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smashing an instrument

Just as an example of how abundant guitar smashing has become in the rock world; here's a couple of clips that also relate to comments in this thread in some manner.

Simply smashing one onstage is not only cliché, it's the musical equivalent of a bratty kid taking a tantrum.


Me and my friends smashed a First Act guitar when we were younger. That thing was pure garbage and we probably did someone a favor by getting rid of it. However, I think the thing was made out of concrete. We had to take it to the asphalt several times before we even made a sizable dent in the thing.
 
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Never me. I get upset at every little dink. To people who say it's a played out cliche, many younger folks have never seen it. I saw Royal Blood smash the bass and then kick over the whole drum set and backline. Launch a few cymbal stands. Yo, I wasn't alive when Townsend and Hendrix did all that. I thought it was killer, and so did the rest of the crowd. I bet ya'll could get behind smashing midi controllers and auto tuners like they have on stage now.
 
I set off a flashpot inside of a plush 1060s on stage once. It was a dead amp and I opted to give it a cool finish... the band thought it was a great idea.

Looked incredible. Flames shot out the front of the amp and everything...

Unfortunately we found out that that padding and the funky vinyl catches fire... and it never really went out... stunk up the bar something fierce.
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When I think of smashing basses, it reminds me of a Guy Pratt story from his bio. Guy was playing bass with Pink Floyd. A gigantic world tour was coming to a close at Wembley Stadium, and he has been using Status Graphite Basses, and it happened he had asked for a defective, unsellable bass when he picked up his custom ordered ones. He planned to smash it after the closer, Run Like Hell.

The pyro guys caught on somehow, and rigged it up to go off, but somehow the detonator failed and so it was now playing an unexploded ordinance. He got scared so he started smashing it early.

Long story short, he tried and tried, seemingly a hundred times, and it just wouldn’t smash into bits! He because completely exhausted, so he figured he’d just chuck it into the crowd so someone had a souvenir. But, in his exhaustion he threw short, and hit a security guard in the head.

Then afterwards in the dressing room, the security guard brought the bass back (!!) and said ‘uh, I think this is your’s?’
 
even a simple pen or pencil which can transpose beautiful ideas and art, is hard for me to destroy.:D...i understand the whole theatrics of smashing an instrument, when i was a younger rebellious little punk.....but now, i'd probably throw my back out trying.
 
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