ChrisDowning
Tele-Meister
That might be heading into Pension Planning. Those are just going to rise in value faster than inflation! HA!
I'm Getting Reverse-GAS-Syndrome?
- Thread starter ChrisDowning
- Start date
That might be heading into Pension Planning. Those are just going to rise in value faster than inflation! HA!
ChrisDowning
Tele-Meister
I was thinking along these lines - about how perfect the Telecaster is and what else would you need that will only clutter your music brain.
The Telecaster has all the basics covered - the tonewood - ash and maple. Simple low powered tone loaded pickups. Quality simple parts. Solid sustainful string anchoring. 4 screw neck that was pretty much as good as a set neck. After all the changes and mods companies made to make this into a Strat, a DC Les Paul Jnr, an SG, etc; that's a complication that adds nothing to tone - it's sales and marketing dross. Violins haven't evolved into anything else as they were perfect in 1690 - nobody added a trem to a Stradivarius! That's 330 years and it's still the same. So there was nothing needed to be added to the telecaster after it stabilised in the 1950s.
Job done. (Or is it?)
The Telecaster has all the basics covered - the tonewood - ash and maple. Simple low powered tone loaded pickups. Quality simple parts. Solid sustainful string anchoring. 4 screw neck that was pretty much as good as a set neck. After all the changes and mods companies made to make this into a Strat, a DC Les Paul Jnr, an SG, etc; that's a complication that adds nothing to tone - it's sales and marketing dross. Violins haven't evolved into anything else as they were perfect in 1690 - nobody added a trem to a Stradivarius! That's 330 years and it's still the same. So there was nothing needed to be added to the telecaster after it stabilised in the 1950s.
Job done. (Or is it?)
Do what makes you happy as long as no one else is hurt.
We are never safe from GAS. Ever.
ChrisDowning
Tele-Meister
Do you think we should use masks in Guitar Stores - you know - tie them round our wallets and superglue them shut?
They used to say that the best form of birth control for women was aspirin - - one tablet held firmly between the knees.
Perhaps holding the wallet that way could prevent "accidents."
I don't play out anymore so I don't have sound men to worry about. I've found that only certain guitars I own deliver the tonal quality required for specific songs I've written. If it's a song arraigned for two guitars I use the same guitars for recording or playing live with a second guitarist. Different guitars have different voices. If I write a song with specific guitars voices in mind they'll be the only ones that work for me. For slide guitar parts I always use my Strat. Electric 12 String is always the Ricky. For high gain sustaining leads it's my Giffin Standard into the Cornford Hellcat amplifier. For swamp or country or highly defined clean leads it's one of my Telecasters and even they sound different from one another. When I did play out I usually had 2 different amps and up to 4 different guitars. I never thought about sound systems because back then it was usually guitar to amp to speaker cab to audience. Those old Voice of the Theater columns just kind of mic'd whatever was on stage and added volume. I'd be totally lost trying to play live today. "Your amps too loud". "Cut the mids". "Your amps trem is messing with my board". "Stop doing that feedback thing". F you and Eat M. Yesterday was paradise.
howardlo
Tele-Afflicted
Since I retired 14 years ago I had accumulated far too many guitars. Over 30 (about half electric, half acoustic). Decided about a year ago to thin them out, mainly the electrics. In addition I have a fiddle, five string banjo, a mandolin, three ukes, a mountain dulcimer, a bass, a 12 string acoustic, an acoustic tenor guitar and a keyboard.
I began playing in 1957 and during that time I had sold only two guitars, one in the spring of 1965 right after high school graduation when I had bought a new Jazzmaster. The other was a Peavey T-60 that was the only electric I had owned in about 25 years. Heaviest guitar I ever had or played. Made any LP seem like a lightweight guitar.
Didn’t want to go through the hassle of selling them, so decided to give them away. During the past year I gave away 12 or 13 guitars (all but two were electrics). Also gave away a bass and two amps. Feels much better now.
I began playing in 1957 and during that time I had sold only two guitars, one in the spring of 1965 right after high school graduation when I had bought a new Jazzmaster. The other was a Peavey T-60 that was the only electric I had owned in about 25 years. Heaviest guitar I ever had or played. Made any LP seem like a lightweight guitar.
Didn’t want to go through the hassle of selling them, so decided to give them away. During the past year I gave away 12 or 13 guitars (all but two were electrics). Also gave away a bass and two amps. Feels much better now.
