Much depends on the situation you find yourself in. I truly enjoy listening to my guitars in the hands of others, and to this day, have not denied a single request to play mine by anyone, but there are a couple of stipulations. If the guy wanting to play is part of our group, that's a plus. If he is drunk, a definate minus. If you don't know that guy requesting to play your guitar......well I've got reservations about that one. If he had metal all over his pants or shirt.....nope. He could be a non player who has no idea how to treat a guitar, he could be intoxicated, he could for any number of reasons wish to inflict damage on your pride and your joy, or at least not care if he does. He could simply be careless. But there is something truly enjoyable about hearing others play your guitars. A combination of things I think. First, everyone has different styles of play which can make a guitar sound totally different from what we play and normally hear, and secondly, it's rare that were get a hearing perspective from the front of our guitars, and that can truly make a guitar sound quite different to our ears. Mine always seem to sound better in the hands of others.
And that's the other variable.....is the guitar replacable? In my situation, the guitar was not replacable. I will admit to being more protective of the DV72 and DV73, they'll never make them again and there were so few to begin with. The D55 is certainly a top of the line guitar, but readily available both new and used......I'm a bit less protective of it, and so on. I would never dream of walking into a room unannounced and unknown, without introducing myself to anyone and grab a beautiful guitar off a stand and start playing......man that's not only odd.....it's rude. I've got a pile of guitars with which permission is not needed, but do have a couple with which asking permission will get you an extended evening them ........but asking permission is a common courtesy in my book.....especially with something like a limited run guitar.
West
