Anyone else trying to curb their buying for a bit?

[Budda]

Trying to be a responsible husband/dad, and not give into the gear frenzy that I kinda went through in 2020 (and a touch in 2021 with that 594, ha).

Naturally, when you're trying not to spend money on guitars is when guitar deals pop up. I'm trying to get to April or May without putting 4 figures into something. The GAS is real...

Anyone else trying not to buy?

Here's what's standing in my way:

- 2006/96(?) LP Classic GT. Can't test drive, but it's the shop I got my custom jazzmaster from and GT's just look good. And I don't own any Gibsons or 24.75" right now (NSLALP except my 25" maple neck SC ).

- 2011 SG 61' RI - I'm not against getting a decent SG as it's one of the few body styles I haven't owned. I picked a buddy's brain over the differences between it and the standard, and it's priced ok at $1700 (same store as LP-GT).

- Finding out that the Fender Am Pro strats have the deep C neck that I loved on my jazzmaster, and that our national chain has a couple FSR's in shell pink online. Not sure if I'd keep or sell that LE seafoam strat (slim 60's C isn't bad, but not my favourite).

- immense GAS for a jazzmaster with a medium C (85-95) neck with binding and blocks. The 594 was supposed to erase that from my brain, it did not . Finding out stewmac sells a thumbwheel truss rod aftermarket means I don't have to shy away from heel access models (pretty much all of them with bound blocks). I was considering ordering a Nash custom order, but would kinda rather find a builder who makes the body and neck themselves for the price.

- PRS McCarty 594 semi-hollow demos on sale at the national chain (2 within driving distance). This would be a sell-two-buy-one affair to afford, but I'll be damned if the temptation doesn't exist. Can't find this model for as cheap as they're being offered at. The deal factor is real.

Had to vent, thanks guys..

[jacksonplayer]

If you lose your self-control, I'd recommend trying the '61 SG RI before choosing. The '61 SG had some design flaws related to the neck heel, all of which are faithfully replicated in the reissue. The neck joint was not "built up" the way it is on most set necks, and the join is way toward the end of the neck. Leaving out the possibility of the neck snapping off or simply coming unglued (which happened on the real '61s), the problems are horrible neck dive from the strap pin location and no sustain at all on the upper frets. The modern SG Standard is actually a much better design, and that's probably what I'd go with, even though the '61 design looks cool as hell.

[Chris]

Gear whore checking in. I just shove a bit of cash aside each month and use it as monopoly money for guitar shit and bike stuff. As long as you budget for the GAS it doesn't make you a bad person for giving in.

[Budda]

Yeah the heel joint was mentioned to me pretty quickly, which is great info to have. It's the same price as the FSR strat I didn't know I was interested in until today .

I did try a few SG's out last fall and none of them really clicked. I was hoping the P90 model would tick the boxes, but it needed work and that killed any interest.

Unforunately I can't try out the goldtop first either. Probably for the better. For some reason all the 90's versions are $3300CAD too.

[jacksonplayer]

I've tried to deal with SGs so many times over the years because so many of my heroes played them, but I can't bond with them. They're an ergonomic mess that always gives me backaches due to the positioning of the neck further out from my body, and I find that I can't stand the tone unless I'm using ridiculous gobs of gain and going for the Iommi/Zappa lead sound.

[Budda]

I too suffer from how cool they look and wanting one for a long time.

I'm hesitant to ask about the LP GT, as I really am trying not to spend money .

[Iron1]

This is why I started flipping guitars. Buy low, sell high, take the profit to buy a new toy.

[Budda]

I dont have that kind of luck .

Im also going to be furnishing our new back yard and have that in mind as well. Pro: I get 20% off at work, and we sell exactly that stuff (like, I unload it off the truck).

[Markus]

This is why I started flipping guitars. Buy low, sell high, take the profit to buy a new toy.

I'm having trouble getting anything sold - I have my Seagull for sale for what I think is a more than fair price (half the price of a new one), but I'm just getting weird trade suggestions and lowballing.

[Iron1]

I'm having trouble getting anything sold - I have my Seagull for sale for what I think is a more than fair price (half the price of a new one), but I'm just getting weird trade suggestions and lowballing.

I’m sure it’s different there than here, but I get the same stuff. But, everything sells eventually. Normally, the cheaper it is, the faster it sells. That’s why I started buying Bronze series BC Riches to flip. Can get em fairly cheap, spend a little bit of effort cleaning em and fixing em up, then sell em quickly.

[Blazon_Stone]

I have a bit of issue with buying stuff, absolutely.

At the moment I dont have a big GAS, I cured mine temporarely by re-finishing an existing guitar, and I have some other projects in the making to change a couple of other guitars too.

However I "need" to update my Cubase 7 to 11 so I can enjoy some of its glorious functions that will save me HOURS in workflow.
So thats defintely a good buy

[RevDrucifer]

Shit no. I have a list of stuff I'm looking to acquire over the next couple of years.

