Six Thoughts on Guitar Collecting
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2024
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See John Cordy doing more playing on that SG:
• STUNNING - This Gibson...
I often think about collecting and what boundaries, if any, we apply to it. This is in the on-going series of questions I ask myself about what gear I have and why. If you ever wondered the same thing. Come and join in.
Keith
I volunteer sing with acoustic guitars for folks who can't get out. I sing about 20 hours a week over 4 days. Before my wife died, she told me I could get a nice guitar for my Birthday, Christmas present, or our anniversary, and have it come from her. She knew I was trying to get a guitar for each child and grandchild so they would have a guitar "Grandpa played." That would eventually be 20. Not an investment, an heirloom. The guitar has to sound good with my voice and be playable.
beautiful
I love the idea of instruments as heirlooms. It just might inspire the next generation to pick up an instrument, even if just for their own enjoyment.
@@realadamnixon 6 of 8 children play, 6 of 12 grandchildren play. Most of the others are still in diapers or recently graduated. They might not play a 6-string, but probably something or 2 (so far, 1 bass, 1 viola, 1 violin plus 6-strings).
@texhaines9957 love it!
I’ve done the same thing with my nieces and nephews. I have Fender Strats from 1991, 2003, 2008, 2013 each for the year they were born. They get them one day. They one from 2003 I’ve bought them a baby Dean when she was 2 years old and she finally started playing it when she was in high school. It turns out she real good. The piano lessons helped her overall.
I used to have a music room, which was home to about 25 guitars, 8 amps and assorted keyboards. There comes a time where you have to decide whether you need all that equipment or not and pare it down to what you truly play because the more you have there is less equity amongst the guitars that you play or are your favorites. So, I still have about 14 guitars, mostly Fenders and Gibsons and these I will keep as they will be my legacy to my sons. I truly love music and guitars and I admit, it does have its addictive qualities, collecting, I mean and you always have your eye on the next one
At 74 years old I keep my variety of guitars and amps as an "alter to my youth". I suspect other retired players may do the same thing.
Great advice for younger player/collectors given by your video.
I hear ya. I’m 72 and have 15 guitars and 8 amps. I hope that’s it but you never know when the disease will kick in
You just nailed the probably most important statement I remember anyone saying for a very long time; 'everything can be replaced, except the memories and the people who are in them'
So true!
Thank you for that one 🙏🙏
For most of my life I have been a guitar orphanage - they just found their way to me and usually didn’t pay much or anything for them. It made me appreciate oddball guitars and less into the usuals. A year and a half ago my wife was diagnosed with stage iv cancer. I’ll spare the details but it has been so hard for our family but there also have been surprising new perspectives that have sustained us. One perspective is not to wait for experiences. Long story short, I had 4-5 dream guitars on my list. And now have them. They have all brought me joy. And inspiration and friendships. And a nice background for all my work zoom calls. I set some rules about costs and getting deals and selling some things to offset the costs. Colors. Vintage. That’s how I made it ok in my mind. And like you said, I learned more about what I like and don’t. And I don’t have a desire to buying more. Good topic!
Amen, Brother! My guitar story is very similar! Rock on!
I had a similar feeling after surviving a major motorcycle wreck. I broke a lot of bones and both wrists and hands were pretty messed up. I didn't think I would ever play again. Three years on from the crash and I bought a P90 equipped Les Paul Special, always something I couldn't really practically justify given Gibson's pricing.
One thing to consider with the "life is short" mentality is to make some high quality recordings of your playing before it's too late. I'm not a professional or recording artist, but I know my guitar playing is a staple in our home and to leave some of that as a legacy for my family to hold onto if the worst happens to me brings me comfort.
It’s funny that you mentioned … when looking to buy a guitar the first thing that is asked is how much does it weigh. I purchased a 54 LPC from a friend who said that the guitars weight hurts his back. Well I’ve had the guitar 48 years and now it hurts my back. It’s kind of funny how the table has turned. I guess I got off track. Anyway I really enjoy 5 watt world
I absolutely love your show because it's made me aware of things I just wasn't catching.
I'm 65 and I only started playing guitar a little over 2 years ago. Because I started so late in the game, I started accumulating guitars.
I kidded myself into thinking that the more guitars I had the better I would play.
I bought 20 in 2 years to be exact.
I'm proud to say, thanks to this show, I haven't purchased a guitar in almost two years.
I'll never fall into that trap again.
The show brings a level of awareness very few shows ever touch on.
I fell into the trap of thinking if I bought signature guitars by this musician or that guitarist, I would play like them.
Thanks for helping me come to my senses.
I remember the feeling of not owning a quality named guitar, and the illusion that better gear would absolutely help. I told this story to a guy I knew, who has only ever played guitar for a living.
He picked up my cheap Squire, and dazzled me with some pretty kick-ass licks and riffs...
He handed it back and said "seems ok to me"
I learned a lot that day, 45 years ago, but I still ended up with guitars all over my house!
@@jeffmckinnon5842
I'm so sorry about your loss. May God love and watch over you always.
I'm sure she's in heaven and God is taking good care of her.
🙏🕊️❤️
Almost the same story for me. Retired at 63 and had not played in 53 years. I bought 8 guitars in that the first year or so. A lot of the points Keith hit upon is me or was me. What a terrific topic!
@@kevinmosher6027
Interesting. Because I started at 62, I bought nice guitars because I thought well, I'm not young enough to buy anything and wait for it to appreciate so I might as well get some nice ones now.
But it's snowballed on me and then I came to my senses. Don't get me wrong, I'd still love to buy a beautiful Gibson 335 someday with a Bixby and a trapeze style stop bar but I did buy a duesenberg Blue sparkle TV star.
