GAS guide to the rescue

[Deleted]

www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/7-stages-of-gear-acquisition-syndrome-585947

BTW How many guitars are needed to get qualified as officially "addicted"?

[ux4484]

I've read this one, as well as a few others. I prefer Walter Becker's article from GP as it covers the Mod bug as well.
Both of these articles (and MOST of the others) are not really GNuts style GAS. They mostly deal with those 'who have to have it at any price even if it cleans out the bank account' type GAS. That is not us. We are both less and more simultaneously. Here at GNuts2, we "mostly" know our budget and partners limits (that's the less part). For the most part , it's about the value for price on the body and neck, because everything else can be tinkered with. We are definitely more OCD than regular people with GAS, because we're planners (for the more part). How many times have we said: "It's good now... BUT it will be better when I ..."
Some here are at a point where experimentation is a way of musical life (i.e. JohnH's excellent new series on tone, and anything 4Real does). Some have found their toolbox and are just here to watch the wheels turn and chime in socially (guilty). But we ALL love guitars and the associated gear at a level more than the collector who has to have seven identical Strat's in different colors. We play, we tinker, we build. We are more than GAS heads.
We are GuitarNuts

[Deleted]

That's true. However lately i have been obsessed with this beauty : www.thomann.de/gr/ibanez_uv70p_bk.htm and cannot get over this... Every day i fear it might be discontinued ..... (like the case with my other ibby arz800).... I have seen videos on youtube and was totally blown away... If i fall in sin again, this will have to be in 2015... i hope it is produced till then.

[ux4484]

I saw a Parker Dragonfly on craigslist for $250 ( 2K+ guitar) Even if it isn't hot or a scam... My playing ain't worth a Parker.

[JohnH]

Feb 19, 2014 8:30:34 GMT -5 @pyrros said:

www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/7-stages-of-gear-acquisition-syndrome-585947

BTW How many guitars are needed to get qualified as officially "addicted"?

Just one more...

[Deleted]

Feb 19, 2014 14:04:37 GMT -5 JohnH said:

Just one more...

hmmm how about starting a thread with how many guitars each of us has??

[Deleted]

Feb 19, 2014 13:09:13 GMT -5 ux4484 said:

I saw a Parker Dragonfly on craigslist for $250 ( 2K+ guitar) Even if it isn't hot or a scam... My playing ain't worth a Parker.

I wouldn't buy it either, not because i believe in expensive vs cheap gear, but because it doesn't seem very radical. Its not smth i dont have already, (and i guess the same for you). You had/have axes in your hands that would not sweat a bit in front of the parker. The ibby uv70p OTOH seems totally kikass!! a real bargain even 20 yrs after its conception. Everything i already have (heavy, + quack, + tremolo, ++) + 7 strings!!! I have not read a single bad review.. and the sigle negative review is from a guy who could not adjust the trem springs.

So the question here, is should i sell? and if yes, then what? No more el cheapo partscasters to get rid off... All my current gear are competitive instruments. And the funny thing is that i haven't finished with the mods yet ( waiting for a special order dimarzio neck to go to the carvin )....

So, am i entering "seek for professional help" territories here?

[ux4484]

I'm mostly in tweak mode now. I ebay'd a Duncan SL59-1B for the Strat bridge. When I put it in I'll set the toneshaper for S/P for that pup. After looking at JohnH's charts, I may be tweaking the pot values as well. This will give me typical Strat and my '51 switching options.
I'm still enjoying the Tele too much to order the parts as of yet, but it's coming.
I sold the Celebrity (due to hand cramps), so I'm down to 4 (that are mine).

[newey]

Let's see, currently I've got:

2 acoustics, a decent Epi F- series and a beater Fender which isn't really playable and needs some serious TLC.

1 hollowbody electric, Japanese, late 60's vintage, unmarked but probably was a Univox.

1 Ibanez HSH, a model S470, from around 1990.

1 Epiphone LP Jr., (slightly modded)

2 Tele clones (one is more like an Esquire) that I built up from internet pieces-parts.

1 Strat clone w/ single HB, likewise built up from pieces-parts

1 Yahama EG-112C Strat clone, heavily customized by me but basically wired stock (it does have the bridge tone mod).

1 The "4caster", my 4-pickup Strat build.

1 The "Flyin' Pumpkin". my very orange teardrop-shaped thingy that began its life an a Washburn Idol.

1 Hofner travel guitar, modded.

1 P-bass clone that I built up from parts, it started life as a "National".

1 Rogue 6-string lap steel

That's 14 players. In addition, I have two in-the-works projects which have been long awaiting some attention from me. So, 16 guitars in the house, in varying stages of playability.

