Psychology behind collecting instruments

[Grimalkin]

"How a Hello Kitty guitar became the hottest Stratocaster..."

 

Everyone wants to get their paws on one...

 

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/dec/11/hello-kitty-guitar-stratocaster

[Grimalkin]

"The large diversity of different types of collected objects and variance of collecting behaviours across these types has also been subject to research in psychology, marketing and game design."

 

Collecting keeps you playing.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychology_of_collecting

 

[Ed_S]

19 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

I’m similar Ed, I have my fave black/black/maple 2015 US Standard Precision which has mucho sentimental value so it’s not gigged. As such I have a matching 2013 for gigging, 2014 for flats/in reserve and a Mex as backup/in case of gigs where we fly.

Oh and of course I have a matching 2014 US Standard Jazz, well it would look odd without one.

 

That sounds like a perfectly sensible collection to me! I've had a couple of US Standards so I totally get the attraction - they sound good but they have a certain feel as well. And a smell when new. New US Fender smell - probably the only thing I've not seen bottled and advertised on telly in the run up to the festering season.

 

Sentimental value is a funny one; I've had instruments that have been with me a while and done some cool gigs, or been bought for me either as a milestone birthday gift or by somebody who's since passed on, but I've never let that stop me from using or selling them. It's always been either a mixture of pristine-ness and probable future scarcity of new replacements, or true one-in-a-million-example-ness, that puts things into the home use category for me. When I played Precisions they were all fair game for gigging since I didn't feel I'd ever have a problem getting another new Precision, and when I stopped playing Precisions I moved them all on without any real hesitation for the same reason.

[Lozz196]

Yeah my main one did my last 3 albums, first (and some subsequent) Rebellion Festival, first (and some subsequent) overseas tour, plus some special gigs during this time including supporting 3 of my fave bands. I originally bought it with a view to it being just a tool for the job and not bothered if damaged/stolen but that just isn`t the case now.

[Stub Mandrel]

It seems GAS is caused by bacteria...

 

 

[SH73]

So, instead of planning to sell stuff to downsize on unplayed instrumens I bought a guitar. I blame reverse psychology advocated by BC.

[Grimalkin]

Impulse control. Not easy. 

[phil.c60]

I bought various bass guitars and a double bass because as a lefty, good stuff doesn't come up often so.....you know how that goes. I have gigged most of them. At one point I was up to 8 I think. I have now pretty much decided that I'm done with gigging, my last recording project is complete (and I'm due to go for a get together to her the finished product this weekend) which I used three different basses on and I don't think there will be another one any time soon. I'm selling (and have sold four so far) everything except my go-to Hot Rod Precision, my Roland Cube 30, LM3 and Barefaced Compact (just in case....lol). This part of my life is pretty much done: It's been a great 12-15 years but things change, and I'm moving on to other things so my small "collection" is surplus to requirements. BTW I've had no luck selling on here, but everything I've sold has gone for the same if not more on a popular auction site. YMMV.

[BassTractor]

1 hour ago, SH73 said:

So, instead of planning to sell stuff to downsize on unplayed instrumens I bought a guitar. I blame reverse psychology advocated by BC.

Happily it's not psychology.
It's maths!

(bassamount + 0) / (guitaramount + 1)   <   (bassamount + 0) / (guitaramount + 0) 

 

 

You have found how to downsize through sheer ratio.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! 

[SH73]

9 minutes ago, BassTractor said:

Happily it's not psychology.
It's maths!

(bassamount + 0) / (guitaramount + 1)   <   (bassamount + 0) / (guitaramount + 0) 

 

 

You have found how to downsize through sheer ratio.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! 

Thanks Einstein 😉

[TimR]

My dad bought me my first bass in 1986. A Japanese fender copy £120.

I bought my first bass in 1989 with my first paypacket. £350.

I bought my current bass in 2001. c£500.

 

I spent a lot of time trying basses in shops between about 1996 and 2001 so my current bass is a good fit.

 

I still have all 3 basses. The first one has the frets ripped out. 

 

My wife still thinks I have too many. 

[Fishfacefour]

On 12/12/2022 at 10:15, SH73 said:

So I'm trying to clear out but at the same time bidding on a nice cream Squier Strat. Luckily, I forgot about the auction so it went to someone else.

Forgetting about the auction is the only way I keep my spending down. 

[Barking Spiders]

On 11/12/2022 at 20:00, Misdee said:

Regarding collecting basses, my own experience is that I have often bought basses that I absolutely need to own, but in practice don't particularly need to play, if you see what I mean. I must just like the reassurance of having those options available should I choose them. 

 

 

Ah but don't hoarders use that type of reasoning to explain why they never throw owt away? Speaking as the son of a man who was a chronic hoarder, the old line ' it might come in useful one day' is all too familiar. Also, my mum had a compulsion for buying antiques and general bric-a-brac and between them they had 60 years of accumulated stuff taking up space in the loft, the sheds, the garage, the fitted cupboards.... Largely because of this, I'm the opposite so much so I regularly review what I have in the hope I can either sell or give away anything I currently can't justify having. In the cold light of day I sometimes ask myself 'why have I got 5 basses, 4 guitars etc?', 'do I play them all much?',  'am I ever gonna use all these for gigging?', 'am I even inspired to learn more in addition to what I know?' etc. If the answers are all in the negative, onto EBay/Gumtree they go. Within the last 2 weeks I've sold off one bass and one acoustic.

[Agent 00Soul]

It seems I tend to get a new instrument shortly after joining a new band with a different style of music.  I don't know why, but I seem to subconsciously associate the sound and feel of the main bass I am playing with the act I'm a part of.  When I change bands, I try using the same instrument but it seems to leave me in a bit of a rut and I have to use a different one for the different act.  Having said that, I'm not a collector at all and "only" have 5 basses out of the 4 bands I've played in over the years.  It must be some kind of compulsion because realistically you don't even need that much.

[Japhet]

I buy stuff I like 'because I'm worth it' (Haha, I'm the only one who thinks so!). Pretty much under control now and I don't envisage any new additions. I bought more stuff when I had disposable income which is now a distant memory. I probably need to shift some stuff now but my problem is that I buy things that I like which makes them difficult to part with. 

[TimