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Ok I admit that I have been obsessed with guitars and playing for the past two years. Not only for playing but they can be beautiful works of art.

So to get to my question How many guitars is too many?
For me my wife is a seamstress and has a slew of sewing machines so she doesn't give me too much guff about my guitar collection.
I have
Taylor 324 Acoustic This one has disappointed me lately since the Breedlove is much easier to play the same songs. The tone is nice.
Breedlove Stage Concert - I really love this since I tinkered with the action. It IS my go to guitar and it is outshining the Taylor. A bit heavier but not by much.
Yamaha Silent SLG200 I keep this one at work so I can be quiet. Not as nice as I hoped, so I may part with the Taylor and the Yamaha.
Martin 12 string X Love the sound this produces!
Epi electric Just a cheap electric I bought off E-bay that needed repair for $100 its great for electric play.

AND somehow I am always on the look out for another! :huh:

Please tell me I don't have too many?

Dennis

Potentially too many guitars (PTMG) is a simple equation. PTMG = X + 2

Where X represents the number of guitars you have now.


But I don't know anything about lusting after the next beautiful guitar. of course.


IMHO - it's not actually about wanting more and more guitars, so much as wanting to find the combination of guitars that work best for YOU. And of course finding that elusive 'perfect' guitar. There are so many configurations out there, so many we'd like to own or at least play for a while and such a wide range of price points.

I guess at the end of the day we'd all like to own the two or three guitars that we LOVE playing and that really suit the types of songs we like to play and our playing style; that sound fantastic of course.

The exploration isn't cheap, but it sure is fun. Good hunting Dennis. Ka pla' :woohoo:

M

2

wrench wrote:

2

Says the man who must have played some very nice and very different guitars in his guitar doctoring and sound exploration adventures.


Ok so if 1 is the perfect number (for me it would need to be at least 1 steel string, 1 nylon and ... An electric, not essential but nice to have for the fun of it)

Then the question is 'what's the right 1(s)... .?'


Oh why AM I hearing a certain guitar guru saying "just play the guitar aleady". .

Honestly folks, there is no such thing as too many guitars! You should be counting guitars in your sleep, instead of sheep! (There might be a bumper sticker or a T-Shirt slogan there)

This is a true example of "Too much Is Never Enough". Just like vacation time and cash. It is a silly idea to even think so.

Bart

familyman4 wrote:

Honestly folks, there is no such thing as too many guitars! You should be counting guitars in your sleep, instead of sheep! (There might be a bumper sticker or a T-Shirt slogan there)

This is a true example of "Too much Is Never Enough". Just like vacation time and cash. It is a silly idea to even think so.

Bart

Now THAT sounds like words of wisdom.

I think that goes for instruments generally. (say the woman who would like to learn as many as she can ).


Getting serious for a second as well, the concept of "too many guitars" is really only determined by your own circumstances; what you can afford and how much space you have.

Hi Dennis,

So far, I'm at 4 ...

I have never parted with a store-bought guitar.
None were bought on impulse, each of them were "needed" (hehehe).

So, here is my abridged history of guitar acquisition:

1) The "Go-To" guitar:
It stays in tune the most, the wood is stable in different humidity, and applies to most of my playing in general.
Mine is a Takamine EG360SG ... solid as a rock.

2) The "Other" guitar:
If another guitar player appears at my home, and so we might play together.
It also has qualities that make it a worthwhile second guitar: different tonal qualities, portability ...
Mine is a Taylor GS Mini, mahogany top (therefore darker sound) ... I gotta keep it in stable humidity though, had to replace a warped neck because it dried out.

3) An electric guitar:
Have it, but not used it much ... bought it from my son when he upgraded (kind of a subsidy )

4) A silent guitar:
My recent acquisition, the Yamaha Silent Steel String (SLG200S), has me grinning ear-to-ear.
I can bang on it any time of day or night, wherever, with the least bother to anybody around.
It is a serious instrument, not a toy ... the only problem is when I start singing ... :side:
A micro-amp (like Marshall MS-2C) can be fun with it, but of course, a bigger amp is the cat's pyjamas !