I think we can safely say that the above qualifies as an addiction. My wife would broadly agree . . .

[Deleted]

Ux, you are in fantastic shape man!
Newey, i think you are in GAS!

So no 7-string in here?

[ux4484]

Well... there are the "other" instruments...
The Rogue mandolin, the Mrs' guitars (Cortez Tele and Maderia/Guild acoustic).
The Baldwin upright (concert upright, was my Mom's), and the full size Yamaha keyboard (daughter #2).
We didn't even touch on gear yet... That may put me over the top...

[gumbo]

...read my signature line..

[Deleted]

I have read this man, wise words. Basically it all boils down to money. How much one man yearly spends on gear.

[newey]

Basically it all boils down to money.

To a certain extent, yes. But I don't have a single guitar that has more than $350 into it.

The main reason I have so many is that I can't seem to bear to part with any of them, even the ones I play only rarely. They are like old friends.

Amps are a different story- I buy, sell, swap, trash amps all the time, they're just like appliances.

Maybe it's got something to do with the fact that I hold guitars in my hands, unlike an amp. Maybe that gives more of an emotional connection.

I know, it's just an object, a tool to express music . . .At least, I can look at myself and see where I go off the rails a bit!

[sumgai]

I'm feelin' a bit spunky this morning, let me add my wet-blanket's worth here.....



As far as I'm concerned, you can't play more than one instrument at a time. So why in the world do you need to own more than one instrument?   In point of fact, with very few exceptions (Junior Brown and Michael Batio come to mind, possibly Charlie Hunter should be included here), you are the musician, and unless you're keying a synth of some sort, then you're most likely making the music from only one source, your instrument of the moment. (By keying a synth, I'm allowing for multiple sound outputs, carrying variously differing sounds, not restricted to just a guitar.)

When the rubber hits the road, it's all about expression of one's inner self. My gut feel is that if you can't do it with just one instrument, then you can't do it with any number of instruments. I realize, and accept, that this statement is more than a bit harsh, but consider this: The most widely quoted reason for owning more than one guitar is that Guitar A doesn't sound the same as Guitar B, and the player/owner claims to need to be able to produce both tonal qualities over a given period of time, albeit not at the same instant. Well, I've got something to say about that....

In essence, and I'll provide examples in a moment, a player who has "found his own sound" is no longer critical to the point of overkill - he/she's now comfortable. Some players arrive at that point early in life, others take decades to get it, and a great many never to come to grips with the fact that they're unable to "find it" - and are probably never going to. "It" being the Magic Mojo, of course. Over the course of years, a player might try various instruments, that's true, but by and large, those that delve deeply into the attempted search for Mojo don't spread themselves very thin, if at all. They tend to stick to it for longer than most hacks, giving up and moving to a new instrument only after they've given it their best shot at trying to make their current instrument work the way they want it too. (Notice I didn't say "sounds the way...", which would easily include modding the axe, I'm speaking more to the investment of one's self into melding the instrument with one's psyche, something we don't often address here in the NutzHouse.) In the end, "works for them" means that they've arrived at the state where they can sleep at night, knowing that they're on top of their game, so to speak. In other words, they're now comfortable, both with themselves and their instrument, and with the world at large.

Consider these well-known examples from recent times:

Rory Gallagher. One guitar, a '73 Strat affectionately named the Nocasater for the bare wood showing after he sweated all the paint (finish) off the thing. Prior to that point, from his beginnings in 1967 with Taste (still one of my favorites of all time, give a listen to What's Goin' On), he played Strats in the studio and on stage, albeit he was also a consumate acoustic blues player, for which he used a dobro (I believe it was a National, but I'm remiss in not being certain about that). Undoubtedly he owned/played other rigs, but when he "found it", he stayed with it, right to the end. (He passed on in 1995.)

