Guitar players and musicians on board?

[Cheechako]

I had an acoustic with me. Either an old Fender I had or the last was an Ovation from '71. I sold the Ovation to a guy in Trinidad that wanted it. They can't get decent guitars cheap down there.
I wold not take an expensive guitar on the boat.

[OkiMike]

We have a fairly expensive Takamine a/e we brought on board that we bought in Japan. Other than swapping out batteries, cleaning slight corrosion on the contacts, and regular wipe downs, I don’t pay it much attention.

We’re in Seattle, so moisture in the winter months is a huge issue even running two dehumidifiers on our 53’, but for me, it’s just a tool and I fully expect to have to buy a new one 5-10 years down the line if we head south and it deteriorates. I’m not married to it though it was my first expensive guitar.

[Wireless1]

I'm a retired pro bass player, but bass by itself is boring. So I keep a Martin D-35 on the settee ready to hack on. Like I noted, I'm not really a guitar player per se. The Martin has been in this mode for several years now. No belly bulge, warping, action hasn't changed. When we go sailing I put it in the Martin hardshell case and it has the temp/humidity monitor in there that I check. Maybe I'm just lucky, or maybe the extra bracing with that beautiful three piece back has helped -- dunno. Off and on I'll keep onboard; a Fender "Frankenstein" jazz bass (my money maker), Fender Strat, Dano 1458, Fender VI, and a koa uke. For me personally the hardest thing was closing my mastering studio when I retired and moved aboard permanently. Sold all my mastering hardware, vintage tape decks, AD/DA converters and some nice EQs and comps. Sold 35 guitars and basses, sold my amps, etc. It's been hard to adjust to recording with a laptop and a ton of Waves plug-ins. But it works. It's amazing what you can do with amp and FX modeling with the VST plugins. So I don't feel the need to have amps on board. (47' sloop). Something still fun is to plug my bass into my Sans Amp preamp and fire up my recording stuff, then create some drum tracks using various great drummers virtual libraries. Love the Peter Erskine drum library and I jam with him! So I can still keep busy with playing, composing and such, only now it's all on a laptop. I do miss the hardware, but... It's pretty cool to have Weather Report's drummer living aboard just lying in wait! Ha!

[gregfreed]

Originally Posted by zemurray

Who out there is a real player and lives aboard or does extended cruises with a nice instrument?

Curious about what you play, acoustic, electric, your rig, etc? how you deal power if you play electric? How do you deal with humidity if you play acoustic or hollow body?

I have quite a few nice guitars. I brought a cheapie acoustic with me to the boat for some time, it did suffer a bit. It doesn’t play near as nice as my taylor, which I refuse to take to the boat.

I play electric mostly, blues and jazz. But my electric rig is too much for my small boat. Perhaps when I get a larger boat I will come up with a way to power an amp modeler.

Just curious as I’m sure there are a few good musicians who appreciate nice instruments and enjoy playing on board. I’ve not run across any conversations about it though...

My Taylor has done well over 30,000 miles with me, good case, avoid sunlight, cover with blankets when gone, Elixer strings, no problem.
Currently in Fiji.

[DMF Sailing]

Originally Posted by gregfreed

My Taylor has done well over 30,000 miles with me, good case, avoid sunlight, cover with blankets when gone, Elixer strings, no problem.
Currently in Fiji.

Greg, just curious, what are the tonewoods?

[lewisa]

I have a Martin D-18 that I had aboard (and played daily) for five years when I lived aboard in Connecticut with no ill effects. Of course the boat was heated (sort of) in the winter. I also have a 1959 Gibson Les Paul Special that was never aboard because of the need for an amplifier.

Both are still with me and doing fine.

[kmgiunta]

Originally Posted by zemurray

Who out there is a real player and lives aboard or does extended cruises with a nice instrument?
.

YouTube Channel: "How to Sail Oceans". This guy cruises the world and has his guitar (and amp, I think) on board. Catch his video and ask him in the comments. He always answers a comment.

[gonesail]

sadly I have an acoustic drum set. They will never be on a boat. Maybe some bongos?

[ewsponberg]

I have a 1958 Martin O-18 guitar that I bought in 1967 when I arrived at the University of Michigan. I brought it to England with me on the QEII in 1974 and left with it in 1977 on our 27' sailboat to sail to California. So it has been across the Atlantic Ocean--twice--and through the Caribbean--twice--and through the Panama Canal--twice. While in Florida about 10 years before retiring, I had it refurbished by a Martin-authorized luthier, Ron Griffin in Waycross, GA. He did a neck reset, refret, and reglued the bridge. I also got rid of the cardboard case it came in and bought a hardshell case for it.

The Florida humidity did a number on the face, turning the golden spruce color a much darker brown, and also cracked the finish on the back. We left Florida in January 2017 to sail around the world. We are currently in Australia. It plays really well, and it has been very stable on our boat, a 35' monohull sloop. It resides in its case in the aft cabin, and I get to play it only when in port, never while sailing.

