Embarrassment of Riches?

[rmp]

I started playing as a kid in second grade

It stuck, I just kept going.. jr high, high school... I was pretty good... good enough when I was 18 to be playing with guys in their late 20s.

got married in 77 to the girl I fell in love with in 9th grade

by '81 we had two

times were ok, but tough we never had enough dough we loved each other and our kids we made it work.

the bands I was in helped a lot

I had one guitar, one amp.. I prayed they didn't fail me, because in the early to late 80s, the schedule was pretty full...

but.. thank God.. we made it thru. .

the kids grew, we got older, things got easier, disposable income was a reality

from the mid 90s till now... life is what it is we're still nuts about eachm and our 2 have given us 4 grand kids..

We are heading to FRA soon and we're "Getting out" of the rat race.

I am not ashamed one bit of the collection I now have

I've worked for it.. WE... worked for it..

don't have one single regret.


life is short,
Buy the dam guitar

[buddyhu]

“Find the thing that stirs your heart and make room for it. Life is about the development of self to the point of unbridled joy.”
- Joan Chittister, Monasteries of the Heart Newsletter

“You don’t have to earn or deserve every good thing that happens to you.” Dick Olney

I experience guilt from time to time. Not just about owning several guitars, but about the many blessings that have come to me in this life.

When I do feel guilty, I try not to linger there: I try to decide whether I will take some action. If I decide to act, whether that involves selling a guitar, making a charitable donation, or doing something to benefit people who are less fortunate, then I take that action and move on. If I decide I am not going act, I put the guilt aside and move on.

There are many worse indulgences than owning guitars that don’t get played every day, or even every week. And once in a while, my music brings some joy or soothing to someone, which is a wonderful experience bring into the world.

"Music for a while shall all your cares beguile.”
Henry Purcell

[fitness1]

Originally Posted by buddyhu

“Find the thing that stirs your heart and make room for it. Life is about the development of self to the point of unbridled joy.”
- Joan Chittister
l

Love that gal....

[Silly Moustache]

I wouldn't want to give them up either. I believe this is called the embarrassment of riches. Does anyone else deal with these feelings?

NOPE! Not a bit.

I bought my first guitar in the mid '60s. It cost £16 new! The second one was £32 and I got £16 trade in on the old one.
My third was a Harmony Sovereign H1265, all sunburst and oversized pick guards. It was £64 and I got £32 in trade.
This is simpler than buying/selling cars thought I!

I worked up onein one out (ish) though Gibsons, Epiphones, to Guild and eventually a Martin ( dunno if it was a D18 or a D28 - I didn't understand the difference in the early '70s).

In '83 - '93 I was really ill (lymphatic sarcoidosis) and couldn't didn't play for ten years, I had a '73 D35, my Dobro and a British luthier built F5 Mandolin. That was it. They sent ten years winter and summer in the attic.

In '93 I started playing again but this time it was as a solo singer-guitarist.
I didn't really start "acquiring" until about 1999 when I got my first Collings 12 fret dread. People who see me playing always ask me howw many! Wrong question! What have you got would be better.

One point - mymy wife and I don't have a joint account. She buys the groceries and I pay the bills.
I don't need to use "our" money as she has hers and I have mine.

I need have no guilt.

Besides in these days of low interest rates my guitars are appreciating better than the inflation rate.

I'll admit that I can't remember when I last saw my Dobro, Mandolin, Weissenborn, National, or Archtops. Doesn't matter, every so often I open up the cases and glory in their beauty. They give me guilt free pleasure.

My house is small and my car is 8 years old (hasn't done 30k yet!)

I was never a high earner, but I always saved and invested.

My new financial advisor dropped by last week. I told her that I needed more out of my bonds to pay for increased energy costs (going from £1000 p.a. to about £3500! She told me I wasn't spending enough!

In the words of my childhood hero Alfred E Neuman "What me worry!"

[Mark Stone]

I’ve always thought that when we “judge” ourselves because of owning expensive and multiple instruments, it’s a form (or a manifestation?) of our own pride or arrogance. I’m not calling anyone arrogant here, but that’s just the way I’ve felt. These days I use three moderately humble guitars, which shine in practicality, so it’s not my problem any longer. Until the next expensive one comes along, anyway - I’m only four months out from selling my 814ce, and am getting a little itchy.

