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Location: Colorado | Sorry for the long post - but I hope it gets you somewhere.
Those who know me know that I own very few guitars compared to some of the folks who post or lurk around here. I will admit tho - the few I do have - are pretty nice ones. The pattern I have noticed is those who actually play for a living routinely actually own less than those who do not play for a living. A WAG about this is there is a direct relationship to the likely funds available (more = more, less = less). Beal - you are the exception to most every rule I know - and that is one of my highest compliments - therefore you are likely an outlier in every regard.
That being said I still get questions from SWMBO regarding why I own more than one guitar - "you can only play one at a time!". Since they have always been tools for me - not collector's items - my retorts along the lines of - "even a carpenter has more than one hammer - or screw driver" has fallen on deaf ears. However I recently have put together a possible analogy - that even SWMBO had difficulty with...ergo - a chink in the armor. But I am old enough to know with the Mrs. I will never win this one.
She is a voracious reader - and her collection of books is large- ever changing - and even enters the electronic world. So here is a possible retort - use it and build on it - if you have other better suggestions - by all means contribute.
She has lots of books - ones she has read - does she need them anymore?...nope - but she keeps them. When I ask why - she says she likes to re-read them sometimes. Ding!
Some books she has not read - but will someday. Ding!
Some are different genres - and sometimes she reads fantasy, sometimes mysteries, sometimes Sci Fi. Her tastes go beyond one genre. Ergo - more books. Ding!
She likes different authors - because well - they are different - some are better than others. Ding!
Sometimes she discovers a new author - or a new series - or a new style. Ding!
Some are cheap paperbacks, some are hardcovers, some are hybrids. Ding!
Some are quick reads, some require lengthy involvement. Ding!
Some are just the natural fit - the ones you always come back to. Ding!
She showed me a true United Kingdom signed first edition of The Lord of the Rings for sale. It was 15K. Ding!
She has a few E-readers - different formats - some books are just not available in every format. Ergo - you have to have at least one hard copy - and at least one electronic style for your favorites. Ding!
For the record we have never had a knock down - drag out - let's count all the money spent - and see who wins argument - we have neither the desire nor the time.
Happy New Year Everyone - play in time - in tune - and don't be "that guy"
Mark
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Ding !! |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | ding |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | My ding-a-ling
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Location: Boise, Idaho | I spent a lot of time trying to come up with a good answer for that question, but now that she quit asking it, you come up with the perfect answer. I guess I need to go shopping. |
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Location: Central Massachusetts | I like where you are going with this. Probably better than my answer, getting rid of SWMBO. ;-) |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | I just told her that collecting guitars was cheaper than having an extramarital affair. |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Well said, Mark. I’ll add one more reason to your list. Some books look really good just sitting on the coffee table, lined up on library shelves, or on on a book stand all by itself. Books can be art. I worked in federal courts my entire career. For centuries, judges’ chambers have been filled with bookshelves lined with beautifully bound volumes of law books. Many are leather bound. Thousands of them. These were essential tools of the trade. Today, however, 99% of legal research is accomplished through online resources. Tomorrow, or the next day, it will be 100%. These law books are dinosaurs and arguably unnecessary, inefficient, and a waste of very expensive space. The expense of maintenance and continuation is exorbitant for those editions that are actually kept up to date. Most volumes will never be opened. Ever. Yet, they remain. I was repeatedly told that nothing makes a chambers look more judicial than walls lined with bookshelves containing beautiful law books. Bullcrap, I replied. When the digital age took over at the end of the 20th century, I argued strongly against the need to keep all these old law books because I was the one paying the bills. Some listened, most didn’t. As time went on, I eventually drank the kool aid and came to the conclusion that old law books could also serve as art in the eyes of some beholders. So can it be said for guitars. |
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Location: Utah | My answer is that I don't NEED any guitars, but I want and enjoy a variety.
My last girlfriend looked at me a bit oddly when I gave her the 3 minute tour of my music room. She said after hearing a few strums on different instruments that she had no idea guitars sounded or played differently. She was surprised when I said the different guitars inspired me to play different kinds of music.
So I think many people don't realize the difference is not simply cosmetic. Likewise, I don't think most listeners hear any of the nuances of performances or tones. We choose a particular guitar for a particular performance, but nobody else would notice the difference.
I don't need a dozen guitars, but I sure do enjoy the luxury. |
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Location: Colorado | Great thoughts Professor and FlySig...Professor - your music room is a work of art - FlySig - I like it - different kinds of music = different guitars. Ding! Ding! |
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Location: Colorado | Tupperware - you are always the hilarious pragmatist. Ding! |
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Location: When?? | I’ve pondered this phenomenon numerous times. 41 years of marriage to my high school squeeze. Many complex variables to obtaining multiple guitar expansion.. especially in equation to their books, sewing machines, etc... but at this age I see only two work-arounds. First is just outright trickery. Lies and stuff. And always starting with something bigger, like dragsters and hot air balloons, then working back down to guitars. Like this...
ME (lie): “Steve and I have been talking about going in together on a little injected gasser. Nothing too fast. Just weekend fun. We’ll keep it at his place.”
WIFE: “Blah-blah..property taxes..blah-blah..retirement fund..blah-blah..my mom..blah-blah.”
ME: “But we already have a lot of what we need.”
WIFE: “Blah-blah..too dangerous..blah-blah..make me a widow..blah-blah.”
ME: “Well what the hell do you expect me to do!? Just hang around like an old man, collecting rifles and guitars?”
WIFE: “A lot better than blowing it on a stupid racecar!”
ME: “Yeah, well. Whatever.”
Then act frustrated.. walk out of the room.. go dink around in the garage for 15 minutes. Then back in…
ME (chuckling lightly): “I think you’re right. I WOULD rather own nicer collections than to hang out with Steve. I mean, Steve can’t be sold later for cash.. and he drinks too much anyway.”
WIFE: “Yes he does.”
::end::
The key here is to make Steve the bad guy and you the prince. And there ya go. That new SG will be yours shortly.
Oh, and GAS work-around #2. Simply dump my wife and hope Nancy will take me in.
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Location: Germany, where delicious wine is growing (Rheinh) | I found out, that song "A" sounds best with guitar "A" and song "B" souns best with guitar "B"... and so on... So if you counts my guitars you will come to "W", but don't worry, I have some PRS, a Framus and some highend classicals as well. But there are much more songs out there than the 31 guitars I have.....
Bernie |
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Location: Italia, Zianigo di Mirano (Venezia) |  |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | SWMBO used a line similar to Standing Ovation's many years ago at the start of my mid-life crisis: "Porsches are cheaper than bimbos." That was the first of 6, but I try to just keep one for each of us. Finding room for all the toys is more of a problem than persuading SWMBO. |
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Location: Colorado | Touche Mark. My daughter added to the analogy....her vice is shoes. We looked in my closet - there are 4 pair - dress, casual, athletic, and snow boots, okay - I do have a pair of Tevas and a pair of crocs too, but they are not shoes....most of the book points are valid with shoes. Nancy - not making this a male v. female thing....from the photos of the Nan-Cave - I would say there are gender trends - but not gender absolutes. I am wondering when someone will bring up motorcycles or cars....
Edited by elginacres 2018-01-03 2:50 PM
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Location: Jet City | Because it's cool, I dig it, and life's too short. If I die tomorrow my kids know the guitars = $, though I know a few of them that they'll want to keep for themselves. Nothing to lose really, and loads of enjoyment to gain.
I'm also lucky enough to have a very supportive spouse. Quite often she'll look through the local Craigslist on her own and will send a link if she thinks I'll like something.
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Location: Colorado | Nice Damon - I am fortunate too - Hilary is supportive - heck you and I are lucky - Sarah and Hilary came with us to the 6 String Ranch. You saw history at the Continental Club - and I walked out with a BG360. I like your logic - it is the enjoyment factor. |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | I hope when I retire in a few months, she'll tell me to quit bothering her and go up to my room and play with my guitars.
I used the shoe analogy, too, but I might have more guitars than she has pairs of shoes and she's never bought expensive ones.
I've run out of wall space and she gets frustrated having to vacuum around the guitar stands and foot pedals. I suppose I'll have to put a stop to that by doing my own cleaning. Bummer. I really don't have anything to complain about. |
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Location: Jet City | Mark in Boise - 2018-01-03 1:44 PM I hope when I retire in a few months... I swear I've heard you say this for the past 5 years if not longer |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | Damon67 - 2018-01-03 3:15 PM
Mark in Boise - 2018-01-03 1:44 PM I hope when I retire in a few months... I swear I've heard you say this for the past 5 years if not longer
Probably. We've been planning it for longer than 5 years, but our expenses kept exceeding our budget. Guitars were only a small part of that problem. |
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Location: When?? | My wife enjoys music, but she wouldn't know an a-minor from a tire screech. So if all she wanted is simply an explanation as to WHY I need more than one guitar, I could probably just say it's because they have yet to invent one that plays all the notes.. and that I could only play just a couple of her favorite Campbell songs if I only had one guitar.. and that's why he had so many. She's never asked 'why'.. but now I'm tempted to prompt her just so see if it works. |
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Location: Colorado | Compared to Porsches - yep guitars you can generally subtract a zero. As far as wall space goes - you gotta convert to slatwall -and buy slatwall hangers - like most stores do...here are a couple pics...studio set up is only partly back to where I was before the rest of the home renovation...oh and there is another comparison - she wanted to renovate...Ding Ding Ding! Sorry for the quality - but you get the picture - pun intended.
 (Hangers.jpg)
 (Bodies.jpg)
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Location: Always beautiful canyon country of Utah | Different guitars for different girlfriends?? |
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Location: Colorado | Dave - nice one - but will not fly with SWMBO. |
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Location: Muenster/Germany | What you NEED is
a Nylonstring
a Steelstring
a 12string
what you need sometimes
an archtop
a Steelstring cutaway
a parlor
what you may need
a 12string 12 fret
a Steelstring shortscale
a Nylonstring w arched fretboard
a 7 string
a Bariton
what is sometimes good to have
a viola da terra (portuguese guitar)
a "Terz" guitar
an antique guitar
a lute
a Renaissance lute
a "Schrammel" guitar (guitar with additionel bass strings)
a Harp guitar
what is nice to have
any collector guitar
any handmade guitar
any very good guitar
any wonderful guitar
any very rare guitar
what MAY BE a little crazy
a second reserve for the Martin D 45
a complete collection of all Adamas slothead guitars ever made
a complete collection of all Custom Legend to compare the different sounds of the different years of production
what IS crazy
no idea
..and these are only acoustics.
