Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
At The Back => Time Out => Topic started by: GuitarIv on December 06, 2012, 10:11:37 PM
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Cheers guys,
You know, sometimes I really feel sorry for myself. Since I started playing guitar, I have suffered from that well known musicians disease called Gear Aquisition Syndrome. It started with a Silvertone Paul Stanley Signature Guitar. I didn't know anything about brands and quality and wanted to own a pointy metal guitar. Next thing in line was a cheap Stagg SG copy, inspired by my admiration for Angus Young from AC/DC and the Live at Donington DVD that became my holy bible.
By now I own 9 stringed instruments of which I use only 2 regularly. My first guitar and the already mentioned Silvertone, the cr@ppy Stagg SG, a custom made Neubauer Guitars Strat (I consider this my first "real" guitar, it has been my workhorse guitar ever since I got it as a gift from my father), a cheap Ibanez RG 350 MZ, my recently aquired 93' Jackson Fusion Pro, my grandfathers 62' Framus Hollywood and his Höfner 500/1 Bass (known as the Paul McCartney Bass), a Samick Craig Bennet Western and a cheap Acoustic Guitar.
Now I have reached the point where I'm thinking "I spent so much money on cheap gear I don't even use because of impulsive buying, this needs to stop". Now I'm happy I got myself the Jackson, it's on par with my Strat and the Metal Guitar I always dreamt of and maybe the first impulsive buy that hasn't turned out to be a fraud. However I'm done. I'm really done with craving for gear. Now I know how women feel when they buy shoes they never wear. I might not be able to turn it off, but from now on I'm saving money for good stuff and "keepers".
My list of G.A.S. items currently:
EVH 5150 III 50 Watt
Zilla Super Fatboy loaded with V30s
Keeley 4-Knob Compressor
Maxon OD-9 Pro +
ISP Decimator
Carl Martin Octaswitch MK II
Various BKPs
A Wirebird Telecaster
A Custom Daemoness
A USA Custom Shop Jackson
A Gibson Les Paul Custom
And maybe some other stuff I might have missed... however those things are "affordable". I don't even wanna start to talk about all the other stuff like Axe FX, Blackmachines and so on :P
So what are your experiences and opinions? Share em, I don't wanna feel alone ^^
Cheers
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I used to always be lusting after gear.
Now I have settled on just two guitars and one amp.
My RGA42 with MM bridge & HDN neck - Cheap but sounds and plays fantastic
My swirled partscaster that is currently needing repairs - easily the best guitar I've played to date. I just need to decide on pickups for it and get the bridge installed correctly.
The above two cover everything I need from classic rock to modern metal.
Ampwise its just my soldano SLO influenced amp that I built and tweaked until I got it exactly where I want it tonally. This can cover everything I throw at it with ease which leaves me not needing anymore amps.
My only desire now is to actually build amps. I don't really want anymore amps but I really enjoy building them so ill probably end up with 2-3 more.
I guess at the end of the day it's just finding the right pieces of equipment. When you get there you will be content.
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Well you are not a lot different from many of us who are similarly afflicted. I regret tom advise that once GAS gets hold of you, there ain't a lot you can do and I am rather like Oscar Wilde when it comes to temptation.
The great news is that there is always something new to get- so you have the affliction but at least you can satisfy the craving, albeit temporarily.
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The annoying thing is: it's alway just temporary. I have really set myself a goal to spend all the time I usually use surfing on the net watching guitar porn on practicing instead. And less time on Facebook. Misha just posted a pic of his Jackson Custom Shop and I'm drooling. It just doesn't help it :?
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I have GAS all the time, but telling myself: think over what you really need and what suits you and your playing style. Just to restrain myself and my budget, cause in the last 20 years I bought so much gear and most of it I sold. And sometimes real quick. I rather have two or three real good guitars loaded with pickups I like, then ten pieces of which the majority does not quite cut it or needs upgrading. The same goes for effectpedals. I have about ten keepers that I use on stage/work with my amps. The only thing that's really neccessary now is a better pedalboard.
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Have children - that tends to sap all energy, time and money for GASsing 8)
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Have children - that tends to sap all energy, time and money for GASsing 8)
+ a house to maintain/rebuild. :)
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The great news is that there is always something new to get- so you have the affliction but at least you can satisfy the craving, albeit temporarily.