So you did play at 10 years old but hadn't played in 53 years?
I'm 52, and I've bought/sold/traded so many guitars in the last 40 years I've lost count of the total. I currently have 12 guitars, and I'm looking to cut that in half. About half of what I currently have are good or great guitars, the other half I bought because they were tools to do a job (or just for the sake of having them). I've discovered that trying to maintain that many guitars just isn't practical, and I'm unloading the ones I don't really play. I really only need about 6 guitars for the kind of stuff I play, and I'd rather put the proceeds from the rest towards some good home recording gear - mics, cables, DAW, etc. The endgame for me is to pare the collection down to just the ones that every time I pick them up I say "oh yeah, THIS is why I bought it".
Just subscribed. Not sure how many more guitars I’ll buy at age 68 and beyond, but just purchased a 2010 LP Plus, my first real LP.
My first good guitar was/is a ‘68 SG Special that I got new. I played it until I got a 1983 Strat. I still play Strats and Teles, own a Les Paul Standard, and others but will always treasure my SG which represents my youth and all its great experiences. Played by Santana, Mick Abrahams, Tommy Iommi, Pete Townsend, etc. The one in this video is gorgeous,
Angus Young of AC-DC also very legendary 🙌
From Leo: I have owned a number of Gibson solid bodies for short periods of time, but the SG is the only Gibson solid guitar that I ever enjoyed. The trick was to keep trying different ones until you find one with minimal neck dive.
SOME audiences care. I play and sing with Memory Care folks. I have 2 painted and other nice guitars. Most don't recall they saw the guitar before, and they ooh and awe over it each time. I've changed arrangements to encourage more participation. You can bring memory and speech back with song & music. They may not care in 10 minutes, but out of the box, yes.
Best audience I ever had was at a Memory Care.
I started on uke in '63 and have recently started taking classical guitar class at a good school.
I'm looking at selling useful instruments that I don't use to defray the cost of a serious classical guitar. Still love the touch and sound of those nylon strings.
More study, less gear.
30 years ago a mentor told me doing less and enjoying it more is good practice for aging well. Having less and enjoying it more is a good addendum.
Thanks for your very practical philosophy.
Always enjoy the show @Keith Thank you for your time, work and dedication. You RAWK!!! 🤘🏼😎🤘🏼
I must have owned about thirty something guitars in my life, and now I've settled with the five that i really only want and enjoy playing. They're all different, ranging from electric, acoustic, classical, solid body, semi-hollow, hollow-body, and archtop. I've gone through the collecting & repairing phase, and have no intention of ever getting another guitar unless it comes to me as a gift or for free
I can relate!
Yes it gets overbearing. I have 15. No more, i swear@@SeattleMartin
I did for me, and the most guitars I ever had at one time was 8. I don´t know about you, but Covid really screwed up my ability to enjoy the guitar. I still have a couple of electrics and a bass, and I almost never play them anymore. I played in a few bands over the years, but covid really shut that scene down for a lot of us. I miss the days of fawning over a nice guitar, but those days seem to be over for me.@@markv.5962
At 77, looking back at the 72 years of playing, I never owned more than 2 guitars at the same time until about 2 years ago. Now I have 4. They each have a unique voice that reminds me of those that came before them.
For years I had one electric, one classical and one acoustic and I was working professionally in music and teaching at university. It helps to have good instruments because the rest are far less tempting.
There was a time when I collected weird and wacky Fenders.
However, at my age, being a minimalist sets in. Plus, living in an RV, you become a minimalist anyway, whether you want to, or not. I am now down to only the three I actually play.
Ha ! Me as well. 3 gits , 2 lil amps and a few pedals in an RV.
I’ve had collections of 50-60+ guitars at any one time, but that was when I had a home studio that also had a lot of other instruments such as woodwinds, keyboards, percussion; not to mention the obligatory electronics, etc…
I’m many years past all that now, and down to my retirement years, now having around 15 guitars or so, with half of them being moderately ’high-end’. Not so much vintage/collectible, but several very nice acoustics, ones that happen to be very sensitive to fluctuations in humidity, etc…
My feeling is that we do not own these things (or anything really) per se; we are just their temporary custodians, and as such are ‘duty bound’ to take as good care of them as we can. The comment that ‘we are often owned by our collections’ rings so true with me, especially when you get to where you are having health issues that preclude your being able to ‘visit’ each instrument on a regular (weekly) basis. Once you’ve had a fine instrument split (on a glue joint) or crack (in the actual wood) it really motivates you to begin the conversation with yourself as to whether you can do the task justice, and really practice the adequate level of ‘husbandry’ that all these instruments really need…
With all that said, I find myself at the point in life where I had hoped to have another good ten or fifteen years to enjoy my several lovely Waterloos (Collings), 1933 Kalamazoo/Gibson, vintage Martins, Fender, etc, but realistically it might now only be a year or two at best, and my sessions with guitars that used to typically last an hour or two are lately lasting only a song or two before I become fatigued or in pain, and thus lose interest. And I think I can probably accomplish this using much cheaper and less delicate instruments; ones that will take much less attention with regard to care and maintenance.
So, everything changes, especially when you begin your descent into old age and health issues, and I think it’s important to not be so attached to your stuff, especially if you don’t have anyone to bequeath them to, where you know that they will continue to be used by your progeny, relatives, etc.
Anyway, that’s my present take on instrument collecting. I truly hoped I’d have a few more years to spend with my lovely little stable, but it appears to not be the case.