5+)
I'm thinking of fiddling around with guitar building/modification, so imagine then ...

Pierre

When you start to lose count then I'm guessing that is too many.

:laugh: :laugh: :whistle: You know me so well!


michelew wrote:

Oh why AM I hearing a certain guitar guru saying "just play the guitar already". .

Hi Dennis,

Ness asked me why I didn't tell you how many guitars I have. So here I am again telling you my story about my guitar stable and my GAS.



My music room looks more like a music shop right. And this doesn't include my keyboard and my acoustic bass, which is in the cupboard.

SO I have:

- 2 ukes (borrowing another from Sue because my fancy one is out of action) - a Wayne Henderson all Koa with a beautiful voice, and a 6-string Lanikai - all mahogany.
- 2 nylon stringed guitars - a Hofner HM85 and a Taylor NS34-CE (hybrid)
- 1 steel string acoustic - Larrivee OMV-09
- 1 Electric - Fender Stratocastor
- 1 electric bass - Fender
- 1 acoustic bass - Tanglewood TW122... something

When I first joined TG I had a Yamaha FG415S, a dreadnought. A good reliable guitar with a big voice. After learning more about guitars I was curious to try a smaller bodied guitar with a wider neck that would suit my softer touch and preference for fingerpicking stuff. A TG friend Tony offered to sell me his Larrivee. Well the difference in sound was phenomenal so I of course bought it from him. He now want sit back. The body size, wider neck width and the cutaway really work for me too. It's a gorgeous guitar. In truth I would like something that has more bass, but it really suits me and I haven't found anything that I'd be willing to spend the money on that sounds better. A slightly wider neck would be great too. After playing the Larrivee for a little while, i stopped playing the dreadnought so I gave it to my daughter who still has it.

After about ... 6-12 months at TG, i decided I wanted to try nylon strings. I borrowed a friend's mum's classical and really enjoyed playing it. Shortly after that I invested in my Hofner. It's SUCH a beautiful guitar and i LOVE playing it. In fact it's my favourite of the lot, I generally play it the most. The sound's is wonderfully rich and it feels really nice to play.

TG inspired me to get into ukes too. My first was the Kala on the left, which i've now given to my partner. Ukes (and guitars) are like chips, you can't just have one. my next uke acquisition was the 6 string. It's got a huge voice for a uke and two double courses that are an octave apart. It sound's really rich. The middle uke, it a prized possession, which i will never part with. I won it in a raffle while in Seattle at guitar camp. It's GORGEOUS and the best moumento of my trip i could ever have hoped for. It contains lots of precious memories.

TG also inspired me to take up the bass - I first bought an acoustic. But i was having trouble with the pick up...so of course after a little while I NEEEEEDED to get an electric bass. It's so much fun and you've seen it in our TZZ videos.

That leaves the electric guitar. It's a really nice instrument, which was a birthday present and something i wouldn't have bought for myself. It's fun to play around with.

I almost forgot the Taylor hybrid. I was inspired by Jason Mraz and Ness to get this one. It's actually got an issue that needs fixing so i'm not playing it much at the moment. But I needed that one too.

At one point I also had a short scale yamaha that I found. It was fun to experiment with but the sounds wasn't up to scratch so I sold it.

For the moment, my guitar acquisition syndrome is dormant. yeh! Well... Actually... At some point I'd like to buy a mandoline. but gosh... the world of guitars is just fascinating and they're so pretty to just look at too.

So right now, if you count all of the stringed things... I have 8. B) :blink:

Is it too many?... naaaaah. They're all different, suit different things and are all played.. at some point. In truth, I play the Hofner, the Larrivee and the bass the most. But, I wouldn't want to part with any of them unless i had to.

In truth, I feel a little like I don't deserve to have such a beautiful collection of guitars; that my playing is not good enough or advanced enough to warrant it. But.. On another level I know that's crap. I work hard and music is how I relax and it makes me happy. So what if I'm not a great player. It's my thing and I could have chosen to spend my money on a bunch of other things that are not so life-affirming. Seriously, just looking at them brings me joy.

M