Need versus GAS

[GreenKnight18]

I don't "need" another guitar at all, yet I peruse the TGP emporium and various brick & mortar and online shops constantly wondering what is out there.

How many of you fellow TGP'ers really 'need' an additional guitar for a legitimate reason? If you actually do... what is the legitimate reason? (Stolen, broken neck, etc.).

 

[strat6866]

Dont 'Need" any more guitars but still watch CL and TGP daily. Guitars are my hobby though.

 

[ducatisteve]

Unless they play professionally does anyone actually need a guitar at all, and even then, does the pro need more than one? I might concede that a gigging musician might need two so one acts as backup, but I believe that over 90% of all guitar purchases are GAS induced.

 

[vmjoe]

I don't "need" another guitar at all, yet I peruse the TGP emporium and various brick & mortar and online shops constantly wondering what is out there.

How many of you fellow TGP'ers really 'need' an additional guitar for a legitimate reason? If you actually do... what is the legitimate reason? (Stolen, broken neck, etc.).

You've been talking to my wife haven't you.

 

[RCM78]

I once broke my only guitar during a gig. Borrowed one to finish but NEEDED a new guitar the next day...

 

[K-Line]

Need is not im my vocab when it comes to gear, just GAS!

 

[Pfeister]

Unless they play professionally does anyone actually need a guitar at all, and even then, does the pro need more than one? I might concede that a gigging musician might need two so one acts as backup, but I believe that over 90% of all guitar purchases are GAS induced.

I say yes and yes. Playing music isn't optional for some people. I really believe some people need instruments to continue on as (somewhat) well adjusted humans.

There are so many guitars that sound different, especially in the handmade realm. I've never made two guitars that sound alike (to be fair, though, I do that intentionally. Some companies need to be and are very consistent). I definitely think it's neccessary for certain players to have more than one because of that.

Just my two cents

 

[Help!I'maRock!]

i stopped buying guitars 3 years ago. since then, i have modified some to get them closer to what i hear in my head. i still look, but i know that nothing out there is better than what i have now. it's just nice to see what things go for and maybe what the latest trend is (or in the case of the Emporium, last year's trend).

 

[stratzrus]

How many of you fellow TGP'ers really 'need' an additional guitar for a legitimate reason? If you actually do... what is the legitimate reason? (Stolen, broken neck, etc.).

I need a Johnny A Signature.

Reason: I don't have one.

Seriously though, it's different enough from my ES 335 that it makes sense to get one because I want a Bigsby and it's better at Jazz (true hollowbody) and Rock tones (can take more gain without runaway feedback).

 

[Wombat]

A lot of very accomplished players get by with one guitar and one amp. Fortunately I've never been that accomplished!

 

[GreenKnight18]

**please note I am saying this stuff as an owner of 7 electric guitars; I know I am just as bad or good as anyone else on here**

I'd say that for most players, even the professional (and semi-pro) ones, you only really "need" like two or three electric guitars max if you break a string on stage.

All of those things like "I need a Gibson tone for this song and a Fender tone for that one" is a bunch of smoke and mirrors. I suppose for some small number of players that need to nail some specific tone (for example, I would not want to play Buddy Holly songs with some fat Jazz Box or Metal Shredder) but realistically, most of the audiences that people play to would not particularly care.

For all the bedroom players it seems silly to me to own a zillion guitars for your own noodling. Again, maybe a few for a different tones or something.

With my collection I find I have made up some of the stupidest excuses to buy guitars and amps. I have bought many to get tones I can't get with my #1, but I never really play these other guitars all that much.

Honestly I find the "one guitar, one amp and a cable" guys just as insufferable as the fellows with warehouses full of telecasters (I think many of you have probably seen the pictures here).

I dunno. I am still here. I am not going to "swear off" TGP as it is a fun hobby and I enjoy seeing all types of players with all their different opinions endlessly arguing about the same subjects over and over.

But really. Admit it: you only need a couple of guitars, an amp and maybe a few pedals. The rest is just a bunch of flimsy excuses.

 

[ducatisteve]

I say yes and yes. Playing music isn't optional for some people. I really believe some people need instruments to continue on as (somewhat) well adjusted humans.

