Caught between a guitar string and a rusty fret...

aja

...or a rock and a hard place.

Have you ever been in the position where you go through so many "phases" of guitars you own and want, of different styles and sounds, that you eventually reach a point when nothing really appeals to you anymore?

I think I have.

I have only owned one electric in my life. An Ibanez. I really used to gas for a Les Paul. Then a Tele. Then a Vox. Then a HSS strat. Then a Taylor electric. Then then then...

I have played most of these guitars. Then hated them a week later.

You ever felt like this? I just can't decide what to get next. To be honest the thing I really want is a good Parker. But that is way way out of my league. Now it feels like I don't know what next. Yeah I am spiting myself by saying that I don't want anything if I can't have what I want. But I dont want to save up for twenty years either...

(BTW this is more a philosophical discussion/support group than advice needed ? )

AlanRatcliffe

Have you ever been in the position where you go through so many "phases" of guitars you own and want, of different styles and sounds, that you eventually reach a point when nothing really appeals to you anymore?

No. My main two always appeal to me. But I have reached the point where nothing else appeals to me. Sometimes another guitar will seem appealing for a while, but I've now learned to ignore it, because when this does happen I'm invariably wrong. ?

Question - are you even sure about the Parker? Or do you think there's a good chance that will also lose it's shine once you've owned it for a while?

ezietsman

I'm more or less in the same boat as you. Except, in my case its amps. Had a little Marshall Valvestate VS15R for 9 years (still have it) then decided I should get something better. Got a Peavey Valveking. After a year I bought your Blackstar, thinking it'll be a LOT better and the low volume will be an advantage. It's better but now I realised I need a big amp really so I'll have to use the Valveking until I can get the HT5's big brother. Fine. Hopefully it'll end there. We call this GAS.

I seemed to have escaped this affliction with guitars. I got the Les Paul you saw as my first guitar. Changed its pickups after a year. I STILL love this guitar. I look after it and don't want to replace it. I always had this idea that its not the Epi's fault it doesn't sound like <insert your fav players here> but my own. I guess thats how I avoid GAS mostly (I mean it still pokes its head out somedays). Chuck Yeager (first man to go supersonic) said 'Its the man not the machine but use the right stuff'. I guess this can apply to us too. Get a good guitar and a good amp. Once you have one you feel comfortable playing just stick to it until it falls apart or your skills become so finely tuned that its shortcomings are clear as daylight. Few people reach that level I think. OK I'll stop.

Keira-WitherKay

michael franks ... the funky jazz guitarist had a song whose title applies " in search of the perfect shampoo"

to me personally i'm in pursuit of reaching a point wher i own only 2 guitars ....... and the second one is purely a backup for the first ....... but to get there i think we all go through endless guitars and combinations of gear ........ but i do think most of us once we know where we going "musically" kinda work towards a goal.....hear a sound in our heads and then try out endless gear to try and achieve it ..............

and yeah i think there is a distiction between people who are more collectors (who will collect huge numbers of rare/valuable guitars) and pro players who seek only 2 or 3 that suit their needs........ and yeah sometimes the two merge and pro's become collectors too .......

and personally now that i'm more set in what i do professionally with my music my GAS has dissapated substantially and i am just chasing that one tone i hear ...... i think in my current guitars i am close......... and the amazing thing is once you know what you want sonically and feel wise.you will find you will get less impressed with the selection out there ...... i play some top end guitars and simply don't like em...irrespective of their pedigree......... but i still try em all...in search of the "perfect shampoo"

Bob-Dubery

If I'm understanding this correctly then you haven't OWNED most of those guitars, you've just played them and then wondered what all the fuss was about.

I'm starting to incline to the notion that you need to LIVE with a guitar for a while. I recall buying the Morgan and then being less than convinced for some time that I'd done the right thing. It took a while, mostly experimenting with different gauges and compounds of strings, before I really thought "OK.... this is it." I liked the Larrivee a lot from early on - which may be because of lessons learned with the Morgan - but it still took a while to get really into it. Now I am learning to like those guitars for their differences in tone.

The Smoothtalker - well that's a whole different game because it's so different from the others. Seeing Steve Newman play recently taught me things about that guitar - or drove into my thick skull something that I thought I knew about them. You can play those really softly - in fact they respond to that. I might still experiment with that guitar quite a bit more - which may involve substantially lighter strings.

There's also the old problem of shops not setting up guitars (or not storing them properly). I have played VERY expensive acoustic guitars and in many cases have been disappointed. But the guitar's on a hiding to nothing. In my head I'm comparing it to the Morgan which is firstly a pretty good guitar and more importantly, I think for this discussion, is a guitar I have lived with, is set up the way I like it, strung with strings I I like and that I am very used to playing.

