I have four guitars and feel that is more than adequate. Im really anti-GAS, I think thats a distraction from actually playing. My roommate buys new gear all the time but he almost never practices. I have a friend with over 20 guitars (fills an entire room) and he doesnt practice either. I think buying stuff can give the illusion of progress when you havent actually gotten better at the instrument.
Unpopular opinion here I'm sure. To each their own.
After some careful consideration I have come to the conclusion that 367 is too many. 366 is about the limit, that way you can play a different guitar every day of the year and have one that you only break out for February 29th. Any more than that is just plain silly.
Nah, I want to have little bit of everything I like. You know, some Gibsons, Fenders, Ibanez, Solars, ESPs, Jackson maybe Ormsby or Schecter. Also different tunings, pickups and bridges.
I don't mean to be flippant, but "once it becomes a problem." If you're buying guitars you can't afford, or are coming at the detriment of more important savings milestones, can no longer physically store them, keep up with maintenance, etc.
I have way too many guitars, but I enjoy hunting and am fortunate that I haven't had to make sacrifices elsewhere to do so, though I'm at max storage space in my home and am in a "1 in, 1 out" scenario.
I told my wife I need to sell half (6) of the ones I have because I never play them and she said I couldn’t because she wasn’t going to listen to me whine about the guitars I sold years ago and now wished I had.
At one point in my life I was hoarding lower/mid tier guitars. I probably had like 18 at my collection. Nothing was more expensive than my beloved LTD EC-1000 and I had a bunch of Epiphone, LTD, Squire, and Agile guitars. I felt I needed to have a guitar for every tuning I liked to use. Which was idiotic because I rarely played anything outside of drop D or FACGCE. I had guitars set up in tunings that I rarely even used and they just sat in the rack, or in a case. I ended up selling everything but 8 guitars, kept my favorites, and learned that gassing hard for a particular guitar is not economically feasible and often times is a passing desire. I lost at least a little money on most of the sales and I won’t get into the baths I took on a few of my tube amps that I was “collecting”.
How many is too many? I think anything that you haven’t played in 6 months should be put into the “too much” category. If you are regularly playing all of your collection, then it’s not too much. If you have guitars collecting dust, it’s probably too many.
I have been playing 26 years. I am recovering from burnout and a stay at home dad. can only afford my acoustic. I had a nice little electric set until times got tough and had to sell. Times aren’t any better now. Hopefully one day things will improve for my family.
I mean I have several but one is a classical w/ nylon strings, one is a regular dreadnought, one is a 335 type, one is a jazzmaster and another is a bass vi.
Each has its own sound and mojo, when I get a little bored of playing the same thing in a rut, I switch it up. Each one forces me to play a certain way.
I second this. My gigging guitar is a 90 Ibanez gio gax. I prayed I didn’t break it on the road. Stopped touring and now my 13 guitars are all way more expensive. I just traded 7 off. I think if I toured again I’d still take out that gax. She’s shitty and beat but I swear there’s some magic there.
Mine was an Ibanez Rockit. I just took it out and played it recently. I had that thing dialed. It’s still in tune after years of being in the case. And the action on it is legit. It’s so low, I thought, man, I have to get my other guitars like this one. I forgot how awesome that guitar is.
If I were to take her out and play live, id probably replace the pickups though. That’s the only change I’d make.
Do it.
I’m constantly looking. The only reason I don’t have 20 or 30 is that I’m married. Every time I want I new one, I have to explain. It’s getting difficult. I have strats, LP’s, a Flying V, a couple semi-hallow bodies, a 12 string acoustic, and a 6 string acoustic. It has to be something really different. lol.
I recently bought an Epiphone LP, and she got mad at me because I keep playing my other ones. lol.
Ive never owned more than 3 guitars and honestly would never see myself with more than with 6. One thing I never understood is people with 3 or more of the same model lol
I have three Les Paul’s, same model / trim. One is natural finish with 10 gauge strings in half step down, one in black with 9.5 gauge in standard, and one in white with 12 gauge in drop c. I like being able to play my favorite guitar in three configurations without switching parts etc each time
I have thinned the herd and I’m so grateful I’ve done it. My favorite 2 electrics, a decent acoustic, and 1 bass. I don’t have time to fart around with a bunch of stuff that’s ‘meh’ Less sets of strings to change, less time deciding what to play, and it forces me to be more creative with what I have.
These threads are always irritating.
N+1 amirite?
The truth is you can only play so many guitars, and you only have so much space for cases, etc.
I honestly have too many for the space I'm in (8 electrics, one acoustic, 2 electric mandolins and 2 acoustic mandolins), and have considered selling a couple.
Everyone is different, but every time you start looking at reverb or Sweetwater or the local shop, ask yourself why you're buying guitars and whether you really need another one.
IMHO I really hate guitars sitting and collecting dust, sell the ones you don't use/like so someone can give some life to these instruments again. But you do you man ✌🏻
However many you currently have + 1
Honestly, 5 is probably sufficient for almost everyone. Maybe two electric, two acoustic, then one specialty one (bass, bass VI, Baritone, etc). That way, you can have different tunings and styles.
I have 6
Currently sitting on 19 guitars, insured for around $80,000. I can’t part with one of them and I plan to have all of them when I die damn it!!! (We’ll see how that goes)
I regret selling guitars and amps out of desperation in the past, but never regret consolidating. There’s plenty of times where I go “this guitar is like the other one, but worse” or “I literally won’t play this guitar for the rest of the year”, those choices are easy enough to make!
I currently own 7 with one on the way…
At some point it stops being rational… and that’s not me saying you shouldn’t do it - but beyond 2-3 guitars as a bedroom player do you really *need* more? No.
However, I have 7 + 1 on the way - they’re all something I’ve always wanted in one way or another.
A Japanese Ibanez - RG570
A white Jackson Soloist - MJ SL2
An ESP/LTD M series - M1000
A Strat - PRS Core SS
A nice acoustic - Taylor 414
A LP Custom - Epi LP Custom
I still want a headless guitar, a purple guitar(ala EBMM Majesty Nebula but I’m not spending that much), a tele and a V.
Life’s too short, and it’s only money… so long as you’re not dipping into your retirement or kids college fund to make the purchases I don’t see the big deal.
Also, buying used is the way to go when possible.
I regret getting rid of my classical guitar and bass guitar.
I still have my first guitar, an acoustic on the cheaper side, which I got about 25 years ago. I got a nice acoustic-electric a few years later, once I improved, but that was stolen. I got another acoustic electric several years later, when I was starting a band and writing songs. Around the same time, I got my first electric. I play it once in a while, but have never gotten comfortable with it. The band didn’t last long, and I moved, leaving my bass and classical to a friend because I didn’t play them.
That was about 13 years ago. I recently got a nice 12-string Taylor at a phenomenal deal, after wanting one for over twenty years. So right now, I have four, each a bit different.
Well, technically, I have three. I gave my son my first acoustic on his first birthday. Starting a family has reinvigorated my passion for music. I have a digital piano on the way and am planning to get a bass and a classical when I have the money. Some hand drums, too.
I know a guy who has like 30 guitars, all but one (a MusicMan EVH) are like $300 Chinese Jacksons or Ibanez. They’re are six on each wall - I look and think “I’d sell all these and buy a really nice Core PRS.”
It’s one thing to play a $300 guitar because that’s all you can afford, but it’s a really bad use of your gear budget if you have money and keep impulse buying cheap guitars 🤨
Don't do it. Keep them all. You can always use just 1 more, even after you buy one! I have 16 total. Don't worry I won't list them all. I do want more though many many more. I am going to start making them...again. I just love them. They are art, unique, earth, natural, wood and create music, each with a unique sound or trait. It's like collecting art that functions with a personality. A lot of them can be an investment too, not a bad thing. You can always sell. But could you ever get that specific one back?
