Anyone else “losing interest” in guitars?

[TomB'sox]

It does not sound like you are truly losing interest, it sounds more like that interest has shifted in its priority. You still have a lot of your life focused around guitars, but more in the performance and social aspects rather than the purchasing and selling aspects.

Hosting B.I.G. for 3 years and planning number 4 has shifted my interest a bit as well, but it is all still guitarcentric.

[jschmitz54]

I’m only a four year player and my knowledge of guitars is minimal compared to many on the forum. A while back it occurred to me that playing and learning should be the priority. In four years I’ve owned eight guitars but now have decent ones and my desire to keep turning them over for the next best one has diminished to a great extent. Still an OM-28 peaks my interest.
I think you’re on the right track imo.

[Ds114]

I have been playing just over 20 years as a perennial intermediate couch player. I started playing electric, eventually picked up acoustic and have all but given up electric.

Over the years I have put guitar playing aside multiple times, sometimes for a few weeks, other times for many months. But every time I come back, I come back with a vengeance and quickly bring myself up another learning curve to another plateau and keep pushing. Each time, I feel refreshed and committed again to learning.

But recently, I have felt differently.. For the first time in my playing "career" (started in my late 30s) I actually feel consistently inspired by my own playing, and getting to a point where my playing is beginning to show my 20 years of on-and-off practice.

Yes, it can get tedious when you get in a rut, so when you don't feel like playing, just don't. Like anything else - if you truly love it you will come back. And if not, you will have lots of free time to pursue other interests.

[Silly Moustache]

I took up playing guitar somewhere in he mid '60s because I wanted to sing.

I went up in value/quality relatively slowly looking in music shops for the next one - one in, one out etc.

in the '70s I started buying selling looking for the "one" Martin. I found it in 1975, a '73 D35.

Playing mostly in bluegrass bands I upgraded my mandolins and a couple of Dobros, but that was, mostly, it.

In 1996, I was fronting a pretty good trio, with a good bassist and a great dobro and mando player, and I decided to "upgrade" my D35 to a J-40 plus a J12-40, neither of which suited my hands or inspired me.

In '98'9 I discovered that 12 fret to body guitars suited my hands and style and slowly went from one -to four" (Collings were relatively unknown in the UK back then so after the first, new one, I managed to pick up three more used ones pretty cheaply.

With the 2000s I found myself buying all sorts, and have a pretty comprehensive collection.

I haven't lost interest, but have no real wish to buy anything more.

I don't go out so much and many of the clubs I gigged in did not survive the covid years, and of an age hat I don't want to travel to gig so much.

I have two good frind and previous band members who are selling off all their gear. kinda sad, kinda inevitable I guess.

I forsee a time when the collections of baby boomers will be on ebay/reverb whatever and the values will drop as the youngsters will buy cheaper 'lectrified instruments.

I'm told that this year at one of the British bluegrass festivals the acts were far younger,and ALL plugged in!

[koolimy]

I am totally the opposite from you! I have started to gain much more interest in the guitar itself while I lost a lot of interest in the playing aspect. This is primarily because of two reasons: I found that no matter how long I play, I kinda suck, LOL, so I have gotten into the hobby of building the guitars from kits. So every weird topic about the mechanics of the guitar, where luthiers pop in to give their 2c, interests me to the nth degree! Of course, I don't understand 90% of what they're saying, but it's interesting nonetheless.

And I think you're actually going in the healthier way! The guitar is only good when it is actually making music. Is Segovia's Hauser more valuable, or is it his music that inspired so many people? If James Taylor used a Yamaha instead of his Olson, would it change anything? Things are just things in the end.

[donlyn]

Originally Posted by Ds114

*
Yes, it can get tedious when you get in a rut, so when you don't feel like playing, just don't. Like anything else - if you truly love it you will come back. And if not, you will have lots of free time to pursue other interests.

Ds114,

What does it mean, this "rut"?
I thought that was something that animals do?


Been playing since the 60s, and while I took music time outs for family, I now find that I actually have less free time in my 70s. Somehow I cannot do the math on that even though the kids are out on their own, and I only work part time now.

This I do know. Ain't packing it in yet.

Be well and play well,

Don
.

