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why do you have so many guitars

#61
I have more than a closet full of guitars and basses. No cheapies, no over-the-top custom models.

I have a couple of basses and guitars that I’d like to sell off for no other reason than they’re not getting played.

In my opinion, if an instrument isn’t being played, it’s just another bit of the wretched excesses that we’re accumulating. My grandsons will get some nice pieces.
 
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#62
sergeykuimov said:
How can the number of bass guitars translate into the quality of playing it? What is the goal of having 10 or 20 guitars? Is it just collecting? Investing money? Maybe nostalgia for the time when you couldn't buy it? Honestly, I don't understand...
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Variety, style, I build some of my own, and compare play sound and feel to derive aspects that I want to incorporate into my own builds.
 
#64
Too many possessions. I don't need 20 basses, nor do I need 20 coffee mugs. Pretty firm believer in "use what you own"... lots of better ways to spend time and money than on collecting things.

T shirts are the thing its hard for me to get rid of. I have probably 30 t shirts that I wear regularly (many were free)... and I've stashed a few dozen t shirts from my teenage years.

Basses are too bulky and expensive to hoard. One bass is about the size and cost of 80 T shirts.

I do play differently on different instruments - to a point. At some point it becomes redundant. 4 basses and 5 guitars is really all I need to bring out the stylistic nuances that I've built up over 20-some years of playing.
 
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#65
Auspuff said:
As Mr. Spock once said: "You will find, after a time, that having is not so pleasing a thing, as wanting. It is not logical. But it is often true."
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He also said "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." Which I interpret as "One should own more basses than they are able to play." Their need to be owned and played outweighs my need for financial solvency.

Another time he told me "Sir, there is a multi-legged creature crawling on your shoulder.", but everything went dark after that. ;)
 
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#66
I have six basses in total. Two are 4 string and kept for sentimental value. They don’t get played much at all. Four are 5 string basses that get played in rotation or as the need arises. They are one Ibanez SR655, one custom built for me and two that I made myself. All have different pickup configurations. They cover any demand that I make of them. I don’t have any need for more. I’m 73 so I’m pretty sure these will see me out.
 
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#67
Anytime anyone asks how many I have and why, the basic answer I give is that it's because I am a collector of tones. :cool:

With that said, I have what I have mostly because I can, and having a steady adult income with liquid cash certainly helps. I do try to sell or trade something before buying another to keep it mostly within reason. I have several that I'll never get rid of because of being rare and almost irreplaceable, but there's a few that could be sold right now and I could turn around and buy them again down the road without much trouble.

My wife doesn't totally understand all of it, but the last time I told her how many are floating around she said, "At least it's not drugs!" There's WAY worse things I could spend money on, and at least I buy things that do hold enough value in the event they need to be sold. I've also done enough side jobs and gigs that pay for it all outside of my actual work income. It's much easier to justify when it's not coming from our joint income that pays the bills and feeds our bellies.
 
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#68
Life is short do whatever makes you happy whenever you can do so! Otherwise what's the point of living?
Sure you can over indulge oneself but if the lights are on the gas warms the house and mortgage is being paid, Food to eat, cloths to wear in public do you. I have more than 1 less than I want no justification needed.

As someone posted earlier "1ST WORLD PROBLEM"
 
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#69
So many reasons most of which my brain is incredible at coming up with to justify them lol.
The biggest being
-Different tonal palettes (unique basses like a thumb are hard to replicate or replace)
-Different tuning ranges (extended scales for low tuning, etc)
-Sentimental (first bass) basses I can't let go because of great memories and connection
-Enjoyment (love having my amazing collection that brings me so much joy and happiness)
-Builds ( basses that I have built don't have huge value to sell and are important to me)
-Looks (having multiple incredible looking instruments on display looks awesome)

For reference I own 9 basses that are operational anyway and maybe 4 more in parts/not complete

I own 3 guitars in operation and 2 that need finishing/selling

I don't have desire for more guitars and can't see me owning any more in the future
I try to limit my bass expansion but have plans for upgrading some of the ones I have to custom or higher tier models (NG3 Dingwall to Canadian AB1, Squire P to a fancy P bass etc) This way I am going for super high quality over quantity and that means I will play them all and get the most out of my collection
 
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#70
DonaldR said:
Because it's pretty useful to have 2 eyes, 2 ears, 2 legs, 2 arms and more than one hair :)
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That reminded me of a poem from Heinrich Heine. Fortunately I found a translation on-line. Unfortunately it doesn't address God's intention for the number of basses we should have or why. I think, however, if he intended for us to have more than one bass, he'd have given us more than two arms to play them.
Heinrich Heine's "On Teleology"
 
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#71
When I started , I was playing a Kent and then a Univox when that twinkle in my eye was for a Fender . The first good bass I bought with my own money was a Gibson EBO , I bought for $130.00 .....it was a good bass , but it was not a Fender . This is what started me into wanting/craving/trading and finally buying lots of basses.
I bought that Fender PB (used 1972) for $260.00 from Chuck Levins and I should have been happy , but now I had the itch and it had to be scratched......a lot and it has been too many times .
 
#74
Here's a thought, do piano, you know those BIG things with LOTS of strings - not those solid state digital things, players have more than one piano?

Each instrument can be as different as chalk and cheese in terms of sound and playability. As many have observed, a spare, in case of misfortune never goes astray, either on the road (in your car) or on stage (at a gig). If you need a tow truck then a mini is not going to hack it, Same with instruments a 4 string bass is not going to give you the same range as a five or sixer. You've read many threads here about pickup selection, tonal differences of various woods, and so on. Besides that GAS is fun, if you can afford it!
 
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#78
satantango said:
and it's nice to have options when you're not in the mood for your usual go-to.
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It's really not that for me. They're just tools without emotional freight. If I need to work on a bass part, pretty much any one will do. When it comes to recording I like to have options, but really it just needs to play well, be in tune, and have a good signal. They all sound like "bass" in the mix.
 
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