Filling the "music" void with "gear."

[gibpicker]

Filling in the music void with gear is definitely true, but hanging out on guitar forums (love this forum) like this, and reading about people buying the latest and greatest of guitars, and how doing so has made them so very happy, that makes a lot of us at least think about BUYING MORE GEAR. Ha!

[rwmct]

This is a big reason I have two guitars, one acoustic and one electric. Both are keepers, but there are plenty of other guitars I would like to have. And maybe one day I will get a few of them.

But only after I feel like I spend enough time playing. I am not rich, but I could afford to buy a new guitar every year or so. I don't, because I recognize it would be easier to acquire guitars than to learn to play half way decently. It would be easy to focus on acquiring gear. Part of my avoiding that is to stick with the guitars I have for now.

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by Pitar

Dry spells visit every facet of life but they seem overly personified and exaggerated when they happen to our music hobby. That's a restricted area off limits to boredom, yet it does visit.



I have many hobbies and one of them is auto mechanics. I have 4 vehicles I maintain and all of them need attention at any given time, even if it's a simple oil change or multi-point check. When not spending time on them I've got a 1/4 scale WWI R/C biplane I'm building, or I'm dabbling with oil painting, or in a machine shop fabricating stuff for my job. Then there's the home improvement call to duty.



When I do pick up the guitar it feels right and usually goes right. I play about an hour a day, weekdays, and a few on the weekends.



Gear-wise, I never got the bug. I have an amp, two guitars (classical and steel string acoustic), a looper pedal and the stuff needed to be gig-ready. The looper pedal is great for jamming with myself, which I prefer when writing, and really prompts the creativity.

Excellent Post! Thanks for sharing that.

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by Shades of Blue

Dave hit the nail on the head...maybe that’s why I constantly focus on the gear!

Yes! And, the post above you captured it beautifully:

“..seem over personified and exaggerated when they happen to our music hobby.”

Wow!

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by icuker

Gear is always tempting, but a cheap way to jump start is to do a book hunt. Some of the antique / rummage stores have old song books that can be a fun find for a dollar or two.

Ooh that’s another good idea.

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by Lakewood_Lad

It's like buying clothes a size too small because you think it will motivate you to lose weight.



Never works. You just end up with a wardrobe full of crap.

Both the post and reply are very true!

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by rwmct

This is a big reason I have two guitars, one acoustic and one electric. Both are keepers, but there are plenty of other guitars I would like to have. And maybe one day I will get a few of them.



But only after I feel like I spend enough time playing. I am not rich, but I could afford to buy a new guitar every year or so. I don't, because I recognize it would be easier to acquire guitars than to learn to play half way decently. It would be easy to focus on acquiring gear. Part of my avoiding that is to stick with the guitars I have for now.

Well stated!

[Jaden]

There is no better cure for “gear disease, distraction and procrastination” than a instrument that gives you pleasure to play, and being able to identify anything with your instruments that pose difficulty, discomfort, or lack of reward due to frustration with pulling off the “latest lick” with ease - neck profile and uncomfortable fretboard width might be the obstacle. Any guitar that allows you to pull off tunes without restriction of speed is a pointer toward the solution to rectifying music making avoidance.

[DaveKell]

Just like altering your appearance can be a motivating thing, a new guitar or amp can take you to new heights, even if only in your imagination. But the human condition is such that we get used to what's around us at an astounding pace. I currently own two fine guitars and likely won't be shopping for another the rest of my life. However, the initial boost in my enthusiasm at acquiring them is now past. Same with the finest home I've ever lived in which I now occupy. I no longer notice the fine tile work or the two designer fireplaces. I know a guy who's living my dream life with 3 homes and a jet. You never met a more perpetually bored individual. "Things" only satisfy for a short while. I'm glad I've reached the end of my need for instant gratification!

[Shades of Blue]

This is gonna be fun guys. I’ve had a little too much wine, so look out!

This thread is hitting me hard. I’ve just been sitting out on my deck and listing to bluegrass/folk after a big seafood cookout for the family. What’s on my mind right now? Well, quite frankly, a D18. Listening to this type of music doesn’t help. So I’m typing this as an outlet to discuss why I’m feeling this way. I own two Taylors that probably would do the job just fine, but it’s all about perceptions and what our minds are trained to associate with certain types of music. I am sitting here and there have been about 5 different artists in my playlist and each of them have their own primary guitar that you just always see them with. For Jason Isbell, I see a D18, for Mandolin Orange, it’s a Martin style vintage dreadnought. It’s just sort of the “standard” and what you visualize with this music.