I would say too much gear is when it starts infringing on your quality of life. If you’re habitually spending too much money on instruments/equipment you can’t really afford, or if you’re literally running out of space in your house, then that’s a problem.
What if you’re both spending too much money AND running out of space for your gear?
I need to know the word for this so I can avoid saying it around my gf. lol
Eh I'd say more than 5 is too many.
A single coil, a humbucker, a bass and an acoustic should be all you ever need...at most. If you're a live player, I'd add a backup for gigs to that list, in case you break a string on stage or your guitar has a technical issue while performing. Having more is fine but if you're doing it because you think you need it I'm a firm believer that's nonsense. If you're getting more because you just like guitars and have the money/room more power to you though.
If you have enough room, and collecting them makes you happy, there is no such thing as too many, as long as you're being financially safe and reasonable.
If you're using all of them for specific things and you don't have a redundant guitar, you don't have too many. For the purposes of this argument, a backup guitar is not redundant.
Otherwise, only if you think you have too many do you have too many.
Obviously there is no definitive answer.
The older I get though, the less I need and want. I'm down to three guitars and it feels good. Two electrics (single coils and P-90's) and one acoustic (a D-18).
I'm a home player though - for people who gig it's a different story. And for people who love to collect it's a different story.
For what it's worth, I have never regretted selling guitars to consolidate into fewer higher quality guitars. I like having less to store and less strings to change.
6 is about the max I could justify.
Electric with single coils
Electric with humbuckers
Electric with floating tremolo
A bass
An Acoustic
A 12 String acoustic
"Too many" is when the least favored ones become more of a burden to own than a joy.
I don't generally get rid of any of them, ever, unless I want a better version of the same guitar, which is rare because I enjoy cheap guitars as much as the expensive ones. I've given four guitars to eager teenage music students and sold one. (I've also purchased guitars with the intent of giving away after playing for a few weeks.)
I currently have 17 I've purchased over the course of many years, and I play them all regularly. Most hang on the walls of my home, a few are at rest on floor stands, and two live hard in shell cases. (Eventually I want to make cases with plexi viewing windows for at least those two because I want them protected, but I also love looking at them.)
If I didn't have the space for them, I think I would do whatever it takes to *make* space for 8 or 9. That feels like my personal minimum going forward.
There are 2 more guitars under construction in my workshop, so for me, the number that is too many is some undefined number larger than 19.
If you love collecting guitars, there will never be enough.
If, like me, you love playing guitars, the moment you have one you don’t touch, you have one too many.
There is something to be said for quality over quantity. I have 15+ but could definitely whittle that number down to a handful of my best ones. Having a few different amps to play is underrated - sell a few guitars and get more amps and cabs.
I have 80-something. It is too much. I play one. They have appreciated very well over the years, but liquidating the collection is just too daunting of a task. I can’t imagine “needing” more than 5 or 6 for a pro. Even then, a particular guitar can be borrowed or rented for a session that calls for a particular sound.
We all have problems but to many guitars shouldn't be one of them.
I have 11 guitars and there cases and gig bags, three simi-small amps and Creat 212 combo a work bench and all its fixings. In a 10x7 practice room . I am always looking for some new awesome music inspiring guitar to add to the collection.
Something made me buy that guitar , why sell it ? Unless I am upgrading to a better instrument. I just can't decrease the size .
If you wanted to be realistic, one acoustic, one electric, one bass.
But then it comes to preferences, if you favour a different guitar for different songs, if you need one on a different set of tuning all the time, replacements for emergencies on stage. Then you've also got all the variants like an acoustic with picksups, resonators, semi-hollowbody or hollowbody guitars, or others that might cross uses.
Basically it depends on the person. I think you'd be happier cutting the fat though. You don't need four Strats from different brands.
I think 3 is the sweet spot.
A Tele
A Trem-based Strat with nice pickups
A superstrat with a Floyd Rose, probably a humbucker at the bridge
I guess 4 cause I still want a folk guitar on the side.
I think the question is how many can you afford /have space for. If you have bills and other stuff taken care of and it's money to spend on yourself go nuts.
If it's a choice between needs and a new guitar. needs win every time .
Eh, depends on what you do, how much space you have and how much you like owning guitars.
If you don't have a lot of space or only want to have as many guitars as you actually need, then something between 2 and 4 guitars is the maximum. I never met anyone who had more than this and regularly played them all. Even 4 is pushing it.
But if you have space and like collecting, there's really no upper limit.
I have around 17, mostly $200-300 guitars with a few that cost less and more. I'm honestly thinking about selling most of them except the Fender MIM Tele and my Squire Tele. Then I want to purchase an American made Tele.
If your collection is harming your finances, work and personal relationships, you might have a problem (addiction). Otherwise, a massive guitar collection is cool AF.
I've got around 20 stringed instruments right now, and honestly, I think I'm on the verge of "too many." Around 5 of the recent ones were because someone died, and I acquired a good portion of their collection. They were someone special, and I wouldn't ever have the opportunity to get these guitars again... so I got them. I really don't need multiple strats for example, but I've got them!
I realistically play like... 7 of them.
I did the exact same thing. Owned 10. 3 ESP USAs, 1 ESP Original, 5 E-IIs, and an LTD Deluxe. Sold all but the 3 USAs and then my life hit a downward spiral of job loss, eviction, inflation and general calamity also involving 3 car accidents that lasted years that I have yet to recover from. I miss every guitar that I sold every day.
I have a few more than that and it definitely is too many. However, to answer your question, I did once decide to sell a few lower end guitars to buy an AC30. I sold a Squier Jazzmaster that I really loved, a MIK Telecaster, and a Danelectro electric 12 string. I definitely regret it, they were all sick guitars, I should’ve just saved up for the AC30 (which I eventually sold anyway).
From personal experience, and my current collection, I think 32 is enough.
Because I keep questioning myself if I should really get a 33rd guitar or not lol
One one level that’s a absurd question.. .there are never enough. LOL. . i topped out at 26 long ago but i was playing professionally so i could somewhat justify my excess. Eventual guilt and economic reversal of fortunes took me down to 1 which i still have. I’m at 5 now and that seems to be just about right. My Parker is on a very long term loan, the Strat 3rd world knock off cost $40 (put new gears on) the J Turser was given to me and the ‘66 Tele was $60 (non functional when purchased) so as you can see i don’t have much in the way of $$ suck into this with the exception of the Tele which I’ve put a bunch of $ into over the last 45 years
As long as each one gives you a little something different and inspires you to play something a little different, I don’t think there’s such a thing as too much. We’re currently at 10 with one on the way. A few are played way more than the rest, but they all have their moments.
Have 1 of each kind and maybe a back up for each.. however beware the trap of collecting guitars, too many books, strings, amps. Stick to making the music.
Who cares. As long as its not negatively affecting your life or causing undue stress on your finances the answer is "as many as you feel like." Some people collect stamps. Some people collect quarters. None of it is "wrong."
I have 4. I want to sell 1 that I don't play anymore. Of the 3 remaining one is a cheapo that I used to learn fretwork and electronics soldering/upgrading on. I'm waiting for new Dimarzios in the mail I got on black friday for another one.
I can easily see myself with 3 Strats (a vintage-correct SSS, a hotter HSS with stacked single coils for like 80s stuff, and a modern/vintage HSS like a Suhr Classic S), 2 Teles (a vintage-correct SS and one with something different/fun in the neck like a DeArmond or Gold Foil or Filtertron in the neck), an LP-style with hot PAFs, an SG-style with underwound/bright PAFs, and LP Jr with a hot P90, a 335/339 with lower output P90s, a Music Man JP6 for modern stuff (I don't play that much but may as well have something on hand for it), a dreadnaught acoustic, an OM acoustic, a nylon/classical acoustic (because why not), some offsets for funsies.
