Stuff you do when playing with others.

No I think that could really hurt

That really upset drummers. Don't touch their cymbals... don't even look at them 

Depends on the drummer.

LoL..... the dreaded Gibson headstock. Never snapped one myself but I’ve read a lot of stories.

I find these are exaggerated
But then many of the ones I have played, had volutes

A friend had a Les Paul with a volute & dropped it on a basement floor
No carpet, no padding

It landed headstock first
No damage other than a small dent
And it needed a slight retune on a couple of strings

Wish we had it on video

They're usually repairable--and they're strong if the repair is done well--but it does put a big dent in the resale value.

I can imagine that would really affect value

I've ha d neck/headstock repair on one guitar--my classical.
It came with a cheap pressboard case--and I kept meaning to get a better one, but never did.

One day I took it with me when I was teaching.
On my way home I slipped on some ice and the case came crashing down--with little protection for the guitar.

Since it was cold I didn't open the case when I got home.
The next day I grabbed that guitar again, and I got to the studio a bit early to allow the guitar time to warm up.

When my first student showed up I went to grab the guitar out of the case & I almost cried--the headstock was not where it should be.

I closed the case as I couldn't show that to my student.
They probably didn't get the best lesson, as I was distracted.
My second student didn't show up, so I opened the case, loosened the strings & called a friend who did guitar repair.

He was abel to fix it--and while you can see that there wa s a repair, it was done well and plays just as well as before.
(And i did get a new case soon after that--which offers much more protection)

It's the 17 degree angle of the headstock that makes them prone.  Luckily I haven't broken any of mine yet.

Given the angle & the truss rod there's less wood there.
That's why at one point they added a volute--to gooier extra dod there at the weak point
But they discontinued it after a few years because people complained that's not how the old ones were made.
Never mind that it is an improvement.

Ibanez still uses volutes on some of their guitars & basses, because of that potential weakness.

(My fretless & arch top both have them,a s doe my older Ibanez)

Something I've seen several times are comments from luthiers who've had to deal with headstock breakage. They almost always point out that the point of the breakage invariably ends up stronger than the adjacent wood. Damage rarely occurs at the same point in the future. And, I've seen some remarkable repair jobs that would seem invisible unless you really knew what you were looking for.

But there you are looking at originality & other factors, if just looking at playability a well done repair shouldn't be a deterrent.

So when you play with others do you take note of the condition of their gear?
I tend not to--unless it's extreme, but I know people who do.

I do ask people about their gear though
Some are like us, some have not clue or no interest.
Either is fine and a person's choice--but I do enjoy having a good conversation on gear