Can we talk about owning many guitars?

[Powdered Toast Man]

First, I know the definition of "many" will vary depending on each person's own perception. For the sake of this thread let's say more than 10 guitars is many.

I own a total of 11 stringed instruments. Nine electric guitars, one acoustic, and one bass. At one time I owned only two electrics (a primary and a back up) and it seemed unfathomable to me that I would ever have close to a dozen. I find at this point that my GAS has seriously curbed and when it does surface all I need to do is remind myself how many things I've already got. There's a few pieces I'd really like still but overall I've got all the bases pretty covered.

Now for those of you who own a LOT of guitars, I'm curious about a few things. This isn't a bash or dig on the subject, I'm genuinely asking out of a curiosity.

1. How do you keep track of what you have? I sometimes have trouble remembering if I've got 5 Telecasters or 6 on the wall. When you've got 30 guitars, how does it not become a blur? How do you manage your collection?

2. When you GAS for new stuff does the cheaper stuff still turn you on? Like if you've already got a $5000 Les Paul, does buying a new Indonesian Epi still turn your crank?

3. At what point do you become a collector moreso than a player? Let's be honest, we all could probably get by with one or two guitars if all we were interested in was playing. I'm guilty of it myself. I recently divested myself of some amps because it was getting silly.

4. Do you play them all? When you could play a different guitar every week and not touch the same guitar twice for 6 months or even a year, how do you keep them all fresh in your mind (or hands)?

5. Something I have found as my collection grew is that I don't feel nearly as intimately connected with all of them. Back when I played mostly the same guitar for years, that guitar was like a part of me. I knew it like the back of my hand. Nowadays I don't have that connection with most of my guitars simply because there's so many and I play a different one all the time. I'm curious how those who have even larger collections feel about this.

Discuss!

Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

 

[BTMN]

Re: Can we talk about owning many guitars?

#1 I have a list.

#2 Bad ass guitars always turn me on and a bargain is a bargain. Thrill of the deal can still happen. Buyer remorse does creep in but then if I don't like something I move it along. Prime example. Always wanted a Hamer Firebird. Finally got one. Had to go within two weeks. Just wasn't me.

#3 Always knew I was a collector rather than a player by name. Most of all I am a lover of guitars all aspects.

#4 Some are just junk in my collection but for the most part I do play them even if it is not as regular as I might like with some. Best part is playing one after a period of time and remembering why you bought that one.

#5 Connection is a relative thing. Reconnecting is a good feeling too.

Old Hamer family shot

 

[Ayrton]

Re: Can we talk about owning many guitars?

No comment

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Can we talk about owning many guitars?

I have eleven electrics, a bass, and five acoustics. My motivation behind buying them is it keeps me eager to play; sometimes they can re-spark interest. Sometimes I'll just practice more for the sake of having a new guitar, or re-acquainting myself with an old one. So it causes me, in a way, to become more of a player and more of a collector.

I have a seven guitar stand for the cheaper ones (and a Squier bass,) my very cheapest guitar lays around wherever, the acoustics and the four "nice" ones are in cases, so it's not hard to keep track of. I do ultimately play them all, but some get played less than others; I have phases of interest in one guitar or another. Cheap guitars still appeal to me in a "what can they do, and what can I make them do" sort of way, whether that means modding, or seeing if I can get the stock pickups to work for me. That said, none of my guitars are that expensive... I have a couple or maybe three I could get near $1k each for on a good day, but I have a $50 Strat (with $70 pickups) that winds up getting about as much play-time.

As far as intimate connection... I don't really want commitment right now But back in college, I pretty much had constant hands on my Fender Jaguar, which was my "nicest" and sometimes only at the time. I bought a lot of my current "collection" to actually sell/flip, but couldn't bear parting with.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Can we talk about owning many guitars?

I have a lot of guitars but most are cheapies that didn’t start life as professional instruments...altho they are now.

I have two USA PRS Custom 22’s and three Korean PRS SE Singlecuts...all w/ Duncans.

One Gibson...a terrific ‘00 ES-335 w/Tom Holmes humbuckers.

One Taylor 710B dreadnaught, two Chinese Blueridge OM’s modded with Bob Colosi nuts and saddles and one Canadian made Seagull modded with Tusq nut and saddle. K&K pickups.

