Getting Real Fast- What Instruments Would You Grab in a Fire?

Started by Rhcole, October 12, 2017, 02:11:46 PM

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Rhcole

This is not a playful drill for me, this happened last night. I am in Northern California where places I have lived and gone for the last 40 years have been reduced to ashes. We have friends staying with us who don't know if they have a home anymore.

Last night it got gritty because of forecasted high winds. There was a risk we might have to evacuate. I had to decide what to throw in the car and what I would consign to fire if necessary.

I chose three nice guitars- a Gretsch, a Fender Tele, and a G&L Tele. No 13 pin guitars because A) they are simply less valuable economically than my nicest guitars and B) the Antares ATG-1 is JUST TOO DAMN BIG to take in a real emergency. At 11 PM I was sadly resigned to losing everything else if it came to that.
...Except the SY-300. I stuck it in the back of my trunk.  ;)

Well, we're still here today. We have suitcases near the front door, but I'm rooting for the fire guys to "win one for the gipper".

GuitarBuilder

Quote from: Rhcole on October 12, 2017, 02:11:46 PM
This is not a playful drill for me, this happened last night. I am in Northern California where places I have lived and gone for the last 40 years have been reduced to ashes. We have friends staying with us who don't know if they have a home anymore.

Last night it got gritty because of forecasted high winds. There was a risk we might have to evacuate. I had to decide what to throw in the car and what I would consign to fire if necessary.

I chose three nice guitars- a Gretsch, a Fender Tele, and a G&L Tele. No 13 pin guitars because A) they are simply less valuable economically than my nicest guitars and B) the Antares ATG-1 is JUST TOO DAMN BIG to take in a real emergency. At 11 PM I was sadly resigned to losing everything else if it came to that.
...Except the SY-300. I stuck it in the back of my trunk.  ;)

Well, we're still here today. We have suitcases near the front door, but I'm rooting for the fire guys to "win one for the gipper".

Hang in there - hoping for the best.
"There's no-one left alive, it must be a draw"  Peter Gabriel 1973

Rhcole

Here's something amazing.

Bob Groat is a high-end builder/luthier in Santa Rosa. He has been my go-to guitar guy for a few years. He even works on 13 pin electronics.
http://www.groatinstruments.com/

Bob's shop is literally dead-smack in the middle of the Coffey neighborhood that was utterly incinerated early Monday morning. The Arby's and McDonalds that you have seen in ashes in pictures nationwide are around the corner from his shop. I have been there many times.

On his Facebook page, he said he didn't know whether his shop still existed or not. I would have given him 100-1 odds that it wasn't.
And there it was, virtually untouched. He snuck in and took this picture late Monday. When you look at this building, picture in your mind a wasteland in every direction around it for a 1/2 a mile or so.

You gotta' believe- God must play guitar!

whippinpost91850

Good Luck! I wish you all the best and most of all stay safe

chrish

 It's mind-boggling how whole neighborhoods can disappear like that.

I was in a situation several years ago where we were on a level 2 evacuation notice due to an approaching wildfire, so I had enough warning time and was able to load up my guitars and most of my other rack gear.

We evacuated that night at 3 in the morning after working to clear brush, clear a fire line, remove window air conditioners, and wet down the soffits.

I returned in the morning and from a distance could  see the fire starting to hit the area around my house. When it disappeared into a cloud of smoke I thought it was gone. But the fireman rushed up there.

The fireman  put out a few spot fires in my log pile and I thanked them profusely. They said that because of my preparedness my home did not burn.

I had given some forethought  for the eventualities of a wildfire and built my home with metal roofing, metal siding and plastic recycled deck material and had cleared the brush around my house to create a defensible space.

My neighbor was not so lucky, her house burned and so did my brother's home after we worked all day to clear brush. Both homes had fire-resistant stucco siding,metal roofs, but both had Cedar decks which can be a conduit for burning embers to start a fire.

It turned out to be the fastest moving, largest fire in Washington State History with a loss of 553 structures. Two people lost their lives related to the fire.

When disasters like that happen you start to realize that possessions are only stuff.

The tragedy is in the loss of life.

The very next year in another wildfire in our area, three firefighters died and one was severely burned. :'(


gumbo

My thoughts are with you all who are threatened..

..we went through the same thing here in January 2015; thankfully it (just) missed us on the final, fourth day when the firefighters got the upper hand.   Many other people were not so lucky.

...and yes, my guitars ( and my 1964 Ludwig drum kit!) were first to get packed...along with the SSD backup drives..
I figured all the other electronics could be replaced.

Take care you guys, and don't underestimate the beast!   :(

Peter
Read slower!!!   ....I'm typing as fast as I can...

Guido81

Wow, I'm impressed.
First and above all, stay safe, instruments can be replaced!

I would pack too most expensive instruments first, and since I have some less expensive-economic instrument, I would probably take the expensive electronics from them wich are smaller. May the speakers out the cabinet, and so on. The idea is to save what you can.

I repeat, stay safe! Everything will get better!

germanicus

RHcole,

I hope you and your friends avoid any losses, please be aware they are all just things. Don't risk anything!

That said, (while not instruments per se) I would first grab the harddrive backups from my DAW, as the material on them is practically irreplaceable (hundreds of gigs of original song files).

Then probably grab my Eastman e10d, my custom midi/scalloped/earvana/tremol-no equipped Strat, and a JT Variax.

Best wishes
My albums done with modeling/guitar synth at http://music.steamtheory.com

JTV69/59P/Godin LGXT/Multiac ACS/Variax 700 AC
Helix/FTP/GP10/VG99/SY1000
Traynor k4

pasha811

It's a disaster. Hope no one injured. I cannot think how it might be to be there, leave your home behind.

If I had to go quickly I'd take with me my Strat Plus Guitar but that's imagination. When fire arrives you think to yourself and family first.

Good luck!
Listen to my music at :  http://alonetone.com/pasha/

shawnb

If I had to grab ONE thing, it would be my backup drive, which is the size of a book.   Decades of digitized family photos, and all music projects I've ever worked on.   

Address the process rather than the outcome.  Then, the outcome becomes more likely.   - Fripp

chrish

Quote from: shawnb on October 21, 2017, 08:31:00 AM
If I had to grab ONE thing, it would be my backup drive, which is the size of a book.   Decades of digitized family photos, and all music projects I've ever worked on.
anything important that can't be replaced should be stored in a good quality fire safe anyway.

It Is often stated by victims of fire that they wish they had their family photos.

slooky

Thats really tough to think which you should take and what you leave behind. A dilemma I hope never having to face. Hope they have it under control for you Rhcole.

Rhcole

Thanks to all for good wishes. Many homes are gone with thousands displaced, but not us. A sobering experience for sure, and it will take years to restore the area.

I think I will hook a guitar up tomorrow and play a little "gratitude music".