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Yesterday I had lunch with two guitar buddies I've known since high school we all got into music and played in bands etc. The one guy is admitted guitar collector with about 40 guitar and plays in the big local country band and couple 60's rock bands. The other guy doesn't play out much anymore but teaches a lot and has about 10-15 guitars. I'm thinking lots of gigs past and present to talk about, music old and current, other musicians we grew up with, but no conversation between them was 90% about guitars bought, sold, other people buying and selling what guitars and amps. Instead of talking old friends they are talk old friends gear and who has what now. Talk about boring and to me odd guitars were more of the topic than the people who play them. I try to talk about music and they just use it to change what type of gear they talked about.
So needless to say I thought of this thread during my lunch with my buddies. To me when GAS and gear are a bigger part of a conversation than music and the people who play it something is wrong.
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06-15-2017 02:30 PM
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I dunno .. Gear is harmless and good small talk, just like the weather and sports. But people and music .. that is a place you quickly can get conflict
Originally Posted by docbop
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damn...I am ALL of the above...lol. I am down to 3 hollowbodies as I just traded 2 for 1...a Gibson Midtown Standars(hate the frickin GForce tuners!!!), 2 Tele's, 6 Strat's and 2 Les Pauls. As a bass fisherman, I have 29 rod/reel combo's and 2 kayaks to fish the Everglades out of. Having spent 29 years in the Weapons/Tactics community in Special Operations I have 5 gun safes full. I have 1 truck and 2 play cars...69 Vette and a 96 Mustang running 500HP. Golf clubs? I now work for Callaway...you do not want to know. Originally Posted by cosmic gumbo
Holy crap...I have a problem!
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Nah--my guitar obsession started two decades earlier. During the early '60's I had an L-5C, L-4C, Goldtop and ES-355. One day, sitting bored in class (;-)) I was looking in a Gibson catalog and saw the new florentine-cut L-5CES. I thought about the fact that there were two standard colors of L-5C, two of venetian-cut L-5CES, two of florentine-cut L-5CES, so one could own six different L-5 guitars. I also knew about the Gobel and wondered about thin-bodied versions of the same six guitars, as well as single-pickup versions of all the CES versions. That brought me up to sixteen possible L-5 guitars. Add red into the mix and it was twenty-six. I decided one could build an entire collection of just the L-5, not even including older guitars ("vintage" guitars didn't exist yet). I set out to do just that, and did and then some. Originally Posted by docbop
Danny W.
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Its a funny thing, someone could spend say 60 grand on a couple of cars, and no one would say anything about it. With half of that you could have an amazing guitar collection that would give you hours of daily pleasure, and people would consider it strange
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After reading this thread I think that perhaps I'm a bit strange or at least, untypical. In the last 37 years I have only bought 3 guitars and the last one was 22 years ago. I wonder if anyone else on the forum has less GAS than this? I don't play my Martin anymore and could really manage with just one of my two electrics. In fact I have often thought that I should sell the ones I don't play but then I think that some of my children might appreciate them someday. At my time of life and for several years now I just find possessions rather oppressive if they don't have a daily use. I have in fact got rid of many things which I used to value highly such as a violin I no longer played, a stamp collection and old books I no longer read and feel a sense of release for doing so. One guitar, one amp a good pair of running shoes and good health and I'm pretty much content, at least some of the time! I'm puzzled that someone like me nevertheless spends quite a bit of time reading the gear forum - it's almost like a virtual addiction. I should spend more time playing and trying to write tunes rather than staring at this computer screen.
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06-18-2017, 05:33 PM #107Dutchbopper Guest
I have a few nice ones but have recently come to the conclusion that collecting guitars does not make me happy somehow. The thrill of a new guitar wears down so quickly that it's just not worth it to spend all that money on. Also, I tend to sound more or less the same on every guitar anyway. OK, it makes a difference yes, but not a 5k difference
DB
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I managed to let one go today. Now I'm down to 18, just like you, Stringswinger. I felt quite liberated for a few hours, but now I'm starting to miss that telecaster. Originally Posted by Stringswinger
I never said that I was normal. You must have me confused with someone else.
My experience tells me that if you are unsure about selling a guitar, do not do it. That is the stuff regrets are made of.