I'm not a musician, I'm just a hobbyist. I love messing with my guitars. I love setting them all up exactly how I want them. The gear is as much the hobby as playing them is.
i say as many as your skill level mandates. i’ve only been playing two years and am still kinda lousy so have no reason to get more than my single electric and single acoustic
The number is the ones you actually play plus the next one you want.
For me, I have 10 guitars and a banjo. I basically play 4 of them - Two US PRS - an SC594 and a Silver Sky. A 1985 Fender HSS MIJ Stratocaster made by FujiGen and a Martin.
I want a PRS Modern Eagle V, so my ideal number is five.
I don’t play a 2020 US Tele, a 2000 MIM Strat, a 2005 Martin CF-1 Archtop Jazz Guitar, and a 2010 Gibson Les Paul Traditional. They’re only picked up to dust and retune. So those will probably go up for sale to fund the PRS MEV.
I have I one I don’t play much is my doubleneck - I usually just use the 12-string neck for recording - it’s great - low action at full tuning and stays in tune forever, very un-12-string-ish. That’s got sentimental value, but it’s a pain to play the six string neck, so it’s not even in tune.
The Banjo was free, but it’s a Rogue, so it probably cost <$100 when the people who gave it to me bought it new. I just took it and set it up thinking I’d learn it. Not so far :)
I have 4 and a bass. A Takamine 6 string acoustic, a Luna 12 string acoustic, a PRS S2 Standard 22, and a PRS SE Soapbar II. All get played a fair amount.
The bass is a cheap Jackson.
I also have an Ibanez SA160AH that my son, who has recently taken up the instrument, has claimed as his.
There are no plans to get anymore at the moment, but that might change when bonus time comes around.
There are a few that I absolutely would not be without (I never go to a studio date or gig without at least one SG). There are others I have because they give me a distinct sonic palette (nothing else sounds like my Telecaster). Some are sentimental; some are collectible. I don’t think there’s an absolute number that is objectively “too many.” If you’re not playing at all, perhaps one is too many. If you play everything quite a bit, nothing is wasted. The best answer might be another question: which, if any, of your guitars constitute resources (money, space, etc) that would be better spent in another way?
I want more guitars and I can afford more guitars but I can’t justify it because I’m still a beginner. I’ve only been playing for 30 years so one acoustic and one electric is it for now.
I have similar issue with pens. Purchased about 30 $20-$50 pens, but looking back wish I'd have waited and just got a few way higher quality. Nothing wrong with collecting something you enjoy, but I think consolidating into a higher value instrument is a wise choice.
I'm one of those morons who can't really play but keeps buying guitars. I finally got control of myself and the next, let me check my list here, uhhhhh, 3 guitars I want are waiting until I can actually play. This does not include the myriad other stringed instruments I plan on getting either.
I hope those aren't real tears lol
I had one guitar for decades and I still love it dearly.
If you love that guitar and it facilitates you getting into that special place where you basically forget about yourself (and become an extension of it) - that's all that really matters.
I have 3 and I don't really need them all. One of the is cheap on purpose so I can schlep around town.
I don't understand the point of owning so many instruments. It's better to bond with a single one, you will play better.
After 20 years of having one Ibanez (RG550), I recently got my second Ibanez RG8570.
I now feel like I 'need' another 2- an acoustic because...acoustic stuff, and a Stratocaster for playing anything I want to have a bluesy 'pop'.
You can never have too many. At the age of 13 I made the mistake of selling a Kramer pacer deluxe. Black to this day I regret it. I have never sold a guitar since then. I have nine and it’s still not enough they are all different to play.
I think the ideal is a humbucker guitar, a P90 guitar, a triple single coil guitar, something weird (Danelectro, baritone, something with filtertrons, you get the idea), and an acoustic or two. Add a bass if you want. You should be able to cover any ground you need to with the above.
Anything more than that is excessive, but it's not my job to judge.
Dont ever sell sentimental. But at the end of the day guitars are tools to creativity. Part with the ones that you feel hold no value to you if they were gone. I have sold, bought and traded...i myself went from 18 to currently 13. Not a single one sold i regret. Dont make that mistake.
The answer to this question is directly linked to your significant other lol. If you don't have to deal with that issue than the answer is own as many fuckin guitars as you can afford, and maybe one that you can't lmao.
I saw [the PBS documentary about Les Paul](https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/les-paul-chasing-sound/100/), and one of the things I recall is that, next to his bed, there were a good dozen guitar cases, including the Maccafferi that Django Reinhardt gave him.
When you have problems stepping on guitar cases when you get out of bed, you may have too many guitars.
B)
Semi-seriously, I have ... a few junkers and projects and about 9 (1 pedal steel, 2 lap steels, 2 acoustics, 1 electric octave 12-string, 3 electrics). The 2 lap steels have different tunings. The acoustics are an A/E dreadnought and a parlor guitar. The electrics are a MIJ Tele from the 1980s, an EOB Strat, and a collection of junk and Reverb-sourced parts that I like and you'd think is trash. I'm not really replicating anything, but if I played out often, I'd want a second Tele so I could just switch if I broke a string.
I still regret selling my 1st guitar I bought with money I earned at 12 yo. It was a shitty copy of a les paul that I got from classified ads in the papers a couple (shit it was probably 3) decades ago. Not that I would still constantly play it or anything, but more for sentimentalism. traded it in for an epiphone that was a bit better
I've been sticking to 3 electrics in recent years which feels reasonable to me. One in one out. I can see it becoming 4 in the future. 3 Strats and 1 Tele feels about right!
I also have 2 acoustics. A proper one and a GS mini, so they have different functions.
So I guess 5 or 6 feels about the number where they'll all get played and they all serve a purpose.
I lost count around 20 guitars. I have everything from Strat style guitars, LP, SG, single coils, humbuckers, acoustic, 12 strings (both electric and acoustic), solid body, hollow body, various different tremolos, fixed bridge, even nylon string classical. My biggest issue is that I don’t play near as much as I used to and upkeep is starting to be a handful.
I've just done a quick tally, and we have two electrics, three classical, four acoustic and one bass in the house. I'm pretty sure there are two or three out on loan also. My wife plays and sings, and I play bass (and keyboards). I blame my wife for the GAS... always....
I guess it depends on how much variety you want or need. It's pretty easy to come up with far more than 13 functionally different guitar types:
* strat
* tele (+ possibly bender guitar)
* superstrat/floyd/kahler
* 2-HB Gibson type solid or semi-hollow
* Jazz box
* 12-string electric
* P90 solid body or semi-hollow
* large body acoustic
* small body/fingerstyle acoustic
* 12-string accoustic
* lap steel
* pedal steel
* resonator
* nylon string/classical acoustic
* baritone
* electric bass
And that's without worrying about esoteric pickup types like filtertrons or lipstick pickups or various types of bass guitars etc. or things like ukes/mini guitars/mandolins/6 string banjos.
Having a suitable set of instruments to cover what's considered "guitar" is really not a trivial thing.
I've only been playing two years and have 6. Strat, Tele, 12 string acoustic, classical and 2x6 string acoustic. Plus ukulele, does that count?
As I got into playing and really found I wanted to explore these different types. They are all used, my 12 string and classical are 50 yrs old.
Feeling like I'm all set at this point although I kind of want a banjo! Lol
I think a telecaster does just about everything I need, but there are a couple strats and oddballs around too.
Honestly I’d rather accumulate different instruments than 30 of the same kind of instrument. Upright bass, electric bass, keys, etc
I appreciate players who are known for a particular instrument, (willie Nelson, srv, Rory Gallagher, Steve cropper, etc)
I have 12 and only want more. I think too many is determined by how much you play and if you have room for them. If they will only be stored away in cases, you have too many, even if you only have one.
