You can but dream...

[michelew]

Dream a little dream...

Most guitar players have guitar acquisition syndrome, affectionately known as GAS and something that most people don't talk about in polite not guitar-world company .

Scott has never heard of the term 'guitar porn', so I thought I'd set the record straight (hmmm strange...) and let you in on the secret of what it really is.

There are some manufacturers of hand made guitars and other stringed instruments that make instruments so beautiful and well made that they can charge a small fortune for them, frankly prices that some of us (me at least) would find hard to justify to ourselves (at least on something that's not your primary instrument). De Vine is an example of just such a company. They make Eddie Vedder's gorgeous ukuleles - like his cedar topped one with the hibiscus sound hole. I'd looooove to play one. Their instruments look exquisite in every respect and have fabulous features that make them unique. I'd love to try them, but short of winning the lottery I can't imagine owning one given my level of skill and income. So it's definitely a case of look but don't touch.

http://www.devineguitars.com/


So regardless of what you call it, are there guitars you visit or websites you look at and think 'when I win the lottery' or 'one day....' ?. Show us what they look like.

I hope this doesn't make you all too lusty. B)

Shel

[Chasplaya]

[michelew]

Chas,

Interesting. I imagine this is a case of "If I can't own Blackie, then this is the next best thing'. But, how does it sound?

Shel

[Chasplaya]

michelew wrote:

Chas,

Interesting. I imagine this is a case of "If I can't own Blackie, then this is the next best thing'. But, how does it sound?

Shel

EC himself was one of the first to try it out in an actual concert and he was allegedly heard to say he couldn't tell the difference...

[wrench]

I don't have GAS anymore. I did, and it was probably started by the customary advice to "buy the best guitar you can afford". But what is the best guitar? What matters in a guitar? And armed with more money than knowledge, it's easy not to make the perfect choice the first time. A better question is what matters to YOU in a guitar? The only things that matter to me are playability, sound, appearance, and value. As I started working on guitars, I quickly discovered that some cheap guitars can play just fine. And they can often sound just fine too, albeit sometimes it takes modifications. The appearance of a guitar is something you can do little about - it was either born with some bling or it wasn't. And value is in the eye of the beholder. If I'm working on a guitar to play, its purchase price is meaningless. If I buy a guitar as an investment, its resale value is paramount.

But I don't trade guitars, and I have one particular Yamaha FG730s that simply must have been the worst Yamaha ever made. Since it was so bad, it became the luthiery cadaver on which I did a lot of skill development, tooling development, and A LOT AND I MEAN A LOT of sound research. After a couple of years subjecting this guitar to every sharp tool and mad scientist plot I could throw at it, I noticed about a year ago that this is the guitar I play every day, and it has now become the only guitar I play. Because it plays like butter, it plays every style well, it fits me physically, and it now has exactly the sound I like in very high quality. Somewhere along this journey, and without even realizing it, I just don't look at other guitars anymore.

I don't criticize anyone for the quantity, the cost, or their choice of guitar. I have been fortunate enough to go shopping with the intent of buying some very nice guitars. But I just couldn't pull the trigger because I never saw the guitar so far beyond anything else that I just had to have it. Then as I began to study the design, manufacture, and results of premium guitars, there simply wasn't enough there to justify the prices to me. Perhaps this is because I had the ability to participate in the final product. If I had no such ability, perhaps I would have a Martin-Taylor-Gibson (or most likely a Stonebridge!), but I am quite satisfied where I am.

For the crafty among us, I encourage a little guitar surgery. It may help your GAS problem.

[willem]

wrench wrote:

I don't have GAS anymore. I did, and it was probably started by the customary advice to "buy the best guitar you can afford". But what is the best guitar? What matters in a guitar? And armed with more money than knowledge, it's easy not to make the perfect choice the first time. A better question is what matters to YOU in a guitar? The only things that matter to me are playability, sound, appearance, and value. As I started working on guitars, I quickly discovered that some cheap guitars can play just fine. And they can often sound just fine too, albeit sometimes it takes modifications. The appearance of a guitar is something you can do little about - it was either born with some bling or it wasn't. And value is in the eye of the beholder. If I'm working on a guitar to play, its purchase price is meaningless. If I buy a guitar as an investment, its resale value is paramount.

