Wit & Attitude Quote by Tommy Shaw

Tommy Shaw’s line is a love letter to the unglamorous reality of rock craft: durability matters more than mythology, until mythology becomes the bottleneck. A Les Paul isn’t just a status object here; it’s a tool that has to survive sweat, impact, and the nightly indignities of the road. “I’ll beat the hell out of them” lands like backstage truth-telling, stripping away the precious-guitar culture where instruments live in cases like museum pieces. Shaw frames abuse as a compliment: if it still works after you’ve treated it like a touring schedule treats you, it’s earned its keep.

The kicker is the second sentence. “The only trouble… is finding good ones” quietly punctures the idea that a famous model guarantees greatness. Les Pauls carry a reputation heavy enough to sell themselves, but Shaw hints at the dirty secret players trade in whispers: consistency is a myth, and the badge on the headstock isn’t the whole story. Some guitars ring, some don’t; some necks fight you; some pickups have magic, others feel dead. He’s talking about wood, wiring, and QC, but also about the chase - the musician’s version of prospecting.

Contextually, it’s the voice of a working guitarist from the classic-rock ecosystem where tone is currency and reliability is survival. The subtext: real credibility comes from use, not reverence, and the “right” instrument isn’t a brand choice, it’s a rare find you earn by playing hard enough to prove it.