HELP! I can't stop buying guitars

[Dani Pace]

Hello I'm Dan, and I'm a guitaraholic;

My wife says, "Oh my God!!! Not another one!!!" At least once a month. I can't explain it. I just saw it and it was such a good deal I had to buy it. I didn't need it, don't really even want it, just couldn't stop myself. I admitt it, I'm a guitar junkie... gotta have one more... if nothing else, it has parts I can use. Brand and condition are no longer important! It's another guitar and I want it! Music stores, pawn shops, junk stores, yard sales, flea markets, I make my rounds searching for my next fix! (or fixer upper)

Surely I'm not the only one! There have to be others who can't resist the urge to add to out collections. How did we get like this? Is it an obsession, an addiction or something worse? How did a harmless hobby get so out of hand? Where am I going to keep another Ibanez? Another Fender? One more Washburn?

Whats worse, it's contagious! My 16 year old son has been bitten by the bug too! At least birthday and Christmas presents are easier to pick out now.

Is there any hope for people like us? Can we get our urge to expand our collections under control? Is there a twelve string support program to help us? What is the address of Guitaraholics Anonymous? (Does such even exist? If not, maybe we should start it)

If you have ever bought another guitar, just for the sake of having another one, then sound off here. I need to know that I'm not alone. Meanwhile I'm going to go look for another job so I can afford strings (I find myself buying strings in quantity these days) and picks and all the other little fun things that i need to accessorize my collection.

Oh no! I just realized, I may be an ampaholic too! (I'll save that for another thread)

[acidrock]

You're okay,wanting more guitars is like wanting more women,it's perfectly natural and your wife won't understand.

Does a coin collector only collect one coin?

[Andreasl84]

I'm not sure if this is normal behaviour..
Isn't this the classic syndrome G.A.S?
Poor you if so

[TheRockDoc]

My kids say that looking at equipment on eBay and in catalogs is like my 'porno'

[philboyd studge]

Maybe it'll work for you as well but what slowed me down was running out of room.

Notice I said 'slowed down' ....brown truck brings another Telecaster next week.

[pohaku]

And how is this a problem?

[COOLCAT]

Originally Posted by Dani Pace

Hello I'm Dan, and I'm a guitaraholic;


Oh no! I just realized, I may be an ampaholic too! (I'll save that for another thread)

Hello Dan, welcome to the group....hahahahaaa

Hopefully this story will help you, and its Easter I'm in a good mood.

When I was a 8yr old a kid, Andy Howard a childhood homey, took me and my older brother to his closet to show us something.
He pulled out this shoe-box and in it was some turds.
For whatever reason, and there doesn't have to be a reason,Andy Howard collected his younger brothers turds. He kept them in a shoe box in his closet.

Even though I haven't spoken to Andy Howard for probably 37 years, whenever I think of this "collecting things addiction", Andy's shoe-box comes to mind.

I guess what I'm saying is, just enjoy....don't analyze, don't let others make you second guess your "collecting urges". Leo Fender didn't stop making and improving things because he had finished one amplifier!! He kept adding to his collection. Of course his wife probably enjoyed the money coming in? but I don't know that. I went to his museum in Fullerton,CA and per the articles and videos playing he lived in the shop nearly 7days a week, mornings until night...out of enjoyment. The list of products is staggering and amazing. A man would be good to do one thing, while Leo did bass guitars, Strats, Tele's...and AMPLIFIERS!!! the list of amplifiers Fender created alone would be an amazing feat!! but to have Precision, Jazz Basses, 6-string Tele, Strats.. and Amplifiers...Twin, Bassman, etc...

So anyway, appreciate your story and feel free to share the Andy Howard Turd Collection story with your wife and others. In short, there are other things you could be collecting instead of Guitars and Amplifiers, ask your wife if she wants you collecting TURDS for example. She may view the Guitars in a whole new POSITIVE way!!

Now I know, I'm going to flamed by all the TURD collectors out there. But this post is here on HomeRecording Forum, for a "gear collector" seeking HELP!!.

