What Makes You Want To Buy?

[beninma]

I don't have a guitar GAS problem at all... some of the comments people made about consumerism make sense to me.

I do have more of a problem with pedals for my electric guitar rig and I maybe have a pick problem. (I have a bunch of Blue Chips for example)

The thing with the pedals.. there has been way more learning there.. figuring out what works, etc.. what I actually need. I have gotten rid of a lot of them though.

Picks.. I sometimes think my acoustic sounds too metallic. I am usually trying picks to get a different sound out of it. I am 100% happy with the fingerpicking tone of my acoustic.

With the picks I'm always looking for any little help with playing too.. some of the picks have really helped my playing whether that is through particular ones not slipping, etc..

I go try acoustics semi-regularly. Something is going to have to really blow me away in both playability & tone.

Anything I spend on gear is dwarfed by lesson expenditures.. lessons are a lot of money but they are really worth it.

When I get together with others I will hear people wanting to show off their latest guitar.. I usually want to talk about whatever I've learned recently.

[s2y]

Guitars are fun. I typically buy stuff for a given purpose/tone/tuning. I'm more or less set in the rosewood DN department, so won't likely order one of those. I could possibly see myself looking at a mahogany DN or slope shoulder at some point.

[JAMKC]

Originally Posted by J Patrick

...curiosity has been my main reason...I have bought close to a hundred guitars sight unseen....(well actually i’ve seen the photos)...and sound unheard...I am usually familiar with them by reputation or prior exposure to a similar instrument...and I always have an idea of what to expect in advance..... most of the time the instrument is just what I expected...on a few occasions I have been disappointed...

....the guitars I choose to keep are the ones that I personally bond with the most after a substantial amount of playing time....most of the dozen or so acoustics I have now are keepers and there’s not much else I care to demo....my curiosity is waning...but I reckon there are a few more i’d like to try out...

Very well stated by J Patrick. Buying on this forum I find very honest appraisals of a guitars condition and tone.

[jaymarsch]

I enjoy playing a variety of guitars and it did take me playing quite a few to arrive at what I want in a guitar. Most of my guitar purchases have been custom or used made by makers who I had already played samples of their work. The two that I ordered sight unseen were models that were not readily available in my area. I returned one and still have the other.

This forum has probably helped pique my curiosity about certain guitars more than if I was off of it that is certainly true. :-)

Best,
Jayne

[musicman1951]

While I never want to purchase a new model I have yet to hear, I did purchase one guitar without playing it.

My Martin 000-42 Marquis from a trusted AGF member. He had great pictures and the guitar looked new, it was one of only 155 made and the specs were everything I wanted. It was certainly still a risk, but it's still with me so I guess it worked out OK.

I'm no longer shopping (yes, I hear your laughter), but sound would be the only reason for another purchase. I would have to find a guitar that sounded better than what I have - and the pile of money needed - before I thought about another guitar.

[Goodallboy]

I’m glad this question was posed. I’ve long suspected that a large number of guitar buyers base the purchase on factors far removed from the sound of the instrument, and seeing many responses listing those reasons is astonishing.

Hype, curiosity, waiting on the brown truck, the thrill of unboxing, generous return policy, just an amazing look into what motivates consumers of a product to act.

Each one, totally contradictory to the actions of someone focused on selecting a special instrument by direct comparison,in-person evaluation, yet fascinating as a look into how people can be influenced by participating in a group setting.

[Deliberate1]

The corollary to consider is why some guitars, or other objects of lust, fall so from grace, some sooner than later. I am new to this community and to the guitar world, but have experienced very similar phenomena in the online Leica camera universe. Personally.
NPR reported on the results of a behavioral study which quantified how mice are inevitably driven to mate with the "new girl in town." And after a time, and once a new cohort is introduced, she becomes the new object of affection. And so it goes. The parallels can be made - how is a guitar like a mouse?
As I peruse the seemingly endless supply of irresistibles online, and especially on the custom build page, I think about emotional energy that must fuel the commissioning of a new guitar, especially one that is very expensive and regarded as the "last guitar;" particularly one that takes a year or more to arrive. I have not yet had the experience of of a custom build. But I imagine that it must be exhausting and exhilarating, ripe with angst and anticipation which only grows over time.
Finally, it arrives. It is perfect in every way, hopefully. GAS is sated. And then, time passes and the guitar appears on the Marketplace page. And you look at the price, but really wonder whether there was also an emotional cost to the seller, and another to be paid, especially when the seller reveals that the sale is to fund yet another build.
Virtually unlimited choice and opportunity is a challenge to happiness.
David

[jgottsman11]

This is a great question that I need to think about more often myself... Every time I think I'm content, I find a hole in my collection. For example, I have the Bourgeois Soloist in my signature coming on Monday. 2 months ago, you would've heard me saying how much I dislike cutaways. I like to cover all the bases in my guitar collection and somehow, more bases keep showing up. For now, I'll say I'm happy where I'm at in my collection. There is always something that will catch my eye next, however, and I think it's a Collings 00 14 fret... See what I just did?

[RP]

What makes me want to buy a new guitar? Hmmmm. How about a wild hare???

[hubcapsc]

Seeing a guitar that seems as cool as that Dudenbostel that's on the
Classifieds, or playing a guitar like the 1937 d-18 I played the other
day.

I'm $afe, though... I can't buy those guitars ...

-Mike

[LyleGorch]

Simply pure greed.

I'm strictly a "try before you buy" guy so no I'd never buy a guitar I didn't have a chance to play for a considerable period of time. It's the playing that gets me excited and ready to buy. This is why I try to stay out of music stores.

[KalamazooGuy]

Used to be broke and now I am not.

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by ManyMartinMan

Okay, I've only been here a couple of years but my playing history goes back decades since music school. I have always purchased guitars after playing them or had interest after hearing someone else play them (Lowden for example). I've never just awakened one day and thought - I want to purchase a XXX (fill in make/model).

However when I tune in here, I regularly read someone stating that they want to buy a XXX without ever hearing, seeing or playing one. In fact, recently I've seen people planning on buying new guitar models - that aren't even released for purchase. This means they've never seen one in person, heard one live OR on recording and they've decided they should spend their (presumably) hard-earned money to purchase one.

So, what drives you to want to purchase a guitar? And, what would make you want to spend money, generally over $1,000, on something you've never sampled?

After a while of buying guitars, you get to know things like brands, designs, woods etc., that serve you best - I've bought a fair selection of guitars sight unseen. Been lucky so far. Do your research!

See :

[Pitar]

I can only guess why anyone would become interested enough in a guitar to buy it without any hands/ears on qualitative experience to draw upon. If I had to rationalize that kind of purchase I would chalk it up to having the means to be indiscriminate. Logic works in that scenario.

I have to play them. If I'm curious about a guitar that's not available to play I'll remain curious until one is.