“Best laid plans of mice and men” as the saying goes…
Another fine subject visited here today by Keith and the 5 Watt Crew, who keep me coming back as long as I’m still breathing!
Here’s a bit of flip! Sometimes I won’t buy something that I’ve wanted for a very long time - because I know I could use the money elsewhere. However, if I have that spare cash saved up, I’m still anxious to spend good money on good quality!
Don’t hesitate when you really know! I think this is what drives us to buy something less than what we want and have already saved up for!
I guess I’m lucky? My tenet - “Buy the best quality you can afford, and it’s worth saving up and waiting for better quality!” Once you’ve saved, spend it! 💰😂🤗🎸
You know what´s crazy is that when you consider the guitars that were played by our favorite guitarists from the ´50´s to the ´70´s, they were for the most part guitars that didn´t sound that great, were hard to play, and didn´t stay in tune. Nowadays people will spend $5000 on a new Collings or Music Man or Novo to play those same songs. Playing an ultra-expensive instrument doesn´t guarantee a better song. I like handmade instruments as much as anyone (because they play nice), but I´m clear that owning one doen´t make a lot of sense for me.
@@SeattleMartin that IS crazy! 😂 A valid point! 🤌
That Collings is so beautiful
I was familiar with your videos but the las few weeks I have been watching the VOD of your live streams and they are freaking great. Love the flow of the conversation!
Thanks!
hey keith. thnx for this video. so grounding and real. its great to get down to the truth of what guitar collecting means to different folks. im a new subscriber here... just love the history videos and gear info in general... inspirational.
I don’t know if you mentioned this but my collection of electrics is built around differing pickups for different sounds. P90, HB, Strat, tele, jazz box mini HB and a lapsteel. My acoustics also differ in sound- steel string six and a resonator. So my approach is to get variety of sounds primarily via pickups.
Great stuff Keith!! Even this drummer enjoyed chat about guitar!!
Retiring from my "day job" in 2011 after 36 years I had an itch to play more guitar. One opportunity I had was to play in the pit for musicals. (At the time I was and still am playing weekly in church, and gospel group.) At the time I had a Tak 12-string, and an old Supro electric. I made those two work. As time went on I have add other guitars that fill the rolls better. I really enjoy playing in the pit as most everyone is a top notch musician better than me. The chord charts and leads really kick my butt. All of what I get to do in the pit makes me a better player. At least I have been asked back to play with these people. I'm 71 years old and a better player now than I was in 2011. My typical set up for the pit is a 335 style with coil splits and a Martin D10e. Not much I can't cover with those two guitars. The Tak 12 even gets pulled out from time to time.
I did the unthinkable recently. I went from a three piece norlin les Paul custom collection to one. The guitars became so much of a distraction for me that I wasn’t actually playing them. I was Just messing around and tweaking them all the time. My heart is a bit sore after the purge, but the feeling of them not owning me is a bit liberating, and I’m finding that I’m back to just playing. And I’m happy about that. Thanks for the content.
Very good video and awesome guitar playing. Cheers from Saskatchewan.
While I'm enjoying building a stable of vintage effects pedals, my "collectable" collection is mainly Pre-war acoustic guitars. I also collected rare/hard to get tonewoods for a while, which paid major dividends for my commissioned guitars. While some of them could be considered investments, this isn't my primary motivation. Aside from legitimate tonal reasons (superior wood, impact of aging, build quality), there is something inspirational playing an instrument that created stories in a bygone era.
Guitars include: 1934 Martin 000-18 long scale / 1929 Martin 0-17 / 1918 Martin -21 / 1930 Prairie State (Larson Bros) 425 / 1925 Maurer (Larson Bros) Mandolin / 1905 HJ Flower (Larson Bros) Mayflower / 1929 Gibson L-0 / 1934 Kalamazoo (Gibson) KG-11 / 1930 Stella Auditorium / 1929 Stella Gambler / 1927 Supertone Artist Lindbergh / 1930 Oahu 68k Jumbo / 1935 Oahu 50k Hawaiian / 1923 Lyon and Healy (Tonk Bros) Sterling / 1913 Levin Model 2 / 1900 FH Griffith Parlor / 1899 Bohmann Parlor / and 1845 Stauffer Romantic.
Note: I get you comment about "no one cares what guitars you own/play" but I've found that not to be the case with vintage acoustic collectors (so my comment is probably for a limited audience).
PS - your point about using a trustworthy person for set-up is important (especially for old pieces of wood). Bryant Russell at Charley's Guitar Shop in Dallas has performed every single one of my set-ups and repairs. Highly recommend Bryant if you live in the DFW area.
I have developed my sense of what I personally like and bond with in guitars by trying a lot of them. I've borrowed a few from friends, but most I have purchased, spent some time with, and then usually moved them on. What has kept me somewhat in check is that I have lived by one rule: if I sell a guitar I will never buy that same model again. That one rule has made me pause and really consider whether I am selling something just because there's something shinier that I want or whether I really don't need/want to keep the guitar. I have still ended up regretting the sale of a specific guitar or two, but it has generally been a good system for me.
This strikes a little close to home. I didn’t start collecting until my two oldest boys were out of the house. I also switched jobs from academia to the private sector and had more disposable income. I started with classical guitars, went to vintage Gibson and Martin acoustics then I got into archtops vintage & modern. It then morphed to WW1 & WW2 firearms. For the last 1 1/2 years I’ve been learning about watches including subbing to Teddy Baldassarre, the guys at Watchfider and Watch Art Sci. In my defense I have 10 or 11 guitars total with a very nice classical, a couple old 00 Martins, an old Gibson L00, a couple old Gibson archtops and a couple gorgeous Collings archtops. I also have a few very nice old rifles, a 1903 Springfield, a couple M1 Garands, a nice K98K, a couple gorgeous K31’s and 2 or 3 others.A lot of other stuff has come and gone but I think the stuff I collect has matured. The instruments and the firearms I really enjoy have stuck and all the rest has moved on.
