The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    I'm tallying my guitar acquisitions over the past 8 years with Reverb purchases and sales, Sweetwater (not so much any more), and off the Reverb grid purchases. What started as a $700-$1500 per purchase hobby years back has now turned into a $3000-$15,000 per instrument pattern, now holding steady (sort of) at 10 guitars with a rough sales value of $45,000. On one hand it's peanuts, of slightly more value than a new car purchase or a handful of vacations, but on the other hand, it adds up: books, amps, repairs, gizmos, strings, etc...likely surpassing 75k in total purchases over 8 years, give or take, without a definitive dollar amount on overall return sales. No CC debt; retirement is not far off, and the 401k is iffy, like most everything else in the bigger picture today. I'm not a professional musician; all money flies out of the pocket, not in. (Actually, dollars do come back with sales, but rarely for a profit.) Truth be told, I'm not a very good guitar player (kinda good / kinda sucky) but it's a lot of fun trying--and shopping.

    Where do you draw the line with spending money on your guitar collection? Why do men appear to pursue the $$ hobbies more than women? Does your partner or spouse know what you're spending? What is your collection worth, and who will be the caretaker once you're deceased? (maybe this is in poor taste to bring up.) Should we chalk these purchases up to the pursuit of joy or pleasure, without bothering to put a price tag on the obsession? What's with the near-constant effort to sell what you just bought 1-2 years ago? Is it clearly bad or just stupid to be operating at a sales deficit? Are professional musicians immune or exempt from GAS, for a lifetime free pass, unlike the rest of us dilettantes? Does GAS ever end!

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    I used to lust after all sorts of guitars and gear. The more I really seriously got into playing though, the less I cared about the instruments because the one I found so often in my hands was the true vehicle for music, and anything else was (just) an instrument.
    I needed guitars less the more I actually found a rush in learning to play well.
    Then I started to work at Hoshino-Ibanez. Working with guitars day after day really put an end to needing more guitars. When I began playing 7 string, that was it. I have the best 7 string ever and there's nothing I'd ever even be tempted to buy.
    If I've got something that brings me joy, engages me and makes me a better player, that's a kind of rush that even a shiny new guitar can't compare to. Play a beautiful piece, the guitar disappears. The world is complete.
    Hard work but better than an easy fix.

  4. #3

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    It's none of my business but I noticed the two Super 400's you recently purchased were almost immediately put up for sale? Did you not like them or were they impulse buys/buyers remorse?
    As I said none of my biz so you don't have to answer of course.

  5. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by wintermoon
    It's none of my business but I noticed the two Super 400's you recently purchased were almost immediately put up for sale? Did you not like them or were they impulse buys/buyers remorse?
    As I said none of my biz so you don't have to answer of course.
    One is for sale.

  6. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by tomvwash
    One is for sale.
    Ok, I guess you pulled the other listing

  7. #6

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    Corona related stress gave me a major case of GAS. But 2 years down the line I started relaxing and deflating. Recently sold or gifted a half a dozen guitars, 4 amps and 30 odd pedals. Going through the rest now to tally and catalogue what I still have for posterity and future sales and gifts. Still buying a few choice items, most recently a Westville Aruba and Henriksen Blu 6, but am becoming more discerning. I still feel joy when I’m amidst the things I do have. When the joy is gone so too will be all the things.

  8. #7

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    I have around nine guitars, with most being in the 2-4k range when I bought them. I bought my first archtop for 4k euros two years ago and have barely touched any of the solid bodies since. I keep meaning to sell a couple but so far haven't gotten off my arse to clean them up and photograph them etc. I'm a pretty mediocre guitar player, and strictly amateur, so feel a bit guilty about having so much invested in the instruments, but we're not in debt and I do play every day. I really wouldn't mind selling guitars at a loss. I figure that so long as I've had a decent amount of play time out of them then they've paid for themselves.

    For the last few months I've been stalking Reverb every day looking for a nice high-end archtop. The thing is, my current one is near perfect, so there are only two possible outcomes: I buy another and it's superior and I hardly ever touch my current one again; I buy another and, despite costing significantly more, it doesn't measure up to my current one.

  9. #8

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    I have one guitar. I am interested in another, but it is in the Netherlands.

  10. #9

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    Seems I acquired quite a few instruments after retirement from my day job. I found each acquisition although being an incentive to play was also a distraction from playing. Seemed each one required some initial setup, string experimentation, some kind of buzz or rattle diagnosis. I seem to have reached a point where I avoid new things just so that I do not have to go through all of the new ownership teething pain.

  11. #10

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    Ever since I started playing guitar I wanted an Epiphone Casino, they had reissued the Cherry ones so I was always looking at them, reading about the British Invasion bands, blues guys, everyone cool played them.

    So I worked two jobs one year between semesters at college and got the money.

    The guitar came, my dream guitar, surely I’d sound great with this. After all, it’s the guitars fault I’m not better.

    But it wasn’t true, there was no magic in the guitar, I still stumbled over the same chords and couldn’t solo to save my life. That experience pretty much killed GAS for me. I’d still like a 3 pickup Les Paul, they look pretty cool, but I have better things to spend $8,000 on.