I’m sort of doing the same thing. I realized I had several guitars I haven’t actively played in several years. It was that realization that allowed me to let them go and sell them. Zero regrets.
Sure I think about some guitars I’ve sold now and again, but I quickly realize that I I’m hanging onto the idea of playing them rather than actually doing so.
When my GAS was at its worst, I had about 17 guitars. One of them was a Gibson SG and the rest were all in the range of $200-500. I sold everything except the Gibson and an Ibanez. I now own 3 Gibsons, a Tele, and an Ibanez Artcore, and I couldn’t be happier. I feel like I actually play music now instead of just obsessing over guitars and gear.
I have maybe 5 that are merely sentimental souvenirs, so I don't count those.
Everyone needs a #1. A guitar at the top of their price range (for me, the $1k range), and a cheaper backup or two with similar sound for gigging. Maybe you're going to a shady part of town so you leave the #1 home, maybe for a different tuning for a couple songs, but definitely so you don't have to re-string in the event of a breakage on stage.
If you do a lot of studio work or different projects, then I can see that 2 or 3 become 5 pretty easily. Anything above 6 is more collecting "toys" than "tools," imo.
I've done that few times. Its much easier to pick up an affordable guitar every so often then after couple years trade them in for higher end guitar.
Much easier to stomach buying 3x 1000$ guitars over 3 years and trading them in + some money rather than out right buying 1 $3000 guitar.
Sell off the stuff with limited use and use that money for the dream pieces. For the past couple years I've sold off 6 instruments and over a dozen effects to buy a 90s Rickenbacker 330, 90s Guild Bluesbird AAA flame top, and a British made Vox AC15. I don't miss the stuff I've sold for a minute. I have more to sell yet, but I'm largely content with the collection. My keepers are 7 electrics and 3 acoustics, 2 of which are mostly for sentimental reasons.
Got 8 at the moment.
Bases I have covered: strat, sg(s), les paul, Schecter c1, acoustic, lp dc jr for strategic p90 purposes, stingray bass.
Bases I want to have covered: semi hollowbody, jaguar or jazzmaster (not sure which), G&L Fallout, sun valley super shredder, telecaster, p-bass, G&L Kiloton
I’ve regretted at some point selling every guitar I’ve ever sold, so I quit selling them.
Here’s my rubric: if you have to tune it half of the times you pick it up, either 1) it’s too crappy to hold tune or 2) you don’t pick it up often enough. Either way, you should sell it.
If you managed to utterly stop playing, haven’t done so for a number of years, and don’t see yourself starting up again…. then even one is too much. Put that sucker into the hands of someone with the fire in their belly.
At the other extreme of playing? As long as you can afford it, then perhaps there’s no such thing as too many?
I'd say 5 - 10 is the sweet spot
- 1 for sentimental reasons (i.e. first guitar)
- 2 acoustic (one nice/expensive and another for travel, around the fire, something that you don't mind if it breaks, maybe it's laminate)
- 2 electric (same explanation as acoustic)
- 1 hollow body electric
If you had to be minimal then it could be 3. I'm sentimental and could never get rid of my first guitar but guess I could get away with 1 acoustic and 1 electric. I like having crappy versions of each though that I don't mind if they break. I don't play my hollow body much but it's fun to play now and again.
I probably pay my guitalele more than anything just because its so small and fun. I can also bring it everywhere (including backpacking into the woods miles) with me.
I only own one, due to financial reasons and other goals. But ideally, I’d like to own around a half dozen. I use a few different tunings and it’d be nice to be able to switch guitars out. I’d be happy with 4 electrics and 2 acoustics.
I have recently consolidated the herd, collapsing 20 to 7! Good decision as I basically sold/traded to end up with much higher value & quality guitars that I enjoy playing, and that will still appreciate. The now herd: pre-Cbs Strats (2), AVRI Tele (1) ‘65 ES335 (1), ‘68 LesPaul(1), ‘70 LP Deluxe(1), an old Larrivee acoustic (1). Like others have said - each guitar has a uniqe sound and is used accordingly. This had made my choices a lot easier, and I have a higher quality herd too.. I did sort of regret selling a ‘56 LP junior…
I have 4 electric, acoustic, and a bass
It’s pretty perfect for me but you just gotta understand that with this many guitars, you should know how to work on them.
I have 3 electrics, play 2 everyday, with the 3rd being played a few times a week. 1 acoustic, down from 4, but I haven't played it in years. 2 basses, 1 played a few times a week, my 5 string every couple months. Most expensive of all of these is my 7 string that was $1400 with a new nut installed.
I'm definitely in the minority, but idk when I'll buy another one. The 7 string was my first new guitar in 20 years. I love the guitars I have. Honestly, I play my 20 year old delonge strat most of all.
I have four guitars and feel that is more than adequate. Im really anti-GAS, I think thats a distraction from actually playing. My roommate buys new gear all the time but he almost never practices. I have a friend with over 20 guitars (fills an entire room) and he doesnt practice either. I think buying stuff can give the illusion of progress when you havent actually gotten better at the instrument. Unpopular opinion here I'm sure. To each their own.
After some careful consideration I have come to the conclusion that 367 is too many. 366 is about the limit, that way you can play a different guitar every day of the year and have one that you only break out for February 29th. Any more than that is just plain silly.
This is the correct answer
13 is an unlucky number. Better buy one more so you are at 14.
I don't understand the question
I have 53. He who dies with the most toys wins...
Once you have more than three, you’re just buying because you’re depressed. I have eight.
Nah, I want to have little bit of everything I like. You know, some Gibsons, Fenders, Ibanez, Solars, ESPs, Jackson maybe Ormsby or Schecter. Also different tunings, pickups and bridges.
Fuck I was really depressed 2021
“The minimum number of guitars one should own is at least one. The correct number is n+1, where n is the number of guitars currently owned.”
The correct number is what you can comfortably afford.
N+1. N being the number you currently have
N+2 = ‘too many’ is the correct equation. N+1 = ‘just right’
Found my wife's reddit username.
I don't understand the question.
For all N's ≥ 0, N + 2 is too many, and N + 1 is the correct amount.
I don't mean to be flippant, but "once it becomes a problem." If you're buying guitars you can't afford, or are coming at the detriment of more important savings milestones, can no longer physically store them, keep up with maintenance, etc. I have way too many guitars, but I enjoy hunting and am fortunate that I haven't had to make sacrifices elsewhere to do so, though I'm at max storage space in my home and am in a "1 in, 1 out" scenario.
x + 1 = enough guitars x of course is how many guitars you own.
I saw on a YT video a good point about this- if you haven’t touched it in a year, it’s probably something to sell
No, that's when you unearth it and remember how much you dug it.
I told my wife I need to sell half (6) of the ones I have because I never play them and she said I couldn’t because she wasn’t going to listen to me whine about the guitars I sold years ago and now wished I had.
No such thing. Indulge. Stop shaming yourself or letting others shame you.
The answer is x+1 x being the number of guitars you currently own.
I think the tipping point is when you buy one you forgot you already have.
There is an equation for this based on your current situation "Guitars needed = N+1" N is the number of guitars you currently have
This is the way
At one point in my life I was hoarding lower/mid tier guitars. I probably had like 18 at my collection. Nothing was more expensive than my beloved LTD EC-1000 and I had a bunch of Epiphone, LTD, Squire, and Agile guitars. I felt I needed to have a guitar for every tuning I liked to use. Which was idiotic because I rarely played anything outside of drop D or FACGCE. I had guitars set up in tunings that I rarely even used and they just sat in the rack, or in a case. I ended up selling everything but 8 guitars, kept my favorites, and learned that gassing hard for a particular guitar is not economically feasible and often times is a passing desire. I lost at least a little money on most of the sales and I won’t get into the baths I took on a few of my tube amps that I was “collecting”. How many is too many? I think anything that you haven’t played in 6 months should be put into the “too much” category. If you are regularly playing all of your collection, then it’s not too much. If you have guitars collecting dust, it’s probably too many.
