# What do you call your instrument? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 14, 2002, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-instrument/118959 "2002-07-14T22:46:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Asbestos_Mango)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2002, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-instrument/118959/1 "2002-07-14T22:46:17Z")
B.B. King has his guitars Lucille. I have a G&L SB2 (for all intents and purposes, a Fender P-Bass) named Isadore. You? ---
**Author:** ![neofishboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/neofishboy/32/444_2.png) [@neofishboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neofishboy)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-instrument/118959/2 "2002-07-15T00:53:15Z")
> [@](#): > > What do you call your instrument? (I suppose I’ll be the first to get this one out of the way…) Well, that’s a _rather personal_ question, now isn’t it?? Thenkyew, Thenkyew… now… To be perfectly frank, I didn’t pay enough for my basses to give them names. One of these days, when I have more than a thousand dollars to spend on a bass, I’ll probably name it…but until then, to me, they’re just Fretted and Fretless. Yes, I can sometimes hear them weeping in the dark, but it’s their own damn faults! ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-instrument/118959/3 "2002-07-15T01:31:49Z")
My Alvarez acoustic is Stephanie. My Kentucky blue and white Strat is Chelsea. My mandolin is Lucy. Dr. J ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-instrument/118959/4 "2002-07-15T01:58:33Z")
Call me unimaginative. I call them: The solid-body The hollow-body The acoustic Hey, I had a cat named ‘Cat’ and a snake named ‘Snake’, too, all right? ---
**Author:** ![Enigma42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/87869e/32.png) [@Enigma42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enigma42)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-instrument/118959/5 "2002-07-15T02:11:14Z")
While I may be quite imaginative in other areas, I’m rather uninspired when it comes to naming my guitars. I just refer to them by the name of the manufacturer, since they are all made by different companies. So, I have the: Fender (though sometimes I refer to it as the “Strat”) Parker Washburn Yamaha Of course, if I ever buy another instrument by any of these companies, my carefully considered naming scheme will be thrown into complete disarray. I guess I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-instrument/118959/6 "2002-07-15T03:09:40Z")
I don’t have my own instrument, but if I ever do, I imagine that “Beaulah” or “Bertha” would fit nicely. Did I mention that I’m a tubist? ---
**Author:** ![cleops](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/2acd7d/32.png) [@cleops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cleops)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-instrument/118959/7 "2002-07-15T03:39:24Z")
I call my midnite blue strat my “chevy truck.” ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-instrument/118959/8 "2002-07-15T04:43:36Z")
I call my Yamaha my “Piece of Shit” and my Ibanez my “Other Piece of Shit”. Surprisingly I like my Yammy bestest though. Bought 2 guitars with whammy bars and have regretted it for the last 3 years. So they are both POS in my book. ---
**Author:** ![Kyomara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8edcca/32.png) [@Kyomara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyomara)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-instrument/118959/9 "2002-07-15T04:50:20Z")
My Black Strat. It’s Mexican made. I ought to find a really kick-ass Mexican nobleman’s name to give to it. ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-instrument/118959/10 "2002-07-15T05:08:28Z")
My viola is named Violet. Not horribly imaginative, but hey, I play the _viola_ for pete’s sake! ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-instrument/118959/11 "2002-07-15T06:49:40Z")
I named my bass Tia Maria, but I sold her. ☹ Happy ---
**Author:** ![MrO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@MrO](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrO)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-instrument/118959/12 "2002-07-15T07:22:59Z")
I have a pair of conga drums that my neighbor has named Sheila and Bobo, but I call them my congas. My basses are called, unimaginatively, my Carvin, my Cort, and my acoustic. ---
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-instrument/118959/13 "2002-07-15T07:35:47Z")
I play drums, but only really care about my snare drum, (which is pretty much the “main” drum). I change its name depending on what girl im interested in at the time, right now it’s “Anna”. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-instrument/118959/14 "2002-07-15T09:24:34Z")
The violin I used for three years in high school was “The Red Hot Chili Pepper”, because of its deep reddish-orange color. I miss it. ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-instrument/118959/15 "2002-07-15T10:26:57Z")
I named them “MIDI Channel 1”, “MIDI Channel 2”, MIDI Channel 3", etc, etc. I’ve got [far too many keyboards](http://www.tictokmen.com/ttmc) to name them anything I could remember. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-instrument/118959/16 "2002-07-15T13:08:35Z")
My tenor saxophone is “Snowball” and my piano is “Li Po.” One flute is “The Honorable Venustiano Carranza, President of Mexico,” and the other one doesn’t have a name. My cornet is “Theodore.” ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-instrument/118959/17 "2002-07-15T13:41:15Z")
My electric that I Frankenstein’d out over the course of the Van Halen 80’s I call “The Beast” My Strat I call “the Strat” with minimal sentimentality - I think it plays great but there is not much connection My main acoustic is a Taylor 812C (concert size, rounded cutaway). It is my all time fave guitar - yet I only call it “my Taylor” even though it means so much more to me - I should give it a better name… My cheapie Martin 12 String (yes, they exist) I just call my “Martin” but, as with the Strat, not with the same connection as my Taylor. Hmmm, I gotta name my baby. ---
**Author:** ![HoldenCaulfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/22d042/32.png) [@HoldenCaulfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoldenCaulfield)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-instrument/118959/18 "2002-07-15T20:47:18Z")
I love my Fender Jazz Bass, but I beat on it too often to give it a name, lest I feel too much sentimental attachment with such an abused creature. ---
**Author:** ![Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gut)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-instrument/118959/19 "2002-07-16T03:22:29Z")
Upon reading this thread I have dubbed my cheapo supremo Samick acoustic guitar “Dusty” since I hardly ever play it. ---
**Author:** ![p\_cific\_812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@p\_cific\_812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/p_cific_812)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-instrument/118959/20 "2002-07-16T04:43:24Z")
[ul][li]the natural one[/li][li]the white one[/li]the blue one[/ul] [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-instrument/118959.md?page=2)