How many guitars can you handle??

Shades of Blue · #1 05-02-2019, 07:41 AM

One at a time right? lol ....let's get that one out of the way lol. The idea for this thread came from another thread on owning multiple guitars.

How many guitars can you own before your head starts to spin? For me, that number is very low...I'm talking no more than 2 or 3 acoustics. I'm at 3 acoustics now (4 with the Seagull, but I don't count it because it is more of an heirloom), and I have a difficult time balancing the time between them.

I usually keep two guitars out in stands. I then will keep one in standard tuning and one in DADGAD, but I just really don't have a lot of room to keep another guitar out in a stand. I don't like to keep my guitars in their cases in the closet because I tend to rarely go in after them. They tend to sit unplayed.

Maybe rotation is the best way, case and humidify one per week or something like that. What do you guys do?

ALBD · #2 05-02-2019, 07:46 AM

I'm with you on this! I start hitting the point of diminishing returns when I find myself with more than 3. I rotate them every few days just to see where one takes me versus the other.

fazool · #3 05-02-2019, 07:49 AM

For me the magic number is four.

I don't know why, but it's always four.

I've cycled through 20-30 guitars in the past 5-10 years and every time I have 3 I feel a need for something that's missing. But as soon as I get 5 I feel like I have too many and I shed one. Happened every time to me.

I recognized this and accepted that four is my number.

drawshot1975 · #4 05-02-2019, 07:52 AM

No more than six, for me.

Like many, I've grown to appreciate how my guitars sound...based upon woods, specs, strings, my mood, stars-and-moons alignment, environment, and what I may have had for dinner.

Of my current stock, the bottom two in my sig are wall-hangers in the home music room, where my son has his piano. Between those two sits my oldest boy's violin from years ago. All three of those instruments serve no purpose other than to look at, when you walk in the front door.

The remaining guitars all serve different purposes.

My 614ce is bright and clear - Typical Taylor sound.
My 324ce has medium strings on it, tuned down a half step. Warm, mellow, and plenty of low-end.
My 000-18 is brand new, and everything a Martin should be. We're getting to know each other.
My DJr and Yamaha are couch commandos, and travel buddies. Both sound great, to my ears...and both are fun to play, in different ways.

I left room for a Taylor 517...or maybe a DSS-17, when the time is right....but any more than 6 players, and I get dizzy and pass out before I get the chance to play. Decision paralysis is a bummer.....

KevWind · #5 05-02-2019, 07:58 AM

I have 3 acoustics and one lectric I might possibly get one more electric, all of which are keepers that is what I want to "handle" and have no desire to own a a further collection. Perfectly fine but not for me ....

ljguitar · #6 05-02-2019, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shades of Blue

One at a time right?

Hi SoB

Stanley Jordon video playing two guitars at the same time…(and he's done it a lot over the past 25-30 years)

To get back to your question, I narrowed it down to 3 main acoustics…one travel acoustic, two electrics and a couple baritone ukes. My head has never started spinning…

My herd has been stable for about 14 years now, and I'm not looking to add to it.

KevWind · #7 05-02-2019, 08:00 AM

opps echo ,echo

jaymarsch · #8 05-02-2019, 08:06 AM

After having as few as one and as many as seven guitars, I am settling into having four and that seems about right for me. All acoustics, a parlor that I use for travel, a 00, a grand concert, and a slightly scaled down slope shoulder dread. Two have rosewood back and sides and the parlor is all mahogany, so lots of variety in the tone.

Best,
Jayne

fitness1 · #9 05-02-2019, 08:09 AM

4 is my normal manning level - 3 steel strings and 1 classical.
Not much space or need for any more.

Rev Roy · #10 05-02-2019, 08:14 AM

I HATE having guitars that aren’t regularly being played. Sure, folks who gig or are pros may need lots of guitars for various special purposes. I get that. Good for them. But for a guy like me who plays almost exclusively for family, friends, the dog and myself, two guitars is the maximum needed. And I only need the second one so if my primary guitar ends up in the shop for a while I won’t have to go guitarless (which happened to me once back when I only had one guitar).

I know unplayed guitars make me nuts because there was a time when I had six. A couple got daily play...usually the same two. But the others were largely case queens...which seemed like a terrible waste of some great guitars. So instead of bringing me joy, those extra guitars bummed me out. Lesson learned.

Two is enough for me.

Shades of Blue · #11 05-02-2019, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rev Roy

I HATE having guitars that aren’t regularly being played. Sure, folks who gig or are pros may need lots of guitars for various special purposes. I get that. Good for them. But for a guy like me who plays almost exclusively for family, friends, the dog and myself, two guitars is the maximum needed. And I only need the second one so if my primary guitar ends up in the shop for a while I won’t have to go guitarless (which happened to me once back when I only had one guitar).

I know unplayed guitars make me nuts because there was a time when I had six. A couple got daily play...usually the same two. But the others were largely case queens...which seemed like a terrible waste of some great guitars. So instead of bringing me joy, those extra guitars bummed me out. Lesson learned.

Two is enough for me.

This has been my exact experience. Two seems to be my magic number as well. I've currently got 4, and in the past the Seagull ends up staying in the closet unused, and the 3rd guitar is in an easily accessible section of the closet in the case.

I just know that if it goes in the closet, I might as well sell it. I'm going to try and make room on my wall for the 000-18, D-18, and J-45.

bufflehead · #12 05-02-2019, 08:29 AM

Four, but only because I'm committed to keeping the dread. It doesn't get played as much as it should, but when I need it, I need it. And I absolutely need a travel guitar, just as a lifestyle thing.

A fifth guitar would seem excessive to me. I'm not a collector, and I'm not a professional musician.

Keeping fresh-enough strings on four guitars is a burden. I don't know how folks with dozens of guitars keep up on string changes.

dkstott · #13 05-02-2019, 08:37 AM

The herd is thinned down to 3 guitars and that will stay this way for a while.

Anything more than that and it's just taking up space in the house.

1 steel string guitar and 2 nylon string guitars... 2 nylon string guitars because I enjoy the tonal difference between Spruce top and Cedar.

mawmow · #14 05-02-2019, 08:53 AM

The problem is no guitar does it all. So I have guitars devoted to many different repertoires and and some to different alternate tunings... as well as a couuch one always standing at hand... then some weirdos, so got too many ! But it is my hobby and I play everyday of at least two (my climb to 4-5) of them.

Jaden · #15 05-02-2019, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rev Roy

I HATE having guitars that aren’t regularly being played. Sure, folks who gig or are pros may need lots of guitars for various special purposes. I get that. Good for them. But for a guy like me who plays almost exclusively for family, friends, the dog and myself, two guitars is the maximum needed. And I only need the second one so if my primary guitar ends up in the shop for a while I won’t have to go guitarless (which happened to me once back when I only had one guitar).

I know unplayed guitars make me nuts because there was a time when I had six. A couple got daily play...usually the same two. But the others were largely case queens...which seemed like a terrible waste of some great guitars. So instead of bringing me joy, those extra guitars bummed me out. Lesson learned.

Two is enough for me.

I feel the same.

When I had budget instruments, there didn’t seem to be a limit, but those are all gone. A good quality acoustic guitar deserves to be played; if not it’s a waste for my amateur purposes, and has lead me to donate away to someone who will put it to good use.

Electric guitars don’t seem to have that same ‘soul’, so even 4 in cases in the closet or out on stands to look at and play occasionally is not a problem.