[jaymarsch]

Once I landed on the guitars that I most love playing, it has been pretty much about the music. I have friends who are still searching for their “forever” guitar so my guitar nerd gets to live vicariously through them. :-)
Best,
Jayne

[rollypolly]

Originally Posted by koolimy

I am totally the opposite from you! I have started to gain much more interest in the guitar itself while I lost a lot of interest in the playing aspect. This is primarily because of two reasons: I found that no matter how long I play, I kinda suck, LOL, so I have gotten into the hobby of building the guitars from kits. So every weird topic about the mechanics of the guitar, where luthiers pop in to give their 2c, interests me to the nth degree! Of course, I don't understand 90% of what they're saying, but it's interesting nonetheless.

And I think you're actually going in the healthier way! The guitar is only good when it is actually making music. Is Segovia's Hauser more valuable, or is it his music that inspired so many people? If James Taylor used a Yamaha instead of his Olson, would it change anything? Things are just things in the end.

^ Well said. A few years ago I got interested in building and I still am, but I had to make a conscious decision to use my time to practice because A. I suck too , lol. and B. it just takes a LOT Of time to get better at guitar , for me at least, so I had to choose just one. Plus I have no workspace.

[MyNameIsJeff]

I go through phases…that seem to be tied to my workout routine 💪. My way to battle burnout with both hobbies,

When I’m in that dedicated mode of getting in shape, I use guitar as my outlet for fun. I jam a lot, write some songs, and am just more casual with it.

The I’ll switch and go into learning mode on guitar and workouts become casual runs with the dog, 15 mins of tire flips, or random pushups throughout the day. On guitar, tho, I’ll dedicate myself to nailing down one area holding me back, record my own songs in my mini studio, and build up my repertoire of covers.

It’s during the casual mode that I’ll start having that wondering eye for gear! In between sets I’ll find myself listening to sound comparisons between a 314 and a 324 or Googling ‘What string gauge does John Mayer use?’…as if it matters in any way ha.

My goal is to get to your level of peace with the instrument and other ventures of mine in general. So props to you!

[SLJ710]

been playing since 1964 and have not purchased a new guitar for quite some time. At this point having never played professionally I just sort of play when the urge arises. I got what I think were the guitars I desired years ago. I admit though I still look at HD and D 28's.

Also experiencing some increased difficulty actually playing. I think this is due in part to not actually playing enough.

[koolimy]

Originally Posted by rollypolly

^ Well said. A few years ago I got interested in building and I still am, but I had to make a conscious decision to use my time to practice because A. I suck too , lol. and B. it just takes a LOT Of time to get better at guitar , for me at least, so I had to choose just one. Plus I have no workspace.

I too don't have a workspace! It's quite hard to make a guitar when you don't have anything to keep the guitar parts from moving while you're doing stuff with them LOL. And I totally agree that it takes a LONG TIME to get better at guitar! At least with building, even if you don't have a clue what to do in the moment, you have a very concrete long term goal and you can start to compartmentalize tasks and find ways to make progress. With playing, it's like you're in an infinite amorphous blob! There's so many things I could get better at and a very vague, unhelpful long term goal (i.e. I want to get better at guitar). Without the structure and tangible progress, I just end up noodling every day LOL.

I am content, however. Building guitars is extremely rewarding and learning about how they work is fascinating. I may never get to the level where I am proud of my playing ability, and I will probably never get to the level where my guitars are even passable LOL. But I can have a lot of fun and satisfaction while being bad at both my hobbies, and that's what counts!

[rllink]

I'm still interested in guitars and playing them. I've never been interested to the point of obsession. What I wonder about is that blurred line where interest means obsession and where it is at. Anyway, guitars to me are just what the OP is describing, part of a package.

[Br1ck]

As far as guitars go, give me $2000 and I can buy me a satisfying guitar, used of course. Anything else is a lovely self indulgence and there is nothing wrong with that. But when I get hopelessly in the weeds and then get out of them, there is nothing better. I once told a musician friend that when he was on the verge of loosing it, I could tell he had a bag of tried and true licks that got him back on the rails. He accused me of listening.

[s2y]

I sometimes go through phases of writers block or I'm very short on free time. I can't say that I'm losing interest. I was recently distracted with some new electric guitar pedals, which took me away from what I should have been doing with my acoustics lately.

[nuchdig]

I am in a similar boat. I don't have much interest in plugging in of late. I still play a fair amount, but the effort to plug in seems greater now than it used to. I chuckle even writing it now. I have my room all set up, takes no time to plug in. I am content to hang out on the porch with friends or on the couch by myself and play unplugged. Funny thing, I'm looking at the TC Helicon Harmony Singer 2 or Play Acoustic. Why? lol