Sounds a viable collection !!
always informative..Thank You
I accidentally became a guitar collector after a lifetime of playing. I recently bought my last ever guitar, and that puts me at 21 instruments. they each have a story, and a voice. none are "case queens". they are played and loved. some love open tunings, some drop D, some standard. each has a special voice, and a special place in my arsenal. Rock On, Guitar Friends! Thanks Keith. I enjoy your channel!
My daughter has 5 guitars of my old collection.. all have increased tremendously in value.. since 2008.. I bought and sold and collected for many years.. it's all about the individual guitar.. signature guitars will go up.. only bought one in the past.. to buy now.. you need 70s 80s 90s.. in 3 to 5 years.. will go up.. but, depends on the guitar itself.. need to watch for hours and hours and research.. its pretty much like going to collecting school.. lol.. good luck.. great channel
Great video, effectively put some of my thoughts into words finally something I've struggled with before. Had small bursts of collecting bass & guitar, then selling, then stopping completely. The only constant in collecting I have had has been guns. You asked about rules, my last guitar collecting bug started about 8 years ago with this simple wife imposed directive, do not sell any of the ones you buy this time around. So far I have stuck to that rule and currently have a small collection of sixteen guitars & basses plus one double-bass I have owned since the late 90's. Keep up the great work with your always excellent and informative videos.
Some of the most profound and honest commentary of life.
A much needed discussion 🎸
I remember that as I worked downtown..somehow…some-way…I would fritter away probably over $1000 a month..on coffee…lunches out…beers after work..etc. I am a guitar lover and decided that rather than putting my money into Starbucks…I’d save up $2000 - $3000 every 2 - 3 months…and I’d just go buy a guitar. This was back in the early 1990’s and I stuck with just Gibson..Fender..Martins…with a few PRS’s lately. I’d buy super clean used whenever I could…and today have over 30 really decent pieces. (This includes amps as well). Arguably..they are worth substantially more today than what I paid for them..and they have been a source of joy for me..much more so than a good coffee twice a day. They are wonderful to own..to look at..and to hold decent value. Love’em.
(I agree with you that if you buy new..it may barely keep up with inflation…if, however you buy the right used…and stick with the big brands and models…and US made…you will do quite well..if you know what you are doing).
I was asked by you to offer my opinions about guitar collection and I am happy to do so.
Back in the day, I would only select guitars that I could make money with playing. So I started as a studio musician with an ES 335 (1961) and a Super Reverb (1965) and a Vox country western that was given to me by David Adcock, who had turned me on to players like Leo Kottke, John Fahey, etc. That Vox guitar was terrible acoustically, but it recorded great! I talked about it just this evening with Wolf Stephenson who was our engineer at Malaco Records back in the 70s… And if you remember “you are my shining star” by the stylistics, then you will know where we were coming from as it was with acoustic guitars. That intro was life-changing in the R&B world to us and I got so many sessions because of that that I pursued some other instruments that might be able to help further that effort. The best acoustic guitar I’ve ever owned was a guild D 55 NT… spectacular intonation and the fretwork was impeccable. I paid $1400 for that guitar with the knowledge that I would triple that amount with session pay.
I have kept that mantra to this day… If I can acquire an instrument that will triple its value in a year then I will buy it.
And I don’t think that that makes me a collector… I have no desire to collect things other than wonderful memories of my children when they were children.
So my thoughts on collecting guitars would be are you a professional who wants to make money playing these instruments and why would you want to own them if you will not make any money from owning them? I know that is a pretty harsh assessment of collecting guitars because I don’t want to disparage people who want to own things that are completely unique. And guitars are as a course of nature completely unique. They are built by qualified people who understand what it is that Musicians really desire and want to cherish the sounds that they create at the hands of well qualified people.
I hope this is what you wanted to hear from me, Keith! I am and will always be a pragmatist! Where are we going to play? Where do I plug-in? When are we getting paid?
I have always returned to the advice of one of my mentors, Paul Davis, one of the greatest singers and songwriters of my generation. I asked him once about who I should get to manage me when I first got a record deal at Atlantic. He said, “don’t sign with anybody who cannot triple your income every year”…. I think that is true for instruments as well.
Thanks for this Fred…great and perspective.
Great stream Keith, really enjoyed it. Always love hearing your insights, you give great perspective on the gear being ultimately a tool for creating music. The fact that the gear is also art in and of itself definitely makes it hard to give it up sometimes though 🙂
Thank you for covering video subjects others have ignored.
What you said is right on! Thanks Keith. My buddy kept on telling me, "You have more than enough, you need to practice. It is easier to acquire things than to practice and learn how to play music.
Great video Keith. I've been playing and collecting since 1968 although more seriously since 1999. I love all of them and play them but now I see them as my granddaughters' future education fund.
Oh! Thanks for the video 🙏
I have signature guitars from my favourite artist because it's a great deal of fun playing my favourite songs on a guitars similar to the that artist. You work so you can afford the lifestyle you want. Life is supposed to be fun . No guilt trip here.😊
Enjoy!
