Guitar collectors - your opinion on them

[808]

I own two LPs, a Strat, a Taylor acoustic, and a bass.

I would still love to have a SG, V, 335, and  a Tele!

[gwEm]

if it makes you happy, then i think its cool to have as many or as few guitars as you want or need.

i have a handful of guitars now, and i only feel a personal attachment to two of them - ironically the ones I use most live.

it is really cr@p to lock guitars away for investment and /never/ play them. but totally cool to get them out the case once every few months and blast them :)

i'd like a couple more flying vs thats for sure, guess i'm slightly obssesive about that shape. and some kind of fender, and i'm still in awe of '54 black beauty les pauls. over the coming years i hope to get them, but i'm in no super rush.

[Sailor Charon]

Well... I have  the following
[Skuld] Les Paul Standard (Heritage Cherry Sunburst) - I went for an SG3 (faded) tried this, liked it and can't figure out how the flip I ended up with it. Don't get me wrong, I like it a lot, but it's everything I thought I didn't like. Oh, it's got a 60s neck so that's probably what  clinched it. That and it not being as heavy as I expected... [Probably put either a pair of Painkillers, or a Painkiller and a Warpig in]
[Urd] Vintage Advance Av3 - ES335-alike. [Keep meaning to put a pair of Rebel Yells in]
[Belldandy] SG Goddess - 2 extra pots so tone and volume per pickup, pair of Mississippi Queens.

Oh, and a Burns Double Six - which is the only one that doesn't get played so much, an SG bass, and an 80's Japanese Fender Strat that I may, or may not be selling [set of Trilogy Suites]
[/i]

[Ratrod]

Guitars are meant to be played. Just like cars are meant to be driven. Keeping a guitar in a case, even if it's in a conditioned environment, can actually ruin a guitar. Truss rods, moving parts etc. need to be checked every now and then. Rest rusts.

And then there's guitars that are made and bought exclusively for collectors who can't even play like the Gretsch Stray Cat Relic and the Fender Blackie. I just don't get it.

How many vintage guitars are there in collectors hands while those guitars should be played on a stage for everybody to enjoy?

[Twinfan]

Keeping a guitar in a case, even if it's in a conditioned environment, can actually ruin a guitar. Truss rods, moving parts etc. need to be checked every now and then. Rest rusts.

Is that true?  It's a bold claim...

[Ratrod]

Moving parts can lock up when they're not used for long periods of time. When the guitar is stored away, you have to be certain that the guitar is spotless clean. Fingerprints can wear into the chrome and or finish.

[Antag]

I've received some criticism from two fellow guitar players recently about the whole guitar collection thing.  Both of them are friends but pointed out that they were slightly miffed/aggrieved/upset that I had so many guitars that spent most of their time just sat around in cases.  Guitars are meant to be played, apparently.  My arguement was that they were there if I needed them and I like the fact that I have a Tele/Strat/Les Paul/SG etc.

So where do you guys stand?  Should the average guy or gal just have a few guitars that suit them and are played a lot, or is it a free world and you can own play/not play what you like?

OK, as an owner of 22 guitars I readily admit that I have far too many :)

I never intended to "collect" & for years I got by with 4-5 guitars. But when I got my custom Jackson I decided to work towards having 6 really nice guitars that covered all my requirements & get rid of my older guitars.  Then I realised that none of the guitars I wanted to sell were worth anything so I might as well keep them, then I realised that my 6 planned guitars didn't include a bass or a 12-string, then I decided I wanted a nice Les Paul, then I realised I didn't have anything with single coils etc etc etc...

"Surely you don't need so many" is what non-players typically say.  Well, strictly speaking I don't need more than one - in fact I don't need any guitars :) - it's a fatuous argument IMO: people don't need wardrobes full of shoes & fashionable clothes, racks of DVDs/videos, games consoles, flat-screen TVs, PCs, foreign holidays, cameras, ipods, books, jewellery, ornaments, or any other bric-a-brac - but life would be pretty damn dull without them.

I have a demanding, stressful job, for which I am paid well enough to indulge my hobby while still providing for my family.  Anyone who thinks I don't deserve to have the guitars I have is just jealous & can p*ss off...