Keith
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Thank you SS! I hope you are doing well. I'm visiting my brother in the bay area in a few months. You, Vinny, and so many others here are so fortunate to live in and near the 'bay! Originally Posted by Stringswinger
2b or not 2buy is sometimes the question - I know bro...we want to buy everything that moves us! It was a very nice L4...but it's still connected to the forum via a member. Hope you're enjoying your summer. Please have a cheese steak for me..boy do I miss those CS's and Hoagies! Originally Posted by Max405
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I fight GAS every day. I have been missing having a steel string flattop (I am not a folksinger, what the hell do I need one of those for?). Could I be going back to 19? Must exercise restraint. Must have discipline. Must pull out one of the vintage DA's. That usually cures the GAS.... Originally Posted by floatingpickup
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I don't really see it as an addiction. I love the variety of having multiple axes for different genres/styles.
I work hard. I don't drink (apart from the occasional Scotch).. I don't smoke (apart from the occasional Cuban).. The way I see it.. I could be spending money on much worse things than a few guitars. At least I have something to show for my spare cash..
Guitars are my passion. If I feel like treating myself to a few guitars a month it's no biggie to me. I don't normally buy crazy high priced guitars anyways. I buy them to play.. not invest. I'm not dropping out on 10k Gibsons every day.
Granted.. you can only play so many. Sometimes I feel like I'm in over my head a little bit. But hey.. everyone has their vices (or passions.. depends what way you look at it) so I try not to be too hard on myself when it comes to my guitars.
Just my two cents.Last edited by JoePassFan; 06-25-2017 at 11:40 PM.
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This is very true. I know many other instrumental players that don't even know the brand of what they're playing. I think that guitarists are just appealed to the guitars visually. If you look at other instruments they look very similar in comparison to guitars where you have 335, strats, teles, les pauls and archtops.
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Nailed it. Originally Posted by beetle_rist
99% of it is the visual appeal IMO.
Most other instruments all look the same (well.. to an extent).. and they aren't as varied when it comes to being associated with genres. You want what your idols played.
- If you want to play electric blues.. you maybe want a nice 335.
- You want to play country twang, you want a Tele like James Burton, Brad Paisley or Johnny Hiland..
- Rockabilly? Big ol' Gretsch like Setzer.
- Classic Rock - You're looking at Les Pauls and Strats.. like Clapton, Kossoff, Green, Page, Blackmore, Gallagher..
- Acoustic? Martins and Taylors.. high end Yams and Taks. Bert Jansch, Davey Graham, Dick Gaughan.
- Jazz? Well you have to get yourself an Archtop like the great Joe Pass, Wes or George Benson.. don't you? Gibsons, Ibbys and so on.
Then there's the aesthetics.. the colours, shapes.. I think guitars have much more appeal in this respect than any other instrument.
Bottom line.. guitars are damn sexy. That's why we want alot of them.Last edited by JoePassFan; 06-26-2017 at 08:48 AM.
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Hi Joepassfan.
Welcome to the forum, and hope that you like it here, as you will
have no doubt already observed, this is a very user-friendly place
with some extraordinary players., and knowledgeable people on
all aspects of the guitar, and amplification, with suggestions and
advice freely and enthusiastically given. As a Joe Pass fan you
will already have won over a high percentage of the membership.
He was a truly great player and would impart his knowledge to
anyone prepared to listen.
Kind regards, Silverfoxx
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The aesthetics part is of course true, but i think there's a sound part that 's equally important too when you consider all these kinds of instruments. I see them both as valid reasons. The consumerism part too. Others enjoy travelling, spending money on whatever, if your hearts desire is another guitar...
.. get it!
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This couldn't be more true. I don't know how I missed this last night. It's exactly another point I wanted to add to my post. Originally Posted by Alter
Its a funny thing, someone could spend say 60 grand on a couple of cars, and no one would say anything about it. With half of that you could have an amazing guitar collection that would give you hours of daily pleasure, and people would consider it strange
I know countless people who lay out huge amounts of money on quickly depreciating flash cars, crazy lavish holidays.. and even worse things again, like gambling and alcohol.. Some of the boys I grew up with, mostly the ones from manual labouring backgrounds.. (chippies, brickies, etc) they work hard all week, tough lads and hard workers, and they're getting relatively good money.. well, put it this way, if they looked after it properly they could have a nice, comfortable lifestyle. Yet they they never think to put any away.. they live week to week.. they think nothing of blowing every penny on drink or gambling in the casinos soon as the weekend comes around.. then they're scraping together brass coppers from down the back of a sofa or getting a sub off someone just so they can eat and pay the bills until the following week's pay packet comes.. then repeat.. it's not as if to say it's a one off thing.. it's just seen as "the norm".. each to their own, but I think it's madness.
