Gear minimalism as a thought process...

[Larsongs]

Surprised this has become a never ending Thread.. I’m not a Minimalist but I check in once in a while to get a chuckle or two… Why you want to sell off the Guitars you wanted so bad? But, I’ve been there too….

I have sold of Guitars that I now regret.. Years later I haven’t found any that compare to a handful I sold & I wish I had them now.. But, they have become so valuable I can’t afford the Quarter of a Million Dollars it would cost to buy them..

Turns out after buying quite a few Guitars they were the best.. I have quite a few now & they’re all nice Guitars.. I do like them.. Some are extremely good & I’ve come to a point of being happy with them.. But, it sucks when you sell magic & can’t get it back…

I hope it doesn’t happen to any of you…..

I'm surprised you still check and comment...and say the same thing each time...

I still think this is a great thread and has sparked some great conversations

I find this Thread & the mindset interesting.. If I sell 10 of my $300-$500 Guitars to acquire a higher quality & all around better Guitar I get it.. But, having a collection of really nice Guitars, that you may likely regret selling, that may not be affordable when you realize how great it was to satisfy a cultural urge a bummer….

I didn’t know what I had when I bought a 1959 mint condition Gibson ES345 & a mid ‘50’s Gibson Les Paul really cheap then in a short period of time selling them to buy something new thinking it was better only to find out I made a mistake..

[sal paradise]

Surprised this has become a never ending Thread.. I’m not a Minimalist but I check in once in a while to get a chuckle or two… Why you want to sell off the Guitars you wanted so bad? But, I’ve been there too….

I have sold of Guitars that I now regret.. Years later I haven’t found any that compare to a handful I sold & I wish I had them now.. But, they have become so valuable I can’t afford the Quarter of a Million Dollars it would cost to buy them..

Turns out after buying quite a few Guitars they were the best.. I have quite a few now & they’re all nice Guitars.. I do like them.. Some are extremely good & I’ve come to a point of being happy with them.. But, it sucks when you sell magic & can’t get it back…

I hope it doesn’t happen to any of you…..

I'm surprised you still check and comment...and say the same thing each time...

I still think this is a great thread and has sparked some great conversations

I find this Thread & the mindset interesting.. If I sell 10 of my $300-$500 Guitars to acquire a higher quality & all around better Guitar I get it.. But, having a collection of really nice Guitars, that you may likely regret selling, that may not be affordable when you realize how great it was to satisfy a cultural urge a bummer….

I didn’t know what I had when I bought a 1959 mint condition Gibson ES345 & a mid ‘50’s Gibson Les Paul really cheap then in a short period of time selling them to buy something new thinking it was better only to find out I made a mistake..

Don’t be so hard on yourself. Have you spent time considering how much of that feeling is about how good the guitars were vs their value?

If it’s the former, the good news is that the world is full of great guitars. The latter, well, it’s only money.

[Larsongs]

Yeah! That was my point.. After having several Guitars that didn’t sound as good.. In retrospect I’ve chasing that Sound but not getting there.. So I look at ‘59 Gibson ES-345’s & mint condition examples are $35,000 & up.. Mid ‘50’s Les Pauls are even higher..

It’s only money, but, I can’t justify spending those kind of sums of $$$$$.$$ for Guitars… Still, I want that Sound.. But, I have to compromise.. Because, I sold something a long time ago I now regret selling..

[Sauerkraut]

I think with where the guitar market is and considering where it’s likely headed, you need to have quite a lot of money to find “it’s only money” a convincing argument. If you’re interested in vintage guitars anyway.

[andy_tchp]

I'm going to get rid of almost everything. Shifted my 'old faithful' Vibrosonic Reverb that I'd owned for nearly 20 years and no regrets.

By pure coincidence the buyer happened to be involved with running a guitar gear/consignment shop that's just opened up about 200 metres from my office.

There's just no room for all this shit in my house and hardly any of it sees use these days.