I feel you...
I'm currently sitting at just over 30 guitars, some very nice, some lower end but desirable (e.g., Silver Sparkle Squier Bullet).
My goal this year is to "high grade"... that is, sell roughly 10 guitars and buy fewer but higher quality guitars.
I'm itching for a 6120.
I'm currently sitting at just over 30 guitars, some very nice, some lower end but desirable (e.g., Silver Sparkle Squier Bullet).
My goal this year is to "high grade"... that is, sell roughly 10 guitars and buy fewer but higher quality guitars.
I'm itching for a 6120.
boxocrap
Tele-Afflicted
well i guess sometimes it's like eating too much and you burp right?...but it also make more room too..hehe but seriously..i get what your saying..i did that with a strat for a very long time..i could get most of what i wanted from it..but later much later..it just wasn't enough anymore
And now you get to shop for a dolly/cart.
Hell - I looooove AC10’s/15’s/30’s but except for the 10 - they are ludicrously heavy.
10 is great but if only does one thing.
JustABluesGuy
Friend of Leo's
I take a back up guitar to gigs incase a string breaks. It happened a while back, so I was glad to have another to grab: I'd played the intro to Cocaine and it snapped just as the vocals came in. I grabbed my back up (Cabronita that night) and was playing again before I needed to start the solo.
I do agree that we are very spoiled and lucky to have so many guitars, amps, etc as many of us do on forums like this. I'm actively trying to reduce my collection as I've realised that it's grown due to wanting to try things out and being able to afford them when I was working full time. Now I'm looking to semi-retire it's harder to justify so many when I only play certain ones.
My only issue is sentimental attachment: A Japanese Vintage Squier Strat I've owned since 1982 and an Epiphone Les Paul since 1995. Both were birthday presents, not worth huge amounts but I don't tend to take them out as I'd hate to risk losing either one. I also have a limited edition red Rickenbacker I bought when my Dad passed away from some of the inheritance.
If I ignore those, then maybe I could thin the rest out more easily, but since some are Partscasters they are worth very little, maybe a bit more if I part them out. That'll probably happen to my avatar guitar as the neck is on my main Tele now, so I ought to sell that off as a loaded body or each piece sold separately. I keep thinking I could put a neck humbucker on it that I have in my spares box, but then I don't really need three Teles: I have a standard SS White Blonde and the Cabronita I built more recently (also due to a spare pair of pickups I already had!!), I've got the LP if I want to play something with a PAF style neck humbucker.
Current plan is to sell my Gretsch, Les Paul Junior (sounds too similar to the Gold Top on the bridge as I fell for the 'single pickup' coolaid), maybe the SG as the LP covers the PAF sound.
I took this picture over Christmas as a reminder of my excesses in years to come:
View attachment 943201
I use the self built Blue Strat for gigging, with one of the three 'Fenders' as back up. To be honest I don't really need the Jaguar or Cabronita, but both are effectively Partscasters (the Jag was a 3 tone SB Player originally before I sprayed it CAR).
I'm clearing out amps and pedals too: I use a Marshall SC20 combo with the band, plus a back up Orange Stamp just incase. I have a really nice Fender '64 Custom Deluxe reverb that I waited 40 years to get after playing a BF Twin and wanted something similar, but lighter. Really I don't need the other Marshall Studio heads I have and associated cabs. I could probably justify keeping a Champ clone because it's worth next to nothing and I do take it to open mics as it's loud enough for those and easy to carry.
I often wonder how good I'd be at playing if I'd stuck with only having that JV Strat. It was my only guitar for 13 years and I did manage fine, plus one amp and literally a couple of pedals.
It's so easy to get drawn into buying more and more stuff thinking it will make you a better player, or the old standby; 'It takes me in another direction, so I feel inspired'. Truth is that if we can afford it, then we get a rush out of buying something new and have a period of playing nothing else but the new one. I should really just cycle round what I'll have left once I sell some off, but I wonder if I'll get sucked back into buying again at some point...
As a solution for low value on parts casters, maybe find a charity that help kids make music and donate it. Then you can deduct it from your taxes?
I just unloaded a bunch of gear...some REALLY nice stuff...a '67 Rick, '74 335, '76 Strat...several amps...I bought them right and made money, and they were good investments that were pretty much guaranteed to keep appreciating in value, so, for that reason, I was sorry to see them go.
But we needed space.