Jimi Hendrix. Besides being known as the man who re-invented and revolutionized Electric Guitar, JH used only Strats during his entire period of fame. Yes he used other guitars during his early periods, in particular a Gibson SG when he was with the Isley Brothers, but once he found his sound, he stuck with it. He did use more than one guitar, but again, it was more a matter of expression than the need to have a different sound. Ever see him in action? He'd set up a Strat on a stand in front of a Marshall, going full bore for the feedback. Then he'd pick up another Strat for the real action. The feedback Strat/Marshall was for 'tonal enhancement', and he usually controlled it with a volume and/or wah pedal he operated as he played his strapped-on Strat. (I guess you could say he was playing two instruments at once, but we all agree that he was a very exceptional player, right? )

BTW, little known factoid: When he was asked during an interview how it felt to be the world's best guitar player, Jimi retorted by saying "I don't know, you'd have to go ask Rory Gallagher that one." (Even more rarely known factoid, just because I'm full of it today: When asked if he had a favorite singer he liked to listen to, Elvis Presley said "Yes, that would be Roy Orbison. That man makes me shiver whenever I hear him." Funny enough, Orbison's favorite singer was still-unknown and unloved-by-the-mass-music-market John D. Loudermilk.)

Gary Moore. Need I say more?

Peter Green. One major mod, and the guy was set for life. Well, until he sold it to Gary Moore. At least the guitar itself is cast in the Hall Of Fame, no matter who owns it. (Another "shivering" anecdote, this time from B.B. King - look it up.)

Eric Clapton. In the days of Cream, it was a Gibson ES-335. Shortly after it became a Strat, and never ended after that. Sure there were several renditions along the way, but by and large, it wasn't a stable of several at a time, it was one main axe, and one or more backup pieces. Eventually a piece would become a mainstay, and the former went on the block, usually for a good cause. (Witness "Blackie" going for $950K at an auction for charity.) But in every player's mind, EC and Strats are synonymous, aren't they?

Stevie Ray Vaughan. Same as EC... several examples along the way, but he was a bit more relaxed about switching up between his main rig and a backup piece. Nonetheless, my research hasn't turned up anything about his playing anything else besides a Strat.


The point I'm trying to make here is that if you own and play a guitar (or a clarinet), then get used to it. Don't just make it your own, become one with it. When you pick it up, no one should mistake you for any other player. If they do, then you're just a copy cat, and you haven't yet established your own identity. Bottom line right there.

Put another way, every time you pick up more than one axe... Hell, even just owning more than one axe, you're preventing that "becoming one" thing - you're diluting any possibility of achieving that oneness. And that's my personal bottom line right there, take it or leave it.

The only exception, to my mind, is allowing for spares, particularly for stage musicians. Picking up another guitar is so much more of a crowd pleaser than taking the time to replace a broken string, and in the end, it's all about you the musician sharing yourself with a crowd, isn't it? You may not have the time invested into making that spare your favorite instrument (that makes sense - if it were your favorite, why's it on the backup rack?), but so long as you don't allow it/them to dilute your primary investment in your truly favorite rig, then I see no harm in keeping the music flowing as smoothly as possible. Replace the string later, or better yet, replace the whole set. Trust me on that one.


Ack! My keeper is here, and she's starting to wipe the spittle from the screen and the drool off the keyboard.... I have to go now.






sumgai,
The Loquacious One

[Deleted]

SG before i joined GN2 (and before the partscaster story), i was a one-guitar man, the old Aria strat, which sometime in its life got damaged (among the many) so i bought the kramer, (being a metal head) some 20+ yrs ago. Many years later, i saw the Carvin in a discount store for like 300 euros and i bought it, no matter it was left-handed. Converted it to right-hand... : in short i had 3 guitars . But all sucked. Terrible setup, terrible or broken components, a mess.. That was when i was .. one-guitar guy... (ok 3)
Then, after GN2, i started not only trying to fix the 'caster, but also fix the ones i head. Later, i got the LP-style ibby (when i rejoined GN2). Now i have a completely revived alive Strat with 17 tones and counting, with perfect electronics, a super Carvin, a very decent Kramer, and the stock Ibby.
So, at least for me : repairing your gear and GAS for new gear go hand in hand. Lack of interest for new gear -> lack of interest for own existing gear and vice versa.