[Larsongs]

I think with where the guitar market is and considering where it’s likely headed, you need to have quite a lot of money to find “it’s only money” a convincing argument. If you’re interested in vintage guitars anyway.

I’m not a Vintage snob. I don’t care if it’s new.. I’d prefer it.. I want the Sound! The 10 or so Humbucker Gibsons I’ve bought since selling the ‘59 don’t have that Sound.. I’ve tried several with different Humbuckers that all promised to sound like the original late ‘50’s PAF’s but none of them do…

[Sauerkraut]

I think with where the guitar market is and considering where it’s likely headed, you need to have quite a lot of money to find “it’s only money” a convincing argument. If you’re interested in vintage guitars anyway.

I’m not a Vintage snob. I don’t care if it’s new.. I’d prefer it.. I want the Sound! The 10 or so Humbucker Gibsons I’ve bought since selling the ‘59 don’t have that Sound.. I’ve tried several with different Humbuckers that all promised to sound like the original late ‘50’s PAF’s but none of them do…

Sure, but all I was saying is that whether or not you can afford another ‘59 and rationalize doing so with “well, it’s only money” obviously depends on how much money you have to spend.

Re: the Sound. I wouldn’t be surprised if back when the guitar was new, that 59’s PAFs actually sounded a lot more like the newer ones you tried. Stuff happens over time; magnets get weaker and pots and caps drift off spec, usually making for a mellower sound.

[davidpggarrett]

Some musings followed by questions...

I have this underlying anxiety about my gear hording. I don't know if it's some hang-on from a frugal upbringing or a weird burning desire to simplify my life or what but, at least once a week, I will be sitting thinking about my 'average' collection - often as I catch myself debating a purchase on eBay/reverb/classifieds - and contemplate the potential to sell almost everything and strip it back to the bare bones.

What do I even need? Is this too gratuitous? Would I be happier with less? Could I do what I need to do with less?

I've consciously reduced my collection from approx 12 electrics down to 5. Something is still telling me it's too many - and I don't know why. I've sold a bunch of unused pedals too (down to just a small home board and a gigging board). As I dig through parts boxes for things I'm forever having to pull out stuff I haven't looked at for years, that I'm clearly holding onto for no reason. Why? For what purpose? 'Stuff' is nice to have but, well, I know it's pointless for the most part.

I am aware I have a hang-up about having a 'back up' for everything - years of playing out and a personality that finds comfort in being prepared have made sure of it - but I know it's probably not that important.

My mum plays guitar (albeit very rarely these days). She's only ever owned the same acoustic from her teens in the 60s. Never wanted another. Deep down I'm kinda jealous of that somehow.

Is the only way to find out to purge it all and try?

So, my questions. Those with few guitars, through choice rather than financial reasons, how do you know it's enough? Is it enough? Is it easy? Does anyone else feel this?

Perhaps you've watched Keith Williams' series on minimalism and buying & selling on his Five Watt World YouTube channel?

[Larsongs]

I think with where the guitar market is and considering where it’s likely headed, you need to have quite a lot of money to find “it’s only money” a convincing argument. If you’re interested in vintage guitars anyway.

I’m not a Vintage snob. I don’t care if it’s new.. I’d prefer it.. I want the Sound! The 10 or so Humbucker Gibsons I’ve bought since selling the ‘59 don’t have that Sound.. I’ve tried several with different Humbuckers that all promised to sound like the original late ‘50’s PAF’s but none of them do…

Sure, but all I was saying is that whether or not you can afford another ‘59 and rationalize doing so with “well, it’s only money” obviously depends on how much money you have to spend.

Re: the Sound. I wouldn’t be surprised if back when the guitar was new, that 59’s PAFs actually sounded a lot more like the newer ones you tried. Stuff happens over time; magnets get weaker and pots and caps drift off spec, usually making for a mellower sound.

I won’t spend $35,000.00 for a Guitar.. Maybe if I was Clapton, Beck or Page but I’m not…

I’ve heard ‘59’s on Records that were Produced in the 60’s so I’m not buying your comment.. Although, at first it sounds very logical.. But doesn’t explain, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton & many others sound on their Records from that time.. Especially when Recording was primitive….