Like John Lennon said "it was all taken out of context, I wasn't saying we're better than Andy Howard, or bigger or whatever, I just used Beatles as a thing, I could have used TURDS, but I didn't and now its all this. I'm sorry for what I said, or was taken wrong...if you TURD lovers want an apology, you got it. I never meant to say we were bigger or better or more popular than Andy or Turds, I just said what I said and I'm sorry ..."

[punkin]

I'm the compassionate collector. I see the guitars like orphans all hanging in the stores with no home to go to at the end of the day. I see myself having to rescue them. I tell myself that I'm doing a good deed and I'll be rewarded later. When I pass through the pearly gates, I'll be given the golden pick of destiny for my kind and selfless acts.

On the other hand, I could be sick and in denial. Nah, I'm sure it's not that.

[hungovermorning]

I can usually get away with it with the old lady as long as it's different in some way than something that I already own. For example, far easier to justify owning a 6 string acoustic, 12 string acoustic and nylon string acoustic than three 6 string acoustics of different brands. She did not take as kindly to the four sound cities that I own (two concords and two 50 pluses). I think you just have to avoid buying stuff that really bothers her. For some reason, mine just hates open reel machines so I avoid owning all but the functional ones.
Also, there's no better investment than old gear especially guitars and tube amps. I've pretty much treated them like my 401K plan that I can actually play!

[skyguitarworks]

if i had a buck for every time i heard my wife say "damn, not another one!" i would be rich....lol your not alone guy, and just like another post i seen here, ebay is my internet porn too.....i am addicted and i love it, now i have started my daughter at it, she turned 8 friday and yes, i got her a guitar for her birthday, that makes 4 for her now, and she is picking it up pretty fast, i love it

[legionserial]

Originally Posted by COOLCAT

if you TURD lovers want an apology, you got it. I never meant to say we were bigger or better or more popular than Andy or Turds, I just said what I said and I'm sorry ..."

Well I'm glad you apologised or I'd be rather miffed indeed...


It's funny. People collect antiques, stamps, badges and other mindless trinkets and crap, and it's considered perfectly healthy. However if someone starts collecting guitars it's sposed to be an addiction or something. Seems kiinda worthwhile to me. Guitars, everything else aside, are a great investment.

I don't have a wife to share my money with anyway, and my girlfriend plays guitar so she's just like "wow cool!" when I make a new purchase. Can't complain.

[legionserial]

Originally Posted by skyguitarworks

internet porn too.....i am addicted and i love it, now i have started my daughter at it

Dude that's just wrong

(sorry, I tried hard to fight the urge to misquote that but...I...just...couldn't...fight...hard...enough)

[perceive]

Originally Posted by skyguitarworks

if i had a buck for every time i heard my wife say "damn, not another one!" i would be rich...

No you wouldn't you'd spend it on more guitars

[skyguitarworks]

Originally Posted by perceive

No you wouldn't you'd spend it on more guitars

LOL, ya know, that wouldn't be so funny if it wasn't true.....lol

[ez_willis]

Tell the wife to get back in the kitchen or face the consequences.

[Dani Pace]

Originally Posted by philboyd studge

Maybe it'll work for you as well but what slowed me down was running out of room.

Notice I said 'slowed down' ....brown truck brings another Telecaster next week.

How well i know that feeling. In fact the running out of room thing was what inspired me to start this thread. What makes it so bad is... We own two houses, one we live in and the other is my studio/practice/workshop/storage. I teach guitar and often buy used guitars, fix them up and sell them to my students, not so much to make money but to be sure these kids don't get ripped off buying a piece of crap. The problem is, after a few repairs, a set of strings and a set up... I want to keep them for myself. So anyway, I've run out of closets, they are full of keyboards instead of clothes, out of wall space, almost every stud has a guitar hanging from it, got cases wedged in everywhere one will fit, amps stacked on top of amps, a room full of drums and drum parts, miles of cables tangled through all of it, speaker cabs stacked and scattered all over and there's a pool table under all this somewhere. Yeah, it's a mess but it sure is fun!

