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January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Do we ever really own anything forever? Arguably, perhaps if we’re buried with it. In all other respects, aren’t we really just temporary caretakers for a limited period of time, after which we (or our descendants) pass on our gear to someone else who repeats the cycle? And another thing . . . regardless of the excellent care we provide to our beloved guitars, what is the expected life span of today’s gear? Many of us have seen instruments that have been around for 300 years or longer. Jazz bassist Charlie Burrell, a retired member of the Colorado Symphony and an acquaintance of mine, regularly played a bass built in the early 1700's. Thousands of symphony musicians around the world use instruments over a hundred years old. Will today’s guitars really last that long, contemporary materials, glues, finishes, and build processes being what they are? Maybe some will. Considering how many more millions are made today, some are bound to survive the years. Just trying to put this gear collecting habit of ours in perspective here. |
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January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | the good ones will usually last
the cheaper ones will fall by the roadside. |
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September 2011
Posts: 13
Location: Within blast radius of DC | Good point. EVERYTHING we own is borrowed, in a sense. Some of the finer things will be passed down to others (as we have had things passed down to us).
This philosophical topic reminds me of a funny line from the movie Strange Brew: "We don't really buy beer -- we rent it." |
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January 2009
Posts: 4536
Location: Flahdaw | Are we ever REALLY married? |
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May 2006
Posts: 4236
Location: Steeler Nation, Hudson Valley Contingent | Lemme ask my wife.... |
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September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | This old guitar ain't mine to keep
It's mine to play for a while...
Neil Young with "Hank\'s" Old Guitar |
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Joined:
February 2008
Posts: 747
| Originally posted by ProfessorBB:
...Just trying to put this gear collecting habit of ours in perspective here. I've never understood the collecting habit not even for a moment. I'd rather have one guitar that works really well for me and that I know inside out than a dozen or so sitting in cases. Never been into the display thing either; my guitars are in their cases unless they're being played. It's about the music, not showing off a collection.
But yeah, you're all just custodians which isn't a bad thing I guess.
Forever ain't easy to come by.
For always ain't never to sure.
For certain is less than you hoped for.
For someone it's hard to endure.
Forsaken must sometimes befall us.
For sorrow sometimes will call.
Four seasons go round on a pinwheel.
And tomorrow ain't nuthin at all.
Guy Clark |
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Joined:
November 2008
Posts: 1119
Location: Michigan | Interesting topic... I have just recently come to the decision that I am going to give my UTE away to my son. I love the guitar but have been playing it less since I have aquired something new. I had a solid couple of years with it and loved every minute of it. My son who has been playing about 3 or 4 years now has always had his eye on that guitar. It is the one he picks up whenever he comes to the house and I think that he would be inspired to play this fine guitar. I am acutally a bit giddy about having the opportunity to give it to him and watch him grow with it. Yes pass it on, we are only temporary stewards of all this "stuff". |
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March 2002
Posts: 15680
Location: SoCal | I suspect that when I'm gone, my guitars will go to Goodwill. After all, they're just cheap plastic guitars, nothing to get excited about..... |
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March 2005
Posts: 12761
Location: Boise, Idaho | The 87 Collector goes to our youngest when she turns 25 next Spring. It hasn't had much play time for awhile. The rest of the acoustics, except the 12 string used to get regular workouts until I started taking lessons to try to learn something on the electrics. Now I play an electric guitar every time and hardly touch the acoustics. |
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Joined:
December 2006
Posts: 6996
Location: Jet City | Originally posted by Joe Rotax:
Originally posted by ProfessorBB:
...Just trying to put this gear collecting habit of ours in perspective here. I've never understood the collecting habit not even for a moment. I'd rather have one guitar that works really well for me and that I know inside out than a dozen or so sitting in cases. Never been into the display thing either; my guitars are in their cases unless they're being played. It's about the music, not showing off a collection.
But yeah, you're all just custodians which isn't a bad thing I guess.
All of my guitars are VERY much used and functional except for a very few (3 really) that have already had their time and I've since retired. THose are more of a sentimental thing.
Mine are fuctional, but even if they weren't, I think of guitars as art. I'd much rather have a sweet ass american crafted instrument hanging on my wall than some picture of a gondola in a canal, but that's just me. |
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December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | forever is a long long long long time
to borrow a line in a song I wrote |
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March 2008
Posts: 2683
Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | When my friend Jay died, he willed all of his guitars to his grandson, who is the only member of the family who plays. And although Dusty cherishes them all because they belonged to his Grandpa, some weren't getting played. Dusty knows Jay would have wanted them all to be played, so he just traded Jay's Regal resonator guitar to me. (He got a Korean PRS I had hanging on the wall.)
I will always cherish this guitar. And when I die, everything goes to Jarrett. If Jarrett doesn't play them all, I'll come back and break all his strings! :eek: |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Guitars are beautiful works of musical art and instrumental functionality. I love playing mine, for sure, but I also enjoy looking at 'em for their beauty and craftsmanship. When they're in cases, they're hidden. I prefer having them in the open. Just a preference. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 5567
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | It is a fact that we can't take anything material with us when we're gone...the fact that because it may be in the casket is simply wishful thinking at best...I have conducted many, many funerals folks and the question that always seems to come up is what did they do with the time they were here? I find that while I am still here and find a lot of happiness and joy in my instrument/gear collection and other physical collections I have...but now that I am a Dad, nothing is more fulfilling and sustaining to me than spending time with my family...to me that and not material possessions are much more important...and there was a time not too distant past when I could not have said that. Life has a way of getting our attention...and putting things into perspective. |
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Joined:
August 2011
Posts: 187
Location: Florence,SC | So true Mishka. I'll be turning 60 in December and my wife will be turning 66. Last year we made a pact to not let anything go undone. Probably one of us will be left alone and that one will be able to say "No Regrets ... we did everything we wanted to do." I have "my" interests and she has "hers". But they're not as important as "ours".
My wife keeps telling me she's going first. If so, playing the songs I wrote for her in years past on my beautiful Ovations (some of which she bought for me as presents) will bring back beautiful memories. |
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Joined:
April 2008
Posts: 2985
Location: Sydney, Australia | Originally posted by moody, p.i.:
I suspect that when I'm gone, my guitars will go to Goodwill. After all, they're just cheap plastic guitars, nothing to get excited about..... If Moody starts feeling decidedly unwell, it might be worth a visit to his local Goodwill shop. :rolleyes: |
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Ownership: Isn't it temporary at best?