Have You Ever Considered...

I was actually thinking about this recently but not necessarily getting rid of guitars to fund better guitars

Most of my guitars are of good-upper quality

I’ve gotten heavy into the banjo recently and I was thinking if I start getting better maybe I could sell off a couple guitars and get a real sweet banjo

I don’t think I could do it though, I always think about the guy that switches to acoustic sells off all his electrics and wishes 30 years later that he didn’t

(Kind of a tangent)

Hypothetically if I did have a couple lower quality guitars I’d consider selling them to get something better

I’m happy with what I have but if I had a opportunity to get a dream guitar by selling half of em it would be hard to resist

 

+1 I’m expert at thinking about diluting my guitars to just a few, but it’s sooooo difficult

 

I did that years ago now.

I'm just a chronically mediocre home hack or basic jam player but it stopped the constant interest in gear vs playing. 1 each of a classic or standard bearer design in acoustic, single coil, and humbucker.

My exceptions since that started have been Trio+ that's a great solo practice item, and upgrading to a nice for home use Yamaha THR amp.

 

No, but ......
I love most of my guitars.
I have 2 Les Pauls, and 1 Les Paul style guitar.
They’re all nice, but none are “the one”.
I am utterly happy with with the other 10 instruments I own.
I would sell or trade the LPs for the perfect one.
I actually almost never use the Gibson/Les Paul/rock tone.
I just want the perfect one, when I do.
Kinda dumb, if I do say so myself.

 

Recently I revisited my old Carr Hammerhead because I'm as usual moving in some direction as opposed to sitting in a comfortable place that works for me.
As my sound got heavier it created problems that I worked on solving which created opportunities which I then took advantage of.
Over the course of a year the only new thing I really needed was a good noise reduction pedal.
I did also finally find a deal on a used SUF violet menace with his masterful mids control, but that was a fairly subtle though useful added tool, compared to my other violet ram circuits. Those run $189 new but I nabbed one mint for $120.

In addition to using the Carr with SUF Muffs and the isp decimator, I tried a bunch of different speakers from my stash and realized some speakers I didn't really like with 18w Marshalls really made the Hammerhead work better with the sounds I'm getting now.
I have several warmer darker speakers but they are all 16 ohm and the Carr is 8 ohm, so I emailed the builder and Steve Carr wrote back saying it's fine to run it at 16 ohms but not at 4. The Carr amps are all pretty unique and while some amps like BF Fender hold up fine with a lower impedance load, others not so much. Cool also that the designer builder himself wrote back.

Next the long plate 12ax7s struggled with the gain and volume so I dug through my vintage tubes and found a NOS GE 7025 with short plates. Controls the screams a little better but still sounds like the blowing up amp thing I sort of always crave but find hard to get and control.
Much of the struggle has been keeping that melting down sound articulate, so close to the edge of unintelligible yet so worth it!

Sell off all that stuff and cut down the tools in my toolbox?
Why?
Because I can see the future and there are no changes ahead?
Because I don't want to make any changes or grow in my musical tastes?
Because I've experienced all there is in gear based sound altering?

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha please save me from the rabbit hole of downsizing!

Really, we can rationalize all sorts of stuff and convince ourselves of it.
More is more is no less of a rabbit hole than the idea that less is more.

Sure it's valid to point out that the most important component is the player, while the gear is always second to our abilities, but we play an instrument that gets sounds electronically, and a whole lot of sounds.
Limiting the range of sounds for the purpose of what, living more Zen like?

Might as well switch to bamboo flute!

 

Absolutely!
IMO, that's better than investing in acquiring (hoarding?) a bunch of adequate but lesser guitars, amps, etc.
I working my way backwards now. I'm selling off gear to get down to only my most prized instruments. I have less guitars now but I am enjoying those that I have more than ever before.

 

If the question was specifically about selling off a dozen cheap import Tele shaped guitars in every color (or that sort of situation) to buy a couple of good ones then yeah.

 

I did that. I knew I wouldn't be able to make use of them anymore so I'm down to just a couple of guitars, one amp and a couple of stomp boxes. Even they don't get the exercise they should but I don't feel like as much of a hoarder. And the guitars I have are ones that I'm truly enamoured with.

 

That's pretty much where I am. I regret selling my Gibson Les Paul 1960($) Reissue, with the chambered body, for no apparent reason a few years ago. And my Made-in-Korea Epiphone Sheraton II a few years ago as well. I had a Gibson Les Paul Custom back in 1973 but it was waaay too heavy. Right now I'm looking at a Gibson ES339 Studio on sale for $1999, regularly at $2525, at Long & McQuade. I tried out one and love the smaller, lighter size and the sound.

 

Not saying you want one but if you haven’t tried any of the D’Angelico semi hollows you should at least check a few out.
There are three grades with Premier being the cheapest, but really quite nice and the just kill the Epiphones in that price range.
If you see them try a few!
I’ve never tried the other two more expensive tiers.
Mine got new pickups because it was an older one before they switched to actual Duncan pickups. I have a set of tuners for it too, but again this is their cheap line bought used for $379.

 

I slowly moved up into middle of the line stuff and very happy with all of it for quite a long time now, but I have gone way overboard on two guitars ... that as a hack, cannot justify.

 

I sold off my gear a few times. I was a full-time musician. No safety net, no backup plan, but nobody is ever taking my victories away from me.

Between economic collapse, injuries without health insurance, hurricanes, blizzards, recovering from alcoholics and tyranny, I still managed to keep my main guitar and amp and damn if I didn’t finally meet my wife at the end of it all.

I replaced old confections with the redbone resolve of autumn blood gloves and copperhead rip rap, augering grease point olights for sound sleep and new purpose.

 

I am bare bones simple. Fender Telecaster and Princeton Reverb of 70's vintage and a 2003 Gibson Hummingbird. That'll do for now but still want a Gretsch or Gibby. I do miss my Heritage that I had to sell. It was a Prospect, sort of like ES-339.

 

you must be insane. see my sig.




but seriously. my 2 most beloved strats. my tonemaster deluxe. my morning glory pedal, my earthquaker grand orbiter for phase. would i ever in this life need anything more, for real? maybe one more "heavier" OD pedal. an awful lot of the music i deeply love was made with less than this.

 

...i would have to keep at least one of my danelectros, though.

 

No. I like what I’ve got.
I’ll sell off a couple of things that I like but I don’t really need anymore.
I’d consider swapping out one acoustic for another.

 

I did something similar a couple of years ago. During Covid, I picked up a 5watt Laney tube amp and now have a growing collection of pedals. What comes around, goes around ; )

 

Had to sell my Rickenbackers a well used road worn 360 and a mint 25 yr old 330 both jetglo..to keep a roof over my head.i could still weep about the 330...im keeping my gear!

 

Yes