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I think that's one of my bigger regrets, that I spent years tinkering instead of playing what I had.The first tube amp I bought was a Sovtek Mig 50h I got from EA when I was 19. (I lost my forum account login/e-mail recovery I think I've been here for 13 years?). I was ecstatic when I got to talk to steve to okay the shipping to canada. I played it for years and it was perfect in its weirdness... then I broke all the jacks and bought a JMP in the meantime while I 'fixed it'. Twenty-some amps later and I just fired up the Sovtek to check it before my wife (it's hers now) took it to go record. It's still one of the best sounding things I've ever played.

I'd rather be "Band Satisfied"

Mason wrote:The other day I showed my girlfriend a guitar I was looking at on Reverb, and she responded, "If you think it looks cool, why don't you print out a picture of it and put it on the wall," and that was great.I like that. Maybe it'll get me to quit looking at the G&L I 'want': a guitar that's like 95% identical to my current guitars..

Mason wrote:I'm never "gear satisfied," in the sense that I want to pick up a guitar at any given moment and think, "This neck is perfect and this sound is perfect." Amps and pedals and recording stuff, I can just consider the thing I'd need to solve the problem, then buy it, then it's fine. Guitars, I'm always a little unhappy.Me too. I just have to remind myself of the 'dream guitar' I bought in 2010 that has been sitting in its case for the last year.. And that window of fulfillment gets smaller over time. The new guitar that might have kept me 'inspired' for 6 months in the past now will probably keep me excited for about 3 weeks. Just trying to recognize the void for what it actually is.

PEPPER! wrote:what G&L do you like?SC-2 reissue w/ trem. If I could go back 3 years ago, not buy a cheap Strat (and do a ton of mods) or build a Warmoth Tele I'd just get one of these instead. But I already have money into those near worthless guitars so..Tommy wrote:154 wrote:Maybe it'll get me to quit looking at the G&L I 'want': a guitar that's like 95% identical to my current guitars..FWIW - In my opinion, the G&L trem feels and works WAY better than the standard vintage Strat one.That's part of the 5%, but honestly with Graphtech saddles the 6-holers are perfectly fine.

154 wrote:Mason wrote:The other day I showed my girlfriend a guitar I was looking at on Reverb, and she responded, "If you think it looks cool, why don't you print out a picture of it and put it on the wall," and that was great.I like that. Maybe it'll get me to quit looking at the G&L I 'want': a guitar that's like 95% identical to my current guitars..I did something like this 23 years ago. Seeing a guitar every day just made me want it more. I actually bought a nearly identical guitar. It was a red jaguar with matching head stock.I am at a gear lust nadir right now. I only have one active band at the moment, and I use one guitar for that band. I use a Helix (amp and effects modeler) and DI that into a powered PA speaker for playing live. I see plenty of cool guitars and amps which I appreciate, but my desire to own them has massively waned. It's actually very nice. I feel like I can concentrate more on the creative side of music making. I have a few amps for when I want to play in various setting. I have a small assortment of guitars for covering all the bases. I get my gear nerd tendencies out at my day job, where my company pays for all the gear. I've developed a hobby or two outside of music for the first time since high school. Shit is good!

I see there is no option for "Gear Disgusted", but that's where I am.After years of buying this and that, I sold off almost everything back in 2009. Shortly thereafter, I recorded 4 albums with very minimal gear. Around 2013 I started re-acquiring a bunch of stuff and stopped recording as frequently as I did. Stopped using most things, and now I have a new record being mastered. Funny, that.Check the Gear Liquidation thread soon, because I'm cleaning house.

The other day I showed my girlfriend a guitar I was looking at on Reverb, and she responded, If you think it looks cool, why don't you print out a picture of it and put it on the wall, and that was great.

I think it's hilarious and insightful. Can't imagine how many purchases made as an expression of consumerism or literal addiction would have been thwarted by someone making the thing their desktop background or something. That nice neurotransmitter ping still goes off, but you get to keep your $1200.I'm never gear satisfied, in the sense that I want to pick up a guitar at any given moment and think, This neck is perfect and this sound is perfect. Amps and pedals and recording stuff, I can just consider the thing I'd need to solve the problem, then buy it, then it's fine. Guitars, I'm always a little unhappy.I used to be big on having one guitar as an all-rounder, one that was cheap and offbeat at that. As a result, I've cycled through a lot of guitars. Last year I picked up an aluminum Kramer to be my one nice all-rounder (never had a nice guitar before), but that worked out poorly, and I ended up replacing it with three more specialized guitars. That approach has largely worked. But every time I pick one up, again, the feel is a bit off and the sound is a bit off.Maybe I need to swap at least one out for something else. Maybe I need to partscaster something together, after having moved to playing stock instruments. But I definitely don't need the MIJ Iceman copy that prompted my girlfriend's comment.

I feel the same way, but I don't mind losing that initial spark. I feel like I need to go through it scientifically: take over a store and play like 40 guitars in succession, take copious notes, decide what scale length/neck profile actually work for me. Figure out the sound later.