While it was this thread that got me thinking about G.A.S. and how appropriate it would be to have a blog related to the topic, just the other day I was Googling for "gear acquisition syndrome" and came across this 7-part article series (including a self-test) on avoiding G.A.S. (FWIW, I scored a "5" on the self-test, which qualifies as "a mild case" of G.A.S.) It's actually a really good piece... talks about how to buy amps & guitars, how to assemble racks & pedalboards, even how to put together a bass rig--even though it's almost 10 years old, it talks about a lot of "classic" gear and is therefore extremely relevant even today. Lots of things I wish I would've known when I started collecting stuff (and a few things I wish I didn't learn the hard way).
Anyway, here are some of my thoughts on the survey questions...
1. Has the phrase "I wish I never traded that..." ever passed your lips?
Yeah, though not as much recently... I kick myself for selling my first Les Paul, a couple Ibanez models (particularly the RG6-CST J-Custom), and the Mesa Mark IV combo. All-in-all, to only regret selling half a dozen pieces of gear out of the couple hundred that I've owned feels pretty good.
2. Do you spend more time shopping for gear than practicing?
Hell yeah, though if online shopping and e-bay didn't exist, I'd spend more time practicing. I shop for gear over my morning coffee, read gear reviews over lunch break, check auctions as soon as I get home, check around for deals at least one more time before I go to bed, even monitor e-bay auctions from my cell phone when I'm away from the computer. If I could spend half that time practicing, kinda scary to think about how much better my technique could be.
3. Do you spend more money on gear than you make playing gigs or teaching lessons?
Yes, but in all fairness, the amount of money I make from typical original rock gigs in Cincinnati is enough to buy a snack at Taco Bell on the way home from the gig. I have started recording bands in my home studio as a way to make some gear $, and with time I may actually make enough $ to cover my gear habit.
4. When faced with the budgeting dilemma of buying a new amp or new tires, you opt for the
amp?
Good timing, my car needs new tires now, but somehow I've picked up 3 or 4 guitars during the past month. The question should read: "When you realize that your car needs new tires, brakes, and a few other repairs, do you get it fixed or just trade it in on a new one?" Vehicular G.A.S. is just as real as musical G.A.S.
5. Has a significant other ever left you because on Valentines Day, you bought a pawnshop prize for yourself in lieu of flowers for her?
No, this has never happened, though I keep wondering if a significant other will ever get me anything music-related for Valentines Day, a birthday, Christmas, Arbor Day, etc. Interestingly enough the only music-related gift I've goten in the past 5 years was a can of Fret Ease that my father-in-law got me for Christmas a couple years back.
6. Are lessons "too expensive" but a Ibanez TS-808 is a "bargain" at $200?
I don't really find myself in the market for lessons these days, but to be clear, an Ibanez TS-808 at $200 doesn't qualify as a "bargain" in my book.
7. When you browse a musician-oriented magazine, do you skip the articles and go right to the advertisements?
No, I actually do read the articles first, though I'm most likely to start with gear reviews if there are any... I generally try to avoid the advertisements.
8. Is a "buyer" pass to the NAMM show and a U-Haul the makings of a dream vacation?
As much as I'd love to go to a NAMM show someday, I don't think that qualifies as a vacation in my book.
9. Does your rig evolve faster than your playing? Bonus: have you ever charted the evolution of your rig on a modified "family tree?"
I'm disappointed in myself that I never thought of maping my rig out on a "family tree"... though maintaining a blog full of lists and pictures feels like one step in the right (or wrong?) direction.
10. Is it difficult to remember every guitar, amp, processor that's ever passed in and out of your possession?
Yeah, it's difficult to remember, but that's why I have the blog, right? :)
--B
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2 comments:
I was thinking about G.A.S. the other day as I was lusting at additional camera lenses for the ol' D70. It seems G.A.S. extends beyond guitars and vehicles... all the way to digital SLR's.
True dat... back in my first blog entry I talked about photographic G.A.S., which seems to go hand-in-hand with owning a D70. Come to think of it, when I was Googling for "gear acquisition syndrome" the other day, the number of photography-related sites was second only to the number of music-related sites.
I think I used to have computer-related G.A.S. too, though it's definitely slowed down in recent years. I've known a few folks with home theater-related G.A.S. as well. It's a versatile concept!
--B
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