Lots of excellent thoughts here. Mine is that I have a Les Paul with humbuckers, an ES with PAF pickups and a Strat as a backup if I break a string. I don't feel the need to own any other guitars. It's fun to look in the shops to see what's there but I am content with these instruments and no one in the band seems to care. These thoughtful videos are a strong compliment to the short histories. My best to you and yours
I don’t think of it as being a collector, but as someone who likes guitars and owns some
In a sense it is a collection
But in a way it’s a mindset
I buy to play them, and have different stuff.
It’s not about have a this and a that, etc, but just stuff I like
But I have never owned three dozen or even two dozen.
But I like to see what other people have, and when I see live performances I look at what they play, but I know most people don’t care,but for me it’s part of the event.
I find it interesting to see different collections and different reasons for it
Ya do great work, Mr Keith - keep on....
I’m a bass player. I have 4 basses but also 2 acoustic guitars and 2 classical guitars. One of the classicals is a Yamaha I bought in the 70’s. It still plays very nicely 🎸
I am an avid player and kinda of a collector - I’ve always thought of myself as a curator for the guitar while I own it. They are never permanent but reside with me for a while before I pass them on. I wish I still had my 1964/5 SG Jr. (let it go in 1978). This year I have let go of a 1994 PRS Custom 22 (beautiful white, dragon II pickups), a Parker nightfly, a 1990s Gibson SGX, a late 1990s Epiphone 335 and a First Edition/year Peavey Wolfgang. I currently own 13 Lespauls of varying age, a 2015 Firebird, a P 90s, and a mid-90s (I think) Steinberger. To this point, I’ve not lost money on any sale, but that is less important. What is important is that I enjoy them. As always, great conversation.
Dig it man, at this point I only have collected what I play, I am down to 3 electrics, 1 acoustic, 1 bass, 1 Roland synth with the cool drums, a mandolin and my vintage Ludwig kit. I'm not loaded with bucks, made some bad decisions and had some misfortune. I am stoked with what I have even though I have had better quality instruments at times I have learned to set up my axes better than ever and get better sounds than ever. That being said, I wouldn't mind having every guitar, bass, amp, pedal and such that I have ever had. I miss some instruments for sure. It would make a fairly impressive Rig Rundown. Much love folks!
4 guitars was enough for me for many years... then I watched UA-cam... now I've got 13. The theme was "Guitars that The Beatles played", but only the affordable ones. ;)
Thank you Keith
I still have my small spray bottle of Martin polish! So funny to hear you mention that polish.
Hey Keith!
Another interesting topic as usual! I’m not collector and probably only because my wife goes into a frenzy every time she walks into my guitar room and sees another guitar on the wall lol 😂, so I suppose she keeps me in check….kinda. I love Gibsons and particularly SG’s, they just feel ‘right’ to me, especially playing sitting down. I used to have a few Fenders as well which over time have been replaced with Warmoth projects I’ve come to love doing now ( and honestly speaking, if you’re decent with your hands and learn now to paint and do finish work they really are just as fine of an instrument. ). I also own two beautiful American made Martin’s which I enjoy playing as well here, I’m just a bedroom player and keeps me out of spending time at a pub which is a good thing 🤙
Love your show man, thanks for sharing your experiences and knowledge with us.
If you’re active and busy I don’t think one of everything is unreasonable. I have a Strat style with Matt Pike pickups for high gain/metal, a jazz big hollow body, a regular Strat, and a PRS Custom 22. Covers all my bases. Only guitar that seems to have a different sound would maybe be a Tele with a P-90 in the bridge and something country ish in the bridge. But I don’t want anything to duplicate what I own. The one thing I really found is the more I play and jam with people and work on my skills the less I think about new gear
Excellent video 👍Thoroughly enjoyable 😊🎸
You're ability to get people to consider--how much is enough?--is really good. While the answer for everyone is different (because we are all at different ages and stages of learning), you raise some good questions.
How much is enough? What do I want vs what do I need?
As if said, I wish I would have seen your shows sooner.
I blindly bought 20 guitars in 20 months starting at age 62. Mid life crisis? Was I trying to recapture my youth?
I wish I would have started at 12 years old and not 62. I was always envious of my Midland High School friends who played guitar.
I remember buying an acoustic for $40 when I was 20 and the action was so bad, my fingers were in such pain I gave it up after 3 months.
I learned to scale though and when I walked back into the guitar store at 62 I could still play that scale.
I finally realized that life is about spiritual faith, family and helping others.
But little things inspire me. I just read in Chrissy Hynde's book "RECKLESS" that she was a drop out who knew three chords and look what she accomplished.
But she left Akron Ohio at an early age, moved to England and was bound and determined to write songs and be in a band.
But she was (and is) driven. 🙏😔❤️
I remember owning 14 guitars at one point! then traded 11 at once for a Marshall half stack. 😂 I'm down to four these days plus one acoustic. I think once you get into guitars once you can play a bit one guitar just doesn't seem to be enough your always looking for that next step and I think alot of us think that if we get a new guitar we'll some how find that next level of skill/tone. But after a while you realise practice and a good bit of theory your not so bothered about another guitar. I also found that I'm a strat player love a tele but I'm a strat player dispite all the other guitars I've owned. its really a journey some players find there guitar early on other of us are still questing for the next.
My son is 17 and has been collecting guitars since he was 11. Every dollar he has earned from chores to his part time job that he got when he turned 15 has been spent on guitars. Some are cheap pawn shop guitars that he enjoys playing to much nicer guitars. I’m not complaining- it’s way better than spending money on video games.
Amen man
@@fivewattworld he never has any cash because of the guitar purchases - which is fine by me because less cash means less trouble!
Hey! Come on over and visit some time!!
Right now is best for guitar building,,it is 10 deg. F outside, there is no moisture and to keep up with humidifiers is not possible, "here" so the ones we make now are assembled at 4 or 5 percent moisture content and that has been the best armor for low-low humidity conditions.
No shrinkage shock problems when it is out on the road here in New England.
65 now, been playing guitar since I started at 14. It did not become a passion until I was about 19 and left home to venture out with freedom. I always worked the day job and preformed as a singer/songwriter in the 80’s. I started with a nylon string and went to steel. Now here it comes. Had a 6, needed a 12, then another classical. Then came the electric venture. When I was younger it was about buy-sell-trade as I always needed cash for the next upgrade. Eventually as you age, money is not so much a problem, thus starts the never sell era until things pile up and go for the trade two for one. About 20 years ago came the band, then the first eBay purchase and the collection is now out of control. Two sons that play other instruments thus can’t pass on to them so eventually I will hit the aged out and purge phase. Now obsessed with finding a concert classical guitar that I cannot over spend on. People ask, how many guitars do you have, I don’t know, ask my wife.
Good point! Customs you will own forever! I have three or four, that I might well be buried with. After significant modification, I will never be able to get anything close to what I have in them, back out of them.
Thanks Kieth. 🙂
Spotlight....your intellectual acuity is astounding.
Thank you. Quite a compliment.
I hear what you're saying about people not caring about what guitar we have, but I think I may have an exception. My 78' LP Custom got a lot of comments and attention from other guitarists when I played out and just jammed with people. I actually would get a little emberrassed at the scrutiny. I was taking lessons from a pro who was in a band I followed and saw their shows routinely. The other guitarist in the band saw my LP and asked to play it. After playing for a few seconds he offered to trade his, much older, vintage strat for it. This kind of stuff just made me uncomfotable.
Guitarists in my neck of the woods back then were just kind of Les Paul crazy. They just weren't that common in the late 80's early 90's. They were coveted however, even though hardly anyone knew the difference between my late 70's Norlin era and a 50's or 60's relic.
I have collected many things, 19th century photographs, mid century Finnish art glass, vintage fly fishing equipment, and objects of meaning that I have picked up off the ground in the course of my work as a documentary television producer that they have meaning to me.
All the guitars I have now (and I have about 10) each have a story and I think that is much more important to me than their model or value. Almost everybody I know that collects guitars has a story that goes with each guitar, the fabulous price, the previous famous owner, the rescue narrative, and so on. It isn’t just something made in a factory somewhere, Kalamazoo, Nazareth, Los Angeles or whatever, it is the story of how you sought it out it, how it possessed you and how you eventually possessed it. Maybe everybody feels this way to one degree or another about the guitars they own, but for something to be simply an object of desire does not give it meaning. The Kellerman book, for instance, written by a collector with unlimited wealth, does not interest me, although he has a story for each guitar, because he had no doubt or struggle about attaining that guitar. A great guitar find story must have an element of crazy luck in it, a realization of what the guitar is, and a struggle to decide whether it is worth the money, or even if you have the money. Great subject and great video, thanks.
03 lp studio, 07 highway 1 tele, Yamaha fg, p bass. Always looking at strats but never keep them, and tempted by p90 Gibsons, hollow bodies, 24 frets. This channel has a good message and has helped me pair down a lot which is way less stressful tbh
Six guitars on thought collecting !
I get the same way about amps. My compromise now is to by the parts online a little at a time and then have my local amp tech build me one. He built me a fantastic JTM50 and now I'm gathering parts for a 68' Super Lead. I have the transformers and glass (found some affordable vintage glass).
I have a build planned for after that and may even tackle it myself as I've been researching schematics and amp building. This is a great, affordable way for me to own amps in this class as I would never be able to afford or even find the originals.
Really interesting points you note and pertinent for new buyers, I think. I've been playing for 50 years altho the last 40 my main thing has been functioning as a producer and studio owner (Hong Kong, Singapore & Shanghai) but now at the point where I'm back to 1 studio in HK. I own about 35 guitars, electric, acoustic, 3 basses . . . I have picked them up along the way to 'add to the arsenal' basically - sitar guitar, stereo Yamaha acoustic, Sadowsky Electric Nylon, fretless bass, cheap Parker Fly with the 'acoustic' stereo output option, Godin 12 string fretless nylon (!!!) most generally quite inexpensive. I don't see myself as a collector and the whole 'resale' thing has never entered the picture. There are maybe 4 or 5 I could happily let go but recently doing an album project with some friends in NZ and across the tracks I have pulled in at least a dozen of these depending on what the track is asking for. If push came to shove I could probably happily function with a dozen or so but happy for now with what I have - some I couldn't think of living without, leave them to my son I guess. I worked as a guitar salesman back in the '70s in Wellington's main music store and those 2 or 3 years were an invaluable education in terms of assessing new Gibsons, Fenders, Rickenbackers etc. coming thru and learning the basics on setting them up, dealing with different bridge set-ups and so on and that has served me well in terms of looking after my stuff.
