That's a lot of guitars!

[turtlejimmy]

Hello everyone,

I'm new here, I really like this site, it has a world of information and I've already learned a fair bit in a couple of weeks, even though I've been playing guitar for about 50 years.

The one thing that has really surprised me is the sheer volume of guitars that some members here own. Don't get me wrong, I don't believe you can have too many and there's hardly anything better to spend money on than music. But really ...... wow. Fifteen guitars, twenty guitars ..... What do you do with all those instruments?

I play basically two of my guitars ..... the rest tend to sit under the bed, in the closet. I only have a handful of other guitars, that never get played and sometimes I find one that I forgot I had. Right now I'm in the process of getting rid of the excess, partly because I don't want to have instruments that are not being taken care of and played regularly. I also play electric bass and drums and sing so I have to divide my time between all that.

I totally get it. It's a boom time for guitars, it's like Christmas .... There are so many out there that are just great instruments and they just keep coming with new designs, pre-aged tops and so on.

So, how many do you have?

How do you take care of all those guitars? And how many do you play every day?



Turtle

[Rudy4]

Hi, Turtle.

Some have the collector gene, some don't. I consider having many guitars as "vexation of spirit".

The more you have to maintain the less time you have to play. As lovers of the instrument it's often a balancing act to determine the appropriate number that satisfies our needs without turning into a burden.

As far as how many I own, I fluctuate around 6, although they are of different types. I have 2 crossover nylons, an electric 6 string, a fretted and fretless bass, a Dobro-style slide resonator, a couple of 6 string acoustics.

I also have some mandolin family instruments and a couple of open back banjos, and some miscellaneous instruments.

I spend probably 90% of my time playing my size 0 mahogany slot head 6 string.

Maintenance is minimal for me since the nylon strung guitars infrequently need string changes, my basses wear LaBella black tapes that last forever, and my steel strings are fitted with Elixir Nanowebs which can go months between changes.

[cc132]

Two is my ideal, and I prefer that they be two very different instruments. An OM and a dreadnought is probably the perfect pair for me.

Once I get to three, one of them stops getting played. I guess my brain can only keep two in rotation.

[383roller]

It’s a mind set, some people just continuously acquire and that’s the joy. Some just retain what they play, I think that’s how everyone starts.
Either way is fine, it’s all about personal justification and means of course. I fall in between somewhere, I do feel like too many guitars can be a “waste” because you just can’t get to them all- all the time.
I’ve seen collections of around 400

[b1j]

Another fascinating topic with 31 flavors: it’s different for everyone.

I’d have at least one more — a D-28 — if I wasn’t so frugal. I’m reluctant to buy things that cost thousands of dollars. I have a little voice in my head that asks, “do I deserve two dreadnoughts?” If someone gave me one (won’t happen, but would you all like to take up a collection?) I’d love it, but it’s hard to imagine it would be the next thing I spend $3,000+ on.

My parents were frugal. It’s ingrained in me even though I made more money than they ever had. That’s why it was a substantial departure from the norm when I bought the J-45 ten months ago. But I do love that guitar, and it is like neither of my other two.

As it stands, I play all my guitars, and they cover a wide spectrum of the acoustic experience. So the idea of “need” comes into play. I don’t really need a fourth guitar to get what I want out of having guitars.

Plus, I can live vicariously through all the members here who buy, trade, and sell dozens, or scores, of guitars. I get a glimpse of their experience. Then I go back and pick away on mine.

[brencat]

Welcome to the AGF! You'll get a lot of different responses on this. We have a diverse group of player/collectors, performers, and hobbyists. Speaking for myself, I've had anywhere from 3 to 7 in house at one time, finally settling on 5 dreads currently. I mostly flatpick and play fiddle tunes, so all of mine are different shades of the same Martin style vintage voicing. There are days when I play all 5 guitars, and other times where a month may go by without me touching one of them.

[turtlejimmy]

Originally Posted by Rudy4

Hi, Turtle.

Some have the collector gene, some don't. I consider having many guitars as "vexation of spirit"..

I like that ..... "vexation of spirit." I've got that. Thanks for the diagnosis. The collector's gene? Yeah, probably that too, though it feels recessive and like it's going away as I get older.

