Buying and Selling Guitars. When to get help?

[tinnitus]

Depending upon one's age and eligibility, many kinds of therapists are covered by Medicare (perhaps with another insurance as the secondary payer).

If not Medicare eligible, then one's current health insurance policy should be the primary payer as long as a provider accepts that brand. Looking around and asking relevant questions should quickly get you established in weekly appointments with the right therapist - often fully covered, or close to it.

Can one be hypnotized and "cured of the affliction/addiction?" Probably not that simple. But getting this aired out with the right kind of counselor may help put it into some useful/helpful perspective with emphasis on living with more reasonable priorities.

May or may not be helpful if the counselor is also a musician. With that said, if he/she offers to sell you a nice guitar, run away quickly and find someone else, lol.

Weak attempt at humor aside, it's not a big deal to "shop around" a bit (no pun intended) and find the best therapist with whom you are relaxed, real and comfortable.

[JackC1]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

Besides the real toll above, if I assume that I lost $500 to $1,000 on each transaction, then I have spent more than $75,000 on a "collection" of 4 factory standard acoustics and one electric.

Hey, look at it as a journey. The result is really more than what you currently have, you've experience a great deal more. So, in reality, your $75k bought more than those 4 guitar.

[Steve-arino]

I relate Dave. Thank you for sharing.

When I retired 8 years ago, other than owning a guitar since I was a kid, I never took the time to concentrate on learning how to play. I decided that the way I wanted to learn was to buy a really expensive guitar ($5000) and learn on that. Well I did. And then I bought another one and another. I've cycled through maybe 35 guitars over the past 8 years. I have 4 beautiful guitars now and eventually want to get down to 3.

I'm an addict. I'm 68 and have had addiction issues since I was a teen. I know this to my core. Thankfully, I've also become addicted to learning and playing guitar which was my goal in the first place.

I'm proud of you for "coming out" on a public forum like this.

Good for you Dave!

[min7b5]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

...
It has been wholly disruptive to my life, relationships, and my music. ...

I'm sorry to read this. And hope your post is cathartic and helpful to you.

As a long time teacher, and something of guitar minimalist, I have say I'm seeing more and more of this for sure. I think a big part of it the internet. It's just always the easiest, softest thing to do in any moment to drift off into a fantasy land of new things. And seeing all the websites, YouTube, and instagrams, etc.

Twenty five years I ago I used to get a lot of advanced students that were really good and very musical, and just had one guitar, and probably didn't know what the woods were... In the last ten years the trend has been a lot of middle aged men that say they have been playing for thirty years, but don't play that well or have much of a repertoire... and constantly want to talk about different kinds of spruces, string spacing, etc. I just try to get them to really focus on music making again. I usually get them to make a pretend (or not pretend) set list or list of tunes for an album and start to work towards that.. Anyway, I'm ranting. But just to say, I don't think you're alone. It's very common now, and it sound like you're getting back on track.

[martingitdave]

Well... I'm at a loss for words. What a great group of people. I had a wonderful time making music tonight and taking my mind off of things. I am taking your suggestions seriously and will be reaching out to someone with expertise in this area. Thanks to others who shared their experiences.

I am buoyed.

[biotechmgr]

Best of luck in getting sober and hope you seek appropriate therapy.

[Guitars44me]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

Well... I'm at a loss for words. What a great group of people. I had a wonderful time making music tonight and taking my mind off of things. I am taking your suggestions seriously and will be reaching out to someone with expertise in this area. Thanks to others who shared their experiences.

I am buoyed.

Glad you are still making music!!! That is the point of all these guitars….

As additional therapy may I suggest finding some shut ins to play for? You can cheer up a true captive audience, and brighten folks dreary days.

The music doesn’t need to be fancy, just from the heart and sent with LOVE.

Perhaps your therapist will have suggestions for ya!

Best on your quest!

Paul

[Mr. Paul]

Dave, you are making good headway toward making 2023 your year of healing. Great progress so far, and my best to you on this next leg of your journey.


Paul

[TBman]

Good luck to you Dave.

I think a few of us see a little bit of ourselves in your problem. Thanks for talking about it with us.

[rllink]

Originally Posted by JackC1

Hey, look at it as a journey. The result is really more than what you currently have, you've experience a great deal more. So, in reality, your $75k bought more than those 4 guitar.

I don't think trying to rationalize it is where he is at right now.

[SRL]

Originally Posted by min7b5

In the last ten years the trend has been a lot of middle aged men that say they have been playing for thirty years, but don't play that well or have much of a repertoire... and constantly want to talk about different kinds of spruces, string spacing, etc. I just try to get them to really focus on music making again.