Sometimes there are gatherings of open mike nights at some anchorages, or just plain hootenannies on the beach. Sound carries far, so you don't like to disturb your neighbors with amplified sound unless you anchor far away and have a good inverter on board to power an amp. I have always wiped my strings clean after I play it, and that remarkably keeps the strings in tune and also keeps them from corroding. I think the current strings on there are at least 2-3 years old and they are still doing well.

I have taken to song writing, such as this one that I posted on YouTube: "I Really Want To Be A Keynote Speaker":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyMlCRQwbfE&t=1s

. I used to give lots of talks at boat builder/design conferences, but never was a keynote speaker. This was recorded on my Nikon DSLR camera on board Corroboree.

Oh, and here is the Gag Reel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKYGYYkquNo&t=2s

I also like to write parodies, or add alternative versus to other songs, such as: What does the girlfriend in "Leaving on a Jet Plane" really think about her deadbeat boyfriend going off an leaving her all alone? She has something to say about that. Or, the guy that is getting advice from the Gambler on the train--what does he, like any enterprising pick-pocket, do when the Gambler dies? And what's with the dipshit boyfriend in "Walk Away, Renee"--he's useless.

Anyway, that's my experience, and very happy with it. Thanks for starting this thread.

Cheers,

Eric

[CompassRoseBud]

I play the human voice. Does that count?

I have a classical guitar on board, but I never play it. Just couldn't leave it behind in the storage room.

My time for music goes to participating in a virtual choir. "All" that takes is decent video recording with accurate sound, and a good internet connection. You can actually do the recording with a newer smartphone, listening to a track on earphones.

[Cameron B]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

my wife plays an electric keyboard....it's small, lightweight and can run of batteries, 12 v or 110v...it goes into a bag when not in use..and easily stores back in the hanging locker...

I met a guy who plays a bottle cap music stick...it was pretty amazing, never seen anything like it before...he was damn good with it too....I tried it, but simply could not get the hang of it...but talk about a good boat musical instrument...

Those are called ugly sticks. They're very common in Newfoundland

[Cameron B]

I play saxophone, I'll probably take my tenor with me when we liveaboard. I've given a lot of thought to an electronic woodwind like the roland aerophone. They'd be great to play while on watch passage making. You can plug in headphones and it can run on AA batteries. Headphones would be great on night watch or while anyone is sleeping. And your can plug into an amp or computer and speakers cor phone to get the sound out for parties or jam sessions. Most electronic woodwinds are also midi controllers and are synthesizers but with woodwind fingering and keys. Definitely an attractive option to a sax or woodwind player.

[DMF Sailing]

Originally Posted by ewsponberg

I have a 1958 Martin O-18 guitar that I bought in 1967 when I arrived at the University of Michigan. I brought it to England with me on the QEII in 1974 and left with it in 1977 on our 27' sailboat to sail to California. So it has been across the Atlantic Ocean--twice--and through the Caribbean--twice--and through the Panama Canal--twice. While in Florida about 10 years before retiring, I had it refurbished by a Martin-authorized luthier, Ron Griffin in Waycross, GA. He did a neck reset, refret, and reglued the bridge. I also got rid of the cardboard case it came in and bought a hardshell case for it.

The Florida humidity did a number on the face, turning the golden spruce color a much darker brown, and also cracked the finish on the back. We left Florida in January 2017 to sail around the world. We are currently in Australia. It plays really well, and it has been very stable on our boat, a 35' monohull sloop. It resides in its case in the aft cabin, and I get to play it only when in port, never while sailing.

Sometimes there are gatherings of open mike nights at some anchorages, or just plain hootenannies on the beach. Sound carries far, so you don't like to disturb your neighbors with amplified sound unless you anchor far away and have a good inverter on board to power an amp. I have always wiped my strings clean after I play it, and that remarkably keeps the strings in tune and also keeps them from corroding. I think the current strings on there are at least 2-3 years old and they are still doing well.

I have taken to song writing, such as this one that I posted on YouTube: "I Really Want To Be A Keynote Speaker":

. I used to give lots of talks at boat builder/design conferences, but never was a keynote speaker. This was recorded on my Nikon DSLR camera on board Corroboree.

Oh, and here is the Gag Reel:

I also like to write parodies, or add alternative versus to other songs, such as: What does the girlfriend in "Leaving on a Jet Plane" really think about her deadbeat boyfriend going off an leaving her all alone? She has something to say about that. Or, the guy that is getting advice from the Gambler on the train--what does he, like any enterprising pick-pocket, do when the Gambler dies? And what's with the dipshit boyfriend in "Walk Away, Renee"--he's useless.

Anyway, that's my experience, and very happy with it. Thanks for starting this thread.

Cheers,

Eric

Beautiful old guitar, though

[Pelagic]

Starred with a decent classic guitar on board but it suffered.

Switched to 12 string Echo I bought in Venice. Lasted longer at sea but the neck warped badly.

Then Ovation 6 string which did well.

Finally I traded the Ovation for a National Steel resonator which has been bullet proof on board and in the tropics for years

[nwdiver]

Originally Posted by gonesail

sadly I have an acoustic drum set. They will never be on a boat. Maybe some bongos?

Get a Cajon, it’s what a drummer friend carries on his boat.....