The struggle is real....

[fitness1]

for me it's talking myself into having a third steel string guitar around.

I've been very blessed with winning the Mcknight/Poling and the incredible generosity of the forum buying back my Charis, so WHY do I keep tinkering around with a third guitar that I can take somewhere and not be as worried about, when I never seem to go anywhere??

I made a move toward minimalism about 4 years ago, now everything I own (non fitness business related) fits in less than 400 sq ft, so just from a space standpoint, it's hard to justify the extra case.

The older I get, the less I want...and for the last few days I've been trying to make a decision to sell the nicest third guitar I've ever had. It's gorgeous, has a nice wide nut, and tonally keeps right up with my others.

One of the toughest guitar decisions I've ever made.

Anyone else been there?

Ok, back to "normal" discussions!

[Tico]

+1

Now in my 60s I realize I have too many guitars.
I also struggle with which to let go since I love them all.

Another first world problem.

[Red_Label]

I've been fighting the battle of rabid consumerism for a couple of years. I'm 51 and have had some health problems here and there and have started to grapple with my own mortality, so for the first time in my life the "less is more" philosophy is starting to make sense, and I'm trying to move away from the "he who dies with the most toys" way of doing things. But it's a very difficult struggle, because there are so many COOL things that I want to possess (guitars, guns, knives, watches, cars, motorcycles, etc, etc, etc). But the trouble is... when I'm in full-on mindless collecting mode, those things own ME, and I don't really own them. So I go through these phases where I'll binge, and then purge. I was in a purge phase (as in most of my electric guitars and tube amps), but now I seem to have replaced that with a bunch of acoustic guitars and mandolins. It's a struggle. I hope to eventually "win the battle" and just have a minimum, so I don't stick my wife with a bunch of STUFF if I go before she does. I don't even want to stick my kids with a bunch of stuff to fight over or have to deal with... just a few instruments and other items each that I've willed to them. I've done one thing right in keeping an on-going spreadsheet with item descriptions, serial numbers, values, etc so that my wife has some sort of guide if my burden does become her burden. But make no mistake... if I'm ever diagnosed with incurable cancer, I will spend part of my last days dumping everything that's not willed to a family member, so that she doesn't have to bear that burden. I do have some good friends that I've entrusted to help her with that responsibility should I pass suddenly.

Rabid collecting is a very selfish (and many times non-productive) thing. I always call it "trying to stuff the hole in my soul with STUFF". It won't work. When I walk by the gun counter and the sales guy asks me if I'm interested in something I always say "can't even stuff another one in the safe, but not gonna let that stop me from trying". I grew-up pretty poor and without much in the way of possessions (I was the oldest of five kids and most of my clothes were hand-me-downs from other families), so I think I've been over-compensating ever since.

I recently went from four guitars down to three and it felt really right. But that’s enough for now. Selling off guitars that work for me, aren’t costing me anything, and that I like a lot would seem like I’m being owned by the “minimalism” philosophy, and IMO that’s not very different than being owned by possessions.

[DanR]

GAS is a disease. I don't think there's a cure, only an occasional remission. My last guitar purchase about a year ago, resulted in me having five very nice acoustics. And almost immediately, I had the feeling that five was too many (for me, personally). I planned to try and sell one or two eventually, but never got around to it. Then, at the end of October, I became unemployed. I was still in no financial jeopardy so it was only when I took my newest acquisition for a set-up in March that I talked to the store salesman about their consignment policy and even then it took me a couple of more weeks to drop the two guitars off for sale.

At this stage of my life, I do feel like lightening the load, so to speak. It seems that currently, three (the ones in my sig) are just right for me and the styles I play. My financial situation is such that I don't have to sell the guitars that I consigned but I'm happy with three guitars. The one small part of GAS that is still in me occurs when I visit the Custom Shop area of the forum. I would love to own a guitar that was a fine piece of art as well. And that's why I still play the Lotto

[jaymarsch]

I go through phases. I have 2 fabulous main guitars that I play and after one got beat up during an airline flight I decided that I needed a travel guitar. I must have played 25 different candidates for the job and bought 4 different parlors over a nine month period. I have since sold 3 of those. Sounds crazy, I know, but I did find the guitar that worked for me.

I am fairly picky when it comes to how guitars sound, feel, and look. I have another parlor that I keep Nashville strung and I am toying with the idea of selling it but haven't yet done so. When I pick it up and play it, it seems like I should keep it around. Problem is I have only been picking it up to play it about twice a year. So it seems to be an ongoing process as I work my way down to 4.

Best,
Jayne

[Jim Owen]

Todd,

I’m there. I have really good gear gathering dust. My electrics rarely get played. But each time I consider putting them on consignment, I freeze.

I’ve got a couple few spare acoustics that I ought to sell. But I can’t seem to do that, either.

I was a regularly gigging guitarist for decades. Now, I don’t play out much except coffee house sort of gigs during the summer. It’s sort of like my mind won’t wrap itself around the fact that I’m not performing much now.

[Red_Label]

Originally Posted by Jim Owen

Todd,

I’m there. I have really good gear gathering dust. My electrics rarely get played. But each time I consider putting them on consignment, I freeze.

