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The joys of playing what you have


Faber

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For the past 6-9 months money's been very very tight in the Faber household, so I've ben unable to act on both GAS and percieved necessary gear purchases. Actually, this have been a bit of a blessing in disguise - the simple fact that getting gear is out the question is a highly efficient GAS killer. I simply don't worry about it. And using the same axes all the time have shown me once again that most gear, most guitars, are far more versatile that we give them credit for. It's been an opportunity to bond more closely with the stuff I have, and learn to work it better, rather than chasing the next thing. I may not like the circumstances, but I like what I've found by adapting to them

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So true. And it reminds me of the many years when I played a grand total of TWO guitars exclusively. They were (and still are) fabulous acoustics. I know that I felt a lot closer to my guitars back then, not switching around between guitars so much. Didn't even own an electric back then.

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For the past 6-9 months money's been very very tight in the Faber household, so I've ben unable to act on both GAS and percieved necessary gear purchases. Actually, this have been a bit of a blessing in disguise - the simple fact that getting gear is out the question is a highly efficient GAS killer. I simply don't worry about it. And using the same axes all the time have shown me once again that most gear, most guitars, are far more versatile that we give them credit for. It's been an opportunity to bond more closely with the stuff I have, and learn to work it better, rather than chasing the next thing. I may not like the circumstances, but I like what I've found by adapting to them

 

Definitely. I used to gig with just my '64 Strat. If I broke a string. The band played on while I set world records for string changing. I HAD to explore every nook and cranny of tones that the Strat had within. Now I have ten guitars but I've never bonded with any of them like I did that Strat.

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I have two and have had two for the past 3-4 years now. I can't cop every tone I hear, but I can get in the ballpark even using the "wrong" guitar. The other great thing about having a limited array and few guitars coming in and out is that you really learn to dial in your rig to get the very best out of it. While it seems simple, it can take awhile to really optimize each guitar with your amp, pedals, etc. I don't know if I could do that to the same extent if I had 20 guitars or whatever.

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Earlier this week I had really, really bad GAS for a guitar on Ebay. I was pissed when I bid 50% higher than the next bidder but still didn't hit the reserve. I sat around at my son's football practice that night and grumbled about it to myself.

 

Then I went home and told myself to just play the {censored}ing guitar sitting next to me. GAS relieved.

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i respect the cat who,, JUST GETS IT DONE!!! way more than some guy who just boast and blabbers on and on about GASSing for this and that, post internet pictures of his stacks and stacks of wood and wires.... at some point it just becomes a bit obnoxious.. JMHO... when i was in a band ever one brought their guitar... their one guitar... and we would play and practice.. and some times we would get better some times not.. but thats a tangent...

but i do think it takes more musicianship to just stick with 1 or 3 guitars, and thats it... then jjust switch them off with another 19 or 109 in reserve.. just seems like more and more stuff to get in the way... JMHO,,,

 

hats off to all you cats who can get it done with just a few... i have six or seven and i think at most time thats at lest 4 too many...

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Same boat here. I still GAS for stuff, but rarely act on it anymore. Trying to cut my collection down too. Fact is, I switch back and forth between two guitars almost exclusively. And they're nearly identical except for color and fretboard wood.

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I am pretty much cured of GAS, although I would like to get a bigger/better bass amp rig at some point.

 

Two things that made it easy for me to overcome GAS:

 

1. I rarely have any spendy cash, so I can't just lay out money on impulse to buy something on the spot or seen online, etc.

 

2. Because of this, when I HAVE had bad bouts of GAS, I've discovered that it sort of just passes on its own usually. Passing the GAS!

 

For example, a couple years back I was just DYING for a non-reverse Firebird. I just HAD to have one. There were a couple of beautiful ones in a local shop I used to go play and drool over. Seriously considered putting one in layaway and paying it off, but I just couldn't make that financial committment.

 

After a couple of weeks, I stopped even caring about a Firebird. Realized "I don't need that...the novelty of it would wear off quick and I'd just be stuck with another guitar to take care of."

 

A couple of electrics, a couple of basses and an acoustic and I'm more than happy. Could be happy with ONE of each actually. I still see guitars and basses that I drool over and think about now and then, but I very likely will never purchase another guitar or bass. I enjoy what I have and work to get the most out of my meager little collection.

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My GAS is different than many I suspect. I don't play well at all and probably never will, my guitar joy comes from the buying/selling/trading/modding that I do. It's a hobby that makes me a few $$$ now and then and keeps me out of trouble for the most part.

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I'm in the same boat. Due to a substantial pay cut, I am downsizing nearly everything to make money to pay bills. I'm selling over 1200 worth of stuff and only picking up a looper to make up for the looping capability I had in a MFX pedal. These are sad times, but I'm thankful for the guitar and bass that will be left in the end.

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Very nice collection Brian!

I'm now down to three guitars, but they are just what I want.

I now only buy gear when something I already have goes way south.

I'm actually happier now with what I have then I was before with all the guitars and amps I had, as I never used all of them as much. I still, back then, only used a few guitars at a time, then bought new ones and retired the ones I had been using.

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2010 was the same for me. I didn't consciously sell all my stuff, but over the course of that year a lot of stuff trickled out onto CL because it didn't seem necessary to have two strats for example. What's left (2 electric, 2 acoustic, 1 bass) are all guitars that I have bonded with on some level. I still get excited about other guitars, but the tight-belt mentality is still there. I'm rarely tempted to buy.

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I stopped buying gear in favor of taking lessons. The lessons are actually more costly, but force me to get better at least one day a week. I think I might break down in a few months though. Still too many basic things that I don't have.

 

It has forced me to be more creative, busting out my old pedals and using them in different ways, adjusting pickup height, trying tubes that I had written off before.

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Another cheap way to really up the quality of your guitar is a good luthier book. Spend time learning instead of spending money and you'll be delighted with the results. Plus, if you can pick good used gear and can fix and set it up, cheaper than new, you'll always be proud of that.

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I definitely have too much but honestly, I play one of three guitars about 98% of the time until I pick something up I haven't played in a while.

 

I blame teh interwebz. There's just so much information and research is so easy to do, it's hard to avoid finding something else that you want. Until I was about 23, I never had more than one acoustic and one electric and I probably played much more than I do these days. Not sure what to make of that, but it figures in there somewhere.

 

I could easily be happy with three guitars, one amp and three or four pedals. It'd hurt, but I could get by with just one guitar. :idk:

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Whaaaaa? This is the most un-American thread I've seen here in a while. You non-GASSERS aren't doing your bit to stimulate the economy! No wonder unemployment rates are still above 9%. Now get out there and spend your hard earned money so The Man can get even richer! :mad:

 

Seriously though, I've been trying to par down the hoard as of late. My goal is to have fewer but nicer pieces in the collection. I know some of you seem content with scant collections of two or three guitars, but barring some economic calamity I'll probably keep a minimum of about ten in the house at any given time.

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For the first 15 years of my playing life, I never had more than one guitar and it was always an acoustic. Now, with a bit of cash, the internet and this bloody forum, I have 10.

 

Really, I am no happier with my current collection than I was with my acoustic but it wouldn't trade any of them. What does this mean?

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I've bought and sold and traded so many damn guitars. A good friend of mine told me "why keep buying guitars, you only play one of them?" and he's right. The guitar I ALWAYS play on a gig is the Les Paul. I do enjoy jamming on the tele and SG at home but I always gravitate to ol' #1

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