Buried under gear

[Eric***]

Somehow I seem to get tighter and tighter with the money every passing year, and less and less inclined to pay for guitars etc. and rather spend more money in home improvements really. I guess I'm just getting old.

You and me both. I agree with most of what you just said. My wife and I were just talking about this stuff last night: how you might have things you like, but if you're honest with yourself, you really don't have a need for it. For instance, we got these pretty nice daypacks for our wedding almost 2 years ago that was a really thoughtful gift from her uncle. When we moved everything into storage recently, we considered getting rid of them until we googled how much they were worth: $120 a piece. So now they're in storage, still in the plastic, with two other very nice daypacks that we already have and use for all of our hiking and camping currently. So why keep them? I don't know. We shouldn't, but it's hard to get rid of them.

It's that stupid compulsion to justify keeping things that I would like to break myself of. For some, they don't mind it, and I have no issue with them having loads of stuff, but I find it to be this thing that exerts a little control over me. And I don't like that. I realize that I'm fortunate for having the option to have all of this stuff, but that doesn't change the fact that it's easy for me to get wrapped up in it. Guess I'll just keep chipping away at it and maybe find a balance eventually.

[Commodore 64***]

I'm finding that building/repairing stuff helps fill some of the GAS void. I'm working on a Dean EVO, (LP Clone, Czech Made), and it's a really, really nice player. I wish I had one, but at least I got to play this one for a couple weeks. Really digging the Pearly Gates PUPs in it.

Fixing my Pro Jr. was pretty fun, I learned a lot and now have a pretty sweet amp. That was good for a few months of satisfaction. It's been 8 weeks since I decided to build a 5E3 and 12-inch speaker cab. Yesterday I got the cab done. I will need to build another in the spring, this one was a right PITA, but I learned a ton and it works, for now. Now I can move on the the 5E3 bit, I started drilling out the chassis yesterday, this is a PITA too. I can't wait until the fun part (soldering components). I've got some photos ready, I'm thinking I'll maybe do my first blog here.

So, I guess, in my mind, the amp building/guitar repairing stuff is some kind of justification for GAS. I feel like I'm learning a lot and that maybe at some point, I'll be able to fund (some) gear purchases by using my tech skills. Already, I've made $60 and been given a Samick Ray Benson Tele, a Samick Strat, and a Samick Bass in return for my services. It also gets me into musician circles in my hometown, which is pretty cool too.

[Eric***]

I'm finding that building/repairing stuff helps fill some of the GAS void. I'm working on a Dean EVO, (LP Clone, Czech Made), and it's a really, really nice player. I wish I had one, but at least I got to play this one for a couple weeks. Really digging the Pearly Gates PUPs in it.

Fixing my Pro Jr. was pretty fun, I learned a lot and now have a pretty sweet amp. That was good for a few months of satisfaction. It's been 8 weeks since I decided to build a 5E3 and 12-inch speaker cab. Yesterday I got the cab done. I will need to build another in the spring, this one was a right PITA, but I learned a ton and it works, for now. Now I can move on the the 5E3 bit, I started drilling out the chassis yesterday, this is a PITA too. I can't wait until the fun part (soldering components). I've got some photos ready, I'm thinking I'll maybe do my first blog here.

So, I guess, in my mind, the amp building/guitar repairing stuff is some kind of justification for GAS. I feel like I'm learning a lot and that maybe at some point, I'll be able to fund (some) gear purchases by using my tech skills. Already, I've made $60 and been given a Samick Ray Benson Tele, a Samick Strat, and a Samick Bass in return for my services. It also gets me into musician circles in my hometown, which is pretty cool too.

That's a good idea. It brings up a weird point, though: I don't feel like I have GAS. I haven't had any desire to own more stuff in a year or so -- maybe a modeler now and then and a reverb pedal, but I got a reverb pedal and like it, and I never bought a modeler. I just somehow ended up with a bunch of stuff. Still, if I get fidgety later on, it seems like a good idea to start building stuff. I'm way behind you in terms of my repair skills, but I recently redid my hello kitty guitar, which taught me a good bit about wiring, so I get what you're saying.

[cebreez]

I'm finding that building/repairing stuff helps fill some of the GAS void.

Or in my case, the financial one! I love to fix and repair things. For as long as I can remember I've dabbled in electronics and I am a pretty decent woodworker, but it wasn't until I starting wanting gear that cost way too much money that I started building or restoring guitars and pedals. And yes... it keeps me buying guitars and pedals. But I still want them!!

[tunghaichuan***]

Or in my case, the financial one! I love to fix and repair things. For as long as I can remember I've dabbled in electronics and I am a pretty decent woodworker, but it wasn't until I starting wanting gear that cost way too much money that I started building or restoring guitars and pedals. And yes... it keeps me buying guitars and pedals. But I still want them!!

In my case, I got into building my own amps because I couldn't afford to buy a amp, which was a nice take on the Fender Champ, but with high gain capabilities. It was a nice hand-wired, true point-to-point, American made amp which now seems like a steal at $440. I started building Champ-style amps and it snowballed from there. Now I've got a room full of parts, over 1,00 tubes, lots of caps, resistors, chassis and other associated parts. I'm going to be downsizing soon. It's been a while since I built my last amp and I'm going to be moving to a smaller place soon. It's been a case of the junk owning me.

I've had a blast and learned a lot, though.

[Pickngrin]

Eric, I have pondered the same question many times. I also factored my skill level (lack thereof) into it, questioning whether I play well enough to have certain gear and whether I make "good enough" use of it. I have a few friends that amass gear much more compulsively and expensively than I do. That said, I think that I've come to a better place with the question. I don't spend a lot on my gear for the most part, and I do enjoy playing with it. Playing with other people makes having the gear seem more worthwhile to me -- not that playing alone in one's abode isn't worthwhile. Clearly this is a very individual matter.

[Retro Hound]

I wish there was a "gear library" where I could just check stuff out for a few weeks and see what it sounds like, how it plays, etc. I don't need to "own" a lot of stuff, but I love to mess with stuff.

[Eric***]

I wish there was a "gear library" where I could just check stuff out for a few weeks and see what it sounds like, how it plays, etc. I don't need to "own" a lot of stuff, but I love to mess with stuff.

I was just talking about that exact same thing recently with my wife. I think someone in another thread (the environmental one) mentioned how the best way to conserve resources is to buy only one guitar, which I agree with. The problem is that when I was starting off, I had no fricking clue which guitar I wanted or how they sounded or anything, so there's a certain amount of churn necessary to be able to figure out what that one guitar is. The same could be said for pedals, amps, etc. A guitar library would be an incredible thing, though I'm not sure if it would work, since there's a certain amount of maturity required to figure out what you like and stick with it. A maturity that I don't seem to have just yet.

[Commodore 64***]

There is a gear library. It's called Craig's List. It costs a fraction of buying new, and if you are selective, you can try lots of gear that can be moved on later...at minimal addition to your original expenditure.

[cebreez]

There is a gear library. It's called Craig's List. It costs a fraction of buying new, and if you are selective, you can try lots of gear that can be moved on later...at minimal addition to your original expenditure.

I'm glad that's true in Ohio Commodore 64 but it is not true around here. I live too close to Nashville, TN and they think used means you knock off $10 and shut up about it. You can only get good deals on CL if your looking for really expensive gear at which point they will knock off $20. Seriously, I bought a Peavey Generations EXP brand new at the Music Store for $119. Can still get one brand new all day long for $189.(which is still overpriced) Just saw one on CL in Nashville for $300 used!

Back when I was playing in a band there were always several music stores on our routes where we could sit and sample new instruments. I would usually sit with one a minimum of 15 times before deciding whether to buy it. (I didn't buy many back then) Still can at Guitar Center, Sam Ash, World Music, and I'm sure there are others. But I know what you mean. You want to get it home, in private, where you can put it through its paces and see what it sounds like through your setup.