Is it possible to have too many guitars?

[Stratman]

Serious question, is it possible to have too many guitars?

Some thoughts to ponder...

1) You can play only one at a time.
2) Strings get rusty, when you don’t play the guitar often.
3) Wife complain that you have too many
4) Not enough room to store them all (Plus amps, pedals, racks, cases, etc…)
5) Some don’t get played for months even years
6) You keep on buying new guitars and parts even though you or only going to play your newest guitar a few times (Be truthful - you know that this will happen)

Just some soul searching...

 

[CTN]

Re: Is it possible to have too many guitars?

.................







....apparently not.

 

[Dr. Vegetable]

Re: Is it possible to have too many guitars?

Serious question, is it possible to have too many guitars?

Some thoughts to ponder...

1) You can play only one at a time.
2) Strings get rusty, when you don’t play the guitar often.
3) Wife complain that you have too many
4) Not enough room to store them all (Plus amps, pedals, racks, cases, etc…)
5) Some don’t get played for months even years
6) You keep on buying new guitars and parts even though you or only going to play your newest guitar a few times (Be truthful - you know that this will happen)

Just some soul searching...

It is a challenge to maintain (and use) a large guitar collection, and I am reaching some of the limits you describe. But I like the variety, and so I cycle through my guitars pretty frequently.

Wipe down the strings and hardware before you put them away. Get cases for everything. Store them in a climate-controlled room. Play them often - in a strict rotation of necessary. Learn to do your own setups and repairs.

There is nothing I do musically that demands a wide variety of guitars. They don't pay the rent for me. They take up space and demand my attention. And I'm fine with that.

 

[crusty philtrum]

Re: Is it possible to have too many guitars?

In some cases, even one is too many.

 

[Jocelyn]

Re: Is it possible to have too many guitars?

Serious question, is it possible to have too many guitars?

Some thoughts to ponder...

1) You can play only one at a time.
2) Strings get rusty, when you don’t play the guitar often.
3) Wife complain that you have too many
4) Not enough room to store them all (Plus amps, pedals, racks, cases, etc…)
5) Some don’t get played for months even years
6) You keep on buying new guitars and parts even though you or only going to play your newest guitar a few times (Be truthful - you know that this will happen)

Just some soul searching...

hmmm All the above points apply. Wife will also endorse point nos 1,4,5 & 6.

I rotate my guitars. But still storage is a concern and yes, one hardly ever gets any play.

 

[Artie]

Re: Is it possible to have too many guitars?

I've got way more guitars than I'll ever need. The problem is, they collect too easily, and it's difficult to get rid of one. I say . . . I need to sell a few. Then I go . . . no, not that one. Nope, not that one, etc., etc.

 

[aleclee]

Re: Is it possible to have too many guitars?

I think it is possible but the number varies from person to person. Some folks play more so they can have a bigger lineup. Others have deeper pockets so the wife doesn't care. Depending on how you store them, you can store a lot of guitars in a small space like a closet.

I'm getting ready to sell off a bunch of gear, not because it's too much but simply because I've concluded it's not for me. Some of the funds are earmarked for upgrades while much of the proceeds will probably just go into my pocket.

I guess my point is that for me, "too much" is as much about my affinity for the gear as the number of items. I have a few prices that I very rarely play but want to keep around because it's an exception example of its type. Fortunately, the climate and my sweat allow strings to remain playable for a good long time.

 

[Chocklit_Thunda]

Re: Is it possible to have too many guitars?

.................

View attachment 53017





....apparently not.

Yep... Apparently you can.... How much of that gets used regularly? Buying guitars just because they're for sale....

 

[blueman335]

Re: Is it possible to have too many guitars?

In some cases, even one is too many.

I've seen players like that.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Is it possible to have too many guitars?

Serious question, is it possible to have too many guitars?

Some thoughts to ponder...

1) You can play only one at a time.
2) Strings get rusty, when you don’t play the guitar often.
3) Wife complain that you have too many
4) Not enough room to store them all (Plus amps, pedals, racks, cases, etc…)
5) Some don’t get played for months even years
6) You keep on buying new guitars and parts even though you or only going to play your newest guitar a few times (Be truthful - you know that this will happen).

There's ways to offset that, like making some money gigging, or buying guitars at good deals and reselling them for a profit. It doesn't hurt to periodically thin out what you no longer use. You can have money coming in, and not just going out. That's the best way to do a hobby.

 

[Chris of Arabia]

Re: Is it possible to have too many guitars?

You can certainly own more than you can realistically makes use of

 

[Little Pigbacon]

Re: Is it possible to have too many guitars?

It's different for everyone, but for me there comes a point where I feel a little guilty about the ones that are just sitting around that I'm not playing. I remember one time I had made an appointment to go buy a guitar that I was pretty excited about. Just before it was time to leave for that, I was home playing one of my other guitars, just killing time. Well, this was a pretty sweet old Kramer Focus that just happened to be a perfect match for my Marshall, and at one point I was enjoying it so much that, when I looked at the clock and realized what time it was, I was bummed out that I had to put down the guitar I was playing and drive somewhere to buy another one. In that moment, I would have been happier just staying home with that Kramer.

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: Is it possible to have too many guitars?

Well one needs different guitars for different things. Strats, and Teles, and Les Pauls are all different with different specific uses, especially in a studio. A Super Strat might be needed for something that a Tele can't do and a Super strat does not do the typical Tele gig.

