How do you hide guitars from your partner

[RJVB]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

Her main concern is where I'm going to keep it.

AFAIAC, main reason not to draw unnecessary attention to anything that takes up space - and to buy only when it can be "stashed" somewhere it won't get in the spousal way(s).

[FingahPickah]

"Wow, don't you look nice today!"

"Hey Beautiful, would you hold the door for me please?"

"Look there's Elvis!!!"
"Wow there he is again!!!"

Ok AGF'ers... Truth is: I don't.

1973 Guild D44M – Sitka/Maple
1987 Guild JF65-12 – Sitka/Maple
2000 Martin D-40 – Sitka/ EIR
2011 Breedlove OM-SReH – Sitka/ EIR
2019 Eastman AC108CE-LTD – Adirondack/Sapele
2019 Larrivee 000-40 – Sitka/Mahogany
2020 Custom Build 12 Fret SS Dread (by Alex Edney) – Engelmann/Black Walnut
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2008 American Standard Telecaster – Natural Ash Body/Rosewood Fretboard
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1982 Madeira M-10 Mandolin – Double Cutaway Teardrop
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2020 Eastman MD314 Mandolin – F Style Oval Hole
1995? Trinity College Octave Mandolin – Celtic Style
19XX? Greek Bouzouki
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[mike o]

To the OP’s question. I remember reading a story by a fellow who you do just that. Hide his purchases for the wife. How??? We would take an empty guitar case out of the house (or including a guitar he wanted to trade) and tell the salesperson “if it fits in this case I’ll buy it”.

I’m not one to hide purchases from the wife but, but I did one time order a bass used for a private seller who shipped it to me. The night it showed up I was running late for a gig and just left it in the garage to open the next day. Luck would have it my wife goes in the garage, sees the box, lifts it for weight and goes, hmmm it’s a bass. The next day she mentioned all is good but just so you understand, you have raised the level of how much I can spend w/o asking first

[redcrow]

I gave up on any attempts at subterfuge many years ago. I'm just not smart enough to carry it off without tripping myself up eventually. And trying to conceal the excitement of a NGD is just plain counter productive. Fortunately, my wife enjoys my playing enough to be supportive of my acquisitions.

[imwjl]

Not hiding things seems to have helped our long relationship. Being open and frank also seems to have helped with raising the kids.

[Cypress Knee]

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

[tbeltrans]

I don't believe my marriage would have lasted as long as it has (41 years) if I played that kind of game. Trust is earned, and hiding things from your spouse is not the way to do that.

Tony

[RJVB]

Originally Posted by Cypress Knee

Just when you thought you'd seen the latest in burqa fashion...

(seriously, 1st thing I thought before realising a different reference was intended ... and I don't even live in iratown...)

Originally Posted by tbeltrans

Trust is earned, and hiding things from your spouse is not the way to do that.

Oh, right, and what if you trust each other not to know/learn certain things?

I'd make a note to self never to ask for life advise on here, but I already got that very quickly

Meanwhile I'm getting a bit frustrated because this and other threads have been on-GASsing me and I know I couldn't "hide" another bag even if I wanted to try...

[rllink]

I just think it is something that people freely admit to strangers that they have to hide their guitars from their partner.

[1neeto]

She’s my GAS enabler if anything.

[Neil K Walk]

Marriage is give and take, but IME it tends to favor whoever brings more money home.

That said, a guitar can either be a trophy or a tool; it depends upon the justification for purchasing it. We're all essentially a support group for people who enable each others' sometimes unhealthy fixations on these things beisdes our wives that we love.

I doubt that my own wife loves her personal possessions more than me but I know that if I were to call them "obsessions" (like she has with my passion for all things guitar) then I would instantly lose standing for any "discretionary spending." When I plead my case a la "mother may I?" her retort is "why do you need another? It's not like you're a professional musician."

So in her mind, if that passion somehow became a business of some sort I think she'd be singing a different tune - and more loudly than I catch her singing after I play a song on the guitar and sing it to her. That tells me two things: 1) I'm good enough to plant an ear worm, and 2) as gruff as she can be (after being with me for 30 years) she still loves me. I just push the wrong buttons and don't know how to push the right ones.

In all seriousness, I'm quasi retired and high risk for heart disease so life is short IMO - otherwise I should be demoing harps to play for St. Peter. Currently I'm working on a plan to get a side hustle of some sort that doesn't involve going to a dive bar in BFE singing songs I hate and maybe give lessons or doing setups. I'd even like to talk to my teenage son about his mentioning that a friend of his wanted to learn to play. As much as I love playing for personal therapy, it shouldn't be all about me.

[Bob Womack]

Originally Posted by Slothead56

If you really need to hide that new guitar from your wife why not have it shipped to your girlfriends house?

My wife IS my girlfriend... and my best friend. My father taught me that, by the way. One day, when I was nearing the end of college and at the apex of my arrogance, I said to my father, "Dad, I notice you don't have any male friends you hang around with. Don't you think you should have a best friend?" He looked sort of discombobulated for a second and replied, "Ive got your mother. She's my best friend. What more do I need?" Wisdom.

I decded to make my wife my best friend, over all. We are still best friends, forty-five years after we were engaged.

Bob

[TBman]

Originally Posted by tbeltrans

I don't believe my marriage would have lasted as long as it has (41 years) if I played that kind of game. Trust is earned, and hiding things from your spouse is not the way to do that.

Tony

Absolutely.

I knew we would finally agree on something

[1neeto]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

My wife IS my girlfriend... and my best friend. My father taught me that, by the way. One day, when I was nearing the end of college and at the apex of my arrogance, I said to my father, "Dad, I notice you don't have any male friends you hang around with. Don't you think you should have a best friend?" He looked sort of discombobulated for a second and replied, "Ive got your mother. She's my best friend. What more do I need?" Wisdom.

I decded to make my wife my best friend, over all. We are still best friends, forty-five years after we were engaged.

Bob

Such thinking is admirable because we as humans are social creatures. It is in our DNA to be social and interact with others. I love my wife and she is indeed my best friend, but I gotta have my bro time with the boys, just like how she needs to have her girly time with the girls.

[Slothead56]

This brings to mind the most expensive guitar I ever purchased. It was just after our 20th Anniversary and, having already completed the purchase, I said to my wife “Hey, I hope it’s ok but I just bought a guitar.” She replied “is it more expensive than the ring you gave me for our anniversary?” I said (truthfully) “No.”. No problem.

Since then I’ve been pretty up front about any major purchases before they happen.

I’d be more inclined to sneak Chinese food in for lunch.