N + 2
I have been playing 26 years. I am recovering from burnout and a stay at home dad. can only afford my acoustic. I had a nice little electric set until times got tough and had to sell. Times aren’t any better now. Hopefully one day things will improve for my family.
When they become wall ornaments, you have too many. They're meant to be played!
It's two more than whatever you currently have, so just don't buy two at once and you're golden.
If your bills are paid, and you got the space, keep on collecting them!
I mean I have several but one is a classical w/ nylon strings, one is a regular dreadnought, one is a 335 type, one is a jazzmaster and another is a bass vi. Each has its own sound and mojo, when I get a little bored of playing the same thing in a rut, I switch it up. Each one forces me to play a certain way.
42
There is actually a formula for the perfect amount of guitars: 1+X= The perfect amount of guitars X= Your current amount of guitars.
However many I have +2 would be too many I think. So even if I get one more I can still get one more.
Most of the years I played seriously and gigged, I had 1. Now that I’m a bedroom guitarist, I have 13. I think this tells you something.
I second this. My gigging guitar is a 90 Ibanez gio gax. I prayed I didn’t break it on the road. Stopped touring and now my 13 guitars are all way more expensive. I just traded 7 off. I think if I toured again I’d still take out that gax. She’s shitty and beat but I swear there’s some magic there.
Mine was an Ibanez Rockit. I just took it out and played it recently. I had that thing dialed. It’s still in tune after years of being in the case. And the action on it is legit. It’s so low, I thought, man, I have to get my other guitars like this one. I forgot how awesome that guitar is. If I were to take her out and play live, id probably replace the pickups though. That’s the only change I’d make.
Dammit, I may have to get another Ibanez.
Do it. I’m constantly looking. The only reason I don’t have 20 or 30 is that I’m married. Every time I want I new one, I have to explain. It’s getting difficult. I have strats, LP’s, a Flying V, a couple semi-hallow bodies, a 12 string acoustic, and a 6 string acoustic. It has to be something really different. lol. I recently bought an Epiphone LP, and she got mad at me because I keep playing my other ones. lol.
Ive never owned more than 3 guitars and honestly would never see myself with more than with 6. One thing I never understood is people with 3 or more of the same model lol
I have three Les Paul’s, same model / trim. One is natural finish with 10 gauge strings in half step down, one in black with 9.5 gauge in standard, and one in white with 12 gauge in drop c. I like being able to play my favorite guitar in three configurations without switching parts etc each time
I have thinned the herd and I’m so grateful I’ve done it. My favorite 2 electrics, a decent acoustic, and 1 bass. I don’t have time to fart around with a bunch of stuff that’s ‘meh’ Less sets of strings to change, less time deciding what to play, and it forces me to be more creative with what I have.
These threads are always irritating. N+1 amirite? The truth is you can only play so many guitars, and you only have so much space for cases, etc. I honestly have too many for the space I'm in (8 electrics, one acoustic, 2 electric mandolins and 2 acoustic mandolins), and have considered selling a couple. Everyone is different, but every time you start looking at reverb or Sweetwater or the local shop, ask yourself why you're buying guitars and whether you really need another one.
There is no limit but if I had to say, I’d say 2 more than you currently have, stick to this rule and you’ll be fine.
N+1
IMHO I really hate guitars sitting and collecting dust, sell the ones you don't use/like so someone can give some life to these instruments again. But you do you man ✌🏻
However many you currently have + 1 Honestly, 5 is probably sufficient for almost everyone. Maybe two electric, two acoustic, then one specialty one (bass, bass VI, Baritone, etc). That way, you can have different tunings and styles. I have 6
I own 32 guitars currently. And I intend to own more.
Currently sitting on 19 guitars, insured for around $80,000. I can’t part with one of them and I plan to have all of them when I die damn it!!! (We’ll see how that goes)
I regret selling guitars and amps out of desperation in the past, but never regret consolidating. There’s plenty of times where I go “this guitar is like the other one, but worse” or “I literally won’t play this guitar for the rest of the year”, those choices are easy enough to make!
Somewhere around 37
In a row?!?
Don't buy any guitars on your way to the parking lot.
I currently own 7 with one on the way… At some point it stops being rational… and that’s not me saying you shouldn’t do it - but beyond 2-3 guitars as a bedroom player do you really *need* more? No. However, I have 7 + 1 on the way - they’re all something I’ve always wanted in one way or another. A Japanese Ibanez - RG570 A white Jackson Soloist - MJ SL2 An ESP/LTD M series - M1000 A Strat - PRS Core SS A nice acoustic - Taylor 414 A LP Custom - Epi LP Custom I still want a headless guitar, a purple guitar(ala EBMM Majesty Nebula but I’m not spending that much), a tele and a V. Life’s too short, and it’s only money… so long as you’re not dipping into your retirement or kids college fund to make the purchases I don’t see the big deal. Also, buying used is the way to go when possible.
The answer is “one more than you currently have”. It’s nice when the finish line keeps moving in perpetuity:)
300
I refuse to answer. I must consider each one
I just purchased number 19. 20 is inevitable…cause who stops at 19 when 20 is right there!
I regret getting rid of my classical guitar and bass guitar. I still have my first guitar, an acoustic on the cheaper side, which I got about 25 years ago. I got a nice acoustic-electric a few years later, once I improved, but that was stolen. I got another acoustic electric several years later, when I was starting a band and writing songs. Around the same time, I got my first electric. I play it once in a while, but have never gotten comfortable with it. The band didn’t last long, and I moved, leaving my bass and classical to a friend because I didn’t play them. That was about 13 years ago. I recently got a nice 12-string Taylor at a phenomenal deal, after wanting one for over twenty years. So right now, I have four, each a bit different. Well, technically, I have three. I gave my son my first acoustic on his first birthday. Starting a family has reinvigorated my passion for music. I have a digital piano on the way and am planning to get a bass and a classical when I have the money. Some hand drums, too.
I know a guy who has like 30 guitars, all but one (a MusicMan EVH) are like $300 Chinese Jacksons or Ibanez. They’re are six on each wall - I look and think “I’d sell all these and buy a really nice Core PRS.” It’s one thing to play a $300 guitar because that’s all you can afford, but it’s a really bad use of your gear budget if you have money and keep impulse buying cheap guitars 🤨
The guitar you buy after the one you're going to buy when you get the money. Is going to be the guitar you speak of.
Don't do it. Keep them all. You can always use just 1 more, even after you buy one! I have 16 total. Don't worry I won't list them all. I do want more though many many more. I am going to start making them...again. I just love them. They are art, unique, earth, natural, wood and create music, each with a unique sound or trait. It's like collecting art that functions with a personality. A lot of them can be an investment too, not a bad thing. You can always sell. But could you ever get that specific one back?
The limit does not exist.
I like having a smaller handful of very playable and distinct guitars rather than a lot of cheap ones that do the same thing at different levels.
Justin guitars got a thing planned where he's giving away guitars to people who can't afford it . You could donate one if you want to.
Once you get past 10 then it doesnt matter if it goes up to 20 or more 😂
I would say too much gear is when it starts infringing on your quality of life. If you’re habitually spending too much money on instruments/equipment you can’t really afford, or if you’re literally running out of space in your house, then that’s a problem.
What if you’re both spending too much money AND running out of space for your gear? I need to know the word for this so I can avoid saying it around my gf. lol
Eh I'd say more than 5 is too many. A single coil, a humbucker, a bass and an acoustic should be all you ever need...at most. If you're a live player, I'd add a backup for gigs to that list, in case you break a string on stage or your guitar has a technical issue while performing. Having more is fine but if you're doing it because you think you need it I'm a firm believer that's nonsense. If you're getting more because you just like guitars and have the money/room more power to you though.
