Thoughts on downsizing collection?

Discussion of newer designs, copies and reissue offset-waist instruments.
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Beebe
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Re: Thoughts on downsizing collection?

Post by Beebe » Wed Apr 14, 2021 11:32 am

I used to buy guitars because I thought they looked cool. After building a handful, and growing up (a bit), I know now what I like to play, and what works for the music I play. I know I like mahogany, contoured bodies, medium output hum canceling pickups, 12" radius, slim mahogany necks, rosewood fretboards, 24" scale... So I'm planning on building a Gib-stang and a Jag-son... And probably selling off the rest.
Without music, life would be a mistake.

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johnnyx
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Re: Thoughts on downsizing collection?

Post by johnnyx » Sat Apr 17, 2021 8:46 am

I think everyone has thought about this at some point in time. I'm toying with this idea too. The problem for me, if I ever wanted to get any of these guitars back in the future I don't think I would ever find them again and/or be able to pay a reasonable price for them. But like a few people mentioned here in this thread, I'm not that good of a guitar player to justify having so many or play enough right not to play them all with any regularity. I like having a wide scope of sounds between some JMs, Jags, Teles, and a few Gibsons. Over the last year with the pandemic I've purged a lot of stuff I don't need/use (not gear related) and I think it might be carrying over into gear. I just think I'll regret parting with gear so unless something comes along where I need to sell gear to get gear probably going to stand pat.

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MrJagsquire
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Re: Thoughts on downsizing collection?

Post by MrJagsquire » Sun Apr 18, 2021 12:46 am

I'm going through this at the moment. I spent a lot of time over the last year getting all my guitars really up to scratch. I then played them back to back and even recorded some to compare the sounds: I came to the conclusion I didn't need a Fender Esquire AND a Telecaster, since the Tele sounds the same as the Esquire on the bridge (to me). Similar decision for my Les Paul Junior and my 60s Tribute Les Paul P90. I also had to admit that I just don't enjoy playing my only semi-acoustic (Gretsch G5622T) so that's getting sold too.

I think the reason I ended up with the Esquire and Junior guitars that are now going is due to forums. They planted a seed about playing a single pickup guitar, but it turns out that I don't find any difference between a similar model with the same bridge pickup. People talk about 'less string pull' due to the lack of neck pickup and I got sucked into the idea (and they are 'cool' I guess), but doesn't seem the case to me anyway.

In fact I reckon that if I'd never joined any guitar forums I'd probably only have 4 guitars by now: The Strat I've had nearly 40 years, an Epiphone LP over 25 years, some kind of Tele (I bought a cheap one to take to work with me when I used to travel) and the Gibson I promised myself when I turned 50. I may have tried a semi-acoustic too I guess, but even my Jaguar (which I do like and at least it is quite different from my other guitars) probably wouldn't have happened if I hadn't read on forums.

Instead I've got 10 guitars, minus the 3 I intend to sell soon and even this seems a bit excessive if I'm really honest. I'm only a semi-pro in a covers band, so I don't really need multiple backups of near identical guitars. I use a Strat with mid boost for our set, so all the other guitars are just for fun, a change to help my hands and for recording/inspiration writing new songs.

I reckon I'd be a much better guitar player too if I'd spent my time playing and practising rather than pouring over forums and websites for guitars for sale :whistle:

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Re: Thoughts on downsizing collection?

Post by smalahove » Sun Apr 18, 2021 3:24 am

WARNING: long rant from guitarist with gas-syndrome

I used to own a lot of guitars, and for a long time, that used to mean between 15 and 20, mostly electrics. I started with Fenders, mostly MIJs and MIAs, but slowly got into the more expensive CS and luthier guitars, as my budget could permit it, whilst s/h prices were a steal, mostly due to the market and the low exchange rates. At one time I had a few Fender CS, a few Suhrs, 2 Tylers, 4 Collings (electrics), a Hamer Talladega (epic!) and few others. I got hooked on luthier guitars, after trying out a Suhr, even though I though the headstock and logo were the ugliest thing I've ever seen. The same happened with a Tyler SE I tried. Funny thing, after a while I started really liking the logo and headstocks :-)

The thing that attracted me to these instruments, were how nice they felt playing and how great they sounded. It's not a single feature in itself that blows you away, more so the sum of the parts. The reason I'm mentioning this, is that after a while I noticed I didn't play all of the guitars as much as I should, and some hardly at all. Then I slowly realized, that many were bought because they were great, impressive instruments. Not because I needed another guitar. We all know this feeling: you see a guitar that looks fantastic, or you try one in a shop an immediately feel a connection. I took me a while to understand you don't need to act on that feeling, even if you have the means to do so. The problem is, that by acting (buying), you only strengthen the cycle.

A few years on, and I'm now down to 3 guitars, that I really love: A Fender CS JM, a Marguar and a Fender Japan competition mustang.
I often see guitars that I really, really want to buy, like the insane(ly priced) evengelion tele or the super cheap Harley Benton dc LP jr., but I stop myself when I acknowledge the feeling and the fact I don't have to act on it.

TL;DR
Having reduced my previous collection of 15-20 high end guitars, to "only" three guitars, has been and still is, a freeing experience.

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