Why am I not satisfied with my guitars?

**kamlapati** · 06-22-2011, 01:16 AM

My '77 L-5C does not suffer one lick from being a Norlin era guitar. Other than the fact that it's worth a bit less to some people who are collectors and not players.

How 'bout a new teacher? A new band? A new car? Or heck, if this is really a serious mid-life crises, a new wife.

**oldane** · 06-22-2011, 04:03 AM

The old LIFE photographer Alfred Eisenstaed said, that good photography is not about fancy gear but about being ressourceful with whatever you have. The same can be said about music and musical instruments.

I can second what another poster has said about bonding with a guitar. I have a couple of really good (and expensive) guitars, but one guitar I have bonded strongly with is an old Gretsch New Yorker, low end, laminated top, ugly as the devil, sloppy finish etc. It plays and sounds OK though not devinely. Despite the seemingly obvious and despite all logic, I have bonded with that guitar more than any other I own, and as such it might well be my one keeper, if I should sell the others.

So yes, I think you problem is an emotional one. There's nothing wrong with your guitars.

**life_with_a_song** · 06-22-2011, 08:33 AM

I agree with Kman and rictrol--time spent learning to play better as well as time invested in getting to know your guitar(s) is part of the answer. The other part (that contributes to G.A.S.) is the fact that there are now so many places to window shop twenty-four hours a day for gear. One of the best things that has happened to me lately is that my laptop was stolen several weeks ago, and so it makes it harder now that we have to share my wife's laptop. I used to go to a handful of forums, websites, and Ebay, and burn hours just looking at guitars every day--eventually buying another one that I would end up selling very soon. I am very happy to report that I have re-discovered other areas of my life again--especially the joys of really practicing and enjoying the guitars that I have (seven in all), with no plans to sell or buy another one any time soon. I guess this is what "being in recovery" feels like, because I still get the itch to look, but nowadays I limit my time severely, compared to the hours I used to spend looking.

**Billnc** · 06-22-2011, 08:59 AM

Originally Posted by rictroll

From what I see from your original post the problem is that you are not spending enough time with any of these instruments to really establish a relationship with any one of them. It takes time - lots of time - to understand the character of an instrument and to learn how to interact with it. You are not doing yourself or the instruments any favors by playing them for only a month at a time.

It's not unlike a woman - you need to invest and commit.

this

**Flyin' Brian** · 06-22-2011, 09:05 AM

Sorry but:

Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~Henry David Thoreau

You have succeeded in life when all you really want is only what you really need. ~Vernon Howard

**Billnc** · 06-22-2011, 09:25 AM

Originally Posted by Flyin' Brian

Sorry but:

Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~Henry David Thoreau

Some of the best fishing is when they aren't biting.

**Al_F** · 06-22-2011, 10:05 AM

It could be 'the paradox of choice' syndrome at work

The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

TommyD · 06-22-2011, 11:00 AM

When my guitar starts to sound awful I fiddle with the amp knobs. 4 bass no treble, 5 treble no bass, a little reverb, no reverb; the combinations are myriad. That usually does it for an hour or so, sometimes even a day.
I've even resorted to moving the guitar's "tone" knob off zero. Then I change picks. I have a shelf-full next to me. Best part about changing picks though is that within five minutes I'm back to my cut off Gibson "heavy". I bought some rubber Wedgie picks. They're quite a diversion. They slow you down some but that's just more of a challenge, which is what seems to be missing in the first place.
A new guitar would be nice. Right now, I'm liking that George Benson Ibanez - it's nice and small and the one I tried was in tune with itself really well.
For me, the Sawdowski guitars don't have enough "bite", but I'm sure that if I could afford one, I'd be across the river in a New York minute.

Tommy Big-Apple

**Fritzjazz** · 06-22-2011, 03:11 PM

All the posts above are correct, it is me and not the guitars. But I can find a criticism for each of them also contributing to my lack of satisfaction: The Gibson ES-165 sounds super mellow but is a bit thin at the nut and doesn't do Freddie Greene rhythm well, mellow but not woody). The L-5 is almost here but is not as mellow or easy to play as the ES-165. And he bridge pu is a waste. The ES-330T is super light and comfortable with good access to upper frets, but too electric sounding. The Eastman AR810CE-7 is too acousticy and I cand figure out what to do with that bass string. The Heritage 535 is too electric and heavy. The '37 Gibson L-12 doesn't have a cutaway-I realy like cutaways. The Custom build by small volume luthier 18" acoustic archtop is like laying a grandfathers clock sideways on your lap and playing it-lotta lumber there.

I just started using Big Stubby 2.0 & 3.0mm picks. Nice hard acrylic or something, nice pick click and mellow.

I use an Acoustic Image Claris 2R series 3 and Raezers Edge Twin 8 or Redstone Audio RS12. And also a Fender Deluxe Reverb R.I. moded.

