The one per year rule

[brencat]

I'm on a 1 in, 1 out rule. Currently have 1 for sale to get down to my ideal 5 guitars.

And I agree with an above poster who said once you buy really great guitars, your GAS mostly abates. I'm at that point now, and feel like I've explored 90% of what I wanted to sample out there. The remaining 10% is the vintage world and I just won't pay the current asking prices for stuff. So that's it...the end.

[abn556]

I went through two runs of GAS. The first was about ‘97 to ‘01. During that stretch I bought around 15-20 electrics and a J-185. Then again in ‘21-24 I have added 5 acoustics and 2 more electrics. I am set now on guitars and gear.

[Charlie Bernstein]

Rule? I hope not! It's fine if you're a teen, but if I had to get a guitar every year, I'd need to stack 'em up out the the porch.

I just buy 'em when I want 'em, which isn't anywhere near every year. That just sounds unhealthy, unless you make your living playing.

[KevinH]

When I got back into guitars several years ago, after a long hiatus, I decided one per year would be good. Then I started thinking about how many years I have left and came to my senses. Life is short.

[RiffRalf]

No rules here but just being a little realistic.
I have 4 acoustic guitars, a Cordoba C5 classical guitar that I bought about 5 years ago when I decided to get back into playing guitar after not having played for 35 years having learned classical guitar as a kid.
Then decided that I wanted to -finally- be the cool kid at the campfire and release my inner Chris Cornell.
So I acquired everybody's first guitar a yammie FG800.
Ran into a used Alvarez MD60BG which was such a great leap up that the Yammie got relegated to decorative object. And liked the MD60 so much that when I ran into another one on the GC website I got hat too. (I live and work in 2 different places).
So that makes 4.
I can easily see myself going down the GAS trapdoor.
Do I want to scratch that Martin itch? (I live 15 miles away from the Martin factory in nazareth).
Oh that Laureate that Alvarez just brought out looks great! (But is it really THAT much better than my MD60?)
Oh look at that review JP Cormier just put up on the Yamaha FG5! Wouldn't that be nice? Hey it looks Yamaha came out with a FG9 that is right up there with boutique brands!
Upgrade my C5?
And then there is that Yairi DYM60 ....
And maybe I should try a smaller guitar, an 000 or a parlour?
Reality is that my playing is not good enough and in all likelihood will never be good enough to bring out the best in these instruments and that the MD60 is in all likelihood all the guitar I will ever "need."
And it is a great guitar!
As I tell my son who is going down the "car acquisition syndrome" trapdoor, be happy with what you have. If you can appreciate and enjoy what you have as opposed to dream and fantasize of what you could have you will live well.
Then again a guitar is not the most excessive or polluting purchase one could make and if having a bunch of guitars makes you happy, why not?

[mr. beaumont]

I definitely have all my bases covered...I need to institute a one in one out rule. Unless a great deal on a great Strat pops up.

[CharlieBman]

No rules. Music has been my lifelong passion. Now, as time left to play is getting shorter, I get the guitar(s) I want and play them all. I leave behavioral tags like GAS, addiction, obsession to other people to worry about.

[rllink]

I'm a notorious rule breaker. When I try to make a rule, my wife always says, "Don't make a rule, the temptation to break it for you is too great." I would like to say I am above it all, but I do have stresses and other difficulties in life, just like everyone. I cope with them in different ways is all, buying guitars just isn't one of them. I've never been a buyer or a gambler. Probably lucky, because I have enough faults as it is, without that.

[Mandobart]

I don’t have any official rules regarding instrument purchases or ownership. For whatever reason I have a natural limiter on budget. I’ve spent about $3k US each for a few custom builds (non-guitar stringed instruments typically only available as a custom build). That’s so far the most I’ve spent on any single instrument.

I’ve played some very nice Collings and custom guitars in the $3500 - $7000 range. Great guitars, but IMO not greater enough than my HD-28 or 000-15SM to convince me to take them home.

I’ve spent a 40+ year career in a highly rule based industry and purposely choose to impose as few other rules on myself as possible. But as a few have said dealing with compulsive behavior or addiction, some internal or self/spouse imposed rules can be helpful.

[Guitars44me]

I have held it down to one custom JK per year or two for 7 builds now.

Sold two to keep building, and one was damaged in transit. Sigh

Still have the 4 in my signature

Others come and go, and more have gone than come in the last 10 years, thankfully, as I am getting a bit long in tooth for the shuffling

Cheers

Paul

[dneal]

Aside from a Yairi classical that was my grandfather's, and a couple of beaters I still have from deployments, I'm down to 2:

Froggy L
Rein 00

My "rule" has generally been to take along my favorite guitar to a shop, for reference and comparison. If I think something sounds better, I trade.

I bought the Froggy and traded a Brook for the Rein eight years ago.

[BlueBowman]

Originally Posted by dneal

Aside from a Yairi classical that was my grandfather's, and a couple of beaters I still have from deployments, I'm down to 2:

Froggy L
Rein 00

My "rule" has generally been to take along my favorite guitar to a shop, for reference and comparison. If I think something sounds better, I trade.

I bought the Froggy and traded a Brook for the Rein eight years ago.

This is what I do, except I sometimes buy the new one and sell the old one instead of trading it. With guitars it's so important to have a frame of reference, as our aural memories aren't that reliable. And two guitars going head-to-head with the same room acoustics is ideal.

[BluesKing777]

We haven't had the chart for a while - time for the chart:


https://www.musicademy.com/flow-char...-many-guitars/



BluesKing777.

[Pdubs76]

Originally Posted by BluesKing777

We haven't had the chart for a while - time for the chart:


https://www.musicademy.com/flow-char...-many-guitars/



BluesKing777.

That chart says that I should buy more guitars!

[Stonehauler]

yes, find the right guitar in the first place. Second, only buy guitars you plan on keeping.

I had REALLY bad GAS right up to the point I got my 12 string.

Yeah, I've looked at other guitars since I've gotten my 12, and I've played other guitars, but none compare.

Find your Eleanor and you will finally get rid of that GAS.