One Mark Jenny Parts o caster and one 80’s MIJ Fender Squire Strat. Duncan Antiquity or Fralin pickups in both.

One Fender Esquire and one 80’s MIJ Fender Tele Custom w/Duncan pickups.

So I have a lot of guitars but most are not worth much except to me.

I like to take cheap guitars and turn them into guitars that sound and play better than your expensive guitars.

 

[Thundermtn]

Re: Can we talk about owning many guitars?

#1. A list.

#2. No I still want to try hard to find stuff or weird ones, like Yamaha electrics with a samurai headstock, Epi Pro USA made shred sticks, & so on. The hunt is fun, and the score is sublime, especially if the standards are really high to begin with.

#3. As long as I attend a band rehearsal I'm a player, the minute I stop making music with other people I"m a collector/hobbyist. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just how my sick brain justifies a bunch of kick@ss guitars hanging around all the time. Having a large tonal palette is a good thing. I only have tonal backup for gig guitars, everything else is way different sounding from the other guitars. I'm not the guy that has 7 Les Paul's, all with PAF's. I have PAF's, EMG's, Lace Sensors, single coils, mega hot death metal humbuckers, etc... all in different guitars.

#4. All but two usually, but sometimes I play as many as four a night practicing. I go in cycles on what sounds cool to me at the time. I do have favorites though. Really to me it's like a bicycle, once I break one in I don't really forget what that guitar likes for playing style. My only problem is it takes me 5 minutes to get back used to longer scale stuff after playing a 24.75" for a while, going back to a short scale from a long doesn't bother me at all.

#5. Not me, I have three that are like coming home, they always feel right and I can squeeze every last drop of tone from them. My BCR Beast fits me so perfectly that it's almost like it was custom made for me. One thing that helps me is that I did buy them over a VERY long time period, and I typically never sell stuff, so I have tons of time on all of them.

Secretly in the deep recesses of my mind I know I'm getting pretty close to the limit though. I have some killer stuff that I feel guilty for not playing it as much as I did when I only had three. Then I think, "Someday I'll kick the bucket and all my kids and grand kids will end up with a sweet playing killer vintage axe." Make me smile b/c all my Grand Dad's guitars went missing when he passed and I have no family heirloom type stuff. They are all very much a connection to an era, and a person.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Can we talk about owning many guitars?

I like to take cheap guitars and turn them into guitars that sound and play better than your expensive guitars.

+1

 

[jeremy]

Re: Can we talk about owning many guitars?

1. i think i have about 20 but even the way i answer is telling you, i dont/barely keep track of what i have. i have a few that i play a lot. hamer monaco elite, hamer daytona, and a homemade strat have been getting the lions share of the work lately but i just pulled out a homemade tele for last nights gig. i just had to try and remember what i have and i think im forgetting at least one... 15 electrics, five acoustics, and one bass.

2. in general no, i kinda want a les paul but really only want a historic or custom shop but every once in a while i see a nice epi and im tempted

3. i regularly gig two to four times a week (playing in front of people for money) but i could totally get away with a lot less guitars

4. i go through phases of guitars. ill play one for a while then put it down for whatever reason (different gig or different sound or new pup or hardware or who****inknowswhat) i have a "plan" for most of them, meaning they are a work in progress. might be they need tuners or new saddles or a pup swap or new nut, there are very few im totally satisfied with.

5. ive been playing for 26 years. i dont buy guitars often and ive had most of these for 10+ years, there are four that i've picked up in the last few years. two off people on this forum. i have a good connection with most of my guitars and almost all feel like home to some extent. there is one that i will probably get rid of but mostly cause the neck is too small

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Can we talk about owning many guitars?

You're hitting on some very valid points and I have experienced the downfall of not "many guitars", but "lots" of guitars. Well, maybe more than "lots".

At over 50 guitars, yes, most are less personal than when I just had one or two. I DO lose track, not only of how many of what type of guitar, but especially about what pickups and strings I have in/on each guitar. I still get gas...for expensive guitars AND cheap ones, but all I have to do is remind myself of how many I have and the gas is quickly eliminated.