'57 Vintage Reissue Strat in Candy Apple Red so I can have my ultimate Gilmour Strat
A Solar E-Type (most likely the next guitar)
A Spector NS-2, Warwick Thumb or EBMM Stingray. Preferably, all 3.
2 Mesa Recto 2x12's and 2 4x12's (I'll get the 4x12's post-move for the barn studio)
Either a Matrix power amp or a 2:90
A whole separate analog-rig(s), which will either be a Cantrell, Eric Johnson or Gilmour inspired rig. Preferably, all 3.

I love gear and I'll never stop buying it.

[jacksonplayer]

I'm in kind of a weird place for me guitar-wise, because I've managed to get a version of just about everything I'd want and have any use for, and in fact I've got a few that never leave their cases and probably need to go to new homes.

The only exception at the moment would be a jazz box, but that's not something I'm going to use often enough to justify the expense. My Heritage Millennium gets close enough to the that territory for anything I'm going to do.

At this point, it becomes a matter of upgrading or refining things I've already got. Like going from a G&L Tribute S-500 to a USA-made one, or going from my clunky '50s reissue Tele to a better-playing G&L ASAT.

I'm more likely to upgrade my music PC or expand my VSTi collection etc.

[Budda]

Rev to be clear Im just trying to save up after a busy year of gear haha. Could pay off the cc.

[Jeff]

My cards are mostly paid off, and my gear money isn't part of the regular household budget, so no, I'm still buying stuff. I try to be responsible with it though.

[Darren]

I've been able to fight off the GAS by simply reminding myself that I barely even play any of the guitars I already have any more, so surrounding myself with more guitars I don't play makes absolutely zero sense.

I've been doing the opposite, selling off pretty much everything. I'm down to two guitars that I didn't build myself (my Ibanez 442R and my Dean), a ukulele bass, and minimal other gear.

[Webdood]

I have crippling telecaster and baritone gas right now. Ive been scouring reverb and ebay for a seafoam cabronita. I am cosidering a partscaster build. I still want a Mayones Duvel but im too cheap to pull the trigger.

i can pretty much afford to buy anything, but am cheap as hell so it balances out.

[sgjackson]

Just passed up a Charvel Fusion Deluxe on Reverb cause I'm saving for a house and I just bought the Edwards and an FM3.

[Greg McCoy]

Gear whore checking in. I just shove a bit of cash aside each month and use it as monopoly money for guitar shit and bike stuff. As long as you budget for the GAS it doesn't make you a bad person for giving in.

Luckily guitars have headstocks.

So technically it's less "buying unnecessary new gear" and more "investing in the 'stock market" if you really think about it.

[Greg McCoy]

As far as the whole GAS thing goes, lusting after the big ticket items (guitars/heads) is actually the cheap bit. I wish I was doing that.

It's not possible to stop buying. Should take up acoustic. What they don't tell you when you start the whole electric guitar (and recording obviously) thing is that it's not the big ticket items that get you, it's all the bits you need to hook shit up and all the accessories you need to keep things going and shit.

I rarely buy fun stuff anymore, but I almost always have something like a cable I found out I needed or picks or parts or whatever Amazon Priming its way over.

It's even worse playing out with others. It's easy to look at the dude playing out with the $600 guitar and the dude constantly swapping around $4000 every month and think "Well, I know who is spending more money on this shit". Until you hear phrases like,

Also, the dudes blowing money on guitars have nothing on the hipster vinyl addicts. Holy shit. I know a bunch of dudes who have the cheapest gear ever who will gladly blow like $400 on some shitty local show buying everything available.

[Kagami]

I don't really have any room for more guitar stuff since they take up so much space. I do need to sell my Viper and list up my 5153 50-watt. That being said I did start getting into computers and overclocking again a bit ago and spent like 15 grand last year on that stuff lol.

[Chris]

A Spector NS-2, Warwick Thumb or EBMM Stingray. Preferably, all 3.

Proper list right there.

[Greg McCoy]

I don't really have any room for more guitar stuff since they take up so much space. I do need to sell my Viper and list up my 5153 50-watt. That being said I did start getting into computers and overclocking again a bit ago and spent like 15 grand last year on that stuff lol.

Still in the top 10 ways to responsibly spend money as an American dude.

I know tons of people who bitch about other people spending lots of money on tangible goods who literally bleed money every time they leave the house in a non stop spectacle of fiscal irresponsibility on shit like

-Shitty tattoos no one will ever see
-Eating out
-Starbucks
-Cigarettes
-Bars and clubs
-Fucking Pokemon or Magic cards or whatever.

I always say if you think spending money on musical gear or computer shit is a stupid waste, just go look at how many people donated money to the Trump Campaign.

[DonBot]

I wouldn't say I've curbed mine as much as I've gotten more selective? I've been on an Ibanez PGM bender this past year but for the past 20 years or so I've been wanting to collect all the PGMs. And of course there's like a million of them now. Might as well get started on that. I've been tempted buy other things for sure but I've been keeping my focus. My collection is off to a decent start and that helps keep me grounded. The only thing outside of those that I might allow is a new amp of some sort. But it's not a necessity. My EL34 5150III rarely gets used as it is. So maybe a smaller more "practice" amp.

[Bohmer]

There's not a lot I'm gassing for at the moment, but that's usually triggered by a cool baritone, lol! After snagging a Caparison not long ago, my spending is done for a while. Not having CC's really helps, lol!