Do you...

[el_goodo_maximo]

Ever have moments of extreme disbelief in your ability to make enough money for a gibson or something nice, and then enter every guitar contest you can find... I hope I'm not alone.

[Katastrophe]

Nope, you are not alone. I've been trying to save money for new gear for a while now.

But, I am optimistic that sooner or later, it WILL happen. It's just a matter of time and effort. I'll keep working second jobs, or sell off some old gear or items around the house and then GAS will be temporarily satisfied.

A Gibson??? While it would be cool to own one, that's not, nor will it ever be, within the realm of possiblilty for a person of my income. That's why Epiphone or Agile is around. There are so many excellent choices out there in the "reasonable" price range (to me, that's any guitar under $600), that I don't even bother looking at "real" Gibsons or MIA or Custom Shop Strats. I just can't justify that kind of money for those guitars, when the $1,500 - $5,000 purchase is compared to the needs of my family.

Guitar contests??? They are cool in that you can go see, and be amazed by some of the talent in your area. You'll see a lot of speed and fancy tricks by the contestants. If you want to enter, but don't have those techniques in your bag of tricks, ENTER ANYWAY. Do something different. Bring out your melodic side and wow the judges with depth and emotion in your playing, not just with string skipping, tapped, swept 128th notes.

Good luck, bro!!

[Justaguyin_nc]

I believe I could sit here all day just looking for contests to enter.. don't feel alone...Umm got any leads to a ?

[Myles]

Junk mail in both its electronic form and in the real world bothers me to no end and as a result I sign up for as few things as possible that involve giving out my real name and address.

I wonder if there is a phobia of junk mail? 10 points to whoever figures it out for lazy me :P

On a more related aside, I do have times when I play the lottery or gamble more frequently in hopes of luckily acquiring millions to make life (supposedly) easier.

[Nelskie]

Ever have moments of extreme disbelief in your ability to make enough money for a gibson or something nice, and then enter every guitar contest you can find... I hope I'm not alone.

Actually, the moments of disbelief I have are mainly associated with the fact that some of these guitars actually cost that much. Thankfully, those feelings are immediately quelled when I plug in one of my Epiphones or Squiers, and realize that a fantastic playing / sounding Strat or Les Paul doesn't require one to take out a second mortgage. Or, in this case, enter contests. As for what constitutes a really nice guitar - that's pretty much an individual thing. One man's junk is another man's treasure.

[SuperSwede]

I wonder if there is a phobia of junk mail? 10 points to whoever figures it out for lazy me :P

Junkophobia? I have that too...

I hate spam!

[jpfeifer]

Hi el_goodo_maximo,

I'm with you on this.

I'm still saving up for a prize axe like this anyway. But I did enter a guitar contest earlier this year, partly for this reason. They were offering several prizes including lot's of Gibson Les Pauls and 335s. The contest was a great learning experience anyway and a lot of fun. I didn't win anything but it was a great way to kick my practicing up a notch.

There's a lot of decent guitars out there these days at more affordable prices.

-- Jim

[Katastrophe]

Geez, I'm a dork. I thought you meant ENTERING guitar contests for PLAYING, not to win a guitar.

Please forgive my misreading of your initial post!

[duhvoodooman***]

Actually, the moments of disbelief I have are mainly associated with the fact that some of these guitars actually cost that much. Thankfully, those feelings are immediately quelled when I plug in one of my Epiphones or Squiers, and realize that a fantastic playing / sounding Strat or Les Paul doesn't require one to take out a second mortgage. Or, in this case, enter contests. As for what constitutes a really nice guitar - that's pretty much an individual thing. One man's junk is another man's treasure.

Amen to that. I have been absolutely AMAZED at the quality of this Epi Dot that I recently nailed on eBay for $325, including the HS case. The Gibson ES-335 Dot's start at $2200 and go up from there! Ridiculous. For one seventh of that, I have an axe I'd put up against just about any semi-hollowbody you could name. Plays like an absolute dream and sounds great, to boot. And when I finish my little pickup project, I expect to have something very, very special! Have mercy!!

Oops, I've drifted off topic here, haven't I? Sorry, guys....