I'm mainly a keyboard player but I have 15 or so guitars. My first one I bought in my early 20s was a Norman 6 string acoustic. I still have it but it's unplayable and not worth fixing. After that I had an electric built for me but it disappeared. After that well in my 30s I took a course and built a strat style electric. I've always loved Strats. In the late 90s i bought my lovely blue MIM strat. After that bought a Norman 12 string. Great sounding and playing beauty. I lucked out when a friend of mine offered me a deal on an Epiphone Studio Dot. It had been modified so it only has a volume knob and a very not humbucker. No neck pup. I was giving lessons to a friend and he gifted my an Ibanez Les Paul copy. Next, I played a gig for a buddy who was sadly dying of cancer and his wife gave me an Epiphone acoustic. I got married for the second time and my lovely wife let's or buys me guitars! First was a Christmas present of an Ibanez RG. Then while we were on a trip a Simon and Patrick concert size acoustic. It's really hers but she doesn't want to cut her nails short enough. It goes on but my most expensive one is my Martin DX1AE which is not an expensive Martin at all but it plays great and sounds great so I'm happy. A made in China Strat from a garage sale. Some others including a Rogue steel guitar and an Ibanez 5 string bass. Did I get them all? Who cares. My collection is almost complete. Oh, i forgot my Squire Cabronita Thinline Tele. Now that's a nice one in Pelham blue. None are expensive but they all serve a purpose because they all sound different from each other and make me play each one differently. Love 'em!
Trumpet is my first instrument and i also used valve oil for the fretboard when i couldn't find my fretboard oil bottle. Seemed to work just fine.
Very enjoyable video.
Banks can collapse, along with your money. A good guitar can be traded or kept as an investment, and it will always sound good. I looked up the Parker Fly and it still fetches $2700.
I still love those customized strandbergs, neat esquire and the red one with the firebird pickup. What are all the pickups in them, not the stock suhr pickups I bet? That guitar helped me rehabilitate my left hand with the endura neck profile. And you can literally play one for 4 or 5 hours with no problem whatsoever. Nice video and always great to see my no.1 favorite John Cordy. I would love to go and visit him someday in the UK.
Find guitars that you want to sleep with! I have one 25.5 and one 24.75. One has 3 single coils and one has 2 humbuckers. There are so many GREAT guitars out there that won’t cost you an arm and a leg. I’m in a polygamous relationship because they both give me what I am looking for in tone and sound. Thanks for your work 5 watt! I love all the history of equipment videos!
Re the bluesbreaker circuits, there are a heap. I have good friend who runs anarchy Audio who built the game of Tones and then renamed it checkmate. Is a killer pedal and from USA pretty good pricing given he’s an Aussie builder.
So many good blues breaker pedals out there.
I also love the weird feeling about listening to the channel that advocates the least amount of gear is talking about collections haha
Starting at 38:31, the spotlight; boy if that doesn't say so much about life in general! I'd never heard of that concept before.
How do you draw the line between collecting and acquiring? "Collecting" seems to carry a positive connotation, while "acquiring" a negative one.
Perhaps one doesn't need to keep every guitar they acquire. Personally, I have purchased (a guess) maybe 100 guitars (and basses, a banjitar, an accordion, a grand piano), and it has been a very educational experience. Many folks have one guitar they play for 10 or 20 or 30 years and never know what's out there. By getting my hands on a wide variety of brands and types, I've discovered what guitars offer. Thick necks, slim necks, taper necks; jumbo frets, medium frets, old & worn frets; single coils, humbuckers, P90's, split coils; solid body, semi-hollow, full hollow body, acoustics, acoustic-electrics, and the list goes on. My own journey has led me to work on these instruments as well, icing on the educational cake. I sell guitars off regularly, though sometimes it's tough to choose which one goes. For folks with a more modest approach, I suggest you keep trying guitars, even if it's one at a time. Buy something you haven't tried, something you like, something you can afford. Something different. You may have many eyes-wide epiphanies as I have. Then sell the one you prefer less. As a trader, I can say I rarely lose money reselling a guitar, and in the case of buying "project guitars" that needed wiring or a pickup, I've made as much as $600 profit for a day's work. p.s.: Having 90 guitars to choose from is a decadent luxury, and a great thrill every time I start a new track or go to a jam.
Considering the cost of a new guitar, I feel that a full set up to how one wants it, should be included in the price. I have yet to find a music store that does this. Imagine buying a new car, but you had to take it for a service, at your expense, before you could drive it. Just my rant…
I used to pester Matt & Bob at Ossining Music for YEARS. Never been to 30th St, but love hearing that his reputation has grown and remains golden.
Funny you mention Teddy B. He's come a long way. Smart lad. Love watches if not quite as much as I love guitars. I relish the hunt, getting a decent deal, and sitting on the couch noodling away. Just appreciating the feel, vibrations, beauty, and craftsmanship. I reckon if I were actually a musician, I'd only have 2 guitars...but I'm not, so I have 10 or so? Afraid to count but they all get played and loved....
A 78' LP Custom was my first and only guitar for 20 years. I decided to get an LP that is closer to how the late 50's were built but didn't want to spend 5-8,000 on a Gibson so I got a tobacco burst Tokai 59' repro. I Put Brandonwound 59 PAF's in it and it just sings!
The action/neck/playability matches if not exceeds the 78'. It's way lighter and it's become my #1. I also wanted a Tele, but was dissapointed with what Fender had to offer in my price range, even good G&L's are expensive, so I got a Sire T7, also tobacco burst. Very satisfied, sounds fantastic through my Marshalls and even better through my vintage Fender.
The LP is my favorite still, and now I'm looking at Tokai's range of SG's. Once I got on the hunt, all I can think about is SG's, and have been also seeing a lot of great vintage Japanese SG's on ebay.
I bought and sold 3-LPs , 2-335’s, and an SG before figuring out I’m a Fender guy! No Gibson hate here, I just found a comfort somewhere within the Fender neck feel and scale length. Strat, Tele, or JM, I can’t put ‘em’ down.
I´m much the same way. Went through a Gibby phase years ago with 3 LP Customs, couldn´t get the sounds out of them I desired and switched back to Strats and Teles. Figured out that it was the short scale length that kept the Gibsons from being all they could be.