Too true! :lol:
I'm not one to talk :oops: , but the only thing I would say is..... if you do have GAS for a particular guitar, don't give in to it quickly. Try to hold out a few weeks - or months if you can - and if you still have the GAS, then buy it.
The impulse buys are always the ones I regret. And end up selling.
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Glad there are so many fellas that share the pain haha :D
And Elliot: I need to get my degree before I can even start thinking about children, so the poor student will very likely GAS on :P
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What pedals do you have? The Octaswitch kinda came outta nowhere on that list!
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Currently a TS-9DX and a Boss NS-2 for the Dirty Channel, an Ibanez DE-7 and a Boss AC-3 for the Clean Channel together with a Dunlop Wah and a Boss TU-3 for both channels. I hate tapdancing, so the Octaswitch is the perfect solution for me. Gonna couple it with a Dunlop Power Brick and the other pedals I listed are just gonna be improvements over the ones I own by now. However right now I need to save money since it won't get me nowhere before I don't get my Valveking repaired or buy the EVH...
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Oh and an equalizer pedal would be nice too... :P
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Why not just one or two of everything :lol:
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Why not just one or two of everything :lol:
Hmmm, not a bad idea..... :lol:
(Personally, I've actually got more than two of some things, to be honest. :oops: )
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Which is why there are beds to store things under! Or Seconds Out...
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Saw Meshuggah and Decapitated tonight. Right now I'm thinking I really need an EVH 5150 III because the live sound was unreal and I want to own an 8-string just to cover Meshuggah songs :mrgreen:
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Doesn't everyone?
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There IS a cure for GAS, unfortunately it's that one thing everyone needs: Money. :?
I've decided that I can't go on the way I am with all this GAS and no money to at least temporarily settle it down, so in order to clear all my debts I have just taken on a second full-time job.
I work for the NHS during the day from 7:30am to 4.00pm, then it's home for a quick freshen up, change clothes and out the door again at 5:45 to start my shift at Domino's, which on work-day nights finishes at midnight, but on Fridays and Saturdays finishes anywhere between 2:00am and 5:00am. (Last night I worked until 4:45 0_o )
I am hoping that after a year of this I will have made a significant enough dent in my debts that I can comfortably start saving up for gear, hah!
On my GAS list (short version):
Fryette Pittbull Fifty/CL
Jet City JCA50H
Daemoness custom Cimmerian
Feline custom Lion
Something in a custom Tele-shaped guitar
Native Instruments Damage VST
There's so much other stuff I need / want it would take me a day to list here, hah! These are the things that come to mind straight away.
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Ouch, that sounds rough. Where do you fit in time to play guitar?
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That's the problem, currently I don't. :(
The only spare time I have I dedicate to spending with my fiancée, because I only ever see her when we wake up together in the morning these days. We miss each other in the evenings after my first job because as I'm walking out the door to do a Pizza shift she's just leaving work, and when I get home she's already been asleep for a couple of hours. It sucks, but at the same time, this is the bed I've made for myself, and I either have to lay in it or build a new bed. :lol:
Obviously I have decided to do the latter, otherwise I'm going to be in this situation forever. Need to kick my own butt into gear and deal with it before it ruins both our lives. :shock:
I may try to set aside five minutes tomorrow just to keep myself familiar with the fretboard, hah! :P
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That wouldn't be a terrible idea, I seem to forget how to play things quicker than I forget what I happened to have for lunch the other day!
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Aye, heh! I need to at least do some scale runs once per day. A quick noodle before bed should do the trick, heh.
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That sucks, having to pay debts back is always annoying :/
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If there's a cure for G.A.S I don't want it! There's (almost) nothing I enjoy more than perusing ads, ebay, and local guitar shops and dreaming of that perfect rig :-) And when you've been lusting after that shiny new guitar for months or years it makes it feel so much better when you finally get your hands on it!
I'm currently on 9 guitars and 3 amps. The way that I decided to keep things sensible is to give myself a hard limit of 10 guitars and 3 amps, so basically if I want a new amp now I have to get rid of one. If I'm on 10 guitars and I want a new one I have to get rid of one ...it's worked ok for me up to now.