Why must we "have"?

WavMixer said:
I too suffered from this GAS of falling in love with a guitar that I did not need. I was cured from this GAS by having no room to keep them and not enough income to sustain my purchasing addiction. @Sp8ctre was hosting most of my gear collection for over 1 year before I was able to make room for them and he is still holding 2 of my amps. I'm not sure if he is still interested in purchasing them, or if he is just being gracious in storing them for me until I make room in storage for them. I don't think that you will be able to use my same cure Ray. So if you can afford your addiction and have someplace to keep them, keep on keeping on! Just remember to keep posting pics because well, you know how we are with gear porn.

Recently my attention has been directed at my car. Any additions to it stay in the car. I can easily move it from location to location. I receive compliments almost on a daily basis and love the tone it produces. It's actually in the shop now getting pampered with a windshield replacement due to a rock that was flung from a truck tire causing a nasty chip that started growing. This addiction can be just as strong, cost just as much (or more), give just as much satisfaction and not take up any more space. You can tune a car, but you can't drive a guitar to work.
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I think you have reached the state of true enlightenment.
 
Robert Herndon said:
Here's your one-liner..."Join A Band." Then the intense drama will prevent you from worrying about new guitars...
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That is an interesting idea. I would love to hear whether people's views towards guitars changed after joining a band, for whatever reason.

However, although I would enjoy jamming with friends, I have no desire to perform. For me, it would make playing work. Luckily, I get all the accolades I need from my current job.
 
Amp Mad Scientist said:
Yes Robert, you can apply for food stamps.
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You know, I really do hope that you realize the behavior of the reptilian, as depicted in your avatar, is promoting/demonstrating an improper methodology for the preparing of Pop-Tarts??? The tarts are rather brittle, and would surely suffer catastrophic structural failure if waved about in such fashion. Should the tart come into contact with the toaster, a likely possibility considering the lack of fine motor skills possessed by aforementioned reptilian, you would find yourself removing pieces of the tart from the crumb tray.

Now, Toaster Strudle, on the other hand, is a much more structurally sound toaster pastry, despite its added cost. Perhaps that would be a better product for your reptilian to wave about??? Did you know the Pillsbury Doughboy made his TV debut on November 7, 1965??? He is also a multi-instrumentalist.

I wonder if his corpulent appearance is indicative of his love for these pastries???


 
RVA said:
That is an interesting idea. I would love to hear whether people's views towards guitars changed after joining a band, for whatever reason.

However, although I would enjoy jamming with friends, I have no desire to perform. For me, it would make playing work. Luckily, I get all the accolades I need from my current job.
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At times, I wish I would have stayed in law school. I only completed two years. But, I found myself getting older and not wanting to be in an office and a courtroom all the time, so I decided to get away from all the legal stuff. There are times when playing for a living can become a kind of drudgery, but it doesn't take me too long to realize that I have an insane amount of freedom, and I get paid a good salary doing what I really love to do.

Even my commute is a kind of therapy. I listen to music all the way to and from the studio and I day dream a lot about what I want to do at our next rehearsal/performance.

I enjoy playing in bands. It keeps me focused on my playing and gear acquisition is not a distraction. This is a good thing, because my dirt bike hobby does require quite a bit of investment...
 
RVA said:
That is an interesting idea. I would love to hear whether people's views towards guitars changed after joining a band, for whatever reason.
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I suppose, to take this a step further, would require me to analyze my past. We didn't have a tremendous surplus growing up. I was taught to care well for my things because they came at a price and could not be replaced. So, I look at everything through a lens of acute practicality. My goals are to have fun and earn a good living. To do this, requires guitar, amp, pedal-board and cables. I have that and I am quite satisfied with my gear.

My "Number One" stage/work guitar is my homemade Black Faux Paul. Everyone who plays it asks to purchase it and I have turned down several real Gibson's that have been offered in trade for it. Perfect neck and frets with low action, it's the best playing, slickest feeling guitar I've played, second only to the Schecter C1-FR. It looks fantastic on stage and cost less than $800.00 to produce.

