What influences your GAS?

thegummy

My GAS has generally been fuelled by an OCD desire to have all the different sound bases at my disposal.

I.e. I rarely get GAS for another Strat since I already have one, but I get it for a Tele or a P90 guitar simply because I don't already have that option.

It's not because I actually want to play a song that requires that specific tone, just that I have this urge to have everything covered just in case (which is why I say it's OCD-like).

It's not a desire I like having to be honest and am trying to fight it.

Flanging_Fred

My GAS seems to be inversely proportional to the amount of meaningful (I.e. non-noodling) playing I'm doing.

Youtube, theFB and the inability to pass up a bargain (as long as I feel I might use it) are my main GAS culprits.

HAL9000

Having Telecaster written on the headstock.

NelsonP

I play a lot of Foo Fighters too. And I bought a Shiflett tele. I'd been in the market for something else, but it was in the shop, second hand, at a good price and played better than the American one I tried at the time. Part of me said it's sad fanboyism to buy a signature guitar, but the other part said, "why not, it's a great instrument and perfect for what you want to play".

I also have an Ibanez RG750, which I bought an awful long time ago when I thought that Steve Vai and Paul Gilbert were the best guitarists in the world. Although interestingly I never actually owned one of their albums.

So its fair to say that artists have a big influence on my guitar choices. Not sure about my playlist.

Now I'm gassing for either a 335, an Epi Casino (blame Gary Clark) or something with P90s (not sure where that one came from?!).

Nunogilberto

Usually the misguided belief that what I’m fancying is better than what I already have

Not always true.

Snags

Minor but largely controllable GAS gets brought on by watching too many of the wrong kind of YouTube channels (Andertons, That Pedal Show, any other interesting but light-hearted demo stuff).

Quite bad GAS attacks occur when I'm stressed with Other Stuff, generally a bit cheesed off, spend far too much time watching the aforementioned YouTube things to avoid dealing with what I should be, and potentially have something interesting happening on the music front in the near future. All of which builds up a wonderfully spurious justification of "It'll make me feel better; I need it because of <thing>; screw it, everything else is crap right now, I may as well blow some money on toys".  These days there's a 50:50 balance between sensible head squashing it, or Capt. Buggrit grabbing the credit card.

Very occasionally it's actual, objective, justifiable need. But I try not to let that happen too often, it takes the magic away.

Bucket

Well, I think the massive diversification of my listening habits over the last however many years has definitely influenced my GAS - it's why I want a vintage-spec Tele and an electric 12 just as much as a Strandberg 7-string or an ESP Random Star...

ICBM

HAL9000 said:

Having Telecaster written on the headstock.

This. Usually when I play someone else’s one.

They're probably my ideal guitar sound-wise, and I love the look and the feel of them - I honestly prefer the square body edges to a Strat - but it doesn’t take too long to remind myself that the switch position is a pain in the backside and there’s no trem. Unfortunately neither of these things can be cured without taking away something of what I love about them - that industrial simplicity and directness.

guitarfishbay

ICBM said:

HAL9000 said:

Having Telecaster written on the headstock.

This. Usually when I play someone else’s one.

They're probably my ideal guitar sound-wise, and I love the look and the feel of them - I honestly prefer the square body edges to a Strat - but it doesn’t take too long to remind myself that the switch position is a pain in the backside and there’s no trem. Unfortunately neither of these things can be cured without taking away something of what I love about them - that industrial simplicity and directness.

Have you ever tried the Rockinger plate?  It has the volume pot moved away from the switch, a noticeable improvement IMO.  This is how it should always have been made as far as I'm concerned, barely changes the look as well.



https://www.rockinger.com/index.php/en/Rockinger-Control-Plate-for-Tele,-SPECIAL/c-WG152/a-2500C

They also seem to sell an angled one which might achieve the same thing, I haven't tried it. https://www.rockinger.com/index.php/en/Control-Plate-for-Tele,-Angled-Switch/c-WG152/a-2503C

meltedbuzzbox

musical inactivity

Teetonetal

meltedbuzzbox said:

musical inactivity

This. Not having a project puts me in gadget buying mode.  I am not the type to really do solo material, I prefer to be in a band or collaborate - remove those and it gets spendy.

