Have you ever bought a guitar that solved your G.A.S. for a while?

[diogoguitar]

Have you guys ever had this? Like, you buy a guitar knowing it's going to be the only newer one for a while?

I remember in college, I was so broke and only had a SSS strat. When I managed to buy an Ibanez, it was the bliss point. I was happy with it for a long time and didn't buy anything for a long time. Well, part of it is I couldn't afford anything else.

Eventually, I learned so much about gear, then started to buy and sell guitars in a somewhat quest for "the one". I wonder if you guys ever had this experience of getting one and be done with it for a long while. Thoughts?

 

[John]

A couple of my PRS guitars have largely curbed the gear acquisition syndrome/temptations from over the years, and they've been my main guitars to keep and use after all this time.
Yes there's a few other instruments I'd pick up, assuming there's an availability, such as my 90's Eclipse guitars and both of my custom builds for me. But for the most part, I've avoided the unenviable rabbit-hole of going through a bunch of guitars with reckless abandon whilst burning through funds along the way, but without being happy in the long term.

 

[MatthewK]

Only had a Tele for the last couple years. I get tempted sometimes, but when I play it I have a hard time believing I'd like anything more. Maybe because it's one of the only guitars I got that was good right out of the case, never messed with intonation or saddle height. It was good from the start and has stayed that way. Sometimes I'm tempted to put noiseless pickups in it, but I don't know if that's really necessary and I really don't want to mess with it. I do like to play with a lot of gain sometimes and do shreddy stuff, and you can do it, but maybe something else would be better. But it does that twangy country sound and beautiful chimey clean/low gain, no super strat or whatever is going to match that. Anything is a compromise and I think the tele is a good one for me. I think working with limitations is a big part of what gives you an identity.

 

[mbardu]

That was the purpose of the custom I just had built.
Instead of jumping around from brand to brand and model to model where the features were not 100% there and it would leave me wanting, I got the thing I wanted all along made how I wanted it.

It's only been a month since I received it, granted- but in that time I have stopped looking at Reverb, actually sold a couple of guitars instead of looking at new ones (selling a couple more as we speak), and am practicing quite a bit more than the last few months.

So this might be it!
It does help however that I've been through tons (maybe literally) of guitars before that in order to know what I wanted..

 

[NeubyWanKaneuby]

I have the guitars that I want, but have wanted to try a couple of different things lately. I already took one back, and will probably take back my current purchase, too.

 

[High Plains Drifter]

Yes... Each and every guitar that I've bought that have carried the disclaimer: "Honey... This is the one that finally completes my collection and has totally extinguished my GAS issues!". Usually lasts until more money becomes available.

As long as I still think that the final piece of the puzzle is out there somewhere, my GAS never truly ceases but my Reverend TA Eastsider tele got me awfully close. If I can find single-coil tones with 24 stainless steel frets and an ebony board scalloped from the 12th up... I'll be done.

 

[Dayn]

Oh yeah, all the time. That's why I keep coming up with creative ways to fabricate new needs.

Speaking more seriously though, at least in relation to electric guitars only, I've finally hit my saturation point. All four do sufficiently different things that the others can't do, and while there are a lot of things I would love to have, and will probably get a few more if the time is right, they're not really necessary. I had an 8-string as my sole guitar for nearly a decade, so I got a 7-string with a floating bridge. A few years later I got another 8-string, used a weird tuning, got sick of it and found it instead worked perfectly a step down from my other 8-string. Then I got a 10-string to cover off literally all the range I could ever want.

Now I can cover all uses I could really want and I'm sated. There are more things I want, but they're far more niche than what I have. It's like, I had a good meal and dessert, I don't really need another dessert. If it's amazing I won't turn it down, but...

 

[KnightBrolaire]

GAS is a chronic incurable condition. You will never kick it once you have it. I would know, I've had stage 4 GAS for years now.

 

[Steinmetzify]

Worked for me for the most part.

My main 4 guitars are a LP, a Telemaster, an RGA121 and an ESP Viper. I own other guitars but those get played the most.

All do different things, I’ve owned all of them before I went on a 30 guitar buying rampage to see what I liked; I bought back the ones I missed/enjoyed playing the most and I’ve stuck with those the last few years.

That being said the only guitar I’ve jonesed after even low grade the last 4-5 years is the Adam D Caparison sig, because I love one pup guitars (I’m stupid like that) and I’ll more than likely end up with that later this year.

 

[odibrom]

... it depends on the "for a while" size...

 

[STRHelvete]

Okay so I have found "the one".

My Dean ML Select is as perfect as I could ever get without going custom shop and even then it'd be for minor cosmetic stuff. I don't want anything else...BUT..now I want more of those. I'm browsing sites for a used one at a decent price to snatch up so I have a second one. I'm also waiting to see if Dean releases a new one in a different color (hopefully white or something) and I'd buy it.

So technically my GAS is cured with the exception of I want more of the guitar I have.

 

[budda]

Coulda stopped at the S2 satin singlecut. Could more than double my bank balance if i sold off all the high end guitars ive bought in the last year (last march was my first over-2k purchase in years and theres been many since).

But I dont need to, so its buy try sell while trying not to lose much if any money.