Yeah, I have definitely met people like that. And also the opposite type that know nothing about guitars (or music theory, history of music, guitar maintenance and repair, etc) but are astounding players.

Even rarer are the people who do both: play really well and also are very knowledgeable, because they live and breathe all things music all the time. I'd like to live that kind of life if I can. I'm somewhere in the middle at the moment, but working towards the goal. Lessons with a good teacher is a huge part of getting there, because it keeps you on track vs. going off into the weeds.

[Misifus]

From time to time, i find a guitar at my local that makes a good impression on me. My first step is to bring my current favorite in to compare them side by side. So far, none of the contenders has withstood the challenge.

[blacknblues]

I can relate to much of what you described. I think of myself as kind of a “functional gasaholic”. I buy or sell a guitar maybe 2 or 3 times a year, but never beyond what I can afford and my life is never made unmanageable by this… which makes it harder to stop even though I knowingly use it as a distraction from feeling uncomfortable.

[Br1ck]

Originally Posted by Steve-arino

I relate Dave. Thank you for sharing.

When I retired 8 years ago, other than owning a guitar since I was a kid, I never took the time to concentrate on learning how to play. I decided that the way I wanted to learn was to buy a really expensive guitar ($5000) and learn on that. Well I did. And then I bought another one and another. I've cycled through maybe 35 guitars over the past 8 years. I have 4 beautiful guitars now and eventually want to get down to 3.

I'm an addict. I'm 68 and have had addiction issues since I was a teen. I know this to my core. Thankfully, I've also become addicted to learning and playing guitar which was my goal in the first place.

I'm proud of you for "coming out" on a public forum like this.

Good for you Dave!

I decided I wanted to work toward being able to improvise while I accompanied myself singing. I worked on building up a lick library. I signed up for a Pegged course, and absorbed phrases from the traditional pieces while using them to learn the fretboard. I can now improvise a break while never playing it quite the same. When I was able to play through the changes, nothing was a better feeling. When I could get out of the weeds, that's a high that lasts for days. When I did find that special guitar, my playing made the experience that much better. I have much to learn for sure, and it's hard. I just continue exploring voicing up the neck and ways to get there. Life should be well balanced. Focus on playing. Invest in some lessons if you need that for motivation.

[jmagill]

Dave, regarding your compulsion, you've already received lots of great advice here.

Regarding the losses you take in your buying and selling, I'm always a little puzzled by those who buy a guitar knowing they will lose money on it when they sell it.

While I don't recommend buying instruments as investments, I have taken a loss only once in 50 years of trading, and that case was acceptable to me before I made the purchase because it was part of a larger deal, and timing was a factor. In every other case I sold for more than I paid by following a few simple rules. Some of them govern just my own tastes, but the ones that might be applicable to most folks I offer below. All of the following rules can be summed up in this One Rule and its Corollary:

The One Rule: Always buy instruments that are likely to appreciate in value.
Corollary: You make money when you buy, not when you sell – buy at the right price and you’ll get more than you paid when you sell (with thanks to jschmitz54 of the AGF). Admittedly, this takes some experience, knowledge and understanding of the marketplace, but it’s not rocket science.

1. Always buy the highest-quality instruments. With apologies to anyone’s favorite brands, this usually means luthier-built instruments. Whether it’s from a factory (Martin, Taylor, Gibson, et al.), medium-sized shop (Collings, Santa Cruz, Bourgeois, et al.) or small shop (Pre-War, Huss & Dalton, et al.), the only production-line instruments that meet my qualifications are usually vintage examples of highly desirable models. I look for luthiers building exceptional instruments who are early in their careers and their prices are relatively affordable.

2. Look for the uncommon. It need not be unique or rare, but if it’s a highest-quality instrument of a type or model not usually seen, it will be more attractive than other instruments in the marketplace should I need to sell. If it is unique or rare, that’s a bonus. You're not going to get your money back on an instrument when there are thousands of the same model out there in the world.

3. Don’t break the bank. Figure out a way to pay for a desired instrument that doesn’t cause an unacceptable level of financial hardship. In other words, don’t pay more than you can afford and plan ahead. See #6 below.

4. Money tied up in instruments stays in instruments. I sell instruments only to buy others, and if I’ve followed the One Rule’s corollary and bought well, I’ll sell well.

5. Always trade up. Every new instrument should be a little higher on the food chain than what it replaces.

6. Be patient, but be ready when the Exceptional comes along. See #3 above. Build up your war chest in a ‘Guitar Account’ and don’t buy on credit.
.