Collectors???

[dave robinson]

I have a collection of 30 plus guitars and use them all at different times as and when I fancy a change.
It isn't as if there is a shortage of guitars, so I don't see the problem in folks wanting to collect them. Some collect paintings, others spend money on expensive jewelry, I like to look at my instruments hanging on the wall and know that at any time I can pick one out and play it for pleasure, or earn money with it which pleases me, so what's the problem? I do agree that it is a bit odd to collect all of these guitars, amps and echo boxes when one clearly can't play, but everybody to their own fix eh?

[cockroach]

I knew I was on a hiding to nothing when I raised this subject on a forum like this about guitars!

Being not in favour of collecting gear could get me banned as an undesirable!

I confess I have five guitars and two amps.

Two solids for gigs (main plus backup) one acoustic electric (I've played a lot of country music..), one bass, and an old piece of junk solid body for mucking about , or practice at home. The amps are a guitar amp and a bass amp. I don't use effects pedals or units but the guitar amp has a few built-in of which I use a bit of echo and reverb- and I always use the 'clean' channel of the guitar amp- got sick of fuzzy noise some years ago.

The total value of all this stuff would be about four or five hundred quid tops.

But I prefer to play rather than go shopping these days! And I'm quite happy with this stuff in my old age...

[JimN]

Collectors not only waste instruments that others could put to far better use, but they must feel an awful amount of frustration.
J

Was that a tongue-in-cheek or a foot-in-mouth posting, Justin?

Let me make this absolutely clear: other players certainly could not put my Fender Electric XII, my Fender Bass VI, my '65 Burns Marvin or my Gibson ES-175 to "better use" than I do, even if all of those instruments spend the vast majority of time in their cases. I make perfect use of them. I enjoy them. All of them. Some more than others, some more frequently than others.

Some of them are rare and hard to find.

Good innit?

JN
(not frustrated at all by my relatively modest collection of 22 guitars and 3 basses. Oh, and a mandolin. And a ukulele.)

[MeBHank]

Jim, I refer you to the last sentence of my comment. If you play, you have a license to own all the instruments you desire. The non-playing collectors are the ones who belong in Room 101.

J

[kipper]

Owning a guitar but not being able to play it must be like being married to a beautiful woman but not being able to ever, er, appreciate her. If I am in a room with one of my guitars, my eye is drawn to it and I feel a longing to make music with it. It's not long before I am enticed and I have to hold it and play it.

Collectors not only waste instruments that others could put to far better use, but they must feel an awful amount of frustration. It's a horrendous display of greed, IMO. If you can play, though, you have justification for owning any number of them as you see fit.

J

horrendous display of greed you may be lucky enongh or have the talent or worked hard to play to a good level we are not all gifted with such talent. i think your statment is totaly uncalled for and way of the mark. owning a guitar is like being married to a beautifull woman but not being able to ever, er appreciate her. i think thats just a silly thing to say you dont own your wife or any woman for that matter. your statment is a horrendous display misjudgment. having said all that you are still wrong in what you say thats my opion. a person has a right to collect what they want. guitars are made in there millions someone owning a few isnt going to cheat anyone. i also love art in the form of pictures. i cant paint to save my life does that mean i cant have a collection of pictures. again in my opion you are out of order . ranting but still smiling peter

[MeBHank]

I'm sure my thoughts aren't as extremist as you're making out. And please don't read between the lines of how I've worded something to make me out to be a misogynist. Don't over-react; I'm not "out of order". I'm sure nothing I said was against the rules of ShadowMusic. I merely expressed an opinion, which I then qualified so as to clarify my stance.

Should I steer clear of posting here completely?

J

[kipper]

I'm sure my thoughts aren't as extremist as you're making out. And please don't read between the lines of how I've worded something to make me out to be a misogynist. Don't over-react; I'm not "out of order". I'm sure nothing I said was against the rules of ShadowMusic. I merely expressed an opinion, which I then qualified so as to clarify my stance.

Should I steer clear of posting here completely?

J

if i new what a misogynist was i could let you know if i was making you out to be one i also merely expressed an opion on your opion which is how it should be. please keep posting, different views is what we need here still smiling peter. ps can you explain what a misogynist is please

[Tone]

Hi Peter

A misogynist is someone who hates all women but I'm sure you didn't intend to put Justin in that category.

For what it's worth, I respect Justin's right to express his opinion but I also agree with your own view that everyone has the right to collect whatever they fancy, be it guitars, paintings, vintage cars etc irrespective of the fact that they can't play, paint or whatever. I have some very nice guitars but I can't play like Hank (or Justin!) but in my book that doesn't mean I should be allowed to own only a cheap Strat copy!

Cheers.

Tony

[dave robinson]

[noelford]

What a typical example of sticks being grabbed at the wrong end this topic is turning out to be.

No-one has suggested that the guitars you buy should be matched to your ability to play them! It's not about guitar players at all but about collectors who have no interest in playing. Not 'unable to play', but 'not wanting to play'.