Yet the exact same fellows look funny at me when tell them I spend a few grand on guitars every now and again.
It puzzles me.
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Thank you for your kind words, Sir. Greatly appreciated. Originally Posted by silverfoxx
I do indeed like it here and I'll be sticking around.. it's a very nice forum with alot of kind, respectful, helpful people. Whilst I am a new member.. I've been a long time lurker. I've always had this site in my bookmarks. I found this place very helpful and extremely interesting long before I joined up. Glad to hear you enjoy Joe Pass' playing also. He is undoubtedly my favourite guy in Jazz. I could listen to him play all day, every day.. and never get bored of him.
Kind regards,
JPF
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JoePassFan, Originally Posted by JoePassFan
This place has aged to perfection. People differ in opinions constantly, but very rarely do you see rudeness in posts anymore. The reason is respect. Respect is welcome here.
You will learn a lot here. And you will contribute. That's what keeps this place great.
Welcome aboard and have fun. Try not to get too addicted..
Joe Pass? I never heard of him. Who is that?...
Joe D
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Wow! Awesome discussion on my favorite subject: guitars. I own a few myself. If you're going to have a vice, what a great one to have. Keep playing them fellas. Keep buying them too! If they inspire you, it was worth every cent!
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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I've never owned more than five guitars at one time in my life. Even if I came into vast wealth, and decided to simply retire and record my own songs, I couldn't see a need for more than fifteen or twenty, tops.
I don't get the collection thing. To me, a guitar is a tool for expressing otherwise ineffable feelings, nailing sounds I hear in my head for my own songs, and/or jamming with friends in order to build bridges.
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I'm glad that my worst GAS years are behind (at least for now). I have 3 solid body electrics, couple of acoustics and an empty place for a Jazz/Hollow body guitar which is in my radar right now. And currently if I get one, I'll try to get rid of one so that the overall number doesn't get out of hand.
I had a phase where I really chased all those sounds and gear I thought I needed, and ended up collecting more and playing less and less. Now it's the other way around.
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This is very true.. whilst it's fun buying guitars, chasing the tone.. the look, collecting vast numbers. Exactly what you point out is much more important.. not to let it overtake your actual playing time. That's why I like to keep my guitar collection around the 20-ish mark. It's not too much of an extravagance and I can play them all. Much as I love having lots and lots of guitars.. if I'm being realistic, when it goes over that 20-25 mark.. I've simply got more than I can play regularly. Some used to lay unused, case Queens, never seeing light of day.. "too good" for everyday use. So I've ended up selling the majority of those kinds on to collectors. Now I have around 25 guitars all of which I enjoy and play regularly. Originally Posted by TKO
I had a phase where I really chased all those sounds and gear I thought I needed, and ended up collecting more and playing less and less. Now it's the other way around.
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When I get a new guitar, it inspires me to play. I tend to practice a lot more, enjoying the new guitar. For that reason, I think buying guitars is good for my playing. Eventually, I will know if it is one I really want to keep or not. if you buy them right, you can usually recover your investment; sometimes more, sometimes less. It's not a bad thing in the long run if it keeps you interested in playing. Originally Posted by JoePassFan
Keith
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I have one Telecaster
One Mesa
One girlfriend
One pickup truck.
I know all four of them quite intimately.
A simple,uncluttered life works best for me
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16 at present, I think. Sounds like a lot but:
I'm an electric bassist by trade. Playing funds most of the gear purchases, so a 4 string, a 5 string, and a few from when I was a kid.
Also, I teach a lot. Most teaching here is young people on electric. So I keep my hand in electric rock. A Paul, A strat, tele, Ric, etc
Also my main interest is acoustic fingerstyle, so there is a few of them.
And then there is this archtop thing - so it all adds up.
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