#1 resource for Cigar Box Guitars, Free Plans, How-To, Parts & More!

WARNING - Protect Your Gear!

Just a little advice here that could save you a packet my friends.

Last Friday our house was struck by lightning. The bolt did a fair bit of damage to the house itself, but luckily no one was hurt, and the house survived..... though we did make front page news and the national press!

Heres the thing though - everything in the house got charged with a few thousand volts, EVEN STUFF THAT WASNT SWITCHED ON.

So, as well as all our telephone lines getting fried, the broadband has been down for 5 days, card machines got juiced, the fire alarm exploded, all the tvs and freeview systems got burnt up, even the aerial leads are knackered.

And of course my guitar gear. My zoom pedal is in the bin, plus a couple of older amps. Thankfully I had some of my newer gear unplugged for a move around, so it could have been worse.

Moral of the story - dont assume your gear is safe just because you have it switched off at the wall. If you have to, go buy a multi-plug extension which puts the plugs somewhere easier to reach. Unplug after every session. It could save you a packet in the unlikely event of a strike or even just a big power surge.

0 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Roadkill a.k.a. John Maw on August 30, 2011 at 10:42pm

Good advice Roosterman. I always unplug the important stuff if a thunderstorm is forecast. My house has been hit in the past. A useful resource is the isleofwightweather.co.uk site. Not much use for people outside the UK (in fact it doesn't reach all the way up north), but there must be something similar in the US.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Wes "I'm Baaaaack" Yates on August 31, 2011 at 1:58am

Amen! Many moons ago (70s) my mother's prize console organ underwent 'excessive electrical trauma' of the same and to this day some features won't work.

Plus if you've never seen what happens to a simple 6 outlet power strip (ie the kinds we use to plug in our computers) when a 400VAC transformer to a building is suddenly turned on... I call it 'ground zero'. Every spec of dust nearby was immediately blackened by the blast. Neat look but scary.

-WY

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Chillicool on August 31, 2011 at 7:33am

Hi Ben,

Glad to hear no one got hurt, was that Marshal amp I asked about one of the casualties?

Kev

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Toadie25 on August 31, 2011 at 8:46am

Alright.

Sorry tae hear what happened. Damn Lucky at the end of the day.

But like you say No one was hurt and that's the main thing. Goods can be replaced, buildings can be rebuilt.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jeff "Sweet T" Tinsley on August 31, 2011 at 8:58am

I'm sorry about your gear, but glad you are still around to tell the tale!

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Bob Harrison on August 31, 2011 at 9:03am

Sorry to hear that Ben, I'm glad you weren't on the land line telephone when it struck!

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mark on August 31, 2011 at 12:01pm

Ouch! That's bad news. Will you get anything back on insurance for something like that? I'd hope so.

Anyway a salutary tale. My partner seems to imply that I'm some sort of paranoid when I worry about stuff like this but it goes to show you can't be too careful - especially when the precautions are quite simple. I have my computers and IT gear protected with surge protectors but I'd forgotted about my music gear. I'll be unplugging my amp and effects in future.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on August 31, 2011 at 6:57pm

Rooster,

I know it's traumatic to lose gear to an "act of God," but maybe She's trying to tell you Something. Maybe She's concerned that you're not using enough electricity, or perhaps She wants you to be more environmentally aware?

Sounds to me like She demands a Sacrifice:
Build Her a neck-through 1-string CBG with a 30-ft long metal neck, 3-ft long metal tailpiece, and a
14" x 10" x 4" box with a single sound hole cut in one corner.

Plant it upside down in your back garden.

Tell your neighbors it is a Purple Martin, Sparrow, or Bat habitat project. Use the string for a clothesline in good weather.

Say a prayer, and wait for the next thunderstorm. Kinda like Noah.

She Who Must Be Appeased will accept your Sacrifice.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Seaman Jay on August 31, 2011 at 8:07pm

@oily This kind of instrument is called a "lightning conductor" in my neighborhood - it's actually a somehow elongated diddley bow.

Seems to be very popular in Europe. Shitty sound, tho'

@Rooster - good advice. But - actually - I fried my PCs graphics card just by reconnecting the power cord after my vacation. Shit happens, no matter what you do ;-)