[slimey]

If you think of the hours of pleasure you get picking up your guitars and getting lost in the " where did the time go " zone , guitars are still pretty inexpensive.
Even if you turn them over annually for a loss, it's still a fairly cheap cost per hour of entertainment.
My gigging guitars pay for themselves, my stay at home guitars pay for themselves by helping me retain some level of sanity, much cheaper than a therapist.

As we age music has been shown to be very good for our brains, it makes us still exercise our noggins learning new stuff, memorizing music, instead of atrophy.

Few concert violinists can afford to buy their instruments anymore, they have to be sponsored by corporations who buy multi million dollar violins as investments and tax write offs.

A nine foot grand Steinway is about $120,000 , I'm listening to my partner play hers as I type.

Guitars are still great value for money and very low in the something to be embarrassed about scale. That's my excuse anyway.

[Slothead56]

I stand amazed everyday of how fortunate I have been. The road has not always been smooth. There have been two tremendously hard moments I’ve faced as an adult and I got through them.

Music helps. Being blessed with some musical ability is still a wonder to me.

I believe at this point that I have the four I want. The search is over. Someone said earlier that, even after death, the guitars live on. True. And they will live on as objects and memories for my kids.

I’ve worked hard, had a few breaks and lucky beyond measure and refuse to be embarrassed by the way I live my life.

[RichardN]

Consider this. If you bought a used guitar for $2,000, in five years, or ten years or whenever, it will still be worth $2,000. If you own it when you pass your family will be able to sell it for $2,000. The value might even go up.

If you didn't own that guitar you could buy a lap top that would be worthless in five years, or you could buy a better car that would also devalue quickly, or you could blow it on restaurants or vacations.

So while owning a guitar is not exactly an investment like stocks, it isn't a bad way to park your money for awhile, and you get the use of the guitar.

[KevWind]

Dave I find it very commendable that you doing some soul searching.

For me I don't think is guilt per. se. And I could not honestly say I feel guilty about the 6 guitars I have 4 Acoustic and 2 Electric However I do try to take the time to appreciate them and what I have in general .

Like many after years of hard work and some luck, it is quite nice to be able purchase nice things and not have fret over the money.
BUT that said ::
In a broader sense , I do try to be aware of how easy it is to gather Too Much Stuff =TMS And more possessions do bring added complexity ... And so we do regularly donate to our local Good Will type store .

[rgregg48]

Where do you see clarinet players saying
I just enjoy the sound of different woods
So I own 12 clarinets.
I had Selmer make one of mastergrade ebony
That thrills me everytime I blow a B flati i love the smell
Of a good clarinet

Guitar players are the joke of the music world
And unfortunately I'm one of them also!

[rollypolly]

There’s a guy in my neighborhood that has a track modified Porsche 911 turbo. He parks the trailer for it near our house to take the car out from time to time. That’s probably a $200k toy. No I don’t feel one bit guilty about having a couple guitars!

[Mr. Jelly]

I'm human so guilt is a thing. I read that in a book somewhere. I can't claim to deserve my blessings, but I do take them just the same.

[ewalling]

I don't understand the question. Why would you feel guilt over spending money on a hobby unless there were some other person involved, like a spouse? Are you hiding purchases from them or spending money on yourself that you begrudge spending on him/her?

Or is this some kind of existential guilt about having disposable income when people in some parts of the world cannot scratch together enough for one meal a day.

What is the basis of your guilt?

[ewalling]

Double post.

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by ewalling

I don't quite understand the question. Why would you feel guilt over spending money on a hobby unless there were some other person involved, like a spouse? Are you hiding purchases from them or spending money on yourself that you begrudge spending on them?

Or is this some kind of existential guilt about having disposable income when people in some parts of the world cannot scratch together enough for one meal a day.

What is the basis of your guilt?

The second inference for sure. My wife gets a veto on large purchases and guitar purchases don’t negatively impact the family. It’s more about having more than “needed” and how that impacts me, I suppose.