My problem is im great at finding unique guitars lol.

 

[STRHelvete]

Coulda stopped at the S2 satin singlecut. Could more than double my bank balance if i sold off all the high end guitars ive bought in the last year (last march was my first over-2k purchase in years and theres been many since).

But I dont need to, so its buy try sell while trying not to lose much if any money.

My problem is im great at finding unique guitars lol.

So...funny story..a custom ML would be about 4500.

I kinda want it...it's so goddamn dumb and super expensive for no logical reason but god dammit I want it. So much for GAS cured.

 

[budda]

So...funny story..a custom ML would be about 4500.

I kinda want it...it's so goddamn dumb and super expensive for no logical reason but god dammit I want it. So much for GAS cured.

Treat yo’self.

 

[STRHelvete]

Treat yo’self.

I just found another ML Select for 700 shipped. Went with that instead and I'm gonna give it the John Sykes Les Paul makeover. That'll hold me over.

 

[budda]

I just found another ML Select for 700 shipped. Went with that instead and I'm gonna give it the John Sykes Les Paul makeover. That'll hold me over.

With all the money saved moving to digital, treat yo’self.

 

[Cheap]

I like to think my gas has been cured after my Mulecaster showed up last year but I know better…

Right now I’m just taking it day by day proud of myself for resisting the impulse to grab another one. Generally I’m not huge into multiple guitars though—I’ve always tried to find one guitar that can do it all and of course that’s not actually real but this Mule does everything I need for the sounds in my head while also having what I think is the most comfortable neck out there. I’ve had a lot of late nights online shopping where I’ll pick up the Mule and think ‘there’s just nothing that will top this for me’. Gotta stay strong and hold on to that feeling while it lasts

 

[jco5055]

For me, there's a few versions of this:

1) When I was younger and didn't have disposable income (so think college and younger overall) then whenever I did get a new guitar that was the one I was stuck with for years. It's interesting how my mindset was back then, I think I was less picky of course and also looking at just the typical high end $2-3k guitars was like me looking at Toones now in terms of just too expensive for me to ever get haha

2) when I've ordered a custom guitar new, so then I'm stuck with what I have currently while I wait for months to get the one I ordered haha

3) This hasn't happened yet, but the ideal: where for all intents and purposes it's my "forever" guitar, but just with technology advancing and new features/builders etc it may be eventually replaced. But if all of a sudden no new guitar tech or anything could ever be made again, then this would truly be a lifer.

 

[bostjan]

I've only ever had a few "main guitars" in my life:

When I started, I was actually not too thrilled about the guitar I had to start, but once I got my first electric guitar, I was pretty stoked about that. Once I was actually playing, though, I really wanted a seven string tele (which, at the time, did not exist).
1. I achieved my goal and got a nice American Standard Tele, and that was my main guitar for a few years.
2. Once the RG7 came out, I still wanted a seven string, so I got one of those. It was my main guitar for hundreds of gigs.
3. Once I had upgraded my amp and formed what I thought to be more informed opinions, I decided to spring for a custom. I nabbed a BC Rich Mockingbird 7, and that instantly become my main guitar for the next four bands I was in, and I played hundreds, if not over a thousand gigs with it.

But the MB7 was super heavy, and I it was seriously hurting my back. So I started playing my Parker more and more whenever I didn't have a solid plan for the low B. I decided that I wanted a Parker Fly 7 string, but those didn't exist. I had two Parkers and my MB7 that I was taking to gigs, using the MB7 about 60% of the time, a standard Fly 20% of the time, and a downtuned Fly 20% of the time. I started hounding Parker more and more to make some sort of a seven string. I was flat out told that they'd never do it. Then I wandered in here and found Dan from Oni guitars. He made me a guitar that checked all of the boxes: multiscale stainless frets, composite everything else, eight strings, microtonal frets, piezo, guitar synth, and all weighing in around 1 kilogram! It's been my #1 main guitar ever since.

But.... I also like to play 19 notes per octave, so I also have a mod'ed Agile Sceptor 727 as my main guitar for my side projects.

So

4 and 5. Oni CF8 and mod'ed Agile Sceptor 727-19-tone.

Once I started mod'ing stuff, though, you might say I went off down that rabbit hole with cheap guitars and expensive mods... I think it's just part of the human condition to want to constantly have something going on. That thing will almost assuredly cost money - maybe it'll make money back or maybe not, but I can't believe anyone ever gets their dream guitar and then doesn't start immediately looking at their amp or their studio setup or, perish the thought, start collecting vintage crap just for the sake of collecting.

 

[DoctorStoner]

I wanted a Carvin since I was in college in 07/08. But I bought a Loomis back then because it was a few hundred bucks cheaper and had everything I wanted. I played it constantly for 10 years and only picked up some projects along the way, and a Les Paul because I wanted 1 nice 6 string. But that Loomis was perfect and still is (for a 7 string). But then I wanted an 8 string, so I got a used Vader to try out Kiesel, liked it, and ordered my Osiris to my specs. I don't think I'll ever want another guitar. It is absolutely perfect.

TLDR: Les Paul - perfect 6 string, Loomis - Perfect 7, Osiris - Perfect 8.