HarrySeven

A pathological need to acquire stuff I like.

Teetonetal

ICBM said:

HAL9000 said:

Having Telecaster written on the headstock.

This. Usually when I play someone else’s one.

They're probably my ideal guitar sound-wise, and I love the look and the feel of them - I honestly prefer the square body edges to a Strat - but it doesn’t take too long to remind myself that the switch position is a pain in the backside and there’s no trem. Unfortunately neither of these things can be cured without taking away something of what I love about them - that industrial simplicity and directness.

Never understood that switch issue thing. I really like the Tele placement compared to lp and strat.

slacker

meltedbuzzbox said:

musical inactivity

Quoted for the win. 

I've always bought guitars between bands. I sold an SG on here in 2015 in order to get something else. Then I started playing acoustic a lot and havent bothered. Now I'm so fussy I cant find anything. 

I am gassing for  a Rick Turner. I am hoping that when I try one it's awful. I suspect that they are not. 

tony99

currently posted far from home

my strat and boss Kat 50 are back home

I have GAS but what can I do, learning to deal with it, little by little, take each day as it comes, and...you know....some days are harder than others....

sometimes I curse the day God gifted me with tonefingers, other days I just smell the newly mowed grass and think ..mmmm d major

I'm dealing with my affliction

usedtobe

My GAS is mostly driven by what looks really cool, today..

ICBM

guitarfishbay said:

Have you ever tried the Rockinger plate?  It has the volume pot moved away from the switch, a noticeable improvement IMO.  This is how it should always have been made as far as I'm concerned, barely changes the look as well.

That only partly cures the problem - I would still smack the switch constantly. Having it in line with the knobs just makes it impossible to 'sweep' it forwards with the side of your hand even with the knob moved back a bit too, even though I think it actually looks better.

guitarfishbay said:

No. Looks awful . And it's still in the same place really - if anything it's going to be easier to knock, like a Strat switch is.

Actually an Esquire with the 'empty slot mod' would be a possibility, but I do like the neck pickup unfortunately...

The bigger problem is the lack of a trem, anyway - a Bigsby isn't the solution, it changes the feel and sound too much. I've owned a factory-fitted 1969 Bigsby Tele, it just never had the resonance and power that a fixed-bridge one does - it's a circle that can't be squared.

But knowing me, I'll still buy another one at some point anyway .

warhead

I have absolutely no gas at all when having more gigs with my band. However, I "need/want" everything and anything while being at home not touching what I have for days...........(weeks)?

HAL9000

guitarfishbay said: vi

ICBM said:

HAL9000 said:

Having Telecaster written on the headstock.

This. Usually when I play someone else’s one.

They're probably my ideal guitar sound-wise, and I love the look and the feel of them - I honestly prefer the square body edges to a Strat - but it doesn’t take too long to remind myself that the switch position is a pain in the backside and there’s no trem. Unfortunately neither of these things can be cured without taking away something of what I love about them - that industrial simplicity and directness.

Have you ever tried the Rockinger plate?  It has the volume pot moved away from the switch, a noticeable improvement IMO.  This is how it should always have been made as far as I'm concerned, barely changes the look as well.



https://www.rockinger.com/index.php/en/Rockinger-Control-Plate-for-Tele,-SPECIAL/c-WG152/a-2500C

They also seem to sell an angled one which might achieve the same thing, I haven't tried it. https://www.rockinger.com/index.php/en/Control-Plate-for-Tele,-Angled-Switch/c-WG152/a-2503C

...or reverse the plate so that the switch is at the other end 

GuyR

A need to justify my previous choices by repeating them.