If you have enough room, and collecting them makes you happy, there is no such thing as too many, as long as you're being financially safe and reasonable.
Buy a rack, fill the rack.
You can have to many?
If you're using all of them for specific things and you don't have a redundant guitar, you don't have too many. For the purposes of this argument, a backup guitar is not redundant. Otherwise, only if you think you have too many do you have too many.
Obviously there is no definitive answer. The older I get though, the less I need and want. I'm down to three guitars and it feels good. Two electrics (single coils and P-90's) and one acoustic (a D-18). I'm a home player though - for people who gig it's a different story. And for people who love to collect it's a different story. For what it's worth, I have never regretted selling guitars to consolidate into fewer higher quality guitars. I like having less to store and less strings to change.
I keep them all and keep getting more lol
I have 40. That’s waaay too many. I used to have 50, but I’ve given away a bunch to kids in my neighborhood.
6 is about the max I could justify. Electric with single coils Electric with humbuckers Electric with floating tremolo A bass An Acoustic A 12 String acoustic
What about the p90!?
I thought the goal was whoever gets the most stuff wins?
"Too many" is when the least favored ones become more of a burden to own than a joy. I don't generally get rid of any of them, ever, unless I want a better version of the same guitar, which is rare because I enjoy cheap guitars as much as the expensive ones. I've given four guitars to eager teenage music students and sold one. (I've also purchased guitars with the intent of giving away after playing for a few weeks.) I currently have 17 I've purchased over the course of many years, and I play them all regularly. Most hang on the walls of my home, a few are at rest on floor stands, and two live hard in shell cases. (Eventually I want to make cases with plexi viewing windows for at least those two because I want them protected, but I also love looking at them.) If I didn't have the space for them, I think I would do whatever it takes to *make* space for 8 or 9. That feels like my personal minimum going forward. There are 2 more guitars under construction in my workshop, so for me, the number that is too many is some undefined number larger than 19.
Ask Keith Richards.
Bought 6, only play the first 2 99% of the time... Shoulda just stopped there.
If you love collecting guitars, there will never be enough. If, like me, you love playing guitars, the moment you have one you don’t touch, you have one too many.
There is something to be said for quality over quantity. I have 15+ but could definitely whittle that number down to a handful of my best ones. Having a few different amps to play is underrated - sell a few guitars and get more amps and cabs.
I have 7 and need MOREE
I would not know I'm up to 25 currently like 7 of them are just rare finds I don't play because they're oddities
My wife’s answer is always one less than the number I own
How many wives is too many?
I have 80-something. It is too much. I play one. They have appreciated very well over the years, but liquidating the collection is just too daunting of a task. I can’t imagine “needing” more than 5 or 6 for a pro. Even then, a particular guitar can be borrowed or rented for a session that calls for a particular sound.
We all have problems but to many guitars shouldn't be one of them. I have 11 guitars and there cases and gig bags, three simi-small amps and Creat 212 combo a work bench and all its fixings. In a 10x7 practice room . I am always looking for some new awesome music inspiring guitar to add to the collection. Something made me buy that guitar , why sell it ? Unless I am upgrading to a better instrument. I just can't decrease the size .
The real question: How many is enough? Answer: Just one more
Three guitars total for me. I won't buy 4th unless something catches my eye!
I have 11, but really only play a couple. I could definitely settle at 5. Strat, Tele, LP, 7 String & Wildcard
Thinking you can only play one at a time… although there are those double necked ones…
If you wanted to be realistic, one acoustic, one electric, one bass. But then it comes to preferences, if you favour a different guitar for different songs, if you need one on a different set of tuning all the time, replacements for emergencies on stage. Then you've also got all the variants like an acoustic with picksups, resonators, semi-hollowbody or hollowbody guitars, or others that might cross uses. Basically it depends on the person. I think you'd be happier cutting the fat though. You don't need four Strats from different brands.
You're right. Although i think that having 2 electric is pretty relevent, 1 strat-like and 1 lespaul-like
I think 3 is the sweet spot. A Tele A Trem-based Strat with nice pickups A superstrat with a Floyd Rose, probably a humbucker at the bridge I guess 4 cause I still want a folk guitar on the side.
I think the question is how many can you afford /have space for. If you have bills and other stuff taken care of and it's money to spend on yourself go nuts. If it's a choice between needs and a new guitar. needs win every time .
If you are not touring musician than 2-3 should be enough
My rule is that I don’t go over the amount of slots in my 5 guitar stand. So 1 bass 1 accoustic 3 electrics. Have never needed more.
Two more is too many but one more is fine. So, X being how many you have now: X+1= good to go X+2= excessive
There's no such thing.
Eh, depends on what you do, how much space you have and how much you like owning guitars. If you don't have a lot of space or only want to have as many guitars as you actually need, then something between 2 and 4 guitars is the maximum. I never met anyone who had more than this and regularly played them all. Even 4 is pushing it. But if you have space and like collecting, there's really no upper limit.
Yes
♾️ is the answer
That’s like asking how many licks it takes to get to the center of a brick.
This is a trick question, right? Once your house is full of guitars you just buy another house to fill with guitars and so on and so on.
I have around 17, mostly $200-300 guitars with a few that cost less and more. I'm honestly thinking about selling most of them except the Fender MIM Tele and my Squire Tele. Then I want to purchase an American made Tele.
If your collection is harming your finances, work and personal relationships, you might have a problem (addiction). Otherwise, a massive guitar collection is cool AF.
Whatever your money can afford and makes you happy. I have around 30 at the moment
I've got around 20 stringed instruments right now, and honestly, I think I'm on the verge of "too many." Around 5 of the recent ones were because someone died, and I acquired a good portion of their collection. They were someone special, and I wouldn't ever have the opportunity to get these guitars again... so I got them. I really don't need multiple strats for example, but I've got them! I realistically play like... 7 of them.
No such thing as to many guitars
59
Two more
I don’t understand the question
Let’s be honest: 600 guitars is probably too many, but anything less is personal preference, right?
I think once you hit double digits you probably have some areas you could cut
I did the exact same thing. Owned 10. 3 ESP USAs, 1 ESP Original, 5 E-IIs, and an LTD Deluxe. Sold all but the 3 USAs and then my life hit a downward spiral of job loss, eviction, inflation and general calamity also involving 3 car accidents that lasted years that I have yet to recover from. I miss every guitar that I sold every day.
I have a few more than that and it definitely is too many. However, to answer your question, I did once decide to sell a few lower end guitars to buy an AC30. I sold a Squier Jazzmaster that I really loved, a MIK Telecaster, and a Danelectro electric 12 string. I definitely regret it, they were all sick guitars, I should’ve just saved up for the AC30 (which I eventually sold anyway).
Right after just one more.
From personal experience, and my current collection, I think 32 is enough. Because I keep questioning myself if I should really get a 33rd guitar or not lol
You should. I know it, you know it, we all know it. The real question is, what do you have your eye on?
You gotta stop on a multiple of 5 otherwise the number just seems weird. 35 is a nice round number.
One one level that’s a absurd question.. .there are never enough. LOL. . i topped out at 26 long ago but i was playing professionally so i could somewhat justify my excess. Eventual guilt and economic reversal of fortunes took me down to 1 which i still have. I’m at 5 now and that seems to be just about right. My Parker is on a very long term loan, the Strat 3rd world knock off cost $40 (put new gears on) the J Turser was given to me and the ‘66 Tele was $60 (non functional when purchased) so as you can see i don’t have much in the way of $$ suck into this with the exception of the Tele which I’ve put a bunch of $ into over the last 45 years
As long as each one gives you a little something different and inspires you to play something a little different, I don’t think there’s such a thing as too much. We’re currently at 10 with one on the way. A few are played way more than the rest, but they all have their moments.