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Location: Frozen Tundra of Minnesota | elginacres - 2018-01-03 2:48 PM
Touche Mark. My daughter added to the analogy....her vice is shoes. We looked in my closet - there are 4 pair - dress, casual, athletic, and snow boots, okay - I do have a pair of Tevas and a pair of crocs too, but they are not shoes....most of the book points are valid with shoes. Nancy - not making this a male v. female thing....from the photos of the Nan-Cave - I would say there are gender trends - but not gender absolutes. I am wondering when someone will bring up motorcycles or cars....
I would not be a good person to use in an example of Gender Trends. I am like you Elginacres. I only own about 4 pair of shoes, I have ONE purse ($400 for a purse is ludicrous when you have pockets!) that I use when my Sisters and I go out to lunch, because it bugs the daylights out of them when I pull my money out of my pocket. And get this, I bought it used on ebay, (It's a VERY NICE name brand one, but I paid $25 for it).
I use my money for things that matter to me, and I am fortunate (or not) in that I don't have to answer to anyone for my bad habits ever again! 
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Location: Phoenix AZ | You, see ... THIS is why I play the ukulele. Over 30 of them in the house right now and you'd never know they existed other than a couple in the humidor. You can easily fit 12 under a double bed and 2 in every empty guitar case. I've even got a couple stashed inside my bass drum and one tucked inside the back of a Fender Twin. |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | I "compromised" with SWMBO by buying a smaller house and giving up my man cave in exchange for a remodeled bonus room above the garage. She didn't like me filling "her" store room in the other house with guitar cases, so I built a room in the attic above the garage for those. I don't think she's ever been up there, which is probably a good thing. All the guitars are out on the wall in the bonus room and only 3 are on stands. She always tells people I have 16 or 17 guitars, but she must not have counted recently. I usually keep a couple up at the cabin, but bring them down in the winter, and kept one at the office for years, but took that home when I moved my office and stopped taking lessons downtown. She vacuumed yesterday and didn't complain, so things are good.
Edited by Mark in Boise 2018-01-05 12:23 PM
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Wow, 20+ guitars and a wife who vacuums. Life sounds good. |
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Location: Colorado | StandingO, +1, I have seen Mark's Bonus room - a great guitar hangout. Someone needs to figure out how to get Professor's Basement and Mark's Bonus room (in the south we used to call it a FROG) under one roof. |
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Location: Colorado | Detlefmichel - great list - but what about 2 inch necks, 1 7/8 necks, 1 3/4 necks, 1 11/16 necks? |
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Location: Always beautiful canyon country of Utah | I got very few guitars and I vacuum the house too. A life of quiet desperation?? |
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Location: Always beautiful canyon country of Utah | But I luvs my vacuum with a passion!!!! But not as much as my Ovations! |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | Standingovation - 2018-01-05 1:20 PM
Wow, 20+ guitars and a wife who vacuums. Life sounds good.
Only 19 actually. 20 sounds like a better number. |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | One challenge of keeping 50+ guitars on the walls is what to do with the cases. And since I’m not a fan of hard cases for hauling guitars to gigs, I have a dozen soft cases to fit everything for transport. I tried Miles’ solution with guitar boxes, but that took up more room than I had. I built special rolling racks but found it frustrating when I did need to find an OHC for a specific guitar. I finally figured it out. I bought a large shop south of town and am now storing them on a covered rack up and out of the way. And speaking of off site storage space, it has become a sensational investment so I’m buying a second unit. With grow houses taking over all available warehouse space here in Denver, there is very little left for hobbiests, car collectors and those who need more garage. As a result, warehouse prices have skyrocketed and getting into new construction at preconstruction prices has become a very sound investment. Plus, SWMBO has little interest in it, so what goes on at the shop stays at the shop. Sorry, Mark, back to the subject of many guitars. |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | A friend who also is into guitars and cars bought several "garage condos" years ago before the real estate market picked up. He uses one and rents the others. In addition to a large garage with a lift, he has a loft with a kitchenette, couch, big screen and basically all the necessities except a bathroom. One is available in a nearby building. I don't think he keeps guitars there year round because of temperature issues, but he could easily store cases and his amps. We've had parties there with live music and it is big enough to have a good sized group inside.
I preferred to have everything on site and thought about hiring a cleaning lady to eliminate one of SWMBO's complaints about having too much house, but I knew I would never win that battle. |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Yep, Mark, the units are called Garage Condos. Essentially, a condominium complex of large custom garages. |
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Location: Colorado | The concept of off-site storage is not new to me - however, beyond less axes in the home (especially cases) - it does not help my friendly argument with the Mrs. |
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