thinning the herd - so to speak

DavidRees · January 2020

so many of my guitars do not get played on any regular basis so I am tempted to sell them on where they might be used for the purpose they were intended retaining one or two that I should give more musical attention to - anyone else done that?

I guess the same thing applies to stage level amplification equipment when all my playing is done either at home or small rooms and I have no need of something that would comfortably fill a medium sized hall - I think I might find this liberating in a musical sense to focus on where I am actually at rather than have a bunch of stuff just in case I ever did that gig again - am I unwell, is this anti GAS heresy?

Brize · January 2020

DavidRees said:

so many of my guitars do not get played on any regular basis so I am tempted to sell them on where they might be used for the purpose they were intended retaining one or two that I should give more musical attention to - anyone else done that?

Yes, and it's a liberating experience. Especially the bit where you use the proceeds to replace the guitars you've sold with new guitars.

skullfunkerry · January 2020

Brize said:

DavidRees said:

so many of my guitars do not get played on any regular basis so I am tempted to sell them on where they might be used for the purpose they were intended retaining one or two that I should give more musical attention to - anyone else done that?

Yes, and it's a liberating experience. Especially the bit where you use the proceeds to replace the guitars you've sold with new guitars.

I've never wished so fervently for the ability to lol and wis something

Fishboy7 · January 2020

I like the idea of being a one guitar guy, but I keep changing my mind on what that one guitar should be.

mrkb · January 2020

Fishboy7 said:

I like the idea of being a one guitar guy, but I keep changing my mind on what that one guitar should be.

Just be satisfied with being a “play one guitar at a time guy” it’s much easier.

DB1 · January 2020

skullfunkerry said:

Brize said:

DavidRees said:

so many of my guitars do not get played on any regular basis so I am tempted to sell them on where they might be used for the purpose they were intended retaining one or two that I should give more musical attention to - anyone else done that?

Yes, and it's a liberating experience. Especially the bit where you use the proceeds to replace the guitars you've sold with new guitars.

I've never wished so fervently for the ability to lol and wis something

Right, as a compromise, I've lol'd this and wis'd @Brize ;- that covers all bases.

grappagreen · January 2020

Some of us have been known to partake in similar activities

richardhomer · January 2020

If you’re thinking of ‘thinning the herd’, do you have a ‘Lester’ by any chance? Or possibly play ‘P&W’?

DavidRees · January 2020

@richardhomer 'fraid not ...

HarrySeven · January 2020

Brize said:

Especially the bit where you use the proceeds to replace the guitars you've sold with new guitars.

Story of my life...

Dan_Halen · January 2020

It breaks my heart selling anything because I’m a massive hoarder... however I’ve recently sold a bunch of stuff (couple of amps, couple of guitars and a bunch of pedals) that I rarely used and bought a couple of awesome new (albeit used) guitars.

I missed the old stuff for about the time it took me to spunk the proceeds on the new stuff. The new toys are things I’d lusted after for ages and I couldn’t be happier.

Unless something is super rare or has genuinely big sentimental value you can just buy it again if you miss it. Especially amps and pedals. I think you’ll find once the new toys arrive the old stuff will quickly be forgotten about.

DrJazzTap · January 2020

I always think about it, I sold a tokai es130 last year. Didn't desperately need the money, but it helped. Kind of regret it, but the 335 bodyshape feels a bit big for me.
I only have four electric guitars, so I dont have masses. And i can't think I'd want for anything else.

AlexWilmot · January 2020

At one stage I was at 9 guitars... then sold 7 of them before moving to the UK,
had collected all those guitars based off of "but If I wanted this or that tone"

but now my attitude is the you can only play one at a time and moving into a one bed flat with a partner just stresses the need for a low number with storage,

But I've just bought a 3rd as a project

joetele · January 2020

I've done this. Ten years ago, I had around 10 guitars. That went down to 5 after we moved house, and now I'm down to two electrics and one acoustic. Same with pedals - I had a board of 20 at one point, and now I've just got 9. And one amp. It's definitely liberating and means I spend more time creating than trying to get used to the latest guitar or pedal.

I was also trying to have enough guitars to cover every tonal base and style, when I eventually realised I'm not fussed on humbuckers and tend to favour singlecoils.

I even recently parted with my beloved Fender Tele I've had for over 15 years because I feel like despite loving the neck, I was constantly fighting it for the right sound despite various pickups I'd tried.

Now I've just got the Vintage V72 thinline Tele, which remains my favourite guitar, and the new Ibanez RC330T (NGD thread a bit further down on the Guitar section) which works nicely as an alternative to a strat.

mgaw · January 2020

I am having a clear out after coming to the conclusion that I am going to get better by playing the same guitar and becoming totally familiar with it and how it responds etc, and Mrs Mgaw lost the plot a bit recently at the ridiculous amount of gear coming and going with no obvious purpose

DavidRees · January 2020

just in case you all think I'm going stark raving bonkers the proceeds from any sale[s] will at no stage be used for any domestic trivia and are going straight into a box labelled 'music money'

I am just very mindful that some of the guitars, but certainly all the stage amplification equipment could be put to better use by someone else ...

mgaw · January 2020

its a shopping addiction I have, got f all to do with guitars apparently

she is right in my case I play more when not shopping nd browsing and researching the next thing

mark_jwedge · January 2020

I did this recently and cut down from 12 guitars to 3 electrics and one acoustic. All get used regularly as I play in a number of bands and so need a main and spare for each in case of a disaster at a gig. Have also massively trimmed my pedals to a Revival drive compact, light speed and HX stomp. Just have a main 50w plexi style amp with small dv mark micro 50 head as a back up ( again in case of disaster at a gig) and one 2x12 cab.

It was for 3 reasons mainly. Firstly I got fed up of carting so much stuff to gigs that I wanted to strip back to the bare essentials.

Secondly I came to the realisation that rather than have lots of good guitars that I liked to play, I would prefer a small number of exceptional guitars that I love to play. So I sold off a load and set off hunting for the little number I have that I love.

Finally I got a new girlfriend 18 months ago who is very supportive and like to come to see all the bands I play in. She said to me one day ‘why do you carry all those different guitars to gigs when they all just sound like a guitar’! And I realised that all you need to play live is a good sounding, solid guitar of your preferred type, not ‘one for Strat songs and one for Tele songs and one for LP songs’ etc.

Best thing I ever did

Rich210 · January 2020

It's a mathematical equation really...

The right amount of guitars equals 1 less the amount that would get you divorced

(nD-1)

For all us singletons it's simply

(n+1)

Don't be taken by Marrie Kondo, she's never played a guitar.

TTony · January 2020

Over the past 6 months or so, I've been through that purging thing and really cut down on the number of guitars.

I think it went down from 45 to 44.

Or it might have been 44 to 43.

I'll probably take a partsa apart soon too, so that'll be another one gone, at least until I turn it into a replacement partsa.

To be completely honest, it's been a while since I counted them.

Philly_Q · January 2020

TTony said:

I'll probably take a partsa apart soon too, so that'll be another one gone, at least until I turn it into a replacement partsa.

So dismantled partsas aren't counted? I think I'd agree, I probably have enough parts lying around to make about 20 guitars but I wouldn't include them in a count. Interesting that we all have our own stock control and recognition policies.

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thinning the herd - so to speak

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