I'm not experienced enough of a player to grasp the potential of every guitar that I come across - though I think I'm getting better (and I think that some of those expensive guitars are just over priced).

My Larrivee proves some of these points. It had been in the shop a while. Several people I knew had, it turned out, known about the guitar but not been that impressed. The problem was that the truss rod was too loose, the neck had curved and thus the action had come up. Rusty strings didn't help. This time I had enough confidence/cheek to tell the shop that it needed restringing and some attention from their guitar tech. 15 minutes later it was a very different proposition. So shops don't always give their guitars the best chance, and perhaps I am getting better at evaluating guitars or distinguishing between a bad setup and a bad guitar.

But anyhoo.... you can learn more about guitars, what you like, what you don't like, what works for you etc and there's a possibility that sometimes you've been disilliusioned by a poorly set up guitar. If you'd played my Larry when it had a neck like a banana you might have felt very let down by a brand you've heard a lot about. Or, worse, decided that since these are really good guitars you must be a dud player.

Nearly all the players we admire have been through a journey with guitars - trying, learning, seeking all the time. You have a sound in you're head and you're trying to get there. Or you did get there and found out it wasn't really what you wanted.

And I think the only way to walk the path is to walk it (anybody putting that on t-shirts, bumper stickers, frizbees etc - contact me to make arrangements for payment of royalties). You have to get a guitar, learn about it, learn from it and then decide if you're going to move on and in what direction. The only other choice is to never walk the path at all.

Your chakras should now be well aligned. Always remember that man has five times as many fingers as ears but only twice as many ears as noses.

singemonkey

X-rated Bob wrote: Your chakras should now be well aligned. Always remember that man has five times as many fingers as ears but only twice as many ears as noses.

Time to switch to decaf Bob? ?

But what he said. If there's a particular guitar that keeps appealing, get it and keep it. Very often we suffer buyer's remorse with great instruments because they don't create the revolution we thought they would - only to find in a few years that they were everything we thought they'd be.

My Les Paul Deluxe was like that. I was too crap a player, and the guitar needed some stuff done. But it's a wonderful guitar now, and I thank goodness I bought it. My Pacifica too. I GASed at it on the wall of the shop until, after they made me an offer I couldn't refuse, I bought it. For a long time I didn't even look after it properly. Now I fully appreciate what a great guitar it is, and take pains to keep it in decent shape. My classical was a gift, and I couldn't be bothered to change the strings more than once every few years - effectively hiding how great the tone can be. Now it sounds great, despite being a student guitar.

And speaking of the guitar that you've always wanted: when I started getting heavily into the bluesbreakers sound, I decided I'd like a two humbucker guitar. Discovering Japanese guitars, I was like a kid in a candy store - I could have any kind of guitar my little heart desired. But ultimately, I decided to get another Les Paul. It's always been Les Pauls with me.

Btw, this guitar is the exception to the rule. The Tokai is so good, and so musical, that I fully appreciate what an great decision I made buying it.

Oh. Before I bought the Pacifica, I bought a buddy's Squier for playing surf. FAIL! What I'm talking about above are only quality guitars, but the cheapies can let us down big time.

guitarboy2828

I feel you OP... I go through stages where all I want is every guitar and amp and pedals I can find.. Then I go through stages where I want just one, then I hit stages where guitar isn't as appealing to me as say photography and so then it's camera's.. But eventually, I'm back to wanting guitars. It's a horrible cycle I tell you! I've learnt not to buy anything huge or sell anything huge until for at least 3-6 months I really want it. ?

Squonk

X-rated Bob wrote: Nearly all the players we admire have been through a journey with guitars - trying, learning, seeking all the time. You have a sound in you're head and you're trying to get there. Or you did get there and found out it wasn't really what you wanted.

I think that is the secret Bob. I have been gassing many Electric Guitars, strats, PRS, Ibanez, Vox Virage etc But I think I heard that sound in my head while playing AUBS's Tele the other day. I'm getting goosebumps just thinking of it right now.

Acoustically I dont think I have found that sound yet, so the quest is still on.

Bob-Dubery

Martin Carthy - who is a bit on the eccentric side - says that the first time you ecounter a guitar it reveals itself to you. Once. And then it shuts up. And after that it's up to you to find that sound again.

aja

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: Question - are you even sure about the Parker? Or do you think there's a good chance that will also lose it's shine once you've owned it for a while?