You mentioned Rory (also my favorite as a kid : top priority ruled big time). Then it was another times, people were just poorer than today. Generally. Consumerism was by far less than is today. Take a look at Rory's signature model, especially its tuning machines and you'll see that the original guitar was indeed fixed and treated by Rory himself (she had like 5 Sperzels and one Gotoh!!). It is hilarious today to pay 3000 euros for a guitar that has 5 sperzels and one mismatched Gotoh!!!.... Rory most probably didn;t get a replacement tuner, either because of being supersticious or stuborn or just ... poor at the time, or just could not find the same part, reminds me *exactly* of my Aria Strat and one broken tuner which became the reason to get the Kramer one week before the show !! All those are signs of another time.

Personally i don;t seek to become a pro musician or anything original... That's all too subjective... I am just seeking ways to help my spirit relax, after all the pressure at work, family, etc... smth to keep me away from fast cars and exotic dancers, if you know what i mean.... I surely feel the music... but has nothing to do with guitars... A nice guitar might help play better a solo, feel a solo, or a riff but i can play the same tunes with a toy guitar, or have even better time by singing, i really do enjoy singing, more than playing the guitar... sometimes...

Its an obsession, not necessarily bound to music or art... therefore i dont quite get the comparisons to known guitarists as being 100% relevant. We are not talking about guitar Gods here, we are just talking about mere mortals under GAS therapy

From any point i see this, a 7-string is must for the guitarist of the 21th century... Lots of stuff going on with 7-strings. Ooops, i just created a political cover for my GAS!

[lunaalta]

I'm sorry, I refuse to discuss the, very personal, relationship, of some 40 years, that I have with my beautiful, almost standard, white Strat.

I will say that, for me, there has been no other, and I doubt there ever will be. I have been dallying with a very attractive Tele, of late, but I know this is just a passing thing, since when I get my Strat in my arms again, well......... What can I say, I hear heavenly angels singing and the earth moves for me............

So guys, dream on. Have your harems, and enjoy them.

I enjoy my Strat as much as you enjoy your collections, but all concentrated on the one.

Yes, it's true, it's the guitar of my life.

Now then, where are my meds?

[sumgai]

gd,

I think lunaalta speaks well for my point of view. I wasn't particularly emulating 'guitar godz', I was pointing out that when an accomplished musician (pro or otherwise) achieves The Mojo, he/she stops GASsing. I probably should've included someone from the opposing camp, perhaps Eric Johnson, a notorious seeker of The Mojo, who despite his talents and abilities, has yet to settle on one axe.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't have more than one guitar, that's not the point. I am saying that when you've finally found that one true love, you'll stop acquiring guitars for any reason.... except perhaps to buy low and sell high, which means you see an opportunity for some profit - nothing wrong with that! When you've got the magical instrument in your posession, you may or may not sell off the rest of the stable. Or you may hang on to some of them for the purpose of handing it/them down to your kids, so they have decent instruments on which to learn, that's cool too.

But for me, I'll just reiterate the old mantra - Tone Is In The Hands, Not In The Guitar. Which really means in the soul, or the heart of the player. For that reason alone, one need only search long enough to find that one true guitar that melds (becomes one) with his/her hands, and after that, all other considerations are relegated to the lowest priority. Coupled with "you can't play more than one at a time anyways", I truly don't need more than one guitar. What I do have, it has tone aplenty - just ask asmith.

Two more examples: One, do you keep a mistress or two on the side, something you don't dare tell the wife about?   And two, if you feel the need to keep more than one unit of anything, be it a guitar or anything else, above and beyond the necessary needs (be able to play the darn thing), then you're a collector, not a seeker of The Mojo. Collectors have their good points and bad points, but they're a distinctly different kind of person, and I'm not trying to put them down, either.


Now, let me go one step further. I once read an article in Guitar Player (probably 35 or 40 years ago) wherein a famous player-du-jour stated during an interview that if you don't keep enough guitars in the house to have one no more than an arm's reach from whereever you might be located, then you aren't really a player. He felt that when the muse strikes, you shouldn't need to walk to a particular room to try and take advantage of the moment - you should be able to immediately start working on that inspiration.

I used to think that was a good idea, possibly excepting the cost of restringing all those axes. But as time went by, I realized that I was never satisified with any of those "laying around" instruments. None of them were me, in my persona as a musician. It was a long time before I realized that I was diluting my time with my favorite axe, meaning the time I spent with the one guitar that made me feel like a real musician instead of just another hack.