I think the Schecter C1-FR was one of the few really frivolous acquisitions that I made. I had owned a C1 from 2005 until 2019, so I knew they were a high quality guitar, but I really just wanted the Transparent Purple Burst more than anything else. I happily gave up 3 guitars (one of which a genuine Gibson Les Paul) to acquire the Schecter. It is absolute perfection, right from the box. I do like how much more gain the EMG's produce in comparison to the passive H8BN/H6BN's of my Number-One Les Paul.

The doubleneck was a test of skills to see how good I could make a guitar here at home. I had always wanted one, but the $7,000.00+ price tag for a genuine Gibson - that would require work to correct their traditionally lackluster setup and workmanship - was just not something I was willing to do. It's been extensively used in the bands I have played in. I have less than $2,000.00 invested in the build.

The Jackson San Dimas I got from Adrian is another great guitar with perfect tuning stability, even outdoors in direct sunlight. The Floyd Rose stays in perfect tune, no matter the conditions I subject it too. I used it on my recording of Gary Moore's "Out In The Fields" and it is used live when a tremolo dive is needed.

I really like using fake Gibson's on stage. They look good, sound great and cost virtually nothing to replace. I have played vintage Gibson's from the 1950's on recordings, then played covering tracks with my faux Paul and the producer couldn't tell which was the vintage guitar.

Acquisition of vintage instruments becomes a sickness and I don't want to engage in any musical pursuits that are not profitable. Each one of my guitars has earned me more money back than I have invested in them...
 
Robert Herndon said:
Here's your one-liner..."Join A Band." Then the intense drama will prevent you from worrying about new guitars...
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Ha ha... Lots of accomplished guitarists in bands are too poor to afford anything more than a used Squire or used Epiphone. Then there's also many accomplished guitarists in bands who have warehouse-massive amounts of guitars. But I do get your point though.
 
syscokid said:
Ha ha... Lots of accomplished guitarists in bands are too poor to afford anything more than a used Squire or used Epiphone. Then there's also many accomplished guitarists in bands who have warehouse-massive amounts of guitars. But I do get your point though.
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Very true. I feel blessed to be doing what I do. I started earning money with a guitar at 15 and it slowed down during my police career, but it never stopped...I haven't forgot where I came from...

Redbank's Bar Today.jpg
 
syscokid said:
Ha ha... Lots of accomplished guitarists in bands are too poor to afford anything more than a used Squire or used Epiphone. Then there's also many accomplished guitarists in bands who have warehouse-massive amounts of guitars. But I do get your point though.
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When I was gigging steadily it was with a single guitar for about 90% of those years (no fun when you break a string). Only toward the end of the '80's did I get a second guitar, and that was only because I needed a cursed Floyd to play a lot of the popular material at the time. When I returned to playing in a band in the mid '90's I still had my Les Paul, and had added a Strat and acoustic to cover more ground, but at the time they really were just tools and I treated them as such. Only when I decided that dealing with the time demands and drama was not for me any more did I start to covet guitars as objects more. To be perfectly honest, I have always geeked out on amps more than the guitars.
 
I like guitars
I like good looking guitars, which is subjective and different for all of us
I like wood grain and a finish in earth tones
I like good looking guitars that serve a purpose and are a tool to be used for a given situation
I like to play all my guitars, and none of them are shielded from practice or gigs. They are all made to be played (for me)
I like to take care of my guitars
I like buying guitars... more guitars
I like the idea of acquiring guitars that I don't have an equivalent for. In other words I have no semi hollow of hollowbody... yet

So... I suffer from GAS... yes I do, and I'm OK with that. At 9 guitars and counting I'm not done yet. I also have no desire to sell any.
I am at peace with the GAS
 
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