Do you think your music activity level influences your GAS?

[Eric]

I'm curious for everyone out there. I think that playing activity level is inversely proportional to how much I shop for, lust after, buy, and swap gear. That is to say, if I'm really busy practicing and playing and with music in general, I don't typically worry too much about my gear. Or at least not as much as when I'm idle.

Then again, this could be more closely related to how much time I have in the other areas of life (e.g. how busy I am at work). Thoughts? Do you have similar experiences?

[Brian Krashpad]

Hmm, for me, I don't seem to see any correlation on way or t'other. Then again, I'm kinda at stasis since I've run out of storage space and money anyhow.

[Spudman]

The more I gig the more I justify getting new tools for the trade. I'd probably be better off if I just focus on music instead of all the bells and whistles it takes to put on a show. Still, playing more frequently spurs me to make equipment investments (ya, that's the ticket).

[NWBasser]

I'm definitely in the same boat Eric. That's a great observation!

The less time I have to actually play, the more time I spend gassing over gear.

That amph of mine sounds so good when I'm playing it, but I can detect all sorts of flaws when I'm stuck at work and looking at music vendor websites.

[MAXIFUNK]

Maybe is just for most of us our male genetics just breeds GAS you know boys and their toys.
When I was into mountain biking I had gas for MB stuff.
When I was into fast cars I had gas for that stuff.
I always have gas for high end audio/video gear as well as SLR camera gear.
My brothers are boaters and they have more gas for boating stuff than any one in this group. LOL

Yeah thats it boys and their toys.

[Katastrophe]

Nah... for me, GAS is constant, whether I'm playing regularly or not. I'm always looking at new gear - drives Mrs. Kat nuts.

[stingx]

I'm a very visual person. It doesn't take much for me to get GAS. It can lay dormant for some time then it comes back kicking like a mule. I think maybe I'm just too easily amused...

[Jimi75]

Making less music than ever in my life, but am currently on G.A.S. for a Tele. So my attacks are not correlating with my activity level.

[bcdon]

Guys, may I suggest some Beano for all your GAS issues? :rollover
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9cOxMQ3Smgw/TC1OdAxSQbI/AAAAAAAABGI/mpDQF86iQQw/s1600/beano.jpg

[marnold]

My GAS level has been pretty much non-existent for the past year or so. Yeah, every so often I think about an Agile or new pups for my bass, but nothing that lasts.

[Monkus]

I'm with Eric, the more downtime, the more GAS....

[jpfeifer]

I can definitely get Eric's point. I would say this is true of me also. But I think that it goes deeper than this with me, anyway.
I get "G.A.S" the most when I'm bored with myself musically, and begin to look for new sounds, or a new direction to pursue on a musical level.

My latest attack happened when I started looking for better sounds to do rock-a-billy and surf styles. This encouraged me to go back to tube amps, get a Tele-style guitar with Filtertron pickups, etc.

I hit this point every so many years when I feel the need to change it up and go for something different musically.
However, when I'm happily working on projects I normally don't get frustrated to the point of wanting to get new gear. I'm too busy spending time on the playing end of it.

--Jim

[deeaa]

There is a curve along which GAS occurs the best.

At one end, you don't play at all basically...and in that case, there is no GAS either. (like me this summer). Then it changes.

Hmm. Maybe I can draw it better.

http://www.kuas.net/curve.JPG

Basically, if you don't play any, you can't have gas, but then gas gets to be its worst when you do play increasingly much but nowhere near professionally. When the playing time gets bigger and bigger, GAS starts to subside but never totally lets go.

[hubberjub]

Mine is usually pretty consistent. I play 2-3 gigs per week but continue long for new gear. I don't know if there is any correlation.

[deeaa]

Pretty easy to see for me really...when I played at least one or two gigs a week, I played the same gear literally for years and years, never change a thing.
When I practice w/a band on a weekly basis, and have a gig every other month or so...that's when I've been most active with GAS and amassed amps and gear like crazy. Because that's just enough activity that you actually go to the facility alone now and then to adjust sounds and plan song sounds etc. and whatnot...

But, when it gets to bare minimum, a session once a month or so, maybe grab a guitar once a week at best, then gas is also at a really low ebb.

Yep, at least for me it peaks when there's enough playing and projects, but not so much it consumes all musical energy by itself. In other words:
Gas is at its greatest when you're playing enough to keep music in your thoughts daily, but not yet exhausting your musical drive by playing too much.

[Eric]

Gas is at its greatest when you're playing enough to keep music in your thoughts daily, but not yet exhausting your musical drive by playing too much.
I'd agree with that for the most part. I think that's pretty well-stated.