How long was it until you were a gear whore?

[pott]

I'm just curious. I've been playing guitar for 11 months and I have 3 guitars, another one in the mail, loads of pickups, and I already went through an amplifier. Ah and pedals and POD as well... Now of course there are always the people who'd think 'meh do you even have a use for that' but I honestly do. I setup my own guitars, I need the tools, I want to learn how to take care of the instrument, how it works, how to build them... All about it. It's not just about the playing to me, but also about the sound and tech aspects of it. Sometimes I think 'damn I suck' (eh well after 11 months it's normal I guess ). This stuff doesn't make me play better, and I don't expect it to, but it's just so much fun. I sure can tell how a guitar plays, I know what to repair in one, I know what flaws to look out, I know how to describe a sound (lookout for my pickup reviews on here soon). And no I don't have a job, I sold my drumkit and used a lot of my lifesavings to buy all this. Way worth it if you ask me.
Anyhoo enough rambling. How about you guys? Did you start with 4 Gibsons and 2 Fenders or did you get a Squier for your first 10 years?

[MBreinin]

Re: How long was it until you were a gear whore?

I had owned at least 15 guitars by the time I had played for two years....after 4-5 years I had gone through 30 or so..plus at least 10-15 amps. I think it is a natural progression for the new player. You want to find what suits your style, you want to develop your sound and you want to sound good. Now, a developed player can sound god through shit equipment, but a new player typically cannot. I think new players strive to sound "decent", which can lead to gear whoring. My days of gear whoring are over, because at this point I can be satisfied with a couple of guitars and a single amp. Of course, I just play for enjoyment and relaxation at this point.

Mike

[GodOfRhythm]

Re: How long was it until you were a gear whore?

I've got the gene, but I don't have the money! [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[jgcable]

Re: How long was it until you were a gear whore?

I didn't become a gear whore until my late 20's.
When I started I had a Sears Silvertone guitar and a 10w SS amp that was $69.00 for both at the pawn brokers. I played that rig for around 3 years. I then got an MXR Distortion + and I used to play it through my 8 strack stereo.
3 years later my "band" bought our first amp. A Traynor 100w head and a Traynor cab with 4 or 6 10"s in it. Me and and other guitar player would plug into it with our Distortion +'s. It sounded aweful but it was loud. We used that for around a year. I was playing for almost 5 years before I actually got a decent crappy used guitar and a really crappy used amp that were both 100 times better than what I owned. A "rich" friend of ours got a Hondo 2 Les Paul copy and we were so incredibly jealous. I even played out of 6 x 9 Jensen Triaxial car speakers for a few months.
My first real guitar was a beat to shit used Guild S300D and my 1st real amp was a Peavey Renown 2 x 12. I gigged with that rig all through high school. After graduating HS I had a job and I went out and bought a used Hiwatt head and 2 Marshall 4 x 12 Red 1960's from the Buddy Miles band in the parking lot in back of Sam Ash Music in White Plains. It was trade in day at Sam Ash and I caught them before they went in.

[YetAnotherOne]

Re: How long was it until you were a gear whore?

1982 - Crappy Peavey guitar
1985 - Jackson RR Custom
1987 - Gibson V, Kramer Focus, BC Rich Acoustic, Jackson RR Student

The increase was pretty much exponential after that. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[pagemalicious]

Re: How long was it until you were a gear whore?

Last year when i started getting a bit of money in. I bought 3 guitars last year which for me is quite alot as usually i buy a new guitar maybe once every year or so. I'm getting a new amp this year, some recording equipment and i'm thinking of modding my Fender strat so it's easier to play and has a sweeter sound.

[atomic charvel guy]

Re: How long was it until you were a gear whore?

My biggest mistake-
1998, I had bundles of Cash. Bundles. I could have driven down the freeway 20-25 minutes and wiped Rob Lane completely out of his collection. All of them. I unfortunately didn't know him yet. I was a gear whore the second i first gazed upon the charvel logo. there was something about it. I couldn't afford them until the '90's,
i was too busy living off of women to be able to afford a real charvel in the 80's.

[DonP]

Re: How long was it until you were a gear whore?

I bought my first few axes in 1985-1990 - the Metal Years in LA. I bought my first Aria, then a project Aria, a 1963 SG Special, and an ESP unpainted/unfinished (so 2 working guitars). Then from about 1992 - 1998 practically zero interest in guitars (moving around the country, buying a house, having kids, etc). In late 1998 when life settled down, I bought a DSL100 1/2 Stack "Orange Crush" special edition, a new SG Std., a MIM Strat, and an Acoustic. Then more dark years from 1999 until Dec 2002, when I bought a used 1996 LP Classic Premium Plus and in Feb 2003 a new 2002 LP Std. Then more inactivity until Dec 2004, when I stopped into a GC and bought a Historic LP. The guitar interest continued thru 2005, as I went on a Jackson rampage buying 9 Jacksons and Charvels. I've always loved Jacksons from back in the 1980's. I ran into an old friend when I bought my 2004 Historic LP and he told me he had some Jacksons, and I thought "Why the hell have I never bought one?"

During the dark years, I have had other hobbies as well, a 1970 Challenger, a 1971 Cuda, for a while building/overclocking computers was fun, etc. yardwork on the house like planting trees, etc.

Pott, if I can give you any advise that I've learned, it's to learn how to play good and stop screwing with stuff. I was a tinkerer just like you, routing/painting/hotrodding my guitars, making onboard preamps, building/tweaking tube amps (I have a ton of parts that I could build into a swarm of tube amps with if I wanted). I spent so much time screwing with stuff that I never really learned how to play.

Now-a-days, I play along to CD's for fun and relaxation now, but I wish I had the chops of John (from what I've heard - never seen ya LOL!). If playing guitar is something you love, concentrate on practicing and learn how to play good. My .02

[followthereaper]

Re: How long was it until you were a gear whore?

In the past three years, I've bought/sold an Epiphone Special, Fender Jag-Stangs (1 red and 4 blue), an acrylic Warlock, an Iceman, a Fender Mustang, 2 Strats (1 Mex, 1 US), 2 Fender Jazz Basses, a DXMG, some crappy old acoustic (no idea what it is), an RR3, 2 SL2H's, 2 RR1's. As far as amps, I've been through a practice Crate, practice Fender bass amp, a 2X12 Crate, and a portable Marshall stack. Out of all that, I only have an RR1, SL2h, and the practice Crate and portable Marshall. I have a 5150 II coming in the mail and will buy a 1960A cab soon (hopefully). I don't work, and it's pretty funny because I got most of my money from saving my lunch money (started in 7th and am now in 11th). Haven't really bought much else other than guitars and related crap, but I would definately have to agree that it's worth it.

[RobRR]

Re: How long was it until you were a gear whore?

I wasnt a gear whore until I joined here... seriously. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[GodOfRhythm]

Re: How long was it until you were a gear whore?

I must admit, Rob, the JCF is not a good place to be a part of, financially speaking! [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[pebber]

Re: How long was it until you were a gear whore?

[ QUOTE ]
I've got the gene, but I don't have the money! [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

that will change when you start looking somewhat like this collector Ward



so.. a little bit of patience [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]