I love all of my guitars and I DO play them all (most of them. Some are collectible and I don't touch them) but not as much as I would like. When I only satisfied my gas by buying guitars I still had plenty of time to play them. But now most of my free time is spent building them and I have precious little time left for playing. Very discouraging/disappointing!

But I have to admit that I have a very strong connection to the ones I build. They are like my children.

 

[SAguitar]

Re: Can we talk about owning many guitars?

1) I have 3 bass guitars, all 5-strings, one with frets and two without. I've got one acoustic, just because you have to have one sometimes. And then I have 20-some electrics, because I love playing electric guitar! None of them are "on the wall," they are all in cases unless I am playing them. I only play at my church anymore but I still play very often. Each one is different and even though there are 8 Les Pauls in there, they all have their niche. So yeah, I have more than I need but I try to keep track of them, replace the strings fairly regularly and rotate them in the play schedule.

2) Somewhere along the acquisition curve, I became less susceptible to GAS. I still occasionally get the urge when I see something I like but over the last few years it has become easier to pass on opportunities.

3) For the first 20 years of my gigging career, I only owned one Les Paul (which I still have). Then I got the bug to try other guitars, and that was when Ebay was really starting to flourish. I started buying and enjoying a lot of guitars. I guess I may be a collector to some point because I do have more than I "need." But I have sold a couple of them in the last year or so.

4) I don't play them all enough so I am guilty of that. And when I do pick one up that I haven't played for some time, it takes me at least 45 minutes to an hour to reacquaint myself to the instrument to the point that I feel like I "own" it. I think it was Chet Atkins who said something like, "If you don't play a guitar for a long time it forgets you."

5) It is a challenge to remain intimately connected to a larger collection. I do have about 13 electrics that are played most often, and I am pretty close to them. Years ago, I was challenged by different scale lengths and even control positions but I think I have got past that. Each of my axes produce different colors and textures so they have their uses. Plus they each present the fretboard in a fresh way that causes me to play differently.

Good topic, thanks for bringing it up!

Stay tuned, Stan

 

[Little Pigbacon]

Re: Can we talk about owning many guitars?

I have 14 guitars, and I am mostly a collector at this point. My stuffed animals play them more than I do.

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Can we talk about owning many guitars?

I use everything I have either to gig with or record. They all sound and play differently. The only type of axe i have a multiple of is two teles purely for when i break a string at a gig.

 

[PS412]

Re: Can we talk about owning many guitars?

3 acoustics, 1 Martin backpacker, 1 weird acoustic slide guitar the wife picked up somewhere, 5 electrics with the 6th one coming in a couple of months.
#1 I remember. I think
#2 Yes
#3 I can't collect anything or have anything nice. It all gets well used.
#4 Play all the electrics many times, consistently. The acoustics not so much.
#5 Love em all.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Can we talk about owning many guitars?

Two acoustic
One nylon string
One mandolin
One autoharp
One upright bass
One violin
One electric bass
Seven (?) electric

As you can see by the question mark, I have trouble keeping track, and I don’t have that much.

That said, one of the acoustics, the mandolin, and three of the electrics get played a lot.

 

[kingsnake]

Re: Can we talk about owning many guitars?

I own 2 SGs, 3 teles, Pbass, and a strat. Also, various junk guitars i keep around for parts or future projects.

I rotate them. I will take one out and generally that will be all i play for a month. Out of sight, out of mind. So when i decide to switch, it's like catching up with an old friend.

I play my gibsons in the winter and fenders in the summer.

And yes, even w/all those guitars i still have always wanted a Les Paul. However, even though i can finally afford one, the current price/quality ratio of LPs has me a little nervous to buy one any time soon.

 

[Powdered Toast Man]

Re: Can we talk about owning many guitars?

I just want to add that the thrill of a good deal is hard to resist. If I come across a really good or unique piece at a great price I really want to jump at it. I've had to talk myself down more than a few times when drooling over some local Kijiji ad. ESPECIALLY if it's been sitting for a while and hasn't sold quickly.

 

[Wattage]

Re: Can we talk about owning many guitars?

I have about 16 pieces, I have a spreadsheet because I am always buying and selling something or another and not all are at my house. Some are in resto or on loan. I have 8 or so that are regular players, they range from budget to legit. Nothing earth shattering but good stuff.

