GAS....a good thing?

[datalore]

Its weird that an article from 1996 on a Steely Dan website is trying to tell us collecting guitars isn't cool. Anyway the guy's argument is kind of moot in that he uses a session player as his example. A session played has to stay versatile and guitars are tools that enable this. The more guitars the more versatility the more possible jobs. Ever heard of a carpenter only owning one saw? Me neither.

Yeah, I've listened to enough Steely Dan to know that I'm not interested in their advice about anything. One could argue that needlessly accumulating instruments is wasteful and selfish, but there are plenty of arguments against that. First, if you buy smart, instruments are a pretty good investment. For example, if you buy a rare vintage instrument now, you can expect the value to continue to increase as long as the condition doesn't change significantly. Second, buying instruments helps to support the industries that supply tools to working musicians. Third, it's not like a great guitar collection is going to go to waste when one inevitably passes away. You can pass guitars down to your children, or they can go to close friends or other musicians. I'm not really a huge fan of seeing great guitars languishing in a glass display case, but that doesn't seem to happen all that often. I think it is possible to strike a healthy balance between owning guitars as useful tools and collecting them.

 

[ilyti]

I sometimes think that having so much gear is sort of the equivalent of being a weird cat lady

Well, sometimes it is:

 

[krypter]

And i suppose Steely Dan thinks that once you've seen one girl naked you've seen them all too.




Fuck that. This is rock and roll, damnit!


I'll take 3.......of everything.

 

[Treeunit212]

I don't have G.A.S. in the way of guitars or equipment. Hell, now that I have my dream rig setup, I don't see myself buying anything other than an 8 String in the next two years.

My problem is more in the way of things like Subwoofers for my truck, a bigger Zune before they all dissapear, and a nice laptop. Basically, as soon as I've bought something I've been saving for, I find something else to spend all of my money on.

Only 1200 watts of obnoxious, ear shattering, borderline illegal to drive through a town bass? only 32 gigs for my 20 gigs of music? My laptop is three years old already?

UNACCEPTABLE.

 

[datalore]

Well, sometimes it is:

Check out the forums here:
TGP Webzine

A large proportion of the threads are middle-aged tonequesters complaining about their inability to control their own gear-related spending. Lots of them are trapped in a very sad and unsatisfying cycle. Hoarding gear isn't nearly as fun as playing well.

 

[vanhendrix]

This is a subject that is very near and dear to me. While I LOVE buying a new guitar, there's really no pretending that this isn't a problem. It's an addiction just like any other (and as I often joke, slightly more expensive than crack).

I just finished my degree, working my balls off every summer to pay off school AND attempt to tone down the GAS (road construction - it sucks but with 100 hour work weeks running heavy machinery...big friggin money). The problem with that method is that it's also like a drug...you need a bigger and bigger hit just to keep the same high. I'm at the point where been modding my USA jacksons and my powerball willie-nillie for the past while, still dreaming of my next score. I can't seem to be satisfied with the amazing gear I've been lucky to be able to afford. $1000 in gear doesn't even make me blink anymore. That's a problem.

I have 17 guitars. You think i need 17 guitars? Shit No. I have about 40K in gear at my place right now, and while it is amazing to use it (it's a fucking JOY to use it - and I do play it live. I try to never use the same guitars twice in a row and I'm always switching. It's a nice feeling knowing that your gear is of such a high quality that it is 100% dependable and awesome) it's still something that I must take into account with every move I make. If I want a new place to live, to take a trip, to have people over, do ANYTHING, I need to keep in mind the fortune in easily-stolen-and-sold equipment that I have.

Here's where it gets really bad. Like I said, I now have a psychology degree, because I find that interesting as shit, but jobs in that field won't get daddy a new ENGL right away. I found myself searching for any job I was qualified for that made top dollar. I was actually abandoning a chance at having a rewarding profession so that I could make more money. The only way I could motivate myself to be a contributing member of society was to constantly have myself leapfrogging from guitar to guitar. That's just sad.

So here's what I'm doing. I'm moving all my gear back to my parents' garage (so it can be safe...eek), then taking off to Nepal. Because, fuck it, that's no way to live.

 

[Dayn]

I think of it this way:

GAS with money = buying anything on a whim.
GAS without money = a shitload of heavy research to hone in on that one guitar that will suit me best.

Thankfully I fall into that "no money" category, so that desire is channeled into something useful (and spendthrift). At least hitting up the Warmoth neck and body builder, trying to save as much money as possible, doesn't cost anything.

 

[ShadyDavey]

If you're lucky enough to be able to satisfy your GAS then all power to you - I may be slightly envious but ultimately I wouldn't deride anyone for possessing 100+ guitars and amps......Having a couple of different guitars for acoustic work, perhaps with a whammy bar, fixed bridge, 6, 7, or 8 stings?...totally understandable and reasonable - I don't think anyone would take issue with that....equally having a couple of different amps or effects processors for ambient jazz/teh br00tlz/shred.....totally acceptable.

The problems (as I see them) occur when you lose sight of music in the pursuit of GAS, or prioritise GAS over the more important things in life....food, paying the rent.....In the former case, be happy with what you have as long as it allows you to create and express your musical personality and in the latter...get a grip. Seriously.

It's human nature to covet and desire (I'd love an amp....I would quite like a different 7...) but if, for whatever reason, you simply cannot afford a room full of instruments it doesn't reflect negatively on you as a person and many fine pieces of music have been written with far less.

Don't let it burn you up from the inside with hate and jealousy.

 

[Fred the Shred]

The problems (as I see them) occur when you lose sight of music in the pursuit of GAS, or prioritise GAS over the more important things in life....food, paying the rent.....In the former case, be happy with what you have as long as it allows you to create and express your musical personality and in the latter...get a grip. Seriously.

This 110%. A lot of people completely lose track of the purpose of the gear, and start developing a point of view that moves all responsability for not being able to play certain things, making it an inadequate gear issue. I've seen some seriously obsessive versions of this wreck people's lives, and it is not a pretty sight.

 

[datalore]

That being said, I'm sure Petrucci has other guitars and will buy something if he thinks it cool but he's in a position where he can do that and not injure himself financially.

I don't doubt at all that Petrucci does own other guitars, but I really wonder if he does play anything other than his signature model these days. I've never seen him play anything else, but it is possible that he is contractually obligated to play his signature model for any public appearance.

 

[Vidge]

And i suppose Steely Dan thinks that once you've seen one girl naked you've seen them all too.

Haha thats a good point actually.

Im the same as some of the others throughout the thread, where I only have multiple guitars to serve a specific purpose; which primarily is different tunings.

Theres a guy in my town that is only about 22 years old, and has like 16 guitars... thats just ridiculous. I think what happens is when he goes through those "down" moments (as most musicians do...) where he loses the drive to play, he'll buy a new guitar in hopes to restart that drive.