[philboyd studge]

Originally Posted by Dani Pace

How well i know that feeling. In fact the running out of room thing was what inspired me to start this thread. What makes it so bad is... We own two houses, one we live in and the other is my studio/practice/workshop/storage. I teach guitar and often buy used guitars, fix them up and sell them to my students, not so much to make money but to be sure these kids don't get ripped off buying a piece of crap. The problem is, after a few repairs, a set of strings and a set up... I want to keep them for myself. So anyway, I've run out of closets, they are full of keyboards instead of clothes, out of wall space, almost every stud has a guitar hanging from it, got cases wedged in everywhere one will fit, amps stacked on top of amps, a room full of drums and drum parts, miles of cables tangled through all of it, speaker cabs stacked and scattered all over and there's a pool table under all this somewhere. Yeah, it's a mess but it sure is fun!

Fun, but it sounds like you may need a little spring cleaning. I found that ebay was great for getting rid of parts and old electronic stuff (always using the word 'vintage').....and that cleared up some room. Guitars for me are harder to part with since I consider them funtional art, but I'll usually sell one to make room for something new.

I was just thinking 'man it's great that at least you don't have a bunch of keyboards and such like this guy', only to realize there are four scattered around house, including my dad's Hammond organ in the living room that is only kept as a reminder to what I said to him when he got it in 1963: 'you could have bought a half dozen Martin D-28's for what you paid for that thing'.

[mikeh]

I can relate to looking at gear mags the way some guys look at porno. I've got more guitars than I need (and more drums than I need and more keyboards than I need, more mic pres, etc. etc. etc).

Like some others have mentioned, I'm at a point where space limitations are starting to dictate purchases (certainly more so than any attempts at personal self control and/or pressure from the wife). Actually the wife doesn't give me too much crap - but she clearly doesn't undetrstand

GAS may be percieved as a bad thing - but there are much worse ways to spend time and money!!!!!

[kojdogg]

Originally Posted by Dani Pace

HELP! I can't stop buying guitars

Hello I'm Dan, and I'm a guitaraholic;

Start reading microphone and preamp reviews. That should reduce your guitaraholicism, though there may be unfortunate side effects.

[notCardio]

is the deals where you don't think you'll find another one like that.

I don't see a new LP in a catalog and think I have to have it, because I feel like it will always be there if I change my mind. But I see something that's been discontinued, or a used one that you don't ever see, and I think I better get that while I can.

[cephus]

I get caught up trying to decide whether I need a backup that sounds just like another of my guitars, or do I need to have a variety of pallet by buying all kinds of different guitars.

If I had a tele and a les paul, I could be done with the variety of tones. Then I could get started on backups for all of them.

If the house was on fire, I used to say I'd just grab my strat. Now, I'd make at least a few trips (if I could figure out how to carry more than 2 at a time).

[philboyd studge]

Swing by, sweet UPS truck
Comin' for to bring me new gear

[notCardio]

Originally Posted by philboyd studge

Swing by, sweet UPS truck
Comin' for to bring me new gear

I think we have an official JamFest hymn here!

I looked through Musician's Friend, and what did I see?

A page full of Gibsons just'a starin' back at me...

[tbone36109]

you should give the money you use to a worthy charity.... one like me. that way you cant buy all those guitars... i can. the best way to break an addiction is get rid the situations that let you have the addiction... like all that money... (im poor i only have 5 guitars )

[Light]

Originally Posted by Dani Pace

Hello I'm Dan, and I'm a guitaraholic;

My wife says, "Oh my God!!! Not another one!!!" At least once a month. I can't explain it. I just saw it and it was such a good deal I had to buy it. I didn't need it, don't really even want it, just couldn't stop myself. I admitt it, I'm a guitar junkie... gotta have one more... if nothing else, it has parts I can use. Brand and condition are no longer important! It's another guitar and I want it! Music stores, pawn shops, junk stores, yard sales, flea markets, I make my rounds searching for my next fix!

I don't see a problem here. What was it you needed help with?


Or were you looking for some way to keep your wife quiet? You could always try the "hide the new one in with the old one," trick. If she's not a guitar player, she'll probably never notice.





Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi