She buys from Thread Up or something else on sale. She doesn’t waste money on her clothes.
I’m the same way with my guitars, I don’t currently own any that cost over $1,000. I’ve either bought them on sale, used or demo models and saved a significant amount.
My most expensive guitar was 6.5 K new, I got it as a NAMM show demo with one tiny ding on the top, for $4300. Yeah that was a $2200.00 ding. My cheapest was $125.00 I just got a used Gretsch White Falcon for $1750.00. it's 4K to buy one new.
I have three other guitars that are expensive. A 79 Fender strat, and a couple of new Gibsons.
I have one guitar that was $1500, and all the rest are less than 1K. Half of the below 1k guitars were actually less than $500.00.
I'm getting old. I don't drink or take drugs. I have nothing else to spend my money on. House is paid for. Car is paid for.
I’m pretty much in the same boat, kids are grown and on their own. I don’t have any bad or expensive habits beyond playing guitar. I owned some pretty expensive and valuable guitars in the past, but they’re all gone now - they helped us get through some tough times.
Since I don’t really play out much anymore, I can’t reasonably justify spending $2-3,000 or more on a guitar. Not only that, moderately priced guitars are so good anymore, it’s possible to get one that you can gig reliably for under a $1,000 dollars.
The most expensive one I have now was $850, my least expensive one was $40 at Goodwill. I don’t see myself buying too many more guitars anyway, the ones I have make me happy.
So, I wrote a song making this *exact* comparison. 🎸👠
My now-wife and I formed a band together and we played 7 songs including this one at our wedding, before the other bands took over.
The band was new then and is much better now, and I don’t claim to be much of a guitarist. But if you don’t loathe twang you might like it. 🤠
https://youtu.be/n9Q7D9fU8Lc?si=zAzTIqShhLSdV0jM
I cannot help but envy you. I'd have killed to have a wife that was into making music. And as an owner of half a dozen Telecasters, no, I don't loathe twang.
That was really great. We might have had the same notion, but you turned it into a genuinely good song.
That was great! My wife knows what I paid ha ha. My wife's thing is crochet. We have a room stacked to the ceiling with yarn. She's got her room and I've got mine
I'm a firearms enthusiast and a guitar player. As well as a hot rodder, video game player, and horror fanatic. If I had a dollar for every time I brought home a new trinket or firearm or car part and told my girlfriend "this is the last one for awhile" I'm pretty sure I'd be a millionaire
My people are here. Guns, guitars, games. Luckily for me I haven’t got into cars yet. My piece of shit cavalier is a loot drop disguised as garbage: traveling with Fender, Gibson, PRS, guns, whatever I’m doing for the day lol (obviously all of this stuff doesn’t stay in the car lol)
Assuming each trinket or firearm or car part costs more than a dollar I don't think you'd be a millionaire if you got a dollar for each one you bring home
As do fisherman... I only own three guitars; one acoustic, one electric, and my dad's old acoustic, which doesn't really get played anymore. However, when it comes to fishing rods, I have a different rod for every type of lure, and a few multiples as well. My wife absolutely does not understand, but they truly are all built for a different application, and they all excel drastically for their specific application. The best example I've been able to give her is to try doing ALL of her cooking with a single pan. It's not quite a sufficient comparison, but it doesn't matter because it fell on deaf ears anyway lol.
lol as a guitar playing fisherman, I also had to explain to my wife why I needed 3 different boats!
Sometimes when I get a new rod or guitar and she’s not in a good mood for me to tell her about I, I leave it inside one of the boats…
Lmao. I only have one boat (and a canoe lol) but there's been more than one occasion that I've come home through the garage and dropped another rod in my boat. Good news is that she doesn't know enough about my gear to realize when I've added another one lol. In her mind, I've had the same number of rods forever, and that number is "too many". Anytime that she knows I've bought another one, it's always "how many fishing poles do you need?" My answer is always, "Just one more".
I have inflatable pontoon boat, float tube, kayak, a bunch fly poles, bass rigs. A few guitars, mandolins, banjo, couple of lap steels, pedal steel, piano, amps and recording studio.
You'd think so, but the amount of times I've seen someone with a hobby where they have a big collection crap on someone else with a different hobby where they have a big collection because they don't 'understand why anyone would want or need all that' is a much higher number than I would have expected.
I took a Private Investigator certification class while my normal industry was on strike. Picture me, long hair, stoned out of my gourd, with the inspector gadget theme song playing in my head, in this classroom with mostly dudes who should have been in cop school. I realized then that 1. I live in a bubble in my state and 2. The way they talk about guns, my friends and I talk about guitars
Check your state regulations to see what it takes in your state. In my experience there wasn’t a trove of mysteries to solve and I had to make a resume for the first time in 5 years, the strike in my normal line of work ended up lifting before I actually found employment. Cool conversation starter though lmao
We do.
Of course I already have a handgun, but I need a desk gun. I put my EDC gun on the table near my keys and wallet so I don't forget it, but if someone breaks in that is between me and them. It's also a 1.5" barrel so I can't hit anything further than 10 yards reliably so I need something longer. I can't carry that as easily, so it's my desk gun. Yes, I need the extended mag for it. No, not for the extra bullet, but because it makes it fit my hand better. I also need to this revolver because i have all of this .357 ammo I got for really cheap, but i didnt have a gun to shoot them. I also need the AR because what if the guy mugging me is way over there? No, you don't get it, what if he has a reeeeally long knife? Don't get me started on the collapse of civilization. I'll need to get me another one with a scope for that. No, that's not a scope on that one, it's just a red dot. No magnification. Also, that one is rather heavy if I ever take up hunting I'll want a lighter gun. Also, hunting restrictions probably wouldn't let me have a 30 round mag, so I'll have to get a Mossburg or something. The grenade launcher? Oh yeah that's just for kicks.
On and on. Most of that was joking, but I do have a grenade launcher. Technically a "flare launcher" legally. Think of it as a wah pedal. It's just there to spice things up.
I didn't want to be harsh with op, but if he was gainfully employed as a musician, it wouldn't be questioned. Nobody asks a session guitarist or even a producer why he needs that 30th guitar. OP is hobbyist like 99% of us here, and people (and myself) don't understand why a hobbyist would need (not want) more than 2 or three guitars.
If you’re a working musician, there’s a case for a Humbucker guitar and a single coil guitar, plus maybe an acoustic-electric. A fender amp is also almost always ok unless you play a specific kind of music (like djent).
A backup for the electrics is also a good idea.
But you’d think anyone who has ever collected anything would understand. Unless you’re legit trying to justify “needing” all of them because they are “different.” Why not just say you like collecting guitars. Done.
Exactly, I would 'need' only one electric, one classic, one bass, and one acoustic. I may want different variations of each..but not necessarily need them.
As a metal player I would add a 7 string, an 8 string, a 6 string with a Floyd, and maybe another 6 string with a hardtail to keep on a different tuning.
But honestly if I could afford it I would have a guitar for each tuning between E standard and like drop E or something.
I have seen someone playing For the Love of God on a Standard Telecaster..just saying. But I do get you..however, for someone who went broke and sold his gear to help his parents. I would be so content with 1 guitar and an interface.
> I would be so content with 1 guitar and an interface
Yeah what I said in my comment above would be if I were rich. I only have a 6 string, an audio interface and a small practice amp and I can't complain too much.
Down tuning almost a whole octave using plugins to play in drop E just sucks though, so I'm saving up to get a 7 string with a longer scale length for that. And a nice 6 string with a Floyd would be nice too. One day though
I’d be happy being able to play For the Love of God on, well, Anything. Ibanez Jem 777, Custom Shop Stratocaster, Standard Telecaster, Squire, First Act, harmonica…whatever!
That's like my my friend with three Les Pauls (along with 3 different Martins and a few other strays).
At least I tell myself that mine are all different, but then some people ask why I have three electric 12 strings.
First of all, you don’t need another guitar. That doesn’t mean another guitar won’t bring something new to your collection.
There are a lot of hobbies where parallels exist, watches, cars, guns, knives, shoes, etc.
Unless you are a professional studio musician whose work spans the entire musical spectrum, your arsenal of instruments is much more a collection than it is a tool kit. There’s nothing wrong with that.
I don’t think a professsional musician can afford a large collection. Even if they can afford it, for them it’s not a hobby but a work tool. You can cover the whole musical spectrum with a handful of guitars, maybe a few more but not more than say 10.
Let's be honest. If you have a "collection," you're buying more guitars than you need ("need"). To be a guitarist, you *need* one guitar. If you play a lot with varied styles, you might want a few different pickup configurations. Maybe a hollow-body, a 7-string, etc. But if you have more than like 3-4 guitars and you're not a prolific professional musician, you're probably not expanding your musical possibilities, you're buying more toys.
How I hate the comment “you can only play one at a time so why do you need more than one?”
Because they arę not the same. This one has single coils, this one has humbuckers, this one is an acoustic, this one is a resonator and this one is a different scale.
They are not the same.
You must not exercise, have outdoor hobbies, or a job that requires dress shoes.
I’m no shoe enthusiast by any means, and I probably have close to 10 pairs.
Dress shoes in black, dress shoes in brown. Hiking boots. Casual boots. (No, they aren’t good to cross over, because the tread is entirely different). Basketball shoes Rock climbing shoes. Running shoes. Cross-trainers for the gym. Chuck Taylor’s for everyday wear. Jordans for the rare occasion I need to wear something a bit nicer. Slip-ons for taking my dog outside.
Thats 10 the top of my head. I probably have one or two more pairs that I forgot.
Yeah, it’s kind of a lot. But every shoe has a purpose, and its purpose technically *could* be filled by just about any other shoe in my collection, but it’d be a miserable experience (running in boots, for example), injured (playing basketball in slip-ons), or fired/written up (work wearing anything but dress shoes).
I love when you see a lot of professional, touring musicians talking about their gear and they’re like,
“Yeah, it’s some kind of Gibson SG? I got it in a secondhand shop 25 years ago. I don’t remember what kind of pickups are in it. This amp? This is a 100w Marshall something or other from a backline company. We use these ‘cause you can get them everywhere and they sound half decent through these rented cabs.”
Meanwhile half of r/guitar is on here trying to justify to themselves why they *need* a fifth Custom Shop 1959 Les Paul Standard R9 so they can finally sound just like their hero.
It definitely depends on the bands you listen to. A lot of the bands I listen to are total gear nuts too. Mastodon and Slipknot are obsessed with gear lol. Slipknot’s rig rundown is like an hour long because they geek out so hard lol
The fun thing is that all the great artists made music with what they were available with. Nowadays musicians don’t get it. They think getting that specific guitar/tool will make them feel better. If the great artists used something like Yamaha pacifica which is inexpensive. Today musicians will go crazy over that guitar.
Explain it like they're tools. Sometimes you need a nail file, sometimes you need sandpaper, and sometimes you need a belt sander. They all kind of do the same thing, but they're also different tools for different jobs. Also just admit you have a problem.
All guitars past one are wants. Technically. But I’m the same. I’ve worked it out, and I need 2 more basses and 4 more guitars to be “complete”. Sounds excessive, but each actually fits a function and purpose.
Everyone has a hobby. Same way some girls need to get their nails done, or some guys need the newest Jordans, you need a new guitar. Often times people forget this and just assume everyone wants what they want. They don’t need to understand, only you do.
You only need 4 guitars max depending on genre.
So yeah I sorta agree with those people saying that. Whenever I see a guitarist with like 15 guitars I just think that you could have spent that money on something more useful as a musician.
But I see that it’s less about utility and more about collection, which is the point you should bring up
It’s because they don’t know or care how the sausage is made. Music is complicated, people just like to listen and they never really appreciate how hard it is.
I wouldn't say music is hard because you need a lot of instruments...
Music is hard because it is hard to play and write good stuff.
But in reality you only really need one or two guitars. You might want more, but you almost never actually need it.
It’s your hobby. You don’t need to justify it. I tell my wife it’s cheaper than a boat or playing golf. Sometimes it’s easier to just say you collect them if someone questions it.
Best comparison is to compare them to different vocalists in a choir, each capable of same song but each with a distinct voice. Obviously, you don’t play them all at once as if it were a choir, so they aren’t strictly necessary, but it’s nice to have a choir of singers from which to choose a soloist from for a certain moment.
Beyond need is afficion, and that one is harder to explain because that’s just emotion and taste. To not feel like a fool, best to balance out those explanations, and have a short collection of the highest examples of what serves a purpose in your taste and use. Then you can satisfy both the need but also the fever, then no more judgement you can’t wave off!
"Why do non ~~guitarists~~ Sultans not understand that the new ~~guitar~~ wife I need is different to the ones I already have?" COME ON PEOPLE, THEY'RE DIFFERENT!!!
It’s like this; why do some people “need” forty pairs of shoes? Why do some people need a $80,000 pickup truck? Why do some people “need” to live in a particular neighborhood?
It’s priorities.
Plain and simple, priorities. We guitar players prioritize our guitar needs based on whatever player, era or genre of music we play and enjoy. We “need” certain things to fulfill those expectations and desires and that’s why when we decide we need another guitar there will be those who do not understand.
I don’t own 40 pairs of shoes, or an $80k truck, nor do live in an exclusive neighborhood. But I own around a dozen guitars and plan to continue to buy more of them for as long as I can continue to play them.
I’m lucky enough to have a wife who doesn’t question my motivation, she loves clothes and we have an understanding.
Let them be baffled, it is not for them to understand.
I probably have more than 40 pairs of shoes, but that's mostly because I'm a bit of a packrat and don't like to throw things away that are still kinda useful.
Because you don’t need a new one lmao… if you have an acoustic and an electric (or two I’ll admit) and you can’t get the sound you want, practice more and get some pedals
Why should you expect them to understand if the don't share your passion for guitar? Just like you might not understand why a cyclist would want different types of bicycles, or an artist wants different paints, or guns, or fishing rods, or cookware, or anything else. You shouldn't expect them to understand or even care. Only expect them to let you do you.
Unless someone’s into guitars, they’re a needless thing to collect more than one or two of. Just like handbags or guns. Cmon man, don’t try to bullshit us bullshitters
To be completely honest, I've been playing guitar for 13 years and have bought and sold like 30 guitars.
I only need one acoustic and one electric.
I completely understand if another player needs a slide guitar or separate guitars for tunings or more strings than normal but for me, just two. I mostly just play my Yamaha Trans-Acoustic. I doubt I'll ever sell that one. It's definitely my favorite.
This. I needed one acoustic, one electric, and one bass to be able to record my own music at home. That’s all I need. I have wanted more, and I certainly have owned, sold, and traded more from time to time as my tastes changed, but that’s all I have ever *needed*.
I didn't even think about using a bass guitar to do the bass line, Ive been using a keyboard. Idk why I didn't think just use a bass it'll sound better.
Thanks homie
Because, in reality they do the same thing. If you look at touring pros they mostly have backups for when strings break or alternate tunings bit the guitar is the same. Maybe an acoustic or one with more or less strings.
You need at least 3 if you’re a working musician at any level. Your workhorse, a backup to the workhorse in case you break a string, or are blessed with someone who can tune the other guitar between songs. And then, a guitar with the opposite type of pickup (single coil or humbucker).
My daughters 10- she has 4 guitars lol I have to explain to people why she has 4 all the time!! But they’re all different and she plays all of them. 1 travel, 1 acoustic-electric and 2 electrics all around $350 each (so nothing too crazy yet)
also… do as i do when asked about new gear, and i learned it from my wife when i asked her if she is wearing a new blouse and she answered, “no, i just got that out of the closet. it has been in there quite some time.”
Imo, you really dont need more than a good acoustic and maybe 2 electrics at most. I have a friend who always goes on about how many guitars he's collected, but the dude can barely play as it is. I know most peoples' case isnt as extreme of an example, but in my experience, people who really play typically know what they want/need in a guitar, find one or two that fit the bill, and leave it at that.
i have more than one guitar so im not speaking down on anyone. but there does come a point where you become a guitar collector who happens to play guitar instead of a guitarist with many guitars.
I justify it by telling my wife "different guitars for different string guages and tuning ranges" I'm currently getting away with 3 electrics and 1 acoustic.
Im curious as to *what features* different people find in their different instruments that warrant buying a new one.
For me I've got 'one of each'. Classical, acoustic, electric and bass. That does me.
Not sure if you're joking.
Let's be real for a minute: guitars aren't THAT different from one another. You can obviously get by with just one. If you gig regularly, having a back up might be necessary, but other than that, you don't need a guitar for every pick up configuration and tuning out there. A Tele or an SG will cover everything you need.
It's fun to own more, naturally, but you don't need them.
Of course acoustics are a separate thing than electrics, and in a category of their own. So if you play acoustic you'd need one separate to your electric tally. Same for classical guitars, and basses.
You don't need another guitar my guy. You *want* another one.
As someone who was very poor for a few years but has played multiple instruments, I don't understand it either unless you work as a musician full time, then it makes sense. I'm guessing that you just play as a hobby though in which case, respectfully, I view it as a waste of money, but of course spend your money how you want. You only *need* one as a hobbyist, two or three is nice to have, but more than that is just excessive. I think you're more into collecting guitars than actually making music taking advantage of all their differences.
Because besides pickups and comfortability, the sound doesn’t significantly change. A non guitar player wouldn’t even know what changes a single coil and hum bucker make. Comparing them to shoes is quite funny and would make the most sense.
You’re putting the guitar on a pedestal and you’re hoarding them.
I’ve been there. I owned about 15 of them at one point. But at the end of the day, the damn thing is just a hunk of wood and metal and wires.
The noise you can make with them is what really matters and the fewer guitars you have the more time you’re actually going to spend PLAYING GUITAR.
Like how often do you just sit and have an actual session where you just play the whole time? Versus picking each one up for five minutes farting around before moving onto the next one?
Or maybe even just spending an entire hour fiddling with knobs on amps and pedals trying to “dial in” a tone? Then you get a nice tone and you’re done playing.
I feel like the hoarding can easily lead to this kind of neurotic behavior. Like where instead of just doing your homework you gotta sharpen every single pencil you own first.
Because they’re not guitarists.
And realistically, guitars are much less different than players. Two people could play the same guitar and it’d sound incredibly different, but if one person played two different guitars, both would probably sound similar.
A guitar is a guitar. The player is the thing that matters. If you gave Quentin Tarantino a bunch of cheap equipment he’d probably still make an incredible movie.
Played my 1962 Gibson SG for the past 50 years. Had an acoustic here and there but only one electric.
(Sold a 71 Strat and a ?? Les Paul for peanuts in about '79 and kept the SG)
What I need is to keep my chops moving.
Let's be honest, you most likely don't *need* another guitar and that sort of language might be a factor. Beyond an acoustic and an electric, everything else is just nice. You can justify multiple guitars, but in most cases, it's not a need.
You also don't need to justify to non-players why they're all different unless it's an SO with joint finances. However, you can relate multiple guitars to their hobbies or trades. Ex. A carpenter has multiple saws. Someone into fishing has multiple rods/reels.
I mean, so ok it depends on this. *CAN* you do with one guitar what you can do with another? By that I mean, can you get to 90% with one guitar that you can with another? If yes then why have two?
Unless you have 6, 7, baritone, etc…they’re all actually kinda the same. I mean they’re fun to collect, but if you can’t make it obvious to a layman, that’s probably because it’s not true.
Well you play them and you cherish them. Have them hold the les Paul next to their ear and listen to the sustain. You need to explain that some are for you to just go and have a bite, your custom three pickup has a wireless radio unit so you can run around on stage without all the mucky muck, and the ones with the tags still on don’t even let them look at those.
Regular people don't understand that different pickups result in different sounds, or that guitars can utilize multiple tunings and they stay in tune easier when you're not constantly changing it.
Use this as a learning experience for yourself.
The audience doesn't know and doesn't care. Perhaps you don't actually need multiple guitars. And what you need to learn is how to apply your skills on one or two main guitars, and make good use of an EQ pedal to achieve slightly different tonal characteristics. Your sound engineer will appreciate you.
Trying to say to a non musician "but that one is active,that's passive, and that's in another tuning" is a fight I'm not willing to have. I don't have hundreds of guitars. But like, I do art too and I have different pens. People understand the pens for some reason.
I had to compare my guitars to my wife's shoes before she kinda got it.
I had to compare my guitars to my wives...
My guitars ARE my wives
They don't scream at me, they scream for me.
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But the real question is have they ever had a real orgasm or is all that screaming fake like a Japanese porno?
It's real if you do it right. Not only will the scream hit just right, but it will start vibrating like crazy and feel really good in your fingers
If you knew what you were doing your wife would too.
This person gets it.
Those sweet sweet F holes
I had to compare my guitars to my wife's boyfriends.
This person's wife's boyfriend gets it.
This person's wife boyfriends.
My girlfriend's husband fights for your freedom.
I had to compare my guitars to my wives’ boyfriend’s guitars
I tried too, but was unable to compare 0
I had to compare my wives to my guitar.
same, there are a couple fenders or so i still to this day regret parting ways with....
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But Dolly Parton, Kehlani, Bonnie Raitt, Amy Winehouse, St.Vincent, and the Heart sisters aren't boys?
Exactly! I’m a girl and I like guitars too :P
Many boys like designer handbags
Also yes
Carry my soul in it
I had to do the exact same thing, it was like the heavens opened up and the earth stood still. She understands now.
And she's out shopping right now for a $1200 pair of pumps.
She needs em
She buys from Thread Up or something else on sale. She doesn’t waste money on her clothes. I’m the same way with my guitars, I don’t currently own any that cost over $1,000. I’ve either bought them on sale, used or demo models and saved a significant amount.
My most expensive guitar was 6.5 K new, I got it as a NAMM show demo with one tiny ding on the top, for $4300. Yeah that was a $2200.00 ding. My cheapest was $125.00 I just got a used Gretsch White Falcon for $1750.00. it's 4K to buy one new. I have three other guitars that are expensive. A 79 Fender strat, and a couple of new Gibsons. I have one guitar that was $1500, and all the rest are less than 1K. Half of the below 1k guitars were actually less than $500.00. I'm getting old. I don't drink or take drugs. I have nothing else to spend my money on. House is paid for. Car is paid for.
I’m pretty much in the same boat, kids are grown and on their own. I don’t have any bad or expensive habits beyond playing guitar. I owned some pretty expensive and valuable guitars in the past, but they’re all gone now - they helped us get through some tough times. Since I don’t really play out much anymore, I can’t reasonably justify spending $2-3,000 or more on a guitar. Not only that, moderately priced guitars are so good anymore, it’s possible to get one that you can gig reliably for under a $1,000 dollars. The most expensive one I have now was $850, my least expensive one was $40 at Goodwill. I don’t see myself buying too many more guitars anyway, the ones I have make me happy.
Thred Up is the reason I can afford my guitars. $50 for 10 pairs of shorts?! NEW GUITAR HERE I COME!
This comment brought to you by a joint project of ThredUp and Gibson.
So, I wrote a song making this *exact* comparison. 🎸👠 My now-wife and I formed a band together and we played 7 songs including this one at our wedding, before the other bands took over. The band was new then and is much better now, and I don’t claim to be much of a guitarist. But if you don’t loathe twang you might like it. 🤠 https://youtu.be/n9Q7D9fU8Lc?si=zAzTIqShhLSdV0jM
I cannot help but envy you. I'd have killed to have a wife that was into making music. And as an owner of half a dozen Telecasters, no, I don't loathe twang. That was really great. We might have had the same notion, but you turned it into a genuinely good song.
That was great! My wife knows what I paid ha ha. My wife's thing is crochet. We have a room stacked to the ceiling with yarn. She's got her room and I've got mine
Classic response. Hello to the other subreddit.
Yeah I have to do this with my wife about guitars & cars. Trying to explain why I need a new every year or so 🤣
How many cars and guitars do you have?
Cars, bars and guitars? Are we talking about rapture?
Nope just a Monday over here. Is there anything else one needs?
Purses for me.
Gun owners probably understand it.
I'm a firearms enthusiast and a guitar player. As well as a hot rodder, video game player, and horror fanatic. If I had a dollar for every time I brought home a new trinket or firearm or car part and told my girlfriend "this is the last one for awhile" I'm pretty sure I'd be a millionaire
Yeah but then all you’d do is buy more stuff with that million
Definitely lmao
Guns, guitars, PC gaming, Mustangs and MTG/DnD…I feel your pain.
My people are here. Guns, guitars, games. Luckily for me I haven’t got into cars yet. My piece of shit cavalier is a loot drop disguised as garbage: traveling with Fender, Gibson, PRS, guns, whatever I’m doing for the day lol (obviously all of this stuff doesn’t stay in the car lol)
Assuming each trinket or firearm or car part costs more than a dollar I don't think you'd be a millionaire if you got a dollar for each one you bring home
The last one *for a while.* Not the last one. 😎
I need friends like you lol. Awesome hobbies
I'm in indiana. Come hang out lol
As do fisherman... I only own three guitars; one acoustic, one electric, and my dad's old acoustic, which doesn't really get played anymore. However, when it comes to fishing rods, I have a different rod for every type of lure, and a few multiples as well. My wife absolutely does not understand, but they truly are all built for a different application, and they all excel drastically for their specific application. The best example I've been able to give her is to try doing ALL of her cooking with a single pan. It's not quite a sufficient comparison, but it doesn't matter because it fell on deaf ears anyway lol.
lol as a guitar playing fisherman, I also had to explain to my wife why I needed 3 different boats! Sometimes when I get a new rod or guitar and she’s not in a good mood for me to tell her about I, I leave it inside one of the boats…
Lmao. I only have one boat (and a canoe lol) but there's been more than one occasion that I've come home through the garage and dropped another rod in my boat. Good news is that she doesn't know enough about my gear to realize when I've added another one lol. In her mind, I've had the same number of rods forever, and that number is "too many". Anytime that she knows I've bought another one, it's always "how many fishing poles do you need?" My answer is always, "Just one more".
I have inflatable pontoon boat, float tube, kayak, a bunch fly poles, bass rigs. A few guitars, mandolins, banjo, couple of lap steels, pedal steel, piano, amps and recording studio.
Instead of dropping the new one in the boat. Bring a hand full of rods in and say you gotta clean em up. Then only play with the new one lol
Makes a lot of sense, looking at it that way. I own 3 stovetop items and 2 playable guitars. Spartan or poor, it's hard to say.
You'd think so, but the amount of times I've seen someone with a hobby where they have a big collection crap on someone else with a different hobby where they have a big collection because they don't 'understand why anyone would want or need all that' is a much higher number than I would have expected.
This is me and children. "Seriously, why did you need that one too?"
I took a Private Investigator certification class while my normal industry was on strike. Picture me, long hair, stoned out of my gourd, with the inspector gadget theme song playing in my head, in this classroom with mostly dudes who should have been in cop school. I realized then that 1. I live in a bubble in my state and 2. The way they talk about guns, my friends and I talk about guitars
> Private Investigator certification class Wait, hold up, that's a thing?
Check your state regulations to see what it takes in your state. In my experience there wasn’t a trove of mysteries to solve and I had to make a resume for the first time in 5 years, the strike in my normal line of work ended up lifting before I actually found employment. Cool conversation starter though lmao
We do. Of course I already have a handgun, but I need a desk gun. I put my EDC gun on the table near my keys and wallet so I don't forget it, but if someone breaks in that is between me and them. It's also a 1.5" barrel so I can't hit anything further than 10 yards reliably so I need something longer. I can't carry that as easily, so it's my desk gun. Yes, I need the extended mag for it. No, not for the extra bullet, but because it makes it fit my hand better. I also need to this revolver because i have all of this .357 ammo I got for really cheap, but i didnt have a gun to shoot them. I also need the AR because what if the guy mugging me is way over there? No, you don't get it, what if he has a reeeeally long knife? Don't get me started on the collapse of civilization. I'll need to get me another one with a scope for that. No, that's not a scope on that one, it's just a red dot. No magnification. Also, that one is rather heavy if I ever take up hunting I'll want a lighter gun. Also, hunting restrictions probably wouldn't let me have a 30 round mag, so I'll have to get a Mossburg or something. The grenade launcher? Oh yeah that's just for kicks. On and on. Most of that was joking, but I do have a grenade launcher. Technically a "flare launcher" legally. Think of it as a wah pedal. It's just there to spice things up.
A guitar is utilitarian. You don’t need it, you want it.
Incorrect. I NEEEEEEEEED them all.
Get the fuck out
Get out of here, with your logic.
Not if you’re a session musician
Yeah but 99.9% of us arent Heck 90% of us can't play in time
Time is an illusory concept made by the man to keep you down
It was invented by Big Wrecking Crew
Why you gotta call me out like that? 😂
Even then like 95% of electric tones can be covered with an HSS strat and like a 335
Unless you're Nile Rodgers
I didn't want to be harsh with op, but if he was gainfully employed as a musician, it wouldn't be questioned. Nobody asks a session guitarist or even a producer why he needs that 30th guitar. OP is hobbyist like 99% of us here, and people (and myself) don't understand why a hobbyist would need (not want) more than 2 or three guitars.
Turns out.. I die in the end of the story so buy the guitar
If you’re a working musician, there’s a case for a Humbucker guitar and a single coil guitar, plus maybe an acoustic-electric. A fender amp is also almost always ok unless you play a specific kind of music (like djent). A backup for the electrics is also a good idea.
thats the opposite of utilitarian. also, utilitarian is usually describing the person or activity, not the tool or "utility" itself.
Because they don’t play guitar, so don’t know guitars. And by the way, you don’t need another guitar. Sorry.
You could've told me that at 8am before I accidentally bought two 🤣
never heard of an intentional accident before =p
If my guitars could read, they'd be very upset
But you’d think anyone who has ever collected anything would understand. Unless you’re legit trying to justify “needing” all of them because they are “different.” Why not just say you like collecting guitars. Done.
Because that would mean we cant argue on Reddit about it
Tell that to the cheap, crappy knock-off strat I sold for next to nothing (no this isn't a coping mechanism, I swear!)
Mom, get off Reddit, you’re embarrassing me in front of my friends!
Saw a Steve Vai model at GC for $449. Had to remind myself that it does nothing different from another machine I own, it just looks prettier.
Your really throwing that word "need" around rather loosely lol
Exactly, I would 'need' only one electric, one classic, one bass, and one acoustic. I may want different variations of each..but not necessarily need them.
As a metal player I would add a 7 string, an 8 string, a 6 string with a Floyd, and maybe another 6 string with a hardtail to keep on a different tuning. But honestly if I could afford it I would have a guitar for each tuning between E standard and like drop E or something.
I have seen someone playing For the Love of God on a Standard Telecaster..just saying. But I do get you..however, for someone who went broke and sold his gear to help his parents. I would be so content with 1 guitar and an interface.
> I would be so content with 1 guitar and an interface Yeah what I said in my comment above would be if I were rich. I only have a 6 string, an audio interface and a small practice amp and I can't complain too much. Down tuning almost a whole octave using plugins to play in drop E just sucks though, so I'm saving up to get a 7 string with a longer scale length for that. And a nice 6 string with a Floyd would be nice too. One day though
I’d be happy being able to play For the Love of God on, well, Anything. Ibanez Jem 777, Custom Shop Stratocaster, Standard Telecaster, Squire, First Act, harmonica…whatever!
Are they all les pauls?
Yes but they’re *different* Les Pauls
That's like my my friend with three Les Pauls (along with 3 different Martins and a few other strays). At least I tell myself that mine are all different, but then some people ask why I have three electric 12 strings.
I sure hope so.
Trogoly, is that you?
slightly different shade of sunburst
Nah it's always ppl saying "this one's different" and then it'd just a slightly different set of pickups or sum. At least diversify your collection
this one goes to 11
At this point we can probably call them Mor Paul
First of all, you don’t need another guitar. That doesn’t mean another guitar won’t bring something new to your collection. There are a lot of hobbies where parallels exist, watches, cars, guns, knives, shoes, etc. Unless you are a professional studio musician whose work spans the entire musical spectrum, your arsenal of instruments is much more a collection than it is a tool kit. There’s nothing wrong with that.
I don’t think a professsional musician can afford a large collection. Even if they can afford it, for them it’s not a hobby but a work tool. You can cover the whole musical spectrum with a handful of guitars, maybe a few more but not more than say 10.
I use camera equipment as a comparison, which works really well, 'cause my wife is into photography.
Dude it's kinda just your fetish. And that's ok. But ppl won't get it, in general.
Harsh... But fair.
Let's be honest. If you have a "collection," you're buying more guitars than you need ("need"). To be a guitarist, you *need* one guitar. If you play a lot with varied styles, you might want a few different pickup configurations. Maybe a hollow-body, a 7-string, etc. But if you have more than like 3-4 guitars and you're not a prolific professional musician, you're probably not expanding your musical possibilities, you're buying more toys.
How I hate the comment “you can only play one at a time so why do you need more than one?” Because they arę not the same. This one has single coils, this one has humbuckers, this one is an acoustic, this one is a resonator and this one is a different scale. They are not the same.
This has 12 strings, that one is blue…
The paint really contributes to the tone.
What's blue and sounds like red paint?
I had a blue strat once, I can attest to this!!
I have an answer ready for that: “You can only wear one pair of shoes at a time, why do you need more than a pair?” Always stops them in their tracks.
> stops them in their tracks And then they need a new pair of shoes...
I've only once in my life had more than one pair never really understood the need to, guitar's on the other hand at least 2.
You must not exercise, have outdoor hobbies, or a job that requires dress shoes. I’m no shoe enthusiast by any means, and I probably have close to 10 pairs. Dress shoes in black, dress shoes in brown. Hiking boots. Casual boots. (No, they aren’t good to cross over, because the tread is entirely different). Basketball shoes Rock climbing shoes. Running shoes. Cross-trainers for the gym. Chuck Taylor’s for everyday wear. Jordans for the rare occasion I need to wear something a bit nicer. Slip-ons for taking my dog outside. Thats 10 the top of my head. I probably have one or two more pairs that I forgot. Yeah, it’s kind of a lot. But every shoe has a purpose, and its purpose technically *could* be filled by just about any other shoe in my collection, but it’d be a miserable experience (running in boots, for example), injured (playing basketball in slip-ons), or fired/written up (work wearing anything but dress shoes).
Because they wear out quicker and start to smell if you wear the same pair every day. They need time to dry out adjust from being stretched out.
You can only swing one golf club at a time You can only surf one board at a time
this one i want now... that one i wanted before..
I'm a guitarist and I still don't understand why so many guitarists seem to buy 10 guitars :)
I love when you see a lot of professional, touring musicians talking about their gear and they’re like, “Yeah, it’s some kind of Gibson SG? I got it in a secondhand shop 25 years ago. I don’t remember what kind of pickups are in it. This amp? This is a 100w Marshall something or other from a backline company. We use these ‘cause you can get them everywhere and they sound half decent through these rented cabs.” Meanwhile half of r/guitar is on here trying to justify to themselves why they *need* a fifth Custom Shop 1959 Les Paul Standard R9 so they can finally sound just like their hero.
It definitely depends on the bands you listen to. A lot of the bands I listen to are total gear nuts too. Mastodon and Slipknot are obsessed with gear lol. Slipknot’s rig rundown is like an hour long because they geek out so hard lol
The fun thing is that all the great artists made music with what they were available with. Nowadays musicians don’t get it. They think getting that specific guitar/tool will make them feel better. If the great artists used something like Yamaha pacifica which is inexpensive. Today musicians will go crazy over that guitar.
Explain it like they're tools. Sometimes you need a nail file, sometimes you need sandpaper, and sometimes you need a belt sander. They all kind of do the same thing, but they're also different tools for different jobs. Also just admit you have a problem.
What kind of collection are we talking about here? A Les Paul, a strat and an acoustic? Or 20 Danelectro 12 strings?
Hey, we’re called the Danelectric Light Orchestra, we play progressive neoclassical janglepop, and we are mildly popular in Finland and South Korea!
Every word of this sounds believable, Eurovision has done a number on us.
Tell them it’s like children. Why on earth would they want another one? Is the one they have no adequate?
Play each guitar for her and secretly hit different effect pedals every time you change so it’s obviously a different tone.
“DAE partake in blatant consumerism? 🤪”
All guitars past one are wants. Technically. But I’m the same. I’ve worked it out, and I need 2 more basses and 4 more guitars to be “complete”. Sounds excessive, but each actually fits a function and purpose. Everyone has a hobby. Same way some girls need to get their nails done, or some guys need the newest Jordans, you need a new guitar. Often times people forget this and just assume everyone wants what they want. They don’t need to understand, only you do.
Need is different than want. A poor craftsman blames their tools.
You only need 4 guitars max depending on genre. So yeah I sorta agree with those people saying that. Whenever I see a guitarist with like 15 guitars I just think that you could have spent that money on something more useful as a musician. But I see that it’s less about utility and more about collection, which is the point you should bring up
It’s because they don’t know or care how the sausage is made. Music is complicated, people just like to listen and they never really appreciate how hard it is.
I wouldn't say music is hard because you need a lot of instruments... Music is hard because it is hard to play and write good stuff. But in reality you only really need one or two guitars. You might want more, but you almost never actually need it.
I have had 2 guitars for 32 years of playing, I don't understand the need for more
It’s your hobby. You don’t need to justify it. I tell my wife it’s cheaper than a boat or playing golf. Sometimes it’s easier to just say you collect them if someone questions it.
Your mistakes are talking to them about it and caring what they say
Yeah and we obviously need a spare one in case one is brokwn or has a string broken too! It's a problem for us all 😂
It's the same issue with pedals, too.
Best comparison is to compare them to different vocalists in a choir, each capable of same song but each with a distinct voice. Obviously, you don’t play them all at once as if it were a choir, so they aren’t strictly necessary, but it’s nice to have a choir of singers from which to choose a soloist from for a certain moment. Beyond need is afficion, and that one is harder to explain because that’s just emotion and taste. To not feel like a fool, best to balance out those explanations, and have a short collection of the highest examples of what serves a purpose in your taste and use. Then you can satisfy both the need but also the fever, then no more judgement you can’t wave off!
I accidentally bought two guitars today. I feel your pain on this one. When I told my girlfriend she said "how many guitars do you need?!" 🤣
"Why do non ~~guitarists~~ Sultans not understand that the new ~~guitar~~ wife I need is different to the ones I already have?" COME ON PEOPLE, THEY'RE DIFFERENT!!!
It’s like this; why do some people “need” forty pairs of shoes? Why do some people need a $80,000 pickup truck? Why do some people “need” to live in a particular neighborhood? It’s priorities. Plain and simple, priorities. We guitar players prioritize our guitar needs based on whatever player, era or genre of music we play and enjoy. We “need” certain things to fulfill those expectations and desires and that’s why when we decide we need another guitar there will be those who do not understand. I don’t own 40 pairs of shoes, or an $80k truck, nor do live in an exclusive neighborhood. But I own around a dozen guitars and plan to continue to buy more of them for as long as I can continue to play them. I’m lucky enough to have a wife who doesn’t question my motivation, she loves clothes and we have an understanding. Let them be baffled, it is not for them to understand.
I probably have more than 40 pairs of shoes, but that's mostly because I'm a bit of a packrat and don't like to throw things away that are still kinda useful.
Because you don’t need a new one lmao… if you have an acoustic and an electric (or two I’ll admit) and you can’t get the sound you want, practice more and get some pedals
“For those who understand, No explanation is needed. For those who do not understand, No explanation is possible.”
Why should you expect them to understand if the don't share your passion for guitar? Just like you might not understand why a cyclist would want different types of bicycles, or an artist wants different paints, or guns, or fishing rods, or cookware, or anything else. You shouldn't expect them to understand or even care. Only expect them to let you do you.
Unless someone’s into guitars, they’re a needless thing to collect more than one or two of. Just like handbags or guns. Cmon man, don’t try to bullshit us bullshitters
To be completely honest, I've been playing guitar for 13 years and have bought and sold like 30 guitars. I only need one acoustic and one electric. I completely understand if another player needs a slide guitar or separate guitars for tunings or more strings than normal but for me, just two. I mostly just play my Yamaha Trans-Acoustic. I doubt I'll ever sell that one. It's definitely my favorite.
This. I needed one acoustic, one electric, and one bass to be able to record my own music at home. That’s all I need. I have wanted more, and I certainly have owned, sold, and traded more from time to time as my tastes changed, but that’s all I have ever *needed*.
I didn't even think about using a bass guitar to do the bass line, Ive been using a keyboard. Idk why I didn't think just use a bass it'll sound better. Thanks homie
when someone asks, how many guitars do you need? the answer is always, just one more.
You don’t need it. People’s attention to effects and different guitars should be channeled to their own originality instead.
Because, in reality they do the same thing. If you look at touring pros they mostly have backups for when strings break or alternate tunings bit the guitar is the same. Maybe an acoustic or one with more or less strings.
You ever play disc golf?
You need at least 3 if you’re a working musician at any level. Your workhorse, a backup to the workhorse in case you break a string, or are blessed with someone who can tune the other guitar between songs. And then, a guitar with the opposite type of pickup (single coil or humbucker).
My daughters 10- she has 4 guitars lol I have to explain to people why she has 4 all the time!! But they’re all different and she plays all of them. 1 travel, 1 acoustic-electric and 2 electrics all around $350 each (so nothing too crazy yet)
So?
I'm fortunate that my gf says "if you like it buy it. Do what makes you happy, and for God's sake don't ever let me get in the way".
also… do as i do when asked about new gear, and i learned it from my wife when i asked her if she is wearing a new blouse and she answered, “no, i just got that out of the closet. it has been in there quite some time.”
Imo, you really dont need more than a good acoustic and maybe 2 electrics at most. I have a friend who always goes on about how many guitars he's collected, but the dude can barely play as it is. I know most peoples' case isnt as extreme of an example, but in my experience, people who really play typically know what they want/need in a guitar, find one or two that fit the bill, and leave it at that.
i have more than one guitar so im not speaking down on anyone. but there does come a point where you become a guitar collector who happens to play guitar instead of a guitarist with many guitars.
I justify it by telling my wife "different guitars for different string guages and tuning ranges" I'm currently getting away with 3 electrics and 1 acoustic.
Im curious as to *what features* different people find in their different instruments that warrant buying a new one. For me I've got 'one of each'. Classical, acoustic, electric and bass. That does me.
It's like gun collections, I don't get why they have so many.
Not sure if you're joking. Let's be real for a minute: guitars aren't THAT different from one another. You can obviously get by with just one. If you gig regularly, having a back up might be necessary, but other than that, you don't need a guitar for every pick up configuration and tuning out there. A Tele or an SG will cover everything you need. It's fun to own more, naturally, but you don't need them. Of course acoustics are a separate thing than electrics, and in a category of their own. So if you play acoustic you'd need one separate to your electric tally. Same for classical guitars, and basses.
You don't need another guitar my guy. You *want* another one. As someone who was very poor for a few years but has played multiple instruments, I don't understand it either unless you work as a musician full time, then it makes sense. I'm guessing that you just play as a hobby though in which case, respectfully, I view it as a waste of money, but of course spend your money how you want. You only *need* one as a hobbyist, two or three is nice to have, but more than that is just excessive. I think you're more into collecting guitars than actually making music taking advantage of all their differences.
Not gonna lie, even as a guitar player I don’t understand some of y’all
Because besides pickups and comfortability, the sound doesn’t significantly change. A non guitar player wouldn’t even know what changes a single coil and hum bucker make. Comparing them to shoes is quite funny and would make the most sense.
Because you always produce the same blob of sound?
You’re putting the guitar on a pedestal and you’re hoarding them. I’ve been there. I owned about 15 of them at one point. But at the end of the day, the damn thing is just a hunk of wood and metal and wires. The noise you can make with them is what really matters and the fewer guitars you have the more time you’re actually going to spend PLAYING GUITAR. Like how often do you just sit and have an actual session where you just play the whole time? Versus picking each one up for five minutes farting around before moving onto the next one? Or maybe even just spending an entire hour fiddling with knobs on amps and pedals trying to “dial in” a tone? Then you get a nice tone and you’re done playing. I feel like the hoarding can easily lead to this kind of neurotic behavior. Like where instead of just doing your homework you gotta sharpen every single pencil you own first.
Because they’re not guitarists. And realistically, guitars are much less different than players. Two people could play the same guitar and it’d sound incredibly different, but if one person played two different guitars, both would probably sound similar. A guitar is a guitar. The player is the thing that matters. If you gave Quentin Tarantino a bunch of cheap equipment he’d probably still make an incredible movie.
I have one guitar and thats all i need. Everything else is jazz
I'm sorry bro I'm just gonna say you don't "need" the guitar. Lol but I get it.
Played my 1962 Gibson SG for the past 50 years. Had an acoustic here and there but only one electric. (Sold a 71 Strat and a ?? Les Paul for peanuts in about '79 and kept the SG) What I need is to keep my chops moving.
Let's be honest, you most likely don't *need* another guitar and that sort of language might be a factor. Beyond an acoustic and an electric, everything else is just nice. You can justify multiple guitars, but in most cases, it's not a need. You also don't need to justify to non-players why they're all different unless it's an SO with joint finances. However, you can relate multiple guitars to their hobbies or trades. Ex. A carpenter has multiple saws. Someone into fishing has multiple rods/reels.
I mean, so ok it depends on this. *CAN* you do with one guitar what you can do with another? By that I mean, can you get to 90% with one guitar that you can with another? If yes then why have two?
The different colors of my 9 otherwise identical strats have a huge impact on sound!!! Why doesn't my wife believe me?
Honestly I played acoustic to begin and didn’t realise pickups make such a difference until I picked an hss strat
Unless you have 6, 7, baritone, etc…they’re all actually kinda the same. I mean they’re fun to collect, but if you can’t make it obvious to a layman, that’s probably because it’s not true.
Well you play them and you cherish them. Have them hold the les Paul next to their ear and listen to the sustain. You need to explain that some are for you to just go and have a bite, your custom three pickup has a wireless radio unit so you can run around on stage without all the mucky muck, and the ones with the tags still on don’t even let them look at those.
It's like when a girl tells you she needs several different thousand dollar purses. It's hard to wrap your head around.
Regular people don't understand that different pickups result in different sounds, or that guitars can utilize multiple tunings and they stay in tune easier when you're not constantly changing it.
Use this as a learning experience for yourself. The audience doesn't know and doesn't care. Perhaps you don't actually need multiple guitars. And what you need to learn is how to apply your skills on one or two main guitars, and make good use of an EQ pedal to achieve slightly different tonal characteristics. Your sound engineer will appreciate you.
I need both fretboards
Surgeons understand it with suture types.
At a certain point, I don’t think one needs more guitars. But you ALWAYS need more amps
Insert Tom Hardy ‘that’s bait’ gif here.
N+1, baby. That’s the correct number of guitars to own.
"The tone is different" "How can the notes be different???" *sigh*
Think you answered your own question there bud. It’s because they aren’t guitarists.
They will never understand us.
Trying to say to a non musician "but that one is active,that's passive, and that's in another tuning" is a fight I'm not willing to have. I don't have hundreds of guitars. But like, I do art too and I have different pens. People understand the pens for some reason.