I always want something, the unfortunate side effect of growing up loving Rick Nielsen, Joe Perry and The Rev I guess. High end, low end, funky, whatever I love this ****. I am very lucky to be able to have what I have and I am very grateful.

I hope I am always more of a player but I am sure there will come a day

I play whatever is playable at any given time and it depends on mood or style. Sometimes something sits for a while. If it does and I don't reconnect it'll usually grow legs.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Can we talk about owning many guitars?

I'm no collector whatsoever, never cared to be... and at this point ,sadly,no longer a player. I'm a tone junkie, plain and simple, with my 20 guitars, but also a huge concern with playability.

For me it's all about the tone or playability.For me, its somewhat of a dichotomy,yet there is a correlation.. I have many guitars in the one grand range I bought because technically they had all the right stuff for modern playability, yet ironically , my few vintage guitars that aren't ...do not have the modern advancements ( radiused fretboard, big frets, etc.) actually also play the best because of teh synergy or "feel" between tone and playability.

I know from playing so many beautiful old vintage guitars that a vintage guitar always plays and sounds better ( unless you play modern metal which is outside the parameters of 'ton'e and more into 'sound') because it's like a sports car that the tone and hand old world crafted construction with old growth tonewood gives you 'feel' which is the most important thing in playability
over and above any modern technology,but again, just if you want old school tone and not modern sound.

 

[BriGuy1968]

Re: Can we talk about owning many guitars?

I like to think of myself as both a collector and a player. For many years I was strictly an acoustic player but have really been into my electrics to the point that I barely play my acoustics anymore. There are just so many cool facets to electric guitars... pickups, woods, hardware, neck shapes, body shapes, electronic components, etc. I find myself in a constant state of wanting to try something different just because!

Currently I have 16 instruments... nine 6-string electrics, one 10-string electric, one 4-string electric bass, three 6-string acoustics (2 steel & 1 nylon), one 12-string acoustic, and a mandolin. I also have 3 projects (6-string electrics) in the works that should all be completed in the next couple of months.

1) All my instruments are hanging on display in the house (Mrs. BriGuy has the patience of a saint). I also name them all.

2) I love cheap stuff. Quite frankly I can’t afford the expensive stuff (family of seven). Don’t get me wrong... if I could afford expensive gear I’d be all over it! But I can’t so I satisfy my GAS on great deals and challenges/projects.

3) Collector vs player is something I’ve started to become more conscious of as my collection has grown, but like I said earlier I consider myself to be both. I see no reason to slow down on playing just because I’m collecting too!

4) I play most of them. My acoustics don’t get that much action lately and neither does my bass or mandolin, but I like to mix it up with my electrics. I actually go out of my way to bring different guitars to gigs just to make sure I play them all.

5) As far as the connection, I love them all for different reasons. Certainly some more than others but I have lost/sold/traded only four guitars over my 33-years of playing and I regret every one of them. Once I decide to pull the trigger on owning one it becomes special to me for varying reasons. To me they are parts of me instead of investments or possessions. I have built/assembled three so far and (as previously mentioned) have three more in the pipe. I’ve found that I really enjoy the projects and I always try to make them unique in some fashion. There’s just something awesome about taking an idea to reality... and then being able to rock the house with it! [emoji41]

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Can we talk about owning many guitars?

This topic is something I have been wrestling with myself.

I have more than I NEED, less than I want... : )
I do ok keeping track and try to rotate em around.

I dont buy just to accumulate like I once did. As far as "cheap stuff".. I own a couple of higher end guitars, but dont shy away from less expensive guitars if it is a good guitar with features I want, plays great and all. I mean, you can get some banging Epis and other brands these days at reasonable prices.

As far as collector or player.. Well, my playing level is just above a beginner and tho I buy to play them, Ive been accused of being a collector since I dont get to play that much and lack serious skills..

And yes, I do play them all.. rotate em around.

BUT, as I stated in the beginning... I struggle with this, cuz although I love them all and love having the options, I do feel guilty as my skill level is not worthy of my gear.. (nor is my bank acct) AND, I think there is alot to be said about really bonding with one or 2 guitars and learning the nuances and all. (SRV's #1, VH's Frankie, etc)

But, it would be TERRIBLY difficult to pick what ones to sell.