I no longer subscribe to the theory of "strike while the iron is hot" (act immediately upon some inspiration). True, I might miss out on that once-in-a-lifetime bolt of lightning, but then again, I no longer have to warn people to avoid all the clutter scattered around the house.   Plus a bonus, the cats don't get yelled at nearly so often.   But when I do sit down to practice or play, I feel totally surrounded with a feeling of "the best there is, there's no need to check and see if there's any greener grass somewhere else". And finally, I may not be the best player on my block, but I also don't have any worries about making enough money to pay for the extra insurance coverage, either - that's gotta count for sumpin'.


BTW, for the record.... I don't like my current rig, not even after 8+ years. I may start looking for a new one, sometime in the next five to ten years.





sumgai

[ux4484]

On the "one" guitar, After my travel guitar odyssey sampling/testing of gobs of acoustic guitars (even playing some Martin, Breedlove, and PRS models) the acoustic that felt the best to me was an updated version of my Yamaha APX 5. When I'm figuring something out, or making up something new, it's always what gets picked up first (there is something magical about it) It seems silly to have two, just to have one to drag around. So I didn't go that way.
I think it's because it was the guitar that got me back into playing... it actually needs a fret recrowning (though it has many flat spots on the frets, it has no buzzing) from extreme use after nine years. The only electric that was close to that amount of wear was the '51 and that's in greener pastures now.
Some of this GAS for me the last few years has been my manifestation of middle age, there are three I'll never part with: The Yamaha, the Strat, and my Fender bass. All three given to me by the real driving force of my existence; my wife, whose patience, encouragement, (and sometimes griping) of my playing again for the last 10 years allowed this part of me to live again.

Oh and Gai: +1 for the Rory reference. I use that JH quote about him when hipsters go all "Hendrix" on me.

[b4nj0]

And another +1 for Rory, a major influence on my playing, but he used Teles very frequently too.
I too have a 1973 Strat, I've grown to like it over the decades but I'd swap it for Rory's '61 in a heatbeat...
I have 21 strung instruments so I'm kind of skirting around this discussion, but I do believe that there are many ways to appreciate art forms- whether audibly or indeed tangibly.
Is it OK to name drop Danny Gatton with his Tele? (and Roy Buchanon for that matter) because I hold Danny in very high esteem, and once he let go of his Lester, there was only really his Telecaster.

e&oe...

[newey]

Well then, based on the above discussion, I guess I don't really "fit" anywhere in the guitar world. Lord knows, I'm no accomplished musician and I probably never will find my "mojo". I'm old enough to understand that the only thing that would change that situation (if it ever could change) would be finding more time for playing and practice; buying some new piece of equipment isn't going to make any difference.

On the other hand, I hardly qualify as a "collector" since most of my guitars are self-assembled and have no real market value to speak of. And I'm no luthier- those are guys who bend wood around forms, way beyond my level of talent in woodworking.

I guess you could call me a "builder", one who just doesn't want to part with his projects. Or perhaps "hobbyist" is a better description.

When I am able to find a spare minute to play, I do so for my own mental health, for stress relief, really. It really doesn't matter which of my guitars I pick up to do that, they all accomplish that purpose reasonably well. That's not to say that I don't have favorites, some do play better than others.

sg's right, though, there's no real purpose to having multiple guitars. It's simply a bit of frivolity that I allow myself to have in a life where little else is frivolous. So, trying to apply logic to this discussion doesn't mean anything, since in my case there's no logic to any of it.

One small advantage to multiples not mentioned, however, is for alternate tunings. It's nice to be able to pick up my one Tele (which I keep tuned to open E)and be able to play a bit of slide (another thing I'm not very good at, but still trying), without the need to constantly retune the thing. Of course, one doesn't need 14 guitars just for that- it's a small advantage, not a rationale.

[ux4484]

Feb 21, 2014 6:44:01 GMT -5 newey said:

When I am able to find a spare minute to play, I do so for my own mental health, for stress relief, really.

AND

sg's right, though, there's no real purpose to having multiple guitars. It's simply a bit of frivolity that I allow myself to have in a life where little else is frivolous.

To use a social media-ism: THIS ^^^

I was at first a bit put off at the Gai's post as well, but I think the rolling pin was flying towards his head and he actually wanted to say more.