[BigRiver]

Watching this rig rundown made me really rethink the importance of gear and minimalism.

Mark's playing one guitar and it's been the same one for ages with many refrets. No backup. Uses one pick that's totally worn down. He's got a couple amps, just because you need to with tubes. Laura's in pretty much a similar situation.

Best quote @ 3:25 - "There's your Stevie Ray Vaugh tone, which I F'ing hate. I can't stand that stuff"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr7ScpVj1QY

[Larsongs]

Go check out the J Mascis Thread… The Minimalism thing is some kind of Psychological Compulsive Obsession.. I mean, it doesn’t matter if you have one or a hundred.. If you ain’t happy with your life it isn’t because of the number of Guitars you have….

[Sauerkraut]

Go check out the J Mascis Thread… The Minimalism thing is some kind of Psychological Compulsive Obsession.. I mean, it doesn’t matter if you have one or a hundred.. If you ain’t happy with your life it isn’t because of the number of Guitars you have….

Different strokes for different folks.
I get the idea that you think the OP started this thread to convince people to own less guitars. Which... I reread the original post and I just don't see it. I think the discussion has mostly been interesting and nuanced.

It sure does seem to bother you on some personal level though. Which is fine, except when you start suggesting that not desiring to gather many guitars is some sort of psychological disorder. That I find offensive, and your use of the terms "compulsive" and "obsession" makes me wonder if we're dealing with more than just a little of this here.

[andy_tchp]

Yeah agreed, that’s a bit off.

I’ve dealt with (actual, proper) OCD most of my life and that’s nothing to do with this; I just own too much guitar related shit. There are guitars here I literally haven’t laid eyes on for >4 years. There’s stuff stashed in cupboards I forgot I even owned until I started looking.

And I assuredly don’t give a shit what J Mascis wants/likes to own.

[Embenny]

I’ve heard ‘59’s on Records that were Produced in the 60’s so I’m not buying your comment.. Although, at first it sounds very logical.. But doesn’t explain, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton & many others sound on their Records from that time.. Especially when Recording was primitive….

You do realize that a 1960s or 70s recording is a completely inaccurate representation of the sound of a guitar, right?

I mean, everything from the microphone to the preamps to the console and right on through to the recording medium itself all add color to the sound. The only way you could possibly compare a modern guitar to a "back then" recording of a '59 would be to record and mix the modern guitar using the same gear and techniques as back then.

I very much doubt you've ever heard a true A/B comparison of a modern PAF guitar and a brand new '59, because almost nobody has the budget to rent out the identical signal chain used on those recordings, and an engineer capable of nailing that sound on top of it.

[JSett]

Go check out the J Mascis Thread… The Minimalism thing is some kind of Psychological Compulsive Obsession.. I mean, it doesn’t matter if you have one or a hundred.. If you ain’t happy with your life it isn’t because of the number of Guitars you have….

Well

It sure does seem to bother you on some personal level though. Which is fine, except when you start suggesting that not desiring to gather many guitars is some sort of psychological disorder. That I find offensive, and your use of the terms "compulsive" and "obsession" makes me wonder if we're dealing with more than just a little of this here.

Yeah agreed, that’s a bit off.

I’ve dealt with (actual, proper) OCD most of my life and that’s nothing to do with this; I just own too much guitar related shit. There are guitars here I literally haven’t laid eyes on for >4 years. There’s stuff stashed in cupboards I forgot I even owned until I started looking.

And I assuredly don’t give a shit what J Mascis wants/likes to own.

I agree with the above. That's not kosher saying shit like that.

To be honest, I think we've all got the gist of your opinions on this matter - lord knows you've fucking said it enough times - and now you're saying shit that is, frankly, offensive. If I was talking to someone in real life who was being this consistently contrary, and then saying things that were off, I'd tell them to fuck off. So I'm gonna say it here.

Fuck off.