And .... 400 guitars in someone's collection??? I'm trying to picture how that would fit in my house. I'd need to build a garage or get a bigger place. Would you need like a caretaker to go along with that? Seems like it would be a full time job just managing that many guitars.


Turtle

[soups]

I have 14 acoustic guitars and I never thought I would ever say that. The collection has changed over the past few years and I’m pretty content with the number. Some go in and some go out and there are a few that won’t leave until the estate sale

I enjoy having different body styles, woods etc. Pretty much every guitar I have isn’t the same as any other. Some people shell out money for cars, boats, bourbon or cigars. For me the presence of a fine guitar, and the experience of playing it is something that I can replicate over and over again. Having the ability to be inspired by different sounding and feeling guitars in my collection brings a sense of calm and variety that is hard to find in the busy lives that many of us lead.

[Bear Davis]

Jimmy-

The truth is that I don't need 50 guitars... I could get by with 12. The other 38 guitars are fun nice to have pieces, or have sentimental value.

12 might still seem very high but a large chunk of my work is ghost writing and music production so I have to make sure I have the sound the customer wants. That number also includes my electrics.

[turtlejimmy]

Originally Posted by Bear Davis

Jimmy-

The truth is that I don't need 50 guitars... I could get by with 12. The other 38 guitars are fun nice to have pieces, or have sentimental value.

12 might still seem very high but a large chunk of my work is ghost writing and music production so I have to make sure I have the sound the customer wants. That number also includes my electrics.

Hi Bear,

Hey, 50 is a nice round figure.

I'm really curious about the ghost writing. Is that musical? Songs? What sort of ghost writing do you do?



Turtle

[TBman]

Originally Posted by turtlejimmy

Hello everyone,

I'm new here, I really like this site, it has a world of information and I've already learned a fair bit in a couple of weeks, even though I've been playing guitar for about 50 years.

The one thing that has really surprised me is the sheer volume of guitars that some members here own. Don't get me wrong, I don't believe you can have too many and there's hardly anything better to spend money on than music. But really ...... wow. Fifteen guitars, twenty guitars ..... What do you do with all those instruments?

I play basically two of my guitars ..... the rest tend to sit under the bed, in the closet. I only have a handful of other guitars, that never get played and sometimes I find one that I forgot I had. Right now I'm in the process of getting rid of the excess, partly because I don't want to have instruments that are not being taken care of and played regularly. I also play electric bass and drums and sing so I have to divide my time between all that.

I totally get it. It's a boom time for guitars, it's like Christmas .... There are so many out there that are just great instruments and they just keep coming with new designs, pre-aged tops and so on.

So, how many do you have?

How do you take care of all those guitars? And how many do you play every day?



Turtle

Jimmy, what have you learned here about playing your guitar better?

Be careful

[pawlowski6132]

I've seen it mentioned a few times in this thread. People talking about maintaining or taking care of their guitars. What's there to do? They just sit there right?

[Dwight]

Originally Posted by pawlowski6132

I've seen it mentioned a few times in this thread. People talking about maintaining or taking care of their guitars. What's there to do? They just sit there right?

I keep them cased and control the temperature and humidity in the room. The acoustics not played regularly are tuned down half a step. They seem happy even when ignored.

[edward993]

Welcome aboard, Turtle!

You've got a good range of responses here so I won't bore you with anything more other than yes, there is such thing as "too much." But that is addressed only after one gets there. Witness threads along the lines of "thinning the herd" ...these folks got there

You ask specifically about how many we have. I have a smattering of acoustics, but I also love electrics, which brings another "how many amps and pedals" bugaboo there, LOL! It's a fun thing to be sure. But I "got there" and felt the need to dial back. I now feel like I want nothing more; nothing. My various acoustics, electrics, and requisite gear are perfect for me. You play other instruments and sing, so I trust you get it! So there ya go, my response, clear as mud

If I may make one suggestion for you: take your guitars out of their cases and get em on the wall (safer and more tidy than floor stands). You will play them 100x more, find inspiration --or relaxation-- from them being at literal arm's reach. And no less important, you will appreciate having them as gifts since they adorn the room with their inherent beauty. Get them out of their box and out where they belong! Just sayin

Edward

[turtlejimmy]

Originally Posted by TBman

Jimmy, what have you learned here about playing your guitar better?

Be careful

Lol.

I just got here ....... I'm sure that'll happen.



Turtle