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Location: Brighty in Blighty | I seem to blow how and cold on this one just wondering what your thoughts were.
Do you think it better, in terms of progressing as a guitarist, to have one (or just a couple) of guitars rather than loads?
Reasons against loads
1. You possibly cannot refine your technique as you're constantly changing guitars.
2. You never know which one is the best one for a certain tune.
Reasons for loads
1. You have to improve your technique to adapt to different guitars.
2. You have a choice of guitars to help express yourself.
From my recent personal experience, just this morning, hadn't played the 1537 for some months now, got it out and played through my repertoire it sounded and felt awesome (as did the Taylor K14C, ahem, cough, sorry for mentioning it here)!
Does too much wood (steady!) get it the way of the tree's? Or is that too zen? |
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Location: South of most, North of few | What does Beal say?..."you can never have too many guitars" |
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Posts: 2711
Location: Vernon CT | Dweezil,
IMHO ,I think it good to have a few guitars. My reasoning is simular to #2 "for loads". My current count is 5. Each has it's own tone/feel/sound and good for different styles of playing (Strumming, Fingerpicking.....). For me I'll play a guitar for a couple of weeks, put it "away" and pick-up another and think "WOW, this is nice"! Helps keep things "Fresh" for me. :) |
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Posts: 2336
Location: Brighty in Blighty | Originally posted by BT717:
Dweezil,
IMHO ,I think it good to have a few guitars. My reasoning is simular to #2 "for loads". My current count is 5. Each has it's own tone/feel/sound and good for different styles of playing (Strumming, Fingerpicking.....). For me I'll play a guitar for a couple of weeks, put it "away" and pick-up another and think "WOW, this is nice"! Helps keep things "Fresh" for me. :) I don't play various styles, just various types of tunes in fingerstyle but I think the point is the same, yeah. As you say herd rotation is the answer, perhaps I'm just feeling a little guilty for having more guitars than fingers. Still 4 will be on Ebay tomorrow!!! |
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Location: South of most, North of few | Dweez, I feel your pain. There isn't enough time in my life to get serious about playing one guitar, let alone 10 or 11, and when I do get the chance to pick one up to "practice", I feel like I'm neglecting the others and keep switching around. Then you get into the adapting thing between 12vs14 fret, 1 11/16 vs 1 3/4 or 1 7/8 nut, and I feel it really hurts your ability to concentrate on what you're doing. Lately, like Bob said, I've put all of them in cases except maybe 2, and just concentrating on those. I'll switch those 2 out in a month or so. (if their still around) :D |
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Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | If you have the capability to be a better guitar play it isn't going to matter how many you have, how often you switch, what's the neck width, is it wood or plastic, etc. Some people just "have it" naturally, others have the ability to learn it and most if us will just be live long beginners. The reason that I suck is not because I bounce from one guitar to another, I'll admit that, You certainly don't NEED more than one, but if it makes you happy then by all means do it, it'll only hurt in the wallet, not in your ability to improve. If having many guitars inspires you to play more, that's also a good thing. |
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Posts: 29
Location: Citizen of the Galaxy | "When the student is ready, the teacher will come"
Different guitars inspire different sounds, thoughts, and feelings. That can only be a good thing to a guitar player.
But you know you have too many when some just don't get played at all. Then, all you can hope is that they look good on the wall. |
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Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | Originally posted by TANSTAAFL:
... all you can hope is that they look good on the wall. Yes they look VERY nice, thank you. |
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Location: Round Rock, TX | I'm definitely a "more is better" kind of guy, but that's more a personal than empirical thing.
Look at Eric Clapton and Steve Howe. Both have had wonderfully successful careers that span 4 decades. Though Clapton played some Gibsons when he was with Cream, the last few times I've seen him he pretty much plays a Strat for electric and a Martin for acoustic - period. On the other hand I've never seen Steve Howe play less than 4, and usually 5, types of guitars. The last time I saw Yes in concert, he played an ES-175, a Les Paul, a Tele, a Martin, a Line 6 Variax and a Fender pedal steel. Is one of those approaches invalid? Not to my ears.
Personally, I like having a lot of guitars. I have 14 and would have more if I hadn't gotten too sick to work. Each one is great for a given playing situation (although I might be stretching the point a bit with the 4 O's), but none of 'em are great for all situations. If I were to hook up the Martin hollow-body archtop to a Marshall stack and hit a power chord the result would be terrible. Do the same thing with a Les Paul - ear-ringing nirvana. But the Martin can do soem wonderfully delicate things that the Les Paul can't.
Of course, that argument starts to fall apart in the face of 6 6-string acoustic guitars. Yeah, they all sound different, but do they sound different enough to need 'em all. Well, no, frankly, but at the same time I like 'em all and I'm not planning to sell any 'til I have to.
As far as what it does to my playing, I don't feel that playing different woods, scales, nut widths, shapes, pickups, etc, etc, has necessarily helped me be a better player, but I don't think it's held me back, either (Lack of practice has been sufficient to do that).
