How Many Guitars is Enough?

Blueline reports:
My dog, “Arpeggio” (wiping tears away from face) loves music. He loves to hear me play and sadly, can not experience the full spectrum of sound due to the limitations of my collection.

While I feel just awful for your adorable Arpeggio, I'm actually envious of you. My dog Fritz would give anything if I'd just stop making noise. (He wants me to add that he'll happily share some of his biscuits with Arp. Will that help ease his pain??? :wink: )

I said 21+. I only have 11 instruments. (6)- 6 string solid bodies, (1) hollowbody 6 string, (1)- 7 string solid body, and (3) - 4 string basses. I need an acoustic or two, a 12 string, a double neck 12 and 6 string and a double neck 6 string and bass, a five string bass, and an 8 string bass. I need a baritone with the Warmoth 28 1/2" scale and a baritone with a 26 1/2" scale. I have several more franken-guitars planned. I should get a Jazzmaster and/or a Mustang. I want an upright bass for Kicks and... well... uhhhhhhh

Before August of 2006, I owned 2 electrics, 2 basses and 1 acoustic/electric. For those in the 21+ category, you may have already figured out that I switched addictions. As others have mentioned, I don't (any longer) smoke, drink, drug, overeat, gamble (unless you count spending $$$ as a "gamble"), etc. Yes, folks...I am a collectaholic. Before this it's been handbags, perfumes, stereo equipment, jewelry, magazines, books, blank media (?), DVDs, CDs (still a problem) and even LPs and 8-tracks. But I always come back to my first love in one form or another: music. But still...I am a collectaholic. Thank you. I feel cleansed. :cry:

:D

Great to hear that I'm still really just an amateur. 8)

I've never really been a big collector - unless you count books and CDs - but guitars and general musical paraphernalia seems to have got under my skin. Fortunately, I have a very understanding wife. We each have a budget (that we both stick to) so I don't gripe about her collections of beads/jewelry, clothes etc. and she doesn't gripe about my stuff. The really great things about this arrangement is that she is the major earner in our household, and still doesn't mind me collecting guitars. What a treasure... :D

Having read some inspirational posts above from some of the collecting heavyweights here, I now feel confident that I've merely reached a temporary plateau and that the summit is still well ahead of me.

Is your partner a collector too? (Receipts perhaps?.... :wink: )

Cheers,

Chris

Hollowbody Electric
6-String Acoustic
12-String Acoustic
6-String Nylon Acoustic
Strat copy
Tele copy

So I'm up to 6 guitars, but I'm sure I'll add more to my collection: I'm thinking about getting a Danelectro guitar sometime, as well as a playable 6-string acoustic.

I don't see where I've posted on this yet ...... I have, ummm ... 20 guitars maybe I think. Yeah, I have 20 of them, so 21 is the perfect number.
1 Schecter Omen 6
2 Switch Wild I
3 B.C Rich Mocking Bird
4 Oscar Schmidt OE 30
5 OLP MM1
6 Kramer Standard Pro
7 Kramer Imperial Axe
8 Squire Telecaster
9 Fender Stratocaster
10 Charvel Acoustic Electric
11 Rouge Resonator
12 Epiphone G400
13 Gibson Les Paul Studio
14 Gibson Les Paul Special
15 Jackson Stealth
16 Potty Caster
17 SX Strat
18 Agile AL2000
19 Hamer SATQ
20 Oh my God! I only have 19!!!! I forgot I gave my Rouge Acoustic to my son!!! Guess I need another then don't I?

I voted 2-5 because I'm currently at 5 guitars. Two are up for sale, but not online.

I still got my
Epi LP 100
Ibanez RG
Ibanez GSA
Martin Stinger
and Yamaha FS-310A acoustic.

NoteBoat,

You forgot stylistically different sounding guitars. Gypsy jazz guitars and flaminco guitars, for example.

I'd also argue that you need an amplified archtop and an accoustic archtop for mic'ing.

I'm pretty sure the optimum number is around 20 give or take 2-4 guitars depending on how many genres of music you indulge in.

I'm getting close to 20 ... and still have a list of possibilities, cuz no Dano, no Hofner, neither LP nor Jr, Johnny A no way, no L5, Moserite is wrong, nada Zematis, Gretsch-me-not, no Benny by gosh, no dreaded HD-28, less than righteous Ric-wise, no Turner, doubting Lowden, no Collings -- so many shortfalls!

I'm getting close to 20 ... and still have a list of possibilities, cuz no Dano, no Hofner, neither LP nor Jr, Johnny A no way, no L5, Moserite is wrong, nada Zematis, Gretsch-me-not, no Benny by gosh, no dreaded HD-28, less than righteous Ric-wise, no Turner, doubting Lowden, no Collings -- so many shortfalls!

That's possibly the most unintelligible line I've ever read on GN! Greg, you got to turn your hand to lyric writing - the next "Whiter Shade Of Pale" is well within your grasp! If you'd sold that line to Dylan in the sixties, you wouldn't have to worry about where the money for the next guitar was coming from! EVER!