I think the problem is as stated in other posts - not enough time on each. But I have too many- maybe I sould get rid of them and get one great laminate, one great carved top, one great acoustic archtop and one great very versatile guitar. But if I go for the really great vintage or boutique stuff I'll be afraid to take them out of the house...who needs to go out of the house anyhow when there are guitars there?

Thanks,
Fritzjazz

**NSJ** · 06-22-2011, 03:40 PM

Originally Posted by Fritzjazz

I think the problem is as stated in other posts - not enough time on each. But I have too many- maybe I sould get rid of them and get one great laminate, one great carved top, one great acoustic archtop and one great very versatile guitar. But if I go for the really great vintage or boutique stuff I'll be afraid to take them out of the house...who needs to go out of the house anyhow when there are guitars there?

Thanks,
Fritzjazz

That's what I did--substantially thinned my herd to a few guitars I really like--I even got rid of a few guitars that were good instruments--Ibanez GB10, Yamaha SA 2200, Gibby Howard Roberts--but i just didn't play them enough.

No point in collecting em, so they had to go. What I still have I love dearly--including a Jim Hall, a Golden Eagle, and a ES 339. And an Eastman 7 string. laminate, carved, semi, and 7 string. Covers all the bases.

**kambor** · 06-22-2011, 04:42 PM

Two points to mention:

Solid spruce top guitars need constant playing in order to maintain it's acoustic properties. If you leave a spruce topped guitar untouched for months, you'll need to spend some good hours playing it to get the top responding again.

Also, you need time to develop your amplified sound. Playing an acoustic instrument is not the same as playing an electric one. You have to learn to "play the amp" so to speak.

**Jabberwocky** · 06-22-2011, 11:37 PM

Have you considered a Collings City Limits Jazz: Collings City Limits Jazz | Handmade Instruments from Austin, TX . Seems to push all the right buttons and different from what you already have.

**Little Jay** · 06-23-2011, 10:47 AM

Do you know what tone you're after?
If you don't know what you are looking for you will never find it.

But I recognise the phenomenon that the one day a guitar sounds great and the other day it's lacking something or sounds different...... I try not to get bothered too much by that and concentrate on my playing.....

TH · 06-23-2011, 11:41 AM

Originally Posted by Pierrot

If you decide to part with the Johnny Smith for less than 1K, please pm me.

I'll do you one better, less than $75 and I'll take it if you pay shipping.

No seriously now, how much time to you spend playing? I don't mean this as an insulting question, but one that speaks to something I've seen. People that play a lot, well the ones I know, tend to have a working guitar they like and once they accept it, their thinking tends to focus less on the guitar and very predominantly on making music. Their guitar is a tool for efficiently executing the already demanding task of producing ideas.
There are others I've known that have an ideal about what a really great perfect guitar is. That ideal is made up of a lot of things of which making music is sometimes not at the top of the list. You can collect a whole lot of guitars this way. That being said, when's the last time you felt a guitar came close enough for you to work with it to overcome its perceived shortcomings and let you really make serious music? Sometimes appreciating the value of a guitar only comes after it's tested, comes close, tested again, really tested and you find something really great in what you play and share the credit.
Forgive me if I'm way off base, I only know from my own experience that sometimes it's the modest wallflower in the corner that takes you through the tough changes and you find it's something very personal that leads you to an instrument-the music.

Really great taste in guitars by the way. Finding the one you love doesn't mean you can't keep the others around

some food for thought:
Barry Schwartz on the paradox of choice | Video on TED.com
David

**lpdeluxe** · 06-23-2011, 12:20 PM

I read another thread on a forum (I don't remember if it was this one) where a guy said that he was much happier once he got rid of all but one guitar. I find the same phenomenon in my playing: after I traded off or sold everything but my 335, I felt more satisfied with the guitar and my playing.

Another thing: I only rarely play alone. Almost all of my playing is with other people. This keeps everything fresh. I also switch off on electric bass, Dobro and harmonica, which gives me a little deeper perspective on the music.

Naturally, like everyone else, I strive always to improve, but maybe I'm getting too old for that.

**spiral** · 06-23-2011, 01:33 PM

Originally Posted by Al_F

It could be 'the paradox of choice' syndrome at work

The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There is a great Ted Talk by Barry Schwartz about this subject. He uses the example of buying jeans, how there used to be 1 kind, and now there are dozens. It's worth a watch/listen. [edit: just saw TruthHertz already posted! Great minds...]

My Uncle had a similar philosophy when i was younger, which we used to make fun of as grumpiness, but i have come to embrace in my life and work as i've gotten older. It is the "Giv'em Pepsi" philosophy. The basic idea is if you give people one choice, they either take it or don't, and either option is satisfactory. If you start giving them lots of options (7-Up, Sprite, Coke, Mr. Pibb, etc.) then it starts to generate lot of chaos and burden of choice.