Right now, as I look at my guitars, there aren't any that I want to do without. They've all repeatedly passed my sell/keep test, meaning they all sound and play great (If I start feeling like I want to sell a given guitar or if I haven't played it in a while or whatever, I pick it up and play it for a while. If I still want to sell it after I've played it, out it goes).
No, the only thing that could make me sell any of these is economic necessity and I'll be crying the whole time (especially in this market). |
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Location: Brighty in Blighty | Wilblee,
yes I think you have hit it on the head, same for me apart from the lack of practise bit, I am improving!
Hey my friend (who is baby sitting my wide nut 97C) lives in Round Rock. My old companies HQ was in Austin and had the pleasure to visit there three times. Good times especially meeting James Cotton and Chris "The Whipper" Layton! |
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Posts: 4394
Location: East Tennessee | I think as an absolute 3 guitars as a minimum.
1 - 12 string
1 - 6 string(steel)
1 - Nylon string
Of course you could say in the 6 sting category
1 - Dread
1 - 000/OM
1 - Parlor
Add one each cutaway & non cutaway for each category 12 fret & 14 fret.
On and on it goes. GAS |
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Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | can't have too many |
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Location: Vernon CT | Originally posted by Beal:
can't have too many Where have I heard that before? ;) |
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Location: Warren,Pa. | I play with a 6-7 member worship team and I'm the 2nd guitar. I play the 3 guitars that I currently have...Pacemaker, Sweetwater T, and the '97 Collectors with high-octave (Nashville) strings. Each one is good for a different spot, and each one is entirely different than the others.
If you're just playing by yourself in your living room, your question has no firm answer. In my situation...playing with a band, each is a unique tool for a different job. My playing is just OK; I'm just a rhythm strummer for the most part. My value to the group is that I'm able to make different sounds and I know where to use them to make things interesting.
John <>{ |
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Location: south east Michigan | For me I'll play a guitar for a couple of weeks, put it "away" and pick-up another and think "WOW, this is nice"! Helps keep things "Fresh" for me. Same here. |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | The correct amount is what you are comfortable with.
When you begin to feel you have to many (as I currently do) then you sell off a few until you reach the inner comfort level.
If you feel you need more, we all understand GAS. |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Okay... You need a six-string, a 12-string, and an electric... That covers everything you Need.
[BUT! Then you need a strat-ish electric and one with Hummers...
And for Ovationistas, you need Deep, Mid, Contour and a Shallow bowl...
You may want a 12 with a tuna to go with the total acoustic...
And you gotta keep that $97 phony strat that you never play, but it was your first guitar...
And you have those beaters that you have to keep cuz no-one would ever buy them...
And that other beater that was so nice before Fed Ex broke it...
And that one is a collector's item, and that one looks cool, and that one was such a good deal, and....
Next thing you know you have sixteen guitars and one in the mail!]
Plus! I am an American! If one is good, more must be Better! :D |
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Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Originally posted by Old Man Arthur:
Next thing you know you have sixteen guitars... ... and no basses! :eek: |
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Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | I tend to play (and keep) the ones that inspire me. I simply don't have room to keep the ones that just look good on the wall. |
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Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | ¡sʇuoɟ ʎʍəɹɔs əɥʇ ɥʇıʍ doʇs |
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Location: Cicero, NY | Ok, if I have to turn my monitor over ONE MORE TIME to read something SOMEone's butt is in jeopardy!! |
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Location: closely held secret |  |
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Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | That's one of the best things about owning a guitar store. I can decide to keep'em for a while, then when I'm sure I don't really "need" that one, I hang it on the wall. Right now I personally own two Morgan Monroes, My black Legend, a beat up old Yamaha that is the "shop guitar", My classical, my Hamer, and an Ibanez bass that I finally hung on the wall the other day. I got a nice solid cedar top Tak in the other day and I'm tempted, but I don't need it so it's for sale. (But I can play it 'til it sells.) Actually Morgan Monroe makes a cedar top, so I'm going to order an E/A and if I like it... |
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Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Originally posted by Jeff W.:
ʍ doʇs Or just stop. Geeky show-offs! :rolleyes:
I would say; just one guitar in the early days. If you start at the right age (younger than I did) that's all your parents can afford.
Then you can concentrate on getting the best sound out of your abilities, and pushing those boundaries.
Later, I found different guitars spoke to me in different ways...(and I'm not the only one who hears the voices, I know)...and needed them to make beautiful (or not so) music together.
My minimum # of guitars was almost described above; 6 string acoustic, 12 string acoustic (Ovation only), electric 6 string, and Bass. I'm up to 8 right now, a classical I gave away came back and I have one more Fender than I'd care to
but this will sort itself out over the coming year. Then I can putter at upgrading individual guitars. With the exception of the Balladeer which is with me for life. (first wife in the harem situation....she's in charge of all the rest) |
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Location: closely held secret | Originally posted by fillhixx:
Geeky show-offs! :rolleyes:  |
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Pros & cons of multiple guitars?
