3 or 4 ppl one really cold winter back in the 90’s in this mobile home with a wood stove and it was hot as hell in there….this other guy was on his way from somewhere seems he had a fairly long drive….well, he had his guitar in the back of his truck..when he got there the first thing he did was take the guitar out of the case and you could hear it crack and split…was an awful sound. I don’t remember where all it came apart at but the guitar was definitely damaged, the dude didn’t feel like playing after that I remember:/

[@cmet8280]

Every working musician should have a roll of gaffer tape with them.

[@WillyPDX94]

Great story. ✌

[@Moekoffee2001]

My D28 is great for staying in tune, but it is the most reactive to humidity of all my guitars. I always have to worry about it.

[@lapidarydave]

I was playing a gig in Kansas just outside of Wichita once with a bluegrass band I don’t quite know what happened but the neck of my guitar cleanly came apart from the body. It was a all solid Rosewood OM and we were expected to play in about an hour so what I did was look around the stage for some tools I found a handrill and I took a screw out of the stage floor right then and there after that, I took the strap button off of my guitar and drill the stage screw into the strap button hole using it as a pilot. It works very well. It’s suck the next right back into the body and was actually pretty well intonated when I tuned it back up, needless to say the rednecks at that music festival in Winfield Kansas got a huge kick out of it I never fix the guitar got stolen a couple years later had a New Year’s Eve gig lol true story

[@johniac7078]

That's why you always need to carry duct tape! Glad it worked out.

[@JiminTennessee]

I have had dreams where I have note been able to get the guitar in tune an it also fell apart. Strange brew man!!

[@rosewoodsteel6656]

Martin guitars- Build like a battle ship.

[@roysnyderjr.8307]

What kind of case do you travel with?

[@savedaz]

Canopy glue is what you need, they use for sticking plastic to the wood 😉Love from England

[@rogerwilliams2629]

Thanks, Otis. I don't have enough nightmares as it is that the drummer is counting down the first song and I look down and my pedal board is spaghetti and won't work. Lol Now I may dream of my guitar coming apart. LOL

[@ersp1]

A taped-up guitar on a Billy Brag tour seems appropriate to me, for some reason.

[@greg54444]

Sounds like the guitar sound really does all come from the guitar top.

[@brianmobley1720]

Great story 👍 take care of that Beauty, curious, do you have a name for your workhorse? My Seagull is named Jezebel😂