I have played the southern nightfly and it was fantastic for what it was. Something about the way it felt, the design, the workmanship - just grabbed me. Now, I am not much of a Tele guy, but I was so tempted. I think the Parker brand speaks to me. Ever since I saw it in your book as well as in other places, like Johnny Clegg.

ezietsman wrote: I'm more or less in the same boat as you. Except, in my case its amps.

Haha - don't even start me on amps! But luckily I found my perfect amp a few months ago. When I have the bucks I will buy it. No amp I have ever heard even compares with it IMO. It is my sound...

Keira WitherKay wrote: michael franks ... the funky jazz guitarist had a song whose title applies " in search of the perfect shampoo"

Pantene Pro-V 2in1 shampoo and conditioner, for normal hair.

Not too expensive but works great. I wash my hair every day and this shampoo doesn't leave my hair oily or dry.

Hope that helps ?

X-rated Bob wrote: If I'm understanding this correctly then you haven't OWNED most of those guitars, you've just played them and then wondered what all the fuss was about.

I'm starting to incline to the notion that you need to LIVE with a guitar for a while.

You have a point there. It takes a long time to get to know a guitar well.

X-rated Bob wrote: Your chakras should now be well aligned. Always remember that man has five times as many fingers as ears but only twice as many ears as noses.

Lies! I have never personally seen my ears....

singemonkey wrote:
Btw, this guitar is the exception to the rule. The Tokai is so good, and so musical, that I fully appreciate what an great decision I made buying it.

Not helping hehehehe ?

I am starting to like Tokai's more and more.

guitarboy2828 wrote: I feel you OP... I go through stages

For me it is computers, fishkeeping, birdkeeping, RC cars, HI-Fi stuff, antiques, watches and so on and so on. There are a ton of things I am interested in unfortunately.

Bob-Dubery

aja wrote:
X-rated Bob wrote: Your chakras should now be well aligned. Always remember that man has five times as many fingers as ears but only twice as many ears as noses.
Lies! I have never personally seen my ears....

Have you seen Steve Vai? You have not. But you have certainty that he exists.

Have you seen Alan Ratcliffe?

Have you seen Andrew Bryson?

Have you seen a deep-fried Mars bar?

There are many things that we can be sure of, that we can aspire to, towards which we can set our hearts into motion without actually having seen them with our physical eyes.

evolucian

@ Bob... I like the phrase of getting to know the soul of the guitar. You mentioned chakras though... do you play spiritually too?

Bob-Dubery

evolucian wrote: You mentioned chakras though... do you play spiritually too?

No. And that's all I'll say about that on forum.

evolucian

Oh ok... didnt mean anything bad by it... people just look at me funny when i mention something about composing within the 5 elements...

No harm no foul dude...

aja

X-rated Bob wrote: Have you seen Alan Ratcliffe?

No, but some say his heart beats in 3/4 time.

Some say he has nipples shaped like guitars.

Some say his tears are used as guitar polish.

Some say he controls his amps with his belly button...

Bob-Dubery

evolucian wrote: Oh ok... didnt mean anything bad by it... people just look at me funny when i mention something about composing within the 5 elements...

No harm no foul dude...

Oh I took no offence. I was just pre-empting a discussion which, whilst I might pursue it with some vigour, has no place on this forum. Possibly I was being a bit over-cautious.

I wasn't offended, I didn't think you were trying to cause offence, and I hope I haven't offended you.

evolucian

X-rated Bob wrote: Oh I took no offence. I was just pre-empting a discussion which, whilst I might pursue it with some vigour, has no place on this forum. Possibly I was being a bit over-cautious.

I wasn't offended, I didn't think you were trying to cause offence, and I hope I haven't offended you.

Nah... its all good dude ?

Squonk

The deep fried mars bar is enlightning enough on it's own ?.

I actually had one in Cornwall, and I had another one. Tastes a lot better than what it sounds.

Attila

Interesting takes on the subject.

which makes me think about the Xoi San (Bushmen) of the Kalahari making music with a simple mouth bow which works like a "Jew's Harp" aparently this instrument dates backsome 400 000 years give or take a few 1000. see Pops Mohamed on youtube and imagine that in the quite of your home or garden

sometimes less is MORE ..... play the music not the instrument.

[deleted]

Squonk wrote:

The deep fried mars bar ii enlightning enough on it's own ?.

I actually had one in Cornwall, and I had another one. Tastes a lot better than what it sounds.

I also tasted one in Camden Town... after much doubt... lovely... but too rich for my taste buds ?
As if chocolate isn't bad enough for you... next level... dip it in a batter and deep fry it... ?