Er - can you translate? I speak English, Guitar and BS.......but that's beyond me!

:D :D :D

Vic

He has turned his hand to lyric writing, and I have proof.

Hmmmm.

Well, I have 2 Fender Strats & 1 Ovation acoustic. (+ my old black no name hollow body from the early 60's I use for slide)

I have no addictions left myself: I don't drink, smoke, use drugs, gamble, over eat or buy things. (Including musical equipment)

The last guitar I bought was my acoustic.
And I bought that at least 12 years ago.

Pretty much I play my white Strat or my acoustic.
I have an electric tuner that I find is much cheaper and takes up less room than another guitar for altered tunings.

I've been playing for about 20 years, and have never had a guitar with Humbuckers in it.

I've played in a band: and both live and in the studio;
my white Strat was there, without backup.
No problems.

I see no need to have an extensive collection of guitars.
On the off chance that I "need" another 'sound' - there are plenty of guitars that I can BORROW for the short time I would
need them.

If I was going to 'collect' guitars, they would have to be vintage guitars or new ones that would appreciate in value.
They would have to qualify as an investment.

As most of you know.... I am WAY TOO PICKY to have a guitar collection.
Especially based on things like color or something like that.
Those things don't matter much to me.
I prefer white guitars anyway.

What I have paid for my guitars -
My 88 Strat = $500.00 brand new in 1988
My Ovation Custom Balladeer = $200.00 from a guy I used to drink with. (He needed money)
My 60's Gibson SG = $200.00. Talked him down from $375 asking price.
Sold it for $1000.00 to help pay for my Honeymoon.
My 71 Strat = FREE. It was my Father's.
He paid something like $200 for it.
My Black guitar = Free. It was my uncle's, uncle's guitar.

I guess if you add it all together, I've spent about $900.00 on guitars over the years and seeing as I sold the SG for a Grand,
I guess minus the 200 I paid for it, that puts me $100.00 in the hole over the course of 20 years.

If I had to pick one guitar to have, it would be a Tele.
They are pretty versatile.
I do WANT one very badly: A 63 reissue. (Green gaurds and clay dot necks just get me weak in the knees :twisted: )

It costs about $3000.00 :shock:

Ken

embarassing....

Time to thin the herd me thinks

I have to vote for the "me" answer

I'm getting close to 20 ... and still have a list of possibilities, cuz no Dano, no Hofner, neither LP nor Jr, Johnny A no way, no L5, Moserite is wrong, nada Zematis, Gretsch-me-not, no Benny by gosh, no dreaded HD-28, less than righteous Ric-wise, no Turner, doubting Lowden, no Collings -- so many shortfalls!

That's possibly the most unintelligible line I've ever read on GN! Greg, you got to turn your hand to lyric writing - the next "Whiter Shade Of Pale" is well within your grasp! If you'd sold that line to Dylan in the sixties, you wouldn't have to worry about where the money for the next guitar was coming from! EVER!

Er - can you translate? I speak English, Guitar and BS.......but that's beyond me!

:D :D :D

Vic

Maybe Gnease-speak is a cross between rap and a forgotten Australian dialect, because it spoke to me OK. 8)

I'm not pining for quite the same list, but I have also spent a fair bit of time regretting being "Gretsch-me-not" and "less than righteous Ric-wise".

I can feel my GAS supplies slowly re-inflating. :D Thanks you all....

Cheers,

Chris

3: Yamaha 112J Pacifica Strat copy (not expensive). Bought with the misguided notion that I might be able to rock if I had some electricity to work with. :roll:

4: Johnson hollow bodied (jazz style?). Bought with the even more misguided idea that maybe jazz might be my style, and that a hollow body would sound good for practising unplugged (not at the price I paid they don't…. ) :wink:

What are you saying? If these aren't true, I'm really in trouble :D

3: Yamaha 112J Pacifica Strat copy (not expensive). Bought with the misguided notion that I might be able to rock if I had some electricity to work with. :roll:

4: Johnson hollow bodied (jazz style?). Bought with the even more misguided idea that maybe jazz might be my style, and that a hollow body would sound good for practising unplugged (not at the price I paid they don't…. ) :wink:

What are you saying? If these aren't true, I'm really in trouble :D

You should be OK. 8)

One of my many Gas fantasies involved trading in the Johnson for a Yamaha hollowbody similar to yours. But it's currently on hold pending my proving to myself that I could actually make it sound any better. My biggest problem is that I just can't seem to track down a shop in Perth that sells talent... I'm having to fall back on improving the old fashioned way - practice. And when you deduct all the time I spend just noodling, it's still going pretty slowly.... :roll:

Cheers,

Chris

.... My biggest problem is that I just can't seem to track down a shop in Perth that sells talent... I'm having to fall back on improving the old fashioned way - practice....

If you find that shop the owner will become a billionaire! :D