Have you considered paring back to just one or 2 guitars?

mark123

how do you decide which ones to sell?ive been playing 5 for the past 2hrs as i want to put 3 on before the £1 deadline tonight on e bay ...2 hrs on i still cant make my mind up ! any tips?

ICBM

mark123 said:

how do you decide which ones to sell?ive been playing 5 for the past 2hrs as i want to put 3 on before the £1 deadline tonight on e bay ...2 hrs on i still cant make my mind up ! any tips?

Imagine the house is on fire. Which two do you pick up and run out with? (Assuming all family members and pets are already safe.)

Sell the other three.

kt66

I could happily live with just my Rick 340 and Guild JF65 forever, but life really is too short, and guitar buying is a lot cheaper than CBT counselling

Nitefly

Considered it?  Often.

Done anything about it?  Nope, I seem to have become a serial procrastinator 

Dave_Vader

SlopeSoarer said:

Let's say theoretically you've chosen to go down to one or two (sounds like some of you have), what would be your pickup choice/configuration (if electric)? 

My current main squeeze has dual P-rails so it can do Humbucker/P90/Stratish noises

I was surprised when it quacked the other day after setting to both strat rails (I don't use that setting a lot). Not as good as my actual strat, but good enough for being drowned in a mix.

peteri

Interesting thread, 

My journey has come to the conclusion that I'd like to but no I can't - reason being as others have said, firstly there are so many lovely guitars out there - and this is a hobby, fascination, source of pleasure for me - so why limit myself?

My main guitar is (much to my surprise) a Les Paul, my second (even more to my surprise) an Esquire - both are absolutely stunning, stunning instruments and I've thought long and hard about just keeping those two.

But then I love my Strat, and it covers ground the other two don't - when I want to play a Strat

Similarly, my Feline Super Strat does something the others can't

So I'm up to 4 already! Plus the acoustic etc.etc.

It doesn't make me a lessor or better player it means when I want to try some SRV I play a Strat, when I want Eddie - the Feline, when I want to noodle the Les Paul or Esquire

I think the key thing is to maybe have one of each - that's sensible to me, but make sure that one is absolutely the best you can find/afford - that's my current position (this week!)

If all I wanted to be was myself, and people were willing to pay me a lot of money to (badly) play the pentatonic scale - I think then yes, one guitar would be easier - but by then it would be a job not a hobby, big difference!

thegummy

Dave_Vader said:

SlopeSoarer said:

Let's say theoretically you've chosen to go down to one or two (sounds like some of you have), what would be your pickup choice/configuration (if electric)? 

My current main squeeze has dual P-rails so it can do Humbucker/P90/Stratish noises

I was surprised when it quacked the other day after setting to both strat rails (I don't use that setting a lot). Not as good as my actual strat, but good enough for being drowned in a mix.

Never really sure what "quack" refers to on Strats.

Is it the inbetween positions? If so, I never get that sound from neck and bridge together, only from middle and neck or middle and bridge.

thegummy

Here's a good question - has anyone successfully cut down their guitars or deliberately stopped thinking about gear etc. And have it lead to more time practicing and learning?

It seems to be what we all want but I wonder if it's worked?

stickyfiddle

thegummy said:

Here's a good question - has anyone successfully cut down their guitars or deliberately stopped thinking about gear etc. And have it lead to more time practicing and learning?

It seems to be what we all want but I wonder if it's worked?

I did when I was gigging originals. I had no money for guitars, so I didn't think about it much - that was my Tele and CS336. I'd swap between them for inspiration, but was happy playing almost any of our material on almost any guitar, because I knew those 2 well enough to make one imitate the other perfectly well when needed, e.g. to keep a set flowing rather than have a break and switch for the "perfect" tone.

DB1

'Hi, my name's Dave and I'm an utter dickhead'....

I've read this thread with interest. I'm a bedroom player these days, so really don't NEED very much, but I started late three years ago and decided to buy and play as many as I could. I must have got through over 90 guitars in that period - about 50 or so Gibsons, Gretsches and Fenders alone. 