  12. #11

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    A few observations:

    A new (to you) guitar/amp/pedal will not improve your playing, but can inspire you to improve your playing.

    Some guitars are better than money in the bank as they meet or exceed annual inflation.

    So long as you and/or your family is not deprived of anything and you have the capacity to store more gear, there is no harm in collecting guitars and related gear.

    Guitars are art as well as musical instruments,looking at them can be as rewarding as playing them.

    Guilt is a strange emotion that has no place unless someone has been hurt in some way.

    GAS is an addiction, but is a hell of a lot more benign than many other addictions. Any addiction that is harmful to ones' life should be kicked.

    Life is short. The wise figure out how to enjoy it before it is too late.

  13. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Stringswinger
    A few observations:

    A new (to you) guitar/amp/pedal will not improve your playing, but can inspire you to improve your playing.

    Some guitars are better than money in the bank as they meet or exceed annual inflation.

    So long as you and/or your family is not deprived of anything and you have the capacity to store more gear, there is no harm in collecting guitars and related gear.

    Guitars are art as well as musical instruments,looking at them can be as rewarding as playing them.

    Guilt is a strange emotion that has no place unless someone has been hurt in some way.

    GAS is an addiction, but is a hell of a lot more benign than many other addictions. Any addiction that is harmful to ones' life should be kicked.

    Life is short. The wise figure out how to enjoy it before it is too late.
    Well put. Thank you for the perspective.

  14. #13

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    Being a widower I don't have to run purchases by anyone but seriously at some point you can only play so many guitars. I happen to love archtop acoustics they are my thing. However if you have a Gibson L5 which are not rare, you probably have the center piece of archtops. In my aging I am less impressed by boutique archtops they don't seem to hold in the long run. No one can copy a Super 400 or L5 to exact without Gibson getting them on a patent issue.

    I happen to have the softest spot for D'angelico guitars the real ones. I have owned 6 in my life and still have 2. I have never been without a Dangelico guitar since my first one I bought at age 18 in 1980. I would like one more of them a Style A or B. However at this moment given the whole guitar scene and Reverb policies, as well as ebay things have changed. I like the idea of buying and selling private without too many intrusions on the financial part. I have bought 3 Gibson's in the past 3 years and they did cause me to play the guitar much more. This helped my playing without a doubt however I could have just played the ones I have now as much and that would have improved my playing. Right now when I sit down with the L5 it inspires me to play more so cannot dismiss this situation.

    Guitars are a deep question and the GAS that can exist but really in the end I remember the players and the people. Meeting Johnny Smith and listening to him play was way better memory than any guitar. The friends and folks that have been involved in jazz guitar far exceed the guitars themselves, not to mention the sound of Wes playing Besema Mucho smoking lines in 3/4 time. That is a guitar making the sounds but it is the person playing the MUSIC that makes it real. Nothing worse than a wonderful great collector guitar behind a glass show case not getting played.


  15. #14

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    Certain guitars track inflation. Buying guitars is the financially responsible thing to do.

  16. #15

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    I have limited space, plus I'm generally nervous about spending a lot of money on anything (a holdover from my days of shakier finances), so those are built-in constraints on how much economic harm and physical harm I can do with GAS. But even with those constraints removed I think for there are other risks.

    First, I think there can be a vicious circle with itching for stuff, getting stuff, and then the getting of stuff stopping the itch only temporarily and/or triggering new itches out of the obsessive thinking that can underlie the urge to acquire. It can take over one's mental life to ill-effect. If you want something because it's genuinely useful or because you'll genuinely enjoy having it, great. But if you feel like you need the thing because it gnaws at your psyche, maybe not so great. I catch myself in this circle sometimes. The other thing is, as a musician using instruments to make music, for me anyway, there's such a thing as too many guitars. And for me, that's a pretty small number. More than that, and I either don't play them, or I distract myself from the task at hand by switching off between them and focusing more on the tech than the playing.

    Not everyone does feel this way, and many people have legitimate musical reasons for owning lots of guitars, but I do feel like a collection can be a burden. So I consciously keep my acquisitions in check, mainly via non-money limits like "one-in, one-out".

  17. #16

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    Among other types of instruments, a have two archtops and a solid and semi. Doing a lot of theater work, I am always worried that something will happen to one with no time to repair before a show. Thus I continue to keep the above four. For other kinds of guitars I have just one for each genre. If I were to suddenly stop doing theater work, the above four guitars would definitely be pared down to two.

    That goes for amps too. Often leave an amp (or two) at the venue and still need to go to a different gig or practice at home, so I have a few electric amps and a few acoustic amps. Same story, if it weren't for an actual need for multiples, I'd keep just electric and just one, maybe two acoustics.

    And then there's the theremin that my wife keeps reminding me I've never used. I thought it would be easy, it's hard. Definitely one of those post-retirement projects
    Last edited by Woody Sound; 03-22-2022 at 02:08 PM.

  18. #17

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    My guitars are kind of like my vintage handplanes--each one has a slightly different purpose. I went through about 200 handplanes buying and selling before I settled on my current collection of 20.