I’ve got a couple few spare acoustics that I ought to sell. But I can’t seem to do that, either.

I was a regularly gigging guitarist for decades. Now, I don’t play out much except coffee house sort of gigs during the summer. It’s sort of like my mind won’t wrap itself around the fact that I’m not performing much now.

Well... there's your cure!

I recently went through a year and a half of only playing one gig. That's the least live performing I've done in 35 years. I was frankly burnt-out on the hassle of prepping, gear load-in/out, etc. I've been mulling over just selling everything and quitting this lifelong hobby/obsession to do other things with the remainder of my life.

But lately I've been forcing myself to get back out there once a month with my trio and though at times the rehearsal and even gig stuff has been a grind... I'm still glad that I'm out there laying my stuff on the line again. My wife really likes it too... not because of the money, but just because she knows what a collector that I am, so she has it in her mind that it's justified if I'm gigging. So I'm getting multiple things from my gigs. I haven't sang live in years, and I started singing lead again during my past gig. I was sweating bullets, but once I just let myself go and allowed my voice to "dig in", it felt good. Even though I'm my own worst critic and know that I can do lots better, it went pretty well considering. It's all up from here!

[fitness1]

Seems like a lot of us "of a certain age" are in a similar spot....

My decision at heavily downsizing my life in general was born out of things largely out of my control, when it happened, I found it was quite liberating.

I've come to a point where it's not things that I want, but freedom from the rat race (at least as much as possible).

I'm making an attempt to "glide" into retirement gracefully with very few needs.

It feels like two great steel strings is enough.

[Red_Label]

Originally Posted by fitness1

Seems like a lot of us "of a certain age" are in a similar spot....

My decision at heavily downsizing my life in general was born out of things largely out of my control, when it happened, I found it was quite liberating.

I've come to a point where it's not things that I want, but freedom from the rat race (at least as much as possible).

I'm making an attempt to "glide" into retirement gracefully with very few needs.

It feels like two great steel strings is enough.

I get tired of my stuff owning me and desire to break away from that cycle. But then the urge to get that dopamine release of the chase and the buy of something new takes over again. It really is like many other things we fight in this day and age. And even though I'm VERY aware of what's going-on, I still fall prey to those urges far too often.


The fact of the matter is that my wife and I are preparing for semi-retirement in the next few years, and plan to move south... to better weather and to a smaller dwelling. So I'm gonna HAVE to purge a lot of my things and make do with some basics for that to happen. I've been trying to prep myself to be able to make that kind of major lifestyle adjustment, but I'm currently still riding the gear merry-go-round. One day I'll just say "NO MORE!" and stop the insanity. Errrrr… right?

[Mr. Jelly]

I've never been a buying collecting type of guy. Though I have gone through allot of guitars. I just worked my way through them and moved on to the next one I thought I'd like. It has been allot of fun. Now after having been there and back and enjoying my guitars. And after selling yet another one that wasn't doing it for me. I am gun shy to buy another guitar as I feel I'll just sell it if it doesn't work for me. Which I would.

[Red_Label]

Originally Posted by Mr. Jelly

I've never been a buying collecting type of guy. Though I have gone through allot of guitars. I just worked my way through them and moved on to the next one I thought I'd like. It has been allot of fun. Now after having been there and back and enjoying my guitars. And after selling yet another one that wasn't doing it for me. I am gun shy to buy another guitar as I feel I'll just sell it if it doesn't work for me. Which I would.

A good distinction! I am a prodigious mover, but not a real collector (at least of guitars). Once something starts gathering dust, I dump it because I don't have the room, money or interest in endless collecting. I've got a buddy with a room full of gear far larger than mine who marvels at my ability to move things in and out. I tell him that I'm not married to my stuff, and I really mostly just like trying different stuff and receiving that temporary inspiration. BUT... I do admire the guy with the worn-out guitar (Willy Nelson is one) who just always gets inspiration from a single guitar, or just a few different instruments. I would love to that have kind of loyalty to a few things. But they're always just things to me. I've lost that "innocence" of thinking of inanimate objects as anything but tools. Some are very nice and I quiet like. But it's been years since I felt like an instrument was some kind of soul mate. Fortunately, my wife is just that.

[Rosewood99]

I'm in my 60s and If I had room I'd have more.

[SalFromChatham]

I’m 52 and I have halved my collection. Simplified the autos as well; I drive a car now I often poked fun at. Nice to have many guitars... but someone said above... buying crap never fills the hole in your soul.

Hey can we still now and then check how deep the hole is?

[Everton FC]

I think the point made about filling "The Hole In One's Soul" is quite relevant - not just with guitars, but with everything else the "Gospel of Consumerism" tells us we need. That said, I also see the side of acoustics where you have different top-woods, back and side woods, body sizes, and so on. It's tough. For me, I'm down to the two in my signature, and the L5A was a purchase I could have passed on, as I had to have work done on it to make it playable. If I had a parlour, I'd probably be set, though a nylon Ami, and one of those Segaull Entourage Mini Jumbos remain on my radar screen!

Not to make light of the conversation here. I'm not near retirement age, but I do believe people can get carried away with "stuff", regardless of what that "stuff", actually is. My occasional humble self, included.