Yes, as regards to @TimmyO 's question, I've thought about paring down, although I've bought at least 13 his year so far (two in the past three days!), so clearly not thinking too much about it. I alternate between wanting a collection of iconic vintage and modern guitars, and wanting the cash back for other purposes. I also tend to pick guitar after guitar up every night, which I think hampers my learning, as I must be trying to justify my 'collection' by playing them every day. 

One day, I'm sure I'll sell most of them to put towards a house move or something, or I might even get bored. Trouble is, I enjoy it too much at the moment, and am terrible for letting things go. I'm also terrible for keeping things, so that's an interesting frigging conflict!

I did have 32 at one time, but now have about a third of that, although sort of higher end and/or vintage stuff. So far this year, I've bought a CS Strat (sold it and am buying it back again), a 40th Anniversary Strat (for sale) an Alvarez MF-1000, a Gibson J45 Celebrity (sold), an Atkin Forty-Three, a Herb Ellis ES-165 with a Lollar CC pickup, bought it Friday, loved it, then hated it, nearly sold it, then changed strings and loved it again), an ES-275, a 1958 ES-225, a 1960 ES-175 (sold), a 1955 ES-175 (sold), a Taylor GS Mini (sold) a PRS Hollowbody, Lipe Soldato (sold) and I'm sure there are others. I've sold lots as well, but have also said yes to a 335.

I'm agonising over whether to sell my 1938 ES-150, because there aren't many knocking around (obviously) but I want a 1950 Western Jumbo. I clearly need help. Perhaps a bank loan.....     

Edit: Oh, and a Gretsch Country Gent (bought and sold)

Philly_Q

@DB1 You're not an utter dickhead, unless you're starving to death and your bills are unpaid.

Sounds like an impressive collection (at least it was when you made that post, who knows what's happened in the last 10 minutes ).

Out of interest, with all that buying and selling going on, what's your preferred method of selling?

noisepolluter

thegummy said:

Here's a good question - has anyone successfully cut down their guitars or deliberately stopped thinking about gear etc. And have it lead to more time practicing and learning?

It seems to be what we all want but I wonder if it's worked?

Not as such - but after a house move last year I recently finally sorted out a tidy, comfortable practice space in the spare room, and have since found that my playing time is more enjoyable and constructive, and I’m thinking a lot less about buying more stuff/re-jigging the pedalboard etc. So in that sense, I could say that a less cluttered setup has made me a happier, more productive sort-of-musician.

DB1

Philly_Q said:

@DB1 You're not an utter dickhead, unless you're starving to death and your bills are unpaid.

Sounds like an impressive collection (at least it was when you made that post, who knows what's happened in the last 10 minutes ).

Out of interest, with all that buying and selling going on, what's your preferred method of selling?

Bless you @Philly_Q , but I am, I insist!     Mrs DB1 also agrees, so that's final. It really is. Well, the collection's currently a CS Strat, 40th Anniversary Strat, an incoming blonde 335, an ES-275 (P90s), PRS Hollowbody, the Atkin 43, Alvarez MF-1000 ES-165 Herb Ellis, ES-225, ES-125, ES-150 with a couple of others being 'negotiated'. The last 10 minutes has been relatively uneventful, if you ignore an offer to buy the PRS, Atkin and the 40th Strat......

It's almost always face to face buying and selling, and I avoid PayPal - just cash, transfer, a cup of coffee and a chat, whether it's buying or selling. That way, the process becomes enjoyable again. I was down in London (from Stafford) on Friday buying the ES-165 and up in Ormskirk (Sound Affects Premier) buying the Alvarez on Saturday, and I don't mind travelling to buy a guitar, or travelling to show a guitar to a prospective buyer. Luckily, with being self-employed, I have the job freedom to be able to manage that and I enjoy it. 