But I don't trade guitars, and I have one particular Yamaha FG730s that simply must have been the worst Yamaha ever made. Since it was so bad, it became the luthiery cadaver on which I did a lot of skill development, tooling development, and A LOT AND I MEAN A LOT of sound research. After a couple of years subjecting this guitar to every sharp tool and mad scientist plot I could throw at it, I noticed about a year ago that this is the guitar I play every day, and it has now become the only guitar I play. Because it plays like butter, it plays every style well, it fits me physically, and it now has exactly the sound I like in very high quality. Somewhere along this journey, and without even realizing it, I just don't look at other guitars anymore.

I don't criticize anyone for the quantity, the cost, or their choice of guitar. I have been fortunate enough to go shopping with the intent of buying some very nice guitars. But I just couldn't pull the trigger because I never saw the guitar so far beyond anything else that I just had to have it. Then as I began to study the design, manufacture, and results of premium guitars, there simply wasn't enough there to justify the prices to me. Perhaps this is because I had the ability to participate in the final product. If I had no such ability, perhaps I would have a Martin-Taylor-Gibson (or most likely a Stonebridge!), but I am quite satisfied where I am.

For the crafty among us, I encourage a little guitar surgery. It may help your GAS problem.

WOW Dan,,now we send you every bad guitar...If I understand the story then you made the Yamaha after much research an very good guitar..thats awesome..

[dtaylor]

Haha, no GAS here Shel! :laugh: :cheer: :cheer:

I love all my guitars, it's way enough for me. They're not fancy, but they play well and sound just fine. 'Play (or learn to play) the damn thing first' I always say!

I actually never look at guitars on the net or whatever, so I've got nothing to share here, sorry!

Ness

[thereshopeyet]

Thanks.

[michelew]

Truth be told, I actually don't have GAS at the moment. I used to.

As many of you would know, I started playing a Yamaha FG415 dreadnought. I noticed quite a big change in sound when I first played my Larrivee; richer, more complex and a drop in the amount of bass. The Larrivee suits my style of play (especially the wider neck) and my body shape and size better too.

I was lusting for a Taylor initially (and other beautiful guitars), but I attended a Taylor Road show with Tony here in Sydney and the thing that surprised me the most was that my ears couldn't detect a big difference in sound between the various body shapes and wood combinations.

I don't begrudge anyone who buys a high end guitar. They are gorgeous and bring a lot of joy, especially if guitars are your passion. Some day I may get another beautiful guitar, but I don't expect to get the value for money I'd want, improvement in sound, from the $2,000 (eBay if you're really lucky) - $5,000 I'd need to spend. So for the moment it can wait.

I also know I can improve the sound of a guitar or Uke by changing out the saddle really easily and cheaply.

That doesn't stop me from appreciating the beauty of these sort of high end guitars. They are veeeery preeeeeeetty. actually, a ukulele site I subscribe to for tab and inspiration often has a 'ukulele porn' link. So that's why I look from time to time. I swear!

So learn to play you say. Well that's the plan, learn to play. A high end guitar won't sing if you can't encourage it to, and a mid-range one will sound fabulous if you play it well. Nessa, you prove that every time you post something.

So... Not lusting, I'm just appreciating the beauty and the skill. (... Now if I win the lotto ... ).

Shel

[tovo]

I think there's some really sound wisdom here. I DO have GAS...I got it bad. I have my eye on new guitars constantly. But I still completely agree with Ness, being able to play the thing is far more important than how much it cost. I think it's a trap to spend more and more on equipment thinking it will improve your playing. Having said that, I do believe that playing a really nice instrument makes you enjoy your playing more and one thing I know, when I'm playing badly I sure can't blame my instrument.

In terms of the subject of the thread Shel I can't really contribute much. I'm very keen on a strat to go with my tele at the moment, but nothing really high end or special in mind.