The big picture

[Mr. Air]

Here's one for your conscience.

It seems like we all suffer from GAS, except Dave who recently has been cured by buying every blue guitar in the Manchester area  :P

But do you ever wonder how our hunger for new guitars, amps, cabs, straps, effects, strings, etc. fit in the global picture? Our lust for new equipment, which we essentially do not need, keeps the production rolling and takes it's toll on Mother Nature.

We spend huge amounts on gear and some of it we hardly ever use or we part with it very quickly. Shouldn't we be more concerned about the world and donate these money insteed of piling up for ourselves?

I'm looking forward to hear from you all.

[James C]

**DO NOT LET PARTNERS SEE THIS THREAD** It will be ammo for them.

On another note, I agree that we should be more concerned with deforestation etc, although i think that there is more that can be done by large scale producers of guitars (Fender, Gibson etc) to ensure the sustainability of the woods that they are using. Build a 2 guitars and plant a tree? If toilet tissue makers can do it, so can they!

Now, back to looking at prices of Koa (if only i lived in Hawaii)

[tomjackson]

Ease your consience by buying quality and buying it once, everything has a real cost and you have to trust manufacturers to have some ethics, buying wood from sustainable sources and treating their workers good and paying them a fair amount. 

I've only got 2 electric guitars but I've got 2 kids so I'm sure my envoronmental impact will be far greater than Dave and his blue guitars!

You also have to think about what we would be buying if it wasn't guitars...

[FELINEGUITARS]

Ease your consience by buying quality and buying it once,

Yes - my way of thinking
If you buy the cheap version - you'll only be spending out again later to get the one you really wanted.

May also be why I am broke

[FernandoDuarte]

**DO NOT LET PARTNERS SEE THIS THREAD** It will be ammo for them.

Totally :lol:

[dave_mc]

Ease your consience by buying quality and buying it once, everything has a real cost and you have to trust manufacturers to have some ethics, buying wood from sustainable sources and treating their workers good and paying them a fair amount. 

You also have to think about what we would be buying if it wasn't guitars...

yup, pretty much.

[Twinfan]

Shocking amount of reference to me in this thread  :lol:

I'm going to come across as controversial here, but this is my take on the whole 'green' thing.

I have no interest in saving the world either now or for the future.  I'm here and hopefully will be for another 50-60 years, and in that time I'll enjoy everything how I want.  Guitars, electricity, cars, petrol etc.

I don't have kids, I don't want kids, and I'm not having kids.  I have no interest in making a nicer future for my bloodline, as there won't be one.  I'm not interested in the future of the earth and I'm just enjoying living right here, right now.

Incredibly selfish I know, but you get one shot at life and I'll be doing whatever I want with it.

[Matt77]

I will inherit a wood.
I figure that makes me carbon neutral in the long term?  :?

[Ratrod]

You wanna know what impact the production of musical instruments has on mother nature?

Negligible.

You wanna make your gear carbon neutral? Hold your breath for 20 seconds for every 100 quid of gear you own.


This has to be the stupidest thread I ever read here.

[Will]

You wanna make your gear carbon neutral? Hold your breath for 20 seconds for every 100 quid of gear you own.

Or buy green guitars ;)

Everyone should remember that the world does change, I read that the temperature in the 1400s was 3C higher, and ice ages do happen...
What's meant to be, will be; if we die out then so be it

[dave_mc]

Shocking amount of reference to me in this thread  :lol:

I'm even more shocked that I didn't reference you... :lol:

You wanna make your gear carbon neutral? Hold your breath for 20 seconds for every 100 quid of gear you own.

i know that's a joke, but I don't think that'd work. All that'd happen is that when you do exhale, your breath would have a higher concentration of carbon dioxide. I think.

[Matt77]

This has to be the stupidest thread I ever read here.

Nope
That's the What's for dinner thread, but that's my fav

[Elliot]

I've got a green guitar, surf green to be precise - and very nice it is too - I just bought a callaham trem block - but I intend on keeping the old hardware so that the value is retained if people want Fender's junk metal block in the future.  Cuts down on landfill too. 8)

Seriously, in terms of greeness the tipping point has already come - not that should stop us doing more, we should do everything that it practicable -  but for all the beer bottles, broken light bulbs and batteries we recycle the fact that the Westerners have shifted their (our) industrial production to China and India means that it means nothing.  The everyday destruction in the rainforest caused by western needs causes more damage than a person buying a NOS Mullard tube and the fact that the rainforest countries were economically $%&#ed by 19th century Imperialist and post-Imperialist powers through the world bank in the 20th century means that they aint going put up much of a fight.  All in all, buying a new Mesa Boogie isn't going to stop the structural problems caused by 200 years of European and American dominance of the world.  

[Ratrod]

A little tip for the Prius drivers:

Take out the batteries and electric motor/drivetrain.

It will decrease the weight of the car significantly. The engine will not have to work as hard hauling that extra weight and charging those batteries.

Your Prius will have better performance and fuel economy.

[Afghan Dave]

Shocking amount of reference to me in this thread  :lol:

I'm going to come across as controversial here, but this is my take on the whole 'green' thing.

I have no interest in saving the world either now or for the future.  I'm here and hopefully will be for another 50-60 years, and in that time I'll enjoy everything how I want.  Guitars, electricity, cars, petrol etc.

I don't have kids, I don't want kids, and I'm not having kids.  I have no interest in making a nicer future for my bloodline, as there won't be one.  I'm not interested in the future of the earth and I'm just enjoying living right here, right now.

Incredibly selfish I know, but you get one shot at life and I'll be doing whatever I want with it.

You know what....

I TOTALLY agree with you... Well said mate!