That said, almost every bass and guitar I've ever owned allowed me to get in the zone to where I could just play for a couple hours and feel like 15 minutes had passed (exceptions being the washburn Rover that was merely a device by comparison to other instruments). Some better than others. The Dot nailed that early Beatles sound perfectly, but once done playing those songs was put down. The marauder was great for punk and surf, but had a wider neck than my other Fenders that can do the same work well. I was going for a "mood" thing, until it just became too much choice. I miss all the guitars... Because I like guitars. I'm still looking on CL eBay and clearly many of us cruise shops and website clearance sections. I'm just not buying anymore.

I'm with you on the tuning thing, the Tele is my go-to for Stones stuff (I really never wanted to play them, but the Mrs's loves them).

Being a jack of all trades in most thing in life, I am a master of none... I'll never be a Rory or Jimi, nor do I strive to be. I also can't possibly lock myself down to one style of music to try to excel at.

I don't love John Mellencamp, but he has one great line:
"Forget about all that macho crap, and learn how to play guitar"

[sumgai]

ux,


John M. did have it right!


And for the record, it was "a round, heavy food preparation device in aeronautical motion, on a vector expressly maintained to intersect with my momentarily stationary hatrack".


And newey, as to that alternate tuning thing..... I've got one word for you - Roland.

Remember what I said (or more properly, I quoted) about Joni Mitchell. She carried a dozen instruments around for years, because she never believed that EADGBe was a good thing - she gave equal opportunity to all manner of alternate tunings! But as she approached each succeeding tour, she dreaded all that work of hauling them around, not to mention the maintenance involved, she nearly quit the whole tour thing. Fortunately for her, and her fans, she was introduced to the Roland VG-8. That unit has several built-in alternate tunings right out of the box, but it also lets the user program in his/her own alt tuning, and save it for future use.

Ditto for each succeeding generation of that box. The latest being the GR-55, having no less than 12 different pre-programmed tunings and still a slot for something different from those, to be set up by the user (and stored in permanent memory, or until the user changes it). The VG-99 does all of that - twice! Two separate channels can be independently programmed, and a simple footswitch can toggle back and forth between either of two alternate tunings (pre-programmed or user-devised). That's probably enough to get most player's lathered up, doncha think?

But I digress....

In point of fact, I'm speaking to needs, specifically the need to play a guitar. It's physically impossible to play more than one guitar at a time, unless your name is Michael Batio. (And even then, I'd dearly love to see him whip out some proper two-handed Flamenco on that V-wing or X-wing of his.) Ergo, you physically need only one guitar, bottom line. All other considerations are, as newey points out, rationalizations. But, no matter what your reason for owning more than one axe, it's fine with me. Just because I prefer the KISS principle doesn't mean that everyone else has to adhere to it too, right? I'm cool with whatever you wanna do, I'm just speaking my mind on what works best for me, that's all.

We return you now to your regularly scheduled session on your psychiatrist's couch, already in progress.





sumgai

[JohnH]

I need several guitars for the same reason my wife needs several horses.

But I have no idea what that reason would be....

[newey]

Well, just to finish the thought process here, there is another good reason to have at least a couple of guitars on hand- for those occasions when friends stop over.

Actually, that may be the best reason of all.

[gumbo]

a definite +1 for Danny Gatton...

...and in spite of my own signature, I do try to keep it down to a dull roar (as I'm told to do...)
...the exception (after the two Strats) being the Bigsby Palm Pedalled 72 Custom RI Tele in C6 PSG tuning (which was not possible with a Strat body, so there..)

..and then there are the two Jazz Basses (albeit vintage Squiers)...you can't do that on a Strat either..

That's all I'm confessing to, for the moment..


Apart from that I agree with everything sg wrote on the subject... I figure if I can't walk 20 or 30 feet to get hold of a guitar when I get an "Inspiration", then the said "Inspiration" probably wasn't worth it in the first place....

BTW, similar things can be (and have been!) said about owning old cars, but I refuse to talk about that on the grounds of semi-marital bliss.



...peas be with you..

[sumgai]

Being prepared for an impromptu jam session in Chez Vous is not a bad idea. If your player friends can't be bothered to bring their own instruments, then whatever you've got on hand will just have to suffice. Nuttin' wrong wit dat!

