Why does this just seem wrong to me?

Pretty much the same for me. It's pretty normal, but I got to the stage where I had option paralysis, in which guitar should I play, how should they be set up, what gage strings on which one etc.

Electric wise, I just play my AV56 Strat with 10s. Much more calming.

 

In 1985 there was no internet. That’s what happened... the internet

 

It's all about the money, baby. When you've got it, flaunt it.

 

Did you happen to join TDPRI and other guitar forums in 2015?

 

This is what I came here to say...
Here's your big problem

 

Mm. That explains it.


.

 

Yup. The internet and TDPRI have a lot to answer for.

However, remember that before the internet there were guitar magazines which sowed the seeds of GAS. That however was countered by the fact you had to go to your local shop to purchase your new trinket and as often as they just didn’t have the exact thing you’d read the review for and so lusted after so your options were what they had or go without.

Kids today just don’t know how good they’ve got it (insert desired comment about my lawn here)

 

It's called passion.
Dig it. Don't feel bad about it.
It's all part of an excellent journey.
In 2004 I bought an LP and an Engl Powerball, telling myself "this will be all I ever need" - which I believed at the time.
People change. Ideas change, which is good news.

 

I've been through similar periods where I've been completely satisfied with a rig for long periods of time(years) and then something happens and you suddenly realise you need to change, maybe a lot, if not everything haha. I'd partly blame the internet for this too but also just shifting tastes, as my taste in music evolves so does my gear "need". I would really like to narrow down my gear selection to just one or two guitars, amps and pedals again but I'm afraid that I'd miss the things I get rid of... 1st world problems...!

Btw about the TDPRI thing, since becoming a member here I've suddenly got the urge to get both a 5e3 Tweed Deluxe and a Marshall Origin 20C. And I've already bought 3 amps in the last year or so. TDPRI strikes again!

 

Internet forums. So if your primary goal is to NOT spend money, stay off all forums, FB, tweeter, etc. But, if you're goal is to unlock some mystery around tone and gear so you can capture some part of why the greats are great, read [and purchase] on..

PS - I credit TDPRI with discovery of my fav main amp, and my fav main guitar, and a lot of knowledge on why those two are what they are. I've also learned how to select the right pedals for me. I had to do a lot of testing and comparison, but without knowing where to look, I'd have been lost forever.

 

It’s an age old story. If you love guitars at some point you become a “tone seeker”. You embark on a long journey along a twisted road that can lead to temporary elation which can turn into dissatisfaction and, at times, despair. So, it’s on the next guitar, amp or pedal. It’s known as G.A.S. but that is only part of the story. Rod Serling could have easily made a few “Twilight Zone” episodes to cover the subject.
"You're traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind...... That's the signpost up ahead - your next stop, the Twilight Zone!"
Joining a forum like TDPRI only exacerbates the situation.

 

Buy.
Sell.
Acquire.
Divest.

But above all, play.

 

The mindset back in those innocent days of yore was different.

We were all broke, and we weren't insane consumers.

You didn't think, "which guitars shall I get this year?"

You thought: "if only I could have an electric guitar and an amp, of ANY kind, I would be happy forever."

And we were happy, until we realised that some crazy people out there had gone off script and had . . . TWO guitars!!!

And then it all went wrong.

 

I think we get older, our tastes change a bit. For me, I have moved away from the grind-chunka-chunka style of super distortion .... I still listen to some hard rock .... but I don’t play hard rock much.

....... then I turned down the gain and figured out that my gear needs to evolve too.

 

Nah, GAS existed long before the internets. In my first two years of playing electric in the mid-80's, I bought 5 guitars and 3 amps. It just wasn't as affordable back then as it is now, if you count today's easy credit as affordable.

 

You know what they say, "ignorance is bliss".

I was once also happy with some no-name guitar and amp from Asia. It sounded crapy and when I bought one 20€ distortion pedal it sounded even worse. But for about 15 years that was all I had because I couldnt afford more and I guess I was relatitvely happy with it.
But then I found out about "Andertons TV", "That pedal show", "Reverb", guitar/pedal/amp demos on Youtube etc. and then I bought many guitars, amps and pedals.

So after many years of buying stuff I can conclude this. There was one point that I had to reach when I achieved good quality of equipement and sound. And to get there it actually wasnt that expensive at all.

Everything I bought after that point was more or less because of collecting stuff (guitars and some pedals do look really pretty dont they) and trying to "find the ultimate tone".

The Law of diminshing returns it is called. Lets say that you spend 2.000€ on guitar, amp and pedals. I think that for this money you will already get a pretty awsome stuff which will sound very well (especially if you buy used stuff). Now, if you spend 10.000€ for high-end stuff (custom shop guitar, boutique amp and pedals), your "sound" will not be 5 times better. Maybe it wil be 1,3 times better, maybe 1,7 times better...

What I am trying to say is that sometimes the best guitar is the one you already have. Play and enjoy!

 

While I generally agree with this the Internet has made buying (and selling) much easier. Personally I have bought and sold a boatload of guitars, basses and amps. I have just gone through a major reshaping of my collection and I have found a new burst of enthusiasm for playing. I think that there are only positives from GAS. Unless you can’t afford it. If you go into debt with it you may have a problem.

 

It has made the market much bigger but it was at the cost of losing the little hole-in-the-wall local stores that had interesting used gear hanging on the walls or sitting on the floors. Trading is also a lot more difficult online and then there's the high shipping costs. Of course, this varies by location. Some areas have robust CL and Facebook Marketplace deals while others are dry. Some places still have the neat little stores and pawn shops while others only have GC or nothing.