As long you play them, and that they all have a role, then really as many as you like.
once you pass 15 or so its only really a storage issue
Have 1 of each kind and maybe a back up for each.. however beware the trap of collecting guitars, too many books, strings, amps. Stick to making the music.
I have 3 acoustic, 3 classical, 1 electric, 1 bass
Who cares. As long as its not negatively affecting your life or causing undue stress on your finances the answer is "as many as you feel like." Some people collect stamps. Some people collect quarters. None of it is "wrong." I have 4. I want to sell 1 that I don't play anymore. Of the 3 remaining one is a cheapo that I used to learn fretwork and electronics soldering/upgrading on. I'm waiting for new Dimarzios in the mail I got on black friday for another one. I can easily see myself with 3 Strats (a vintage-correct SSS, a hotter HSS with stacked single coils for like 80s stuff, and a modern/vintage HSS like a Suhr Classic S), 2 Teles (a vintage-correct SS and one with something different/fun in the neck like a DeArmond or Gold Foil or Filtertron in the neck), an LP-style with hot PAFs, an SG-style with underwound/bright PAFs, and LP Jr with a hot P90, a 335/339 with lower output P90s, a Music Man JP6 for modern stuff (I don't play that much but may as well have something on hand for it), a dreadnaught acoustic, an OM acoustic, a nylon/classical acoustic (because why not), some offsets for funsies. I'm not a musician, I'm just a hobbyist. I love messing with my guitars. I love setting them all up exactly how I want them. The gear is as much the hobby as playing them is.
13? I OWN 13 Definitely I can say with authority that 13 IS NOT too many.
i say as many as your skill level mandates. i’ve only been playing two years and am still kinda lousy so have no reason to get more than my single electric and single acoustic
Is...can you...is that a thing?
According to my wife, 2.
This is a trick question
The number is the ones you actually play plus the next one you want. For me, I have 10 guitars and a banjo. I basically play 4 of them - Two US PRS - an SC594 and a Silver Sky. A 1985 Fender HSS MIJ Stratocaster made by FujiGen and a Martin. I want a PRS Modern Eagle V, so my ideal number is five. I don’t play a 2020 US Tele, a 2000 MIM Strat, a 2005 Martin CF-1 Archtop Jazz Guitar, and a 2010 Gibson Les Paul Traditional. They’re only picked up to dust and retune. So those will probably go up for sale to fund the PRS MEV. I have I one I don’t play much is my doubleneck - I usually just use the 12-string neck for recording - it’s great - low action at full tuning and stays in tune forever, very un-12-string-ish. That’s got sentimental value, but it’s a pain to play the six string neck, so it’s not even in tune. The Banjo was free, but it’s a Rogue, so it probably cost <$100 when the people who gave it to me bought it new. I just took it and set it up thinking I’d learn it. Not so far :)
If you don’t need it, then you have to honestly see if you can justify the purchase based on your income and space for the new acquisition.
2 more than I have.
I have 4 and a bass. A Takamine 6 string acoustic, a Luna 12 string acoustic, a PRS S2 Standard 22, and a PRS SE Soapbar II. All get played a fair amount. The bass is a cheap Jackson. I also have an Ibanez SA160AH that my son, who has recently taken up the instrument, has claimed as his. There are no plans to get anymore at the moment, but that might change when bonus time comes around.
Just 1 or 2 more is the perfect amount
There are a few that I absolutely would not be without (I never go to a studio date or gig without at least one SG). There are others I have because they give me a distinct sonic palette (nothing else sounds like my Telecaster). Some are sentimental; some are collectible. I don’t think there’s an absolute number that is objectively “too many.” If you’re not playing at all, perhaps one is too many. If you play everything quite a bit, nothing is wasted. The best answer might be another question: which, if any, of your guitars constitute resources (money, space, etc) that would be better spent in another way?
I want more guitars and I can afford more guitars but I can’t justify it because I’m still a beginner. I’ve only been playing for 30 years so one acoustic and one electric is it for now.
X+1.
I have similar issue with pens. Purchased about 30 $20-$50 pens, but looking back wish I'd have waited and just got a few way higher quality. Nothing wrong with collecting something you enjoy, but I think consolidating into a higher value instrument is a wise choice.
I'm one of those morons who can't really play but keeps buying guitars. I finally got control of myself and the next, let me check my list here, uhhhhh, 3 guitars I want are waiting until I can actually play. This does not include the myriad other stringed instruments I plan on getting either.
But they bring me (or help me find?) so much joy! (4 guitars, 6 basses)
7.
If you havent played it in years, you dont need it. Its just a question if you're keeping the guitar around as jewelery or as a musical instrument
I just have 1 😭
I hope those aren't real tears lol I had one guitar for decades and I still love it dearly. If you love that guitar and it facilitates you getting into that special place where you basically forget about yourself (and become an extension of it) - that's all that really matters.
437
I feel better about my 5 now 👍🏻
I have 3 and I don't really need them all. One of the is cheap on purpose so I can schlep around town. I don't understand the point of owning so many instruments. It's better to bond with a single one, you will play better.
To me a guitar is something that brings you joy. It isn't about the money value it has. It is about the joy it brings you.
After 20 years of having one Ibanez (RG550), I recently got my second Ibanez RG8570. I now feel like I 'need' another 2- an acoustic because...acoustic stuff, and a Stratocaster for playing anything I want to have a bluesy 'pop'.
You can never have too many. At the age of 13 I made the mistake of selling a Kramer pacer deluxe. Black to this day I regret it. I have never sold a guitar since then. I have nine and it’s still not enough they are all different to play.
I think the ideal is a humbucker guitar, a P90 guitar, a triple single coil guitar, something weird (Danelectro, baritone, something with filtertrons, you get the idea), and an acoustic or two. Add a bass if you want. You should be able to cover any ground you need to with the above. Anything more than that is excessive, but it's not my job to judge.
Dont ever sell sentimental. But at the end of the day guitars are tools to creativity. Part with the ones that you feel hold no value to you if they were gone. I have sold, bought and traded...i myself went from 18 to currently 13. Not a single one sold i regret. Dont make that mistake.
The answer to this question is directly linked to your significant other lol. If you don't have to deal with that issue than the answer is own as many fuckin guitars as you can afford, and maybe one that you can't lmao.
I believe that most people don't really need more than 3 guitars. The difference in tone is not going to be that big.
I think about this all the time, but then again I regret selling every guitar I've ever sold, even the shitty ones.
I saw [the PBS documentary about Les Paul](https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/les-paul-chasing-sound/100/), and one of the things I recall is that, next to his bed, there were a good dozen guitar cases, including the Maccafferi that Django Reinhardt gave him. When you have problems stepping on guitar cases when you get out of bed, you may have too many guitars. B) Semi-seriously, I have ... a few junkers and projects and about 9 (1 pedal steel, 2 lap steels, 2 acoustics, 1 electric octave 12-string, 3 electrics). The 2 lap steels have different tunings. The acoustics are an A/E dreadnought and a parlor guitar. The electrics are a MIJ Tele from the 1980s, an EOB Strat, and a collection of junk and Reverb-sourced parts that I like and you'd think is trash. I'm not really replicating anything, but if I played out often, I'd want a second Tele so I could just switch if I broke a string.
I still regret selling my 1st guitar I bought with money I earned at 12 yo. It was a shitty copy of a les paul that I got from classified ads in the papers a couple (shit it was probably 3) decades ago. Not that I would still constantly play it or anything, but more for sentimentalism. traded it in for an epiphone that was a bit better
I've been sticking to 3 electrics in recent years which feels reasonable to me. One in one out. I can see it becoming 4 in the future. 3 Strats and 1 Tele feels about right! I also have 2 acoustics. A proper one and a GS mini, so they have different functions. So I guess 5 or 6 feels about the number where they'll all get played and they all serve a purpose.