And it now occurs to me that some folks like to switch up between electric and acoustic (how many acoustic-only jams have I been to?), or perhaps pound on a 7 string once in awhile, or a banjo/other Appalachian instrument, these are all fair game for being a secondary axe in one's home, no arguments from me on that one.


And to g-f-b.... I have a GR-55, so I can do a credible Jazz Bass on my Strat, he he he.... (But tone #391 is still my favorite! )





sumgai

[ux4484]

I really scoped the Roland after my Robot SG fiasco, and it's a Strat, so that's a plus. A cheaper alternative would be a Peavey AT-200 that can be had on eBay for under $300.


Wait... Was that just more GAS?

[Deleted]

Some of my coworkers spend yearly on bikes, others on car mods, others on hi-fi equipment, others who can hardly pay their rent, go and buy 20k euro BMW ....... motorcycle!!! (how does that sound?), and they change BMWs (motrocycles) 2-yearly, losing at least 5k at each purchase.
Bottom line, GAS is therapy. Nothing to do with art making or anything close to that. Accidentally some art might slip in, but GAS's main function is just that. The medicine for the overloaded, overstressed person/employee/husband/father who just gives and gives and just needs his 2m^2 (2 sqr meters) in this life (and some oxygen).
By using false assumptions and induction we could prove, that GAS is a dangerous disease with no cure or end. Also by opposite false assumptions and induction we could prove that one guitar is more than enough, but also one amp max (or the lack of it) is more than enough, and the use of many amp options, physical or virtual, hardware or software, roland or not is just an exageration. Taking it one step further we could argue that even a guitar is too much, and that a person should be able to express his/her melodies only by his/her voice, or that even that is way too physical, and one should try to express himself silently, by writing poems, or painting... There is no end actually to this argumentation.
What would be interesting is some kind of GAS management, description, classification and treatment (if needed) according to various factors.

Personally as i am, i would not sell any of my guitars (i have 4 electrics + 1 acoustic), The Aria strat? no way. the Kramer ? nope (although i dont play with this as much). The new Ibanez ARZ800 LP-style? (i have it for 1.5 years) no way. The Carvin DC135? NO! (for those who remember the marathon posts with Cyn1 and the chinese locking nut who finally got replaced by a gotoh)... The Yamaha acoustic apx500? nope....
But, in the house i think there is place for one more : this UV70p 7-stringer baby ...... If by end of 2014 i am still "in shape" i think this new ibby will be due!

[sumgai]

gd,

I take some exception to your arumentation. In point of fact, the statement that one can play only one quitar at a time does not equate in any way, shape or form to "one doesn't even need to have an instrument to express himself, etc.". As with a car or other mode of transportation, one does need one iteration of some device for a given purpose. It should've been easy for you to see this coming, but I'm gonna ask it anyways.... how many motorcycles can you ride at a single time? And the same for cars.

Now I grant you that vehicles are often specialized, and that you may wish to partake of those specialties, though it's a dead certainty that none of them will occur simultaneously. For instance, you drive a pickup truck to the races, towing behind it a mighty BMW customized and fine-tuned for road racing. You might also enjoy dirt biking out in the woods, so the next weekend finds you towing the stripped-down and hopped-up dirt bikes instead. But for daily driving to work, you take your Mini-Cooper.

In each case, a specialized need was best met with a purpose-built vehicle. And I agree that in the same vein, this could apply to guitars and various forms of music too. The only difference is, how much customization must be done to a guitar in order to achieve the desired results. And therein lays the rub.... My threshold of acceptance is much lower than most other players. To me, if it sounds about right, I can live with it, I don't have to be obsessive/compulsive to the last Nth degree in order enjoy what I'm doing, and more importantly, in order to persuade an audience to enjoy what I'm doing.

While I wouldn't take a 250cc Bultaco to the drag races, I wouldn't hesitate to use a Strat for just about any flavor of music you might imagine. Given a few minutes, I'm pretty certain I can work out a usable tone that no listener will find offensive to their sensibilities. That'd be easy, when compared to trying to transplant a Harley-Davidson motor in to that Bultaco just so's I could win the race.

But all in all, your point is well taken.   Even so, I must warn everyone that in regards to that 'threshold of acceptance' thing, YMMVW (your mileage may vary, wildly).




sumgai