As for guitars, i have the same problem. I think it is because there are so many variables involved: feel, look, and sound. It is easy to get mired with looking for a "10" in each of those categories. For me i think it is two reasons: 1) Musicians tend to be perfectionists. You have to be to put so much time in and be good. Finding the right sound and feel is part of it. 2) I'm not a working musician so it is easy to dream about playing when i'm on the internet working. Looking at guitars is much more fun than trying to satisfy the whims of insane clients.

@ Jabberwocky: thanks for the ad pimp! I still have it and just lowered the price to as low as it is going to get before eBay. GuitarCenter contacted me through craigslist saying they would buy it for $2,500. Thought that was strange but a nice backup plan. Expect them to resell it for $3,200 or more.

**pingu** · 06-23-2011, 04:40 PM

I think the problem is as stated in other posts - not enough time on each. But I have too many- maybe I sould get rid of them and get one great laminate, one great carved top, one great acoustic archtop and one great very versatile guitar. But if I go for the really great vintage or boutique stuff I'll be afraid to take them out of the house...who needs to go out of the house anyhow when there are guitars there?

my advice is to get out and play with other people .........
and when you get into that gas feeling , learn a new song
chord melody, head , comping , solo on it etc
It'll cure the gas

**mr. beaumont** · 06-23-2011, 05:36 PM

I usually find that when my guitars suddenly seem inferior, i've been spending too much time in these forums...

**jazzbow** · 06-23-2011, 05:49 PM

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

I usually find that when my guitars suddenly seem inferior, i've been spending too much time in these forums...

Ha ha!

Yes, too many nice pictures of other forum members guitars and green shade of envy on jazzbows fissog!

**hot ford coupe** · 06-23-2011, 08:11 PM

Originally Posted by Little Jay

Do you know what tone you're after?
If you don't know what you are looking for you will never find it.

....

That was my problem originally. I listened to the hype, swallowed it and then went looking for the guitar of my dreams. When I finally realized what an archtop was supposed to sound like, I had a whole different perspective on my collection.

**fep** · 06-23-2011, 08:50 PM

Dude... I spend most of my time playing a Squire Strat.

Maybe you just need one of those.

**mangotango** · 06-24-2011, 08:22 AM

Originally Posted by pingu

I think the problem is as stated in other posts - not enough time on each. But I have too many- maybe I sould get rid of them and get one great laminate, one great carved top, one great acoustic archtop and one great very versatile guitar. But if I go for the really great vintage or boutique stuff I'll be afraid to take them out of the house...who needs to go out of the house anyhow when there are guitars there?

Agree with this entirely - I don't have "great" guitars but then I'm not a good enough player to justify them, or a rich enough person to afford them! My own situation is this:-

Carved top - well, I have a guitar that has a pressed spruce top and a floating pickup (Vestax D'Angelico NYL-5), which will do on that front.

Laminate - I have a nice-playing, good-feeling Epiphone Joe Pass currently in need of a proper set-up, on which I have already replaced the pickups (Gibson 490T & R, off a Les Paul. However, for the sake of differentiation and because I like the sound, am currently contemplating Armstrong P-90's instead) and am going to carry out a few other hardware upgrades - when I have a few £££'s to spare.

Versatile guitar - Have an Ibanez AS73 (335-style). If I take the pickups from the JP, I will put them into this as again, it's a guitar that plays well but sonically lacks a little character (also could do with some improved hardware.

Don't have an acoustic archtop, but (especially after seeing sgilder's Gretsch yesterday, oh how I wish......

Now I could get by with just the NYL-5 for everything, kind of, but there are times when it just sounds "too acoustic" for some of the stuff that I'm doing. Maybe I just need to spend more time on working out sounds, but sometimes it feels like that's a never-ending process. (I should buy a looper - that's a never-ending processor....)

**gary mitchell** · 06-24-2011, 09:04 AM

I hate to say this, sometimes I just take a break. I might play nothing for few days and listen to nothing. Sometimes I just pick up a acoustic and play are mess around with a different style of music. But taking a break for a while. Then when I can't take it know more, I pick up my favorite guitar,and it sounds sweet again.

**Patrick2** · 06-24-2011, 02:40 PM

You probably need to focus more on the music coming out of your guitars, than on the tone you hear.

**rio** · 06-24-2011, 03:19 PM

If you had to describe an ideal guitar for you, what would it be? Not name brand, but how would it sound (most importantly) - would it sound like a famous guitarist or something that no one has heard, dark or bright and acoustic vs. Electric etc, scale length, frets, body size and type etc. If it is really the guitars you have as the problem and not just a rampant case of GAS, it might help to make a very specific list of desirable qualities (with the sound as number one) and go from there.