If you buy a nice used Fender Custom Shop you won't loose much money if and when you resell it imo. They are around $3000-3400 used and around $5000 new. Play it for 10 years and sell it for what you paid or more imo
I have 7 guitars. Three acoustic ones a flat top an arch top and a classical. The rest are electric. I have a variety all different. Traditional tele, superstat, Gibson les Paul and es335, and a standard strat. I’ve got one amplifier rofl. It’s a Marshall jtm60. It spans a lot of sonic sounds. Im happy with that and have an instrument that can really touch any genre I want to play in
I think I really turned a corner on how I approached gear was when I got over "deals". I had built up a collection that was definitely more guitars than what I had paid for, but I travelled more, recorded regularly, had more live gigs. What I realised was that I was using my Ibanez RG, archtop and my strats for the exact same purposes. I didn't need "specialists" and I was just picking up whatever still had all the strings on it since any kind of maintenance was touch and go.
I now have three guitars. Whenever there's a fourth I feel something ends up feeling redundant, but I'm at a place where if there's something undeniable I won't feel guilty about money and space and I won't need to think about what I could sell.
That how many guitars do you need video is historically one of my favourites. That one and the one by Rhett Shull about his Novo where he talks about listening to that voice when you really bond with a guitar (within reason and what you can afford!) really helped me make some key decisions.
I’m sure older guys will remember the stage of guitar collecting I’m at, you probably went through this era too…..finally a full fledged adult (35) with a decade of career behind me, and finally got all the guitars I wished for as a teenager. Only 6 but they are all dream guitars, so now I guess I can actually start collecting lol.
Good show as usual!
Anthropology is usually fascinating -- but not always! collecting/hoarding is normal.
How do I get you to examine/play one of ours?"
They might be collectible some day.
LOL! and chuckle too!
Also I have a house humidifier, that keeps the music room at 45-49 % RH, year round (unless outside temperatures go to 0 for more than a couple days (at that point the Martin and Tak go in pre-humidified cases Boveda/humidistat bags )
I have a couple Parker guitars that I have not played in a while. A red Parker Jazz and a Parker fly with nylon strings. Keep meaning to sell the jazz.
I saw that Joni Mitchell was recently playing a Parker guitar.
Old Vintage Martin guitars may not be special as a performance tool but their unique sounds are very cool to listen to. My 1931 0-21 is a favorite of people that hear it.
you now have 250,000 members!!!!!!
One type of guitar that can appreciate well is best of class classical guitars that are handmade by a great luthier that are bought earlier in their career. Before they become well and truly established as one of the best instrument makers. Especially if they are bought second-hand initially. I got one like that, and by the time the maker had established his position as one of the best luthiers, the guitar tripled in value over a decade, from 3k to almost 10k. And yes, then if one of the best players later also becomes associated as a player of that luthier's guitars - they can become highly sought after. And it helps that they are very limited in production. Often only one master builder, sometimes only making six to ten guitars per year. With long waiting lists. But it doesn't matter what it's worth, bar insurance and looking after it. It's the only guitar I'll never sell. Got me through music school, first public recitals and was made same year as our first daughter was born. Which reminds me, I do regret selling my first guitar, a 90s MIJ 60's reissue Fender Stratocaster, in sunburst that my mother bought me for my 13th birthday. And she's no longer with us, wish I kept that guitar.
My theme has developed into the grungy '90s: my first real electric in the SG Standard - gorgeous but not quite what I was looking for; Thunderbird IV - my first foray into bass guitars ticks the alt-rock box; then three guitars that accidentally came together at the same time when I was looking for one - a Soundgarden-esque Gretsch Silver Jet, the Kurt Cobain Jaguar and a storming Wine Red Les Paul Custom for the ultimate Alice In Chains roar.
Danke!
Great video and playing! 3-Gibson’s 2-Fenders, 1-Martin, 1-Takamine, 4 -tube amps
What a fantastic video have a wonderful weekend Keith also what is your opinion about guitar collecting to be honest ❤❤❤❤❤❤😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
My biggest collection 20 years of buying, upgrading then reselling for a better and better guitar so my trophy keeper guitar collection rose to 14, i was able to pay my mortgage for about 7-8 months when covid happened so my collection is back up to 3 again so far
my main instrument is banjo and when I figured out the sound I wanted I got two of that type (to have a spare) and got rid of all others. I actually have more guitars now since they are for studio use and I don't have a particular signature sound for them. If I were a guitar pro I'd choose a sound and zero in on that.
If you decide to mod a guitar, keep the original parts in case you want to sell it in the future as original. Then you can keep the mod parts and sell them separately.
i been playing since 16,... i found a guitar in the barracks in saigon ...it kept me sane for the three months i was there in 1973 as a scared shytless kid. i still have it..
i thought i was going to lose it but a handler brought me a box. he told me the state department would ship it state side. i have 200 or 300 guitars i buy cheap guitars swap pick ups, these didnt exist when i was coming through the ranks. i wanted the different shapes, such as GS, tele, bullet and frankenstrat! i dont want to worry about worth or value, it is all going to be sold to support charity feed a few animals or kids. if a guitar can generate enough money to get a kid away from some bastard dad that is its value..
Selfish purposes
Selfless purposes
Preservation, restoration, history, and a sense of continuity
Financial investment
A form of addiction
psychology of collecting wiki!
edit another good show!!!!
@fivewattworld i agree we change over time. I’ve bought cheep guitars and high end guitars and I honestly don’t feel much difference (if they are both correctly setup). I guess I am not at a level to really understand those differences. I do think that initially it’s good to have one of each styles of guitars. I never thought that my most beloved guitar would be a tele