i think we generally over do this GAS thing !

[Tony Burns]

Been giving this some thought , after 35 plus years of playing ive amased alot of guitars in all shapes and sizes etc- maybe some stupidily, maybe picked up some smarts along the way . In general I wonder if we need more than one or two decent guitars for lifes travels - Ive had the good luck of meeting a few pro players here and their and they always seem to have the same guitar with them , not fancy ones mind you but just good old fashion quality instrument - many very old - probably bought when the player was 20 or so years old ,new. Ive always wondered if all the inlay and top quality woods on the back and sides really make a difference - why would fancy fiddle back maple have a better sound than plain maple - probably none - just fancier and rarier . I do believe the top of the guitar to be the most important part , spending money on that always makes a difference - - but lately those grading systems have been falling by the way side ( Martin isnt grading them like they use too ) Fancy Koa , Tons of Abalone - Signature models - BR or EI ( thou I do love BR ) are we buying these to satisfy some type of hunger we call GAS , without the making us better guitarists , I always remind myself of a young man i meet in a Rock group who had a 30 dollar guitar he bought at a Brand Names outlet store - and he could play that thing like their was no tommorrow - and I had a Telecaster that i could barely strum - You might be wondering what brought this on , i pulled out a guitar I havent played in a long time- and thought to myself if i could only have one guitar this would be it - it has a great sound , plays nice and its not worth stealing - I think we are overdoing our Guitar Acquistion syndrome - and we should think more about being the best guitarist we can be - take more lessons - play more and have more fun with the music - and not look at the glitter . Just a thought!

[fingerpicker]

 

I think we are overdoing our Guitar Acquistion syndrome - and we should think more about being the best guitarist we can be - take more lessons - play more and have more fun with the music - and not look at the glitter . Just a thought!

 

 

You are right, but I don't think one guitar is enough!!

Seriously, you need:

Two acoustics if you gig alot. One as a back-up.

I like to play some slide so I have a resonator guitar.

I like old time bluse so I have a '49 LG2

Classical so I have one nylon string.

And one electric for...electric!

 

But yeah I am over the buying new guitars every 8-12 months phase. I'm happy with what I own and figure I am keeping the guitars I have for a while.

[babablowfish]

Good God man, next thing you'll be telling us that one woman is all a man really needs!

[DonK]

Mea culpa, but as I've said a few times, I appreciate guitars as art in themselves, in addition to being tools to create art. On that basis, I'll probably accumulate a few more before I'm done.

[JasmineTea]

I'm somewhere between 15 and 20 instruments right now. Over the years I've probly owned close to 40.

 

But let me ask you this: Why in the heck do I need 3 Telecasters...?? All are set up about the same, but they all sound/look different...I can see having two, one as a back-up for gigging, but 3?

 

I think the "tools" analogy is about the only excuse that really works. Speaking of which, I did some recording on a track for a friend recently where I used a Tele, a lapsteel, and an OM acoustic.

[Hudman]

I agree that we can get carried away with GAS.

 

I think you can have GAS and still concentrate on becoming a better player as long as you realize that a $6000 Santa Cruz will still sound bad if you can't play.

[Queequeg]

 

Good God man, next thing you'll be telling us that one woman is all a man really needs!

 

Hold on there! That's babablasphemy!

Seriously, noone would ever suggest such a thing.

[carguy]

Mea culpa, but as I've said a few times, I appreciate guitars as art in themselves, in addition to being tools to create art. On that basis, I'll probably accumulate a few more before I'm done.

 

I would agree with that. I just like guitars and enjoy collecting them.

And I won't touch Baba's remark!

[T.B.]

I'm not sure ones proficiency or lack there of is synonymous with how many guitars you own. Yea, folks obsess about finding the ONE they buy that guitar or this guitar for any number of reasons, but it doesn't mean they're any less dedicated to the pursuit of excellence or their constant state of GAS distracts/impedes them from becoming good guitarists. I own a couple of axes. Now if I was strumming the first 4 chords I learned 8 years ago, could only play the same/tried meandering riffs, or was only able to play a copula bars of Rolling Stones or Beatles songs, that would be embarrassing, pretty pathetic. Good wood gone to waste.

 

Trina

[SkippyX]

I dunno.

 

I've got a Strat and a Vox AD30 amp, and that's it at this point. Would I like another guitar? Sure. I'd like a whole bunch of them. A 335 knock-off, a LP knock-off, and an acoustic. And a telecaster. Maybe an SG. As well as a tube amp.

 

The only thing I plan on getting in the near future is a decent-quality acoustic.

 

I figure a strat was good enough for David Gilmour, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray, Mark Knopfler, Robert Cray, Adrian Belew and a whole bunch of other GREAT guitar players. It should be more than enough for me for a while - at least until I reach a point in my playing where I find it limiting. That will likely be a long way off.

 

The acoustic? Well, I've always loved the sound of an acoustic guitar, and there's no replicating it w/ the set-up I have now. I also don't need to tote around a ton of gear to play an acoustic over at a friend's house.

 

Besides, I think I'm also better off spending all that money on lessons..........

[Bitt81]

I love the visual beauty of acoustics and appreciate what goes into making a fine instrument. That being said, I have 7 guitars but play primarily 3. One acoustic in standard tuning, one that I'll use for the few alternate tuning songs I can play, and then my 12 string. I do plug in my Squire Strat if I want to make some power chord noise but it isn't that often.

[Terry Allan Hall]

Good God man, next thing you'll be telling us that one woman is all a man really needs!

 

My wife says the same thing...have y'all been talkin'?

 

Back to guitars...being a gigging sort of guy, I need a minimum of 4...two 6 strings, two 12-strings, so that if one is in the repair shop, I'm not lacking.

 

Then there's my banjos, mandolins, bass, mandocello, Hawaiian guitar...and 5 harmonicas!...

[BackPocket]

I would like to have 2 nice guitars at some point. A dread which I am currently getting and then a smaller bodied guitar. A 000 or OM or something like that. I guess 3 - I have a seagull that will be my beater once the new one comes and I plan to keep it forever if I can. It's the first guitar I started getting serious on guitar with.