[Antag]

...they were slightly miffed/aggrieved/upset that I had so many guitars that spent most of their time just sat around in cases.  Guitars are meant to be played, apparently.

Actually, it's just occurred to me what a stupid remark that is.  Unless you are a jobless anorexic agoraphobic obsessive-compulsive insomniac with chronic constipation and/or a colostomy bag, then any guitar - even if you only have one - spends more time in its case than in your hands :lol:

[Antag]

Keeping a guitar in a case, even if it's in a conditioned environment, can actually ruin a guitar. Truss rods, moving parts etc. need to be checked every now and then. Rest rusts.

Is that true?  It's a bold claim...

The one disadvantage of owning many guitars is that I'm forever changing strings & other maintenance :(  Things wear out, break, corrode - even with no use.

FWIW I play ALL my guitars & of those 22 guitars, I only have one real dud that I wish I could get rid of.  At the moment it's languishing under my desk at the office for when I really don't want to wait until I get home to play - so even that guitar has a use... :)

[MDV]

I have 8. 6 electrics a bass and an acoustic. I've given away 2 and sold 1.

I have plans whirling round for 4 more, and a little bit of a pie-in-the-sky plan for a fifth.

I tend to buy them on whim when a guitar up my street, that I can get a use out of and worth the money comes my way. Bar my first proper guitar, which was a blend of plan and bargain, and my Legra. I've been given a couple, too.

I have them for functions (tunings, setups in general) and sounds (woods, pickups, tones). I'm not in the least fussed about owning certain names or building a collection for its own sake.

All my guitars have a character and a bit of a story (most of which only I'm interested in, and perhaps any other big guitar geek). My collection just baffles any non-guitarist and most guitarists think its awesome or just take it in their stride as 'my thing'. I personally know one person that has about as many as me, and guitars are our main topic of conversation.

Owning for investments? No thanks. Collecting to have certain famous models? Yaaawwwwwn.

But the bottom line is: people can do what the hell they want with their money.

[Twinfan]

It's interesting that most people seem to be of the opinoin "do what you want, it's your cash".

How many are seriously annoyed by people who have 20+ guitars knocking about?

(P.S.  I'm not trying to stir up trouble here, I'm just interested in whether fellow guitarists get annoyed by guitars being in cases in spare rooms.  I've not seen the anger in another guitarist until recently...)

[gwEm]

It's interesting that most people seem to be of the opinoin "do what you want, it's your cash".

How many are seriously annoyed by people who have 20+ guitars knocking about?

(P.S.  I'm not trying to stir up trouble here, I'm just interested in whether fellow guitarists get annoyed by guitars being in cases in spare rooms.  I've not seen the anger in another guitarist until recently...)

no i wouldn't be annoyed. if anything i'd give respect if they at least played them time to time and enjoyed owning them.

EDIT: especially if it would be a specialist collection. i know you're a big ibanez fan for example. not my thing, but nice one :)

[sgmypod]

pure jealousy.....thats all they wish they had that collection

[_tom_]

It's interesting that most people seem to be of the opinoin "do what you want, it's your cash".

How many are seriously annoyed by people who have 20+ guitars knocking about?

(P.S.  I'm not trying to stir up trouble here, I'm just interested in whether fellow guitarists get annoyed by guitars being in cases in spare rooms.  I've not seen the anger in another guitarist until recently...)

I wouldnt say annoyed, but it just seems kinda pointless to have that many guitars lying around. I have 3 electrics and 1 acoustic, and even then I feel "guilty" about playing one more than the others :lol:

Now, I just need an SG with P90s, a vee and a tele  :roll:  :P

[Philly Q]

Guitars are meant to be played. Just like cars are meant to be driven. Keeping a guitar in a case, even if it's in a conditioned environment, can actually ruin a guitar. Truss rods, moving parts etc. need to be checked every now and then. Rest rusts.

The finish of my '81 Hamer Special has somehow reacted with the furry lining of its case.  It's not a pretty sight.  I think I need to bin the case, wet-sand the whole guitar and polish it, but I never get round to it.

Worst thing is, that's what it looked like 2 or 3 years ago, and I haven't checked it since....  I might find the guitar and case have melted together into one big lump.  :(