    I have about 10 guitars, give or take a few. I gave some to my kids. I could actually get by with just a handful, but truth is I hang them on the wall in our "music room", and they are so beautiful there I don't want to get rid of them.

    I feel I will "manage the collection" for awhile longer, but at some point if I move or stop playing much for some reason I may sell some. None of them are high-dollar guitars, so I don't feel bad about owning them or using them for wall art.

    I guess I could buy another guitar tomorrow if I walk into a music shop and see one I like, but for now I'm content. I have other things to spend money on, such as woodworking tools and supplies.

  19. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
    I guess I could buy another guitar tomorrow if I walk into a music shop and see one I like, but for now I'm content. I have other things to spend money on, such as woodworking tools and supplies.
    Every once in a while if I am driving by the local Rockler I'll stop in just to look at all the tools and cool wood stock. Then I just get bummed out that I don't have the time to do any of that stuff. The only thing I every really bought there was some sandpaper some exotic wood for making pickguards,. Depending on the species, they have them in 1/8" thickness which is just right. Now the guys don't even bother to ask if I need help, they know I'm just window shopping and wishing.

    How about an orange Padauk 'guard for a tangerine burst LP, or for a Viceroy Tal with matching tp badge

    Exotic Lumber at Rockler: Padouk, Bubinga & Purpleheart

  20. #19

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    I tend to play 1 guitar (175) but got 5. Too lazy to sell and don't enjoy the adjustment when switching instruments.

    One is a hand made acoustic that I will keep as long as I can, because it's awesome and I've met the builder who is also an amazing and sweet person.

    Major brands and popular models tend to hold their value.

  21. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by Woody Sound
    And then there's the theremin that my wife keeps reminding me I've never used. I thought it would be easy, it's hard. Definitely one of those post-retirement projects
    You remind me of my pedal steel, which I loved and always wanted to be able to play well. I never succeeded and actually sold it in frustration, promising myself I'd buy another when I retired and learn to play it well. I still haven't tried again because I never got past sounding like a beginner on it. I'm fine on my lap steel, but with levers and pedals it's a whole different animal (and frustrating as h3ll).

    I never thought before about how similar the skills are for playing a Theremin and a pedal steel. Intonation is purely dependent on you, with no guides and nothing to disguise even the slightest imperfection. It sounds great if you're perfect, and horrible if you're even the slightest bit short of perfection!

  22. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
    You remind me of my pedal steel, which I loved and always wanted to be able to play well. I never succeeded and actually sold it in frustration, promising myself I'd buy another when I retired and learn to play it well. I still haven't tried again because I never got past sounding like a beginner on it. I'm fine on my lap steel, but with levers and pedals it's a whole different animal (and frustrating as h3ll).

    I never thought before about how similar the skills are for playing a Theremin and a pedal steel. Intonation is purely dependent on you, with no guides and nothing to disguise even the slightest imperfection. It sounds great if you're perfect, and horrible if you're even the slightest bit short of perfection!
    I had a square neck resonator guitar for awhile. It had 2 Bigsby B-bender type controls. I thought it would have been easier to play than it was, but it is really a completely different instrument. I have enough trouble with 6 strings in standard tuning holding it upright like god intended. I sold it about 2 years later for about what I paid for it.

    When GAS Gets Serious (Deep Thoughts)-d055ae4c-bfb9-4885-83e5-9f8107460ebf-jpg

  23. #22

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    I have no hope whatever of ever again gigging. Nevertheless, two years of being unable to lift a guitar, let alone play it, left me hungering for action when a surgical correction made it possible to begin the recovery process. My hope was that a pedal or two might be a bridge between total ineptitude and some semblance of my former chops. So I've been on a bit of a pedal binge and treated myself to a new guitar and amp (New Guitar and Amp Day).

    Things are slowly coming along. At least now I can play for 10 - 15 minutes at a time, versus less than a minute back at the beginning of this music rehab process. I own a bunch of guitars and amps and band stuff in general. The great majority of it was used to perform music for fun and profit (not so much "profit" as run a smaller deficit, much of the time). I loved it and would do more of it, were it possible.

    All of the guitars and amps have some resale value, if it can be realized. I've given away lots of guitars and amps, albeit sometimes un-intentionally (them's the breaks), and may so do again, if the occasion arises. My stuff and its employment has brought me a lot of pleasure, sometimes joy, and enough dough to self-finance the whole shebang.

    I've been very fortunate. I got to meet and work with some wonderful people. I am grateful for the experiences, good and bad, that have shaped my adult life. It was fun!

  24. #23

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    Guitars .....I’ve got a handful

    one !

  25. #24

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    (and a spare)

  26. #25

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    Quote Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
    You remind me of my pedal steel, which I loved and always wanted to be able to play well. I never succeeded and actually sold it in frustration, promising myself I'd buy another when I retired and learn to play it well. I still haven't tried again because I never got past sounding like a beginner on it. I'm fine on my lap steel, but with levers and pedals it's a whole different animal (and frustrating as h3ll).
    That's actually another instrument I've always wanted to get into. I'm glad I haven't yet succumbed.