So what is my signature go to? I don’t have one. I swap guitars like I change my underwear. I don’t have anything that I’ve just adopted as a GO TO. Maybe that’s what I need to focus on....finding a GO TO guitar.

[Lakewood_Lad]

What if you turned it around a bit and decided to fill the "gear" void with musicality and skill?

Would you rather be an average guitarist with a great guitar or a great guitarist with an average instrument?

Originally Posted by Shades of Blue

This is gonna be fun guys. I’ve had a little too much wine, so look out!

This thread is hitting me hard. I’ve just been sitting out on my deck and listing to bluegrass/folk after a big seafood cookout for the family. What’s on my mind right now? Well, quite frankly, a D18. Listening to this type of music doesn’t help. So I’m typing this as an outlet to discuss why I’m feeling this way. I own two Taylors that probably would do the job just fine, but it’s all about perceptions and what our minds are trained to associate with certain types of music. I am sitting here and there have been about 5 different artists in my playlist and each of them have their own primary guitar that you just always see them with. For Jason Isbell, I see a D18, for Mandolin Orange, it’s a Martin style vintage dreadnought. It’s just sort of the “standard” and what you visualize with this music.

So what is my signature go to? I don’t have one. I swap guitars like I change my underwear. I don’t have anything that I’ve just adopted as a GO TO. Maybe that’s what I need to focus on....finding a GO TO guitar.

With all due respect, you need to stop buying and selling guitars and focus your efforts on making music with what you have.

[Lakewood_Lad]

My favourite moments are when I work out how to do new things and coax new sounds from my guitar - not by accident but by design, in a predictable and repeatable way.

At those moments I seriously wonder if I need another guitar or if I wouldn't be better off just playing one even more.

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by Shades of Blue

This is gonna be fun guys. I’ve had a little too much wine, so look out!

This thread is hitting me hard. I’ve just been sitting out on my deck and listing to bluegrass/folk after a big seafood cookout for the family. What’s on my mind right now? Well, quite frankly, a D18. Listening to this type of music doesn’t help. So I’m typing this as an outlet to discuss why I’m feeling this way. I own two Taylors that probably would do the job just fine, but it’s all about perceptions and what our minds are trained to associate with certain types of music. I am sitting here and there have been about 5 different artists in my playlist and each of them have their own primary guitar that you just always see them with. For Jason Isbell, I see a D18, for Mandolin Orange, it’s a Martin style vintage dreadnought. It’s just sort of the “standard” and what you visualize with this music.

So what is my signature go to? I don’t have one. I swap guitars like I change my underwear. I don’t have anything that I’ve just adopted as a GO TO. Maybe that’s what I need to focus on....finding a GO TO guitar.

First, we share a lot of similar interest in music! Secondly, I went through the Martin/Taylor switcharoo a few times. I’m not a fan of their newer models, which has made it easier for me. But, your guitars won’t hold you back. Play some good tunes with what you got and then you can see where that takes you. Bottom’s up!

[Shades of Blue]

Originally Posted by J-Doug

With all due respect, you need to stop buying and selling guitars and focus your efforts on making music with what you have.

I’ve been playing for 21 years. I learned on acoustic, and joined a band and played my heart out for 10 years. After that band I played with my late father in law for 5 years in a Southern Gospel group until a heart attack took him at 51. Ever since then I’ve been struggling to find a reason to play. I’ve done the church thing and it was fun, but buying guitars has kept me interested. If it wasn’t for trying new things and the constant buying and selling, I can’t say I would have kept with it all these years after my father in law passed.

The cool thing is that my daughter plays violin and I’ve been blessed enough to have been asked by her teacher to play along with the group during their fiddle tunes at recitals twice a year.

If I didn’t have GAS, I wouldn’t have guitar at all. We make fun of GAS and consider it a problem or issue, but for some of us GAS “IS” the hobby. It is for me. I figure that the passing of my father in law sparked GAS for me. I’ve struggled to find a reason to play for years until my daughter picked up the violin. Hopefully I can put GAS aside someday, but for now I’ll keep searching for the perfect guitar.