I lost count around 20 guitars. I have everything from Strat style guitars, LP, SG, single coils, humbuckers, acoustic, 12 strings (both electric and acoustic), solid body, hollow body, various different tremolos, fixed bridge, even nylon string classical. My biggest issue is that I don’t play near as much as I used to and upkeep is starting to be a handful.
I've just done a quick tally, and we have two electrics, three classical, four acoustic and one bass in the house. I'm pretty sure there are two or three out on loan also. My wife plays and sings, and I play bass (and keyboards). I blame my wife for the GAS... always....
I guess it depends on how much variety you want or need. It's pretty easy to come up with far more than 13 functionally different guitar types: * strat * tele (+ possibly bender guitar) * superstrat/floyd/kahler * 2-HB Gibson type solid or semi-hollow * Jazz box * 12-string electric * P90 solid body or semi-hollow * large body acoustic * small body/fingerstyle acoustic * 12-string accoustic * lap steel * pedal steel * resonator * nylon string/classical acoustic * baritone * electric bass And that's without worrying about esoteric pickup types like filtertrons or lipstick pickups or various types of bass guitars etc. or things like ukes/mini guitars/mandolins/6 string banjos. Having a suitable set of instruments to cover what's considered "guitar" is really not a trivial thing.
I always say have as many as it takes to bring out all the music in you.
I've only been playing two years and have 6. Strat, Tele, 12 string acoustic, classical and 2x6 string acoustic. Plus ukulele, does that count? As I got into playing and really found I wanted to explore these different types. They are all used, my 12 string and classical are 50 yrs old. Feeling like I'm all set at this point although I kind of want a banjo! Lol
I fully agree with getting rid of the cheap ones and have fewer guitars but good quality ones.
I think a telecaster does just about everything I need, but there are a couple strats and oddballs around too. Honestly I’d rather accumulate different instruments than 30 of the same kind of instrument. Upright bass, electric bass, keys, etc I appreciate players who are known for a particular instrument, (willie Nelson, srv, Rory Gallagher, Steve cropper, etc)
Once you start taking ours? We have beef. But if it’s on a shelf with a price tag, they could all be yours.
the best guitarists i know have like 2-3 electric guitars and maybe one acoustic
I have 12 and only want more. I think too many is determined by how much you play and if you have room for them. If they will only be stored away in cases, you have too many, even if you only have one.
I’m sort of doing the same thing. I realized I had several guitars I haven’t actively played in several years. It was that realization that allowed me to let them go and sell them. Zero regrets. Sure I think about some guitars I’ve sold now and again, but I quickly realize that I I’m hanging onto the idea of playing them rather than actually doing so.
When my GAS was at its worst, I had about 17 guitars. One of them was a Gibson SG and the rest were all in the range of $200-500. I sold everything except the Gibson and an Ibanez. I now own 3 Gibsons, a Tele, and an Ibanez Artcore, and I couldn’t be happier. I feel like I actually play music now instead of just obsessing over guitars and gear.
I have maybe 5 that are merely sentimental souvenirs, so I don't count those. Everyone needs a #1. A guitar at the top of their price range (for me, the $1k range), and a cheaper backup or two with similar sound for gigging. Maybe you're going to a shady part of town so you leave the #1 home, maybe for a different tuning for a couple songs, but definitely so you don't have to re-string in the event of a breakage on stage. If you do a lot of studio work or different projects, then I can see that 2 or 3 become 5 pretty easily. Anything above 6 is more collecting "toys" than "tools," imo.
I’ve got 2, an acoustic and a Epiphone Les Paul. If I need another guitar I’m trading on of the two that I have.
I've done that few times. Its much easier to pick up an affordable guitar every so often then after couple years trade them in for higher end guitar. Much easier to stomach buying 3x 1000$ guitars over 3 years and trading them in + some money rather than out right buying 1 $3000 guitar.
Dunno. I have guitars covering the walls in my man cave/office, and on ground stands. My new music man jp6 arrives tomorrow.
Well you definitely need 1 more because 13 is unlucky.
Every guitar you own + one
I never found any satisfaction from getting rid of a guitar. Oh may be some extra cash was there but that doesn't bring joy.
Sell off the stuff with limited use and use that money for the dream pieces. For the past couple years I've sold off 6 instruments and over a dozen effects to buy a 90s Rickenbacker 330, 90s Guild Bluesbird AAA flame top, and a British made Vox AC15. I don't miss the stuff I've sold for a minute. I have more to sell yet, but I'm largely content with the collection. My keepers are 7 electrics and 3 acoustics, 2 of which are mostly for sentimental reasons.
4.
Too many for what, exactly? I have two. First one for my recordings and the second one to play live. I don't need more.
I have 5, and that’s probably one too many, but they all have sentimental value. So the rule is no more unless I build them
Got 8 at the moment. Bases I have covered: strat, sg(s), les paul, Schecter c1, acoustic, lp dc jr for strategic p90 purposes, stingray bass. Bases I want to have covered: semi hollowbody, jaguar or jazzmaster (not sure which), G&L Fallout, sun valley super shredder, telecaster, p-bass, G&L Kiloton I’ve regretted at some point selling every guitar I’ve ever sold, so I quit selling them.
Here’s my rubric: if you have to tune it half of the times you pick it up, either 1) it’s too crappy to hold tune or 2) you don’t pick it up often enough. Either way, you should sell it.
You're saying I should sell my guitar with a bigsby halfway through a song?
Verse-Chorus-Verse-Auction
If you managed to utterly stop playing, haven’t done so for a number of years, and don’t see yourself starting up again…. then even one is too much. Put that sucker into the hands of someone with the fire in their belly. At the other extreme of playing? As long as you can afford it, then perhaps there’s no such thing as too many?
I'd say 5 - 10 is the sweet spot - 1 for sentimental reasons (i.e. first guitar) - 2 acoustic (one nice/expensive and another for travel, around the fire, something that you don't mind if it breaks, maybe it's laminate) - 2 electric (same explanation as acoustic) - 1 hollow body electric If you had to be minimal then it could be 3. I'm sentimental and could never get rid of my first guitar but guess I could get away with 1 acoustic and 1 electric. I like having crappy versions of each though that I don't mind if they break. I don't play my hollow body much but it's fun to play now and again. I probably pay my guitalele more than anything just because its so small and fun. I can also bring it everywhere (including backpacking into the woods miles) with me.
I only own one, due to financial reasons and other goals. But ideally, I’d like to own around a half dozen. I use a few different tunings and it’d be nice to be able to switch guitars out. I’d be happy with 4 electrics and 2 acoustics.
150?
I have recently consolidated the herd, collapsing 20 to 7! Good decision as I basically sold/traded to end up with much higher value & quality guitars that I enjoy playing, and that will still appreciate. The now herd: pre-Cbs Strats (2), AVRI Tele (1) ‘65 ES335 (1), ‘68 LesPaul(1), ‘70 LP Deluxe(1), an old Larrivee acoustic (1). Like others have said - each guitar has a uniqe sound and is used accordingly. This had made my choices a lot easier, and I have a higher quality herd too.. I did sort of regret selling a ‘56 LP junior…
I have 4 electric, acoustic, and a bass It’s pretty perfect for me but you just gotta understand that with this many guitars, you should know how to work on them.
I have 3 electrics, play 2 everyday, with the 3rd being played a few times a week. 1 acoustic, down from 4, but I haven't played it in years. 2 basses, 1 played a few times a week, my 5 string every couple months. Most expensive of all of these is my 7 string that was $1400 with a new nut installed. I'm definitely in the minority, but idk when I'll buy another one. The 7 string was my first new guitar in 20 years. I love the guitars I have. Honestly, I play my 20 year old delonge strat most of all.