We moved into a smaller place and I even had (OK...HAVE) guitars in a closet in the kitchen.
But it definitely felt good to lighten the load.
My recent move really highlighted the idea that the more stuff you have, the less free you are.
I really only collect/invest in stuff I like, and I'm gonna miss that 335 BAD, but...
I went to a rehearsal last night with a guitar I love and an amp that, for me, is the Holy Grail, and I was getting some of the best/most inspiring tones I've ever heard...so I think it's OK to downsize.
Even though I use fresh strings for every gig and haven't broken one for years, I feel like I must take a spare guitar to gigs, and a 3rd if I'll be playing slide.
The thiung to do would be to polish up my slide technique so I could use my spare for slide.
Alas, my somewhat-less-than-sophisticated slide technique requires a raised action.
But we needed space.
We moved into a smaller place and I even had (OK...HAVE) guitars in a closet in the kitchen.
But it definitely felt good to lighten the load.
My recent move really highlighted the idea that the more stuff you have, the less free you are.
I really only collect/invest in stuff I like, and I'm gonna miss that 335 BAD, but...
I went to a rehearsal last night with a guitar I love and an amp that, for me, is the Holy Grail, and I was getting some of the best/most inspiring tones I've ever heard...so I think it's OK to downsize.
Even though I use fresh strings for every gig and haven't broken one for years, I feel like I must take a spare guitar to gigs, and a 3rd if I'll be playing slide.
The thiung to do would be to polish up my slide technique so I could use my spare for slide.
Alas, my somewhat-less-than-sophisticated slide technique requires a raised action.
KelvinS1965
Tele-Afflicted
I don't know where you live, but that's not an option here in the UK terms of tax. As I'm about to retire I'm afraid I'm not in a position to be giving stuff away though.
As an example; my avatar Esquire/Tele ended up costing me about £800 ($1000?) because I got sucked into the idea of building my own and used a Fender neck and other Fender parts too, plus the (heavy) pre finished body. Complete I guess I'd struggle to get £350 for it, but maybe get close to that for various pieces and keep the (fat '51 U) neck on my Classic 50s.
My blue Strat was a bit better though and ended up around £550 from memory, though I've now got two bodies for it as the first one I bought was far too heavy (2.5kg), but I didn't weigh it until I'd already drilled it. Hopefully get £100+ back for the spare body considering it has a decent nitro finish now.
The blue Strat is my gigging guitar, so I don't mind that it's not worth what it cost to build as it's quite customised, despite looking like a pretty standard '61 replica: Has a really fat neck, 9.5" radius and an Eric Clapton mid boost hidden under the pick guard which helps me to get a wider range of sounds out of one guitar. Even does a passable humbucker tone with the right settings; the bridge can sound quite close to my Tele as well with the tone knocked down and a touch of mid boost.
If I'm really honest; I could probably sell all but the three 'sentimental' guitars and just use the blue Strat for gigging and have it all covered. If I'm recording something at home I've got time to mess about with effects and EQ to get the sound I want. I probably won't go that extreme, but really that ought to be my long term aim...just might take more than a few years to get there.
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Bourbon Burst
Tele-Meister
I must not have enough gear since I use just about all of it to play and record into my Digitech Trio Plus...
ChrisDowning
Tele-Meister
You sure? I think I prefer experiences like guitar workshops and lessons over getting more stuff - unless you are actually trying to invest. That won't work for me - I have one son working as a fund manager and another as an analyst - they'd rip through my whole plan if guitars were the currency! This year I am committed to playing out more, doing all the grade exams I can find, and getting to more workshops and clinics - downsizing is all about focus for me. I'd go one guitar one pick up if I had that guitar - I'm lucky I suppose - the Royal T in the neck is just like a Strat neck pickup and the bridge is a vintage-spec on A5 poles - I have all the bases covered.
Yup, I don't gig, and my only son has zero interest in my gear.
At this point, it's just about freeing up space and a fresh outlook for some home recording.
Resale doesn't factor into any of my guitar purchases; I buy what I want because I worked for it. But I am not an impulsive buyer, I do my homework.
sax4blues
Poster Extraordinaire
My self treatment has been to go up in price. One $2,500 guitar instead of three $800 models.
57joonya
Tele-Afflicted
Well put. It’s functional artwork- if u have the room for it . What a cool gretsch with the p 90
fenderese
Tele-Holic
hand-wired? me too! is this a Covid thin?