There are so many guitars that sound different, especially in the handmade realm. I've never made two guitars that sound alike (to be fair, though, I do that intentionally. Some companies need to be and are very consistent). I definitely think it's neccessary for certain players to have more than one because of that.

Just my two cents

Haha, yeah I know what you're saying and although it seems counter to what I originally answered, I actually wholly agree with you.

I believe there are two questions being asked here, and disagreements might arise based on how someone interprets the original post. On one had, you can ask yourself, "Do you need a guitar to maintain happiness and your expected quality of life?" I think that you answered this question very nicely, and I can't really find fault with it.

Now others can read the question "Do you need a guitar at all to survive?" Although my original answer did not specifically answer this question, it definitely leaned toward this interpretation. I know that I am inviting responses of how music and playing guitar literally saved someone's life, but I think that in general the answer to this second question is fairly obvious. No, guitars are far from necessities in the sense that food, water, and shelter are.

It is a fun question, and it should be interesting to see how everyone responds.

 

[Selsaral]

My needs are fairly low, so as I buy guitars I sell previous guitars.

I need a primary, versatile 6-string electric guitar that I love.

I need a second guitar that I can dedicate and set up for open G.

I need a 12-string electric.

I need 6 and 12-string acoustics.

All my buying after that are upgrades. But I shop a lot cause I always want to upgrade, but I don't buy much cause my budget is limited and I really do like the guitars I already have.

 

[Trebor Renkluaf]

GAS has nothing to do with need.

 

[Help!I'maRock!]

All of those things like "I need a Gibson tone for this song and a Fender tone for that one" is a bunch of smoke and mirrors. I suppose for some small number of players that need to nail some specific tone (for example, I would not want to play Buddy Holly songs with some fat Jazz Box or Metal Shredder) but realistically, most of the audiences that people play to would not particularly care.

gear has never been about the audience. it's about the musician. all audiences know is "ooh! pretty!"

With my collection I find I have made up some of the stupidest excuses to buy guitars and amps.

i bought my classical guitar because somebody gave me a beginner classical method. within the first few pages it said that while you could play classical guitar on a steel string, the author highly recommended that you purchase a classical. got the guitar home, and got "the look" from my girlfriend (now wife). my response? "the book made me do it!"

But really. Admit it: you only need a couple of guitars, an amp and maybe a few pedals. The rest is just a bunch of flimsy excuses.

of course. and if i knew then what i know now, i'd have half the collection that i do. i'm sure we all would. but well, here we are. 9 guitars, 5 amps, and who knows how many pedal later.

 

[diagrammatiks]

I need a Johnny A Signature.

Reason: I don't have one.

Seriously though, it's different enough from my ES 335 that it makes sense to get one because I want a Bigsby and it's better at Jazz (true hollowbody) and Rock tones (can take more gain without runaway feedback).

YA! me too.

i also need ur sig x.

 

[Jahn]

i need one acoustic guitar. that's it. the rest is icing on the cake. delicious delicious icing.

 

[ReginaldBisquet]

gear has never been about the audience. it's about the musician. all audiences know is "ooh! pretty!"

Spot on! That's why I now want a goldtop.

I am at a point in life where I can afford to buy and experiment with the gear I've always wanted as well as discover new things that help/inspire me create music.

When I was in a band that toured the northwest US back in the 90s, I had one amp, two or three pedals, and one guitar. We were dirt poor and any money we received from album sales, merch and from gigs, was spent on food, shelter and supplies. If there was a time when I needed back up gear... it was then.

These days, I play/perform in a couple of different projects (doom metal / hindi rock / jazz blues)... so I favor some instruments over others.

 

[Radagacuca]

it´s always gas for me. could ve been sticking to my yamaha beginner guitar set and do fine, but i didn´t
just bought a used john mayer strat some minutes ago.
why? i have no idea! don´t even know anything from jm and never liked strats anyways... oh well that cypress mica looked nice and i thought w-t-hell...

 

[shane8]

i have 3 guitars that all do the same thing so i don't even need all those .... i do like playing other peeps guitars tho and i guess if i ever find something i like better than mine i'd have a crisis but srsly i usually get gas until i play it and then it goes away ...