Then you got Fenders with ash/maple, alder/maple, ash/RW, alder/RW, various solid colors, tranparent colors, sunbursts, and various pickup combinations. You might need one of each.

An SG is not a Les Paul and you might need both with various pickup combinations and you need a Flying V just because it's so cool looking.

PRSs are such well made guitars, who wouldn't want one....
or more
You might need a bass or two.

What about an acoustic?

Having said all that I do 90% of all my playing on one electric guitar.

 

[Jeff5]

Re: Is it possible to have too many guitars?

It depends. If each guitar has its own purpose then probably not. I'm getting to a point where I will have 3 or so guitars for various drop tunings (not crazy expensive guitars but pretty good ones), two for standard tuning which I play in most of the time and a strat when I want that type of tone. (Paying SRV, etc.) This way, each guitar has a specific purpose, but the amount they get used is in relation to their value. Meaning that my lower value/quality ones which I use for various tuning (which are actually still really nice) most likely will get played less, and my best axes get the most use.

 

[jon the art guy]

Re: Is it possible to have too many guitars?

Well one needs different guitars for different things. Strats, and Teles, and Les Pauls are all different with different specific uses, especially in a studio. A Super Strat might be needed for something that a Tele can't do and a Super strat does not do the typical Tele gig.

Then you got Fenders with ash/maple, alder/maple, ash/RW, alder/RW, various solid colors, tranparent colors, sunbursts, and various pickup combinations. You might need one of each.

An SG is not a Les Paul and you might need both with various pickup combinations and you need a Flying V just because it's so cool looking.

PRSs are such well made guitars, who wouldn't want one....
or more
You might need a bass or two.

What about an acoustic?

Having said all that I do 90% of all my playing on one electric guitar.

My limit I imposed on myself is 1 single coils, 1 humbuckers, an acoustic and a bass and live with the lack of variety in the tones lying therein. These rules are by no means concrete as I have 2 boys who will NEED guitars too, so I plan on cheating somewhat.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Is it possible to have too many guitars?

Whatever puts you in the right mood to play today is the right guitar today.

Yesterday, I was pootling around on a Fender Am Std Jazz Bass with SD/Basslines Lightnin' Rods pickups in it. I stumbled across an riff and a sound that I would not have obtained from another instrument - not even another, supposedly "better", MIA Fender Jazz Bass.

 

[Securb]

Re: Is it possible to have too many guitars?

My limit I imposed on myself is 1 single coils, 1 humbuckers, an acoustic and a bass and live with the lack of variety in the tones lying therein. These rules are by no means concrete as I have 2 boys who will NEED guitars too, so I plan on cheating somewhat.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

My black Tele was my daughter's she lost interest in a month, score. I think it all has to do with the person and the maintenance of the guitars. The strings on my 12 string are two years old and they are not corroded or rusted. I think the maintenance aspect of having many guitars is part of the fun of owning them. Doing setups, changing pickups and just staring at the collection in awe.

 

[Falloffthebonetone]

Re: Is it possible to have too many guitars?

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Is it possible to have too many guitars?

Serious question, is it possible to have too many guitars?

Some thoughts to ponder...

1) You can play only one at a time.
2) Strings get rusty, when you don’t play the guitar often.
3) Wife complain that you have too many
4) Not enough room to store them all (Plus amps, pedals, racks, cases, etc…)
5) Some don’t get played for months even years
6) You keep on buying new guitars and parts even though you or only going to play your newest guitar a few times (Be truthful - you know that this will happen)

Just some soul searching...

Hmm...

Gotta go no on this.

1- I don't care how many I can pkay at once, would I buy a one room house? I can only be in one room at a time.

2 - If you have 2 or 3 or 15 guitars and have to worry about strings I suspect bigger issues in your life than simple owning too many guitars.

3 - If your wife complains about how many guitars you own, assuming you are not buying guitars while not paying the house or car payments you married the wrong woman and I again think you have bigger issues than simply owning too many guitars.

4 - If you by more guitars than you gave room for stop buying, move and/or get help

5 - So what. At least when I want or need it I will have it.

6 - Not true in my experience.


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[crusty philtrum]

Re: Is it possible to have too many guitars?

Over the last forty years, I've known people who have used basically the same guitar, through those who have owned many but play a select few, right through to those who buy and sell so often that they never really get to bond deeply with anything.

And there's nothing wrong with any of those approaches. But i do feel that untimately it might be good if people were honest about themselves .... maybe some of these people really enjoy the chase, the thrills of buying and selling, more than they enjoy playing. Maybe some feel some kind of security by owning a lot of 'special purchases'.

At my age, I can look back at my younger years when I too would buy guitars in some quest for ... something ... but i didn't really seem to know what the quest was. Perhaps in my mind, some guitar out there was going to provide the 'AHA!' moment when everything fell into place. But that never really happened in any lasting, meaningful way.

But further along my musical path, i think my contribution has got bigger, the contribution of the instrument somewhat less so. I've put more of the responsibility on myself, and less on the instrument. Nowdays I can walk into a music store and stand amongst 100 guitars and really have no interest in any of them, because i can do what i want to do with the instruments i already have at home. And I often feel i'd like to reduce the 8 electrics i have at home to half that number, despite all of them being useful and meaningful to me and my purposes.

So yeah, i think it's about the individual being honest with themself, what they are about in the world of music, and where they want to be going. If you enjoy collecting, be honest and follow that path. If playing is the most important thing, own what you need and are likely to use. There are no rules, but it certainly doesn't hurt to be honest with yourself about what you're trying to achieve.