I've met some nice people from here and (to be fair) from eBay as well. There have been very few people who I haven't really enjoyed dealing with, and I always try and treat people how I'd like to be treated, because guitars are a big financial and emotional commitment. Hopefully, I've always done the right thing by people that I've sold a guitar to. As far as buying is concerned, I mainly go to three dealers, and looking at the list above, only two were bought privately - the ES-275 from @Brize who, again, was great to deal with, and the ES-125 about three years ago from a lad in Kent who was selling his dad's stuff.

I get through loads of them because I'm trying to find 'the one', or the 'two/three/four' I guess, and also want to make up for lost time, I suppose. I do think that my practice suffers because of it though. 

Musicwolf

I'm not cutting down on my guitars (7 elec, 2 bass, 2 acoustic) but I'm not planning to buy any more.  If I carried on working I could be buying myself something custom shop every year without any difficulty.  Instead I've decided to retire early (I'll be 56 when I finish) and spend more time with the guitars that I already have.

Having announced my retirement people, wife included, keeping saying to me "what are you going to do?  You can't just play the guitar all day".  Well yes I bloody well can! 

Philly_Q

DB1 said:
I get through loads of them because I'm trying to find 'the one', or the 'two/three/four' I guess, and also want to make up for lost time, I suppose. I do think that my practice suffers because of it though. 

@DB1 I went through that phase about 10 years ago I suppose, although I was never really trying to find "the one".  It was relatively cheap stuff at that stage, too, and exchange rates were favourable.  I did a lot of buying and selling.  Nearly all the selling on eBay - but now I'm a bit frightened of eBay, there are so many horror stories, although I personally never had any total disasters.

Nowadays I don't buy anywhere near as many guitars, but I have crept up the price scale.  And I've got out of the habit of selling so the numbers have mounted up, unfortunately.

Glad your buying and selling experiences have been good.  Sounds like an enjoyable approach, although I couldn't do all that travelling.

DB1

It's (believe it or not!) slowing down a bit as I'm finding out a few things that I do and don't like, for example Gretsches don't really suit me. I've had 11, I think, in the past 3 years, and have never really bonded. I don't know why, because I really like them, but have never missed one after it's gone. There are a small amount that I've missed - my CS Strat, a slim necked 1990 ES-335, a Godin Montreal Premier Supreme Winalot (or something like that) and my L-5 Signature. 

But the rest? Not really, although the recent 1960 ES-175 was lovely as well. I'm a terrible hoarder as well, which doesn't help, but I'm fine once they're gone - it's just the decision-making process that leaves me an emotional wreck! 

Dave_Vader

thegummy said:

Dave_Vader said:

SlopeSoarer said:

Let's say theoretically you've chosen to go down to one or two (sounds like some of you have), what would be your pickup choice/configuration (if electric)? 

My current main squeeze has dual P-rails so it can do Humbucker/P90/Stratish noises

I was surprised when it quacked the other day after setting to both strat rails (I don't use that setting a lot). Not as good as my actual strat, but good enough for being drowned in a mix.

Never really sure what "quack" refers to on Strats.

Is it the inbetween positions? If so, I never get that sound from neck and bridge together, only from middle and neck or middle and bridge.

It is the inbetweeny out of phasey Nile Rogers thing yeah.

And I've never got it from a neck and bridge before either. That's why I was surprised, I think it's because they're the inner coils and a bit closer together than you'd get on a strat or a tele.

I was very surprised and/or pleased about it. P-Rails are good things.

ICBM

Dave_Vader said:

It is the inbetweeny out of phasey Nile Rogers thing yeah.

Which is funny, since Nile almost always uses only the neck pickup...

thegummy

ICBM said:

Dave_Vader said:

It is the inbetweeny out of phasey Nile Rogers thing yeah.

Which is funny, since Nile almost always uses only the neck pickup...

That's what came to my mind too but I understand the reference since a lot of people do use the in between positions for that style.

That's actually what I want to learn next on guitar, that style. I'd never been in to funk before but I've found Vulfpeck and getting really in to it.

monquixote

Cory Wong only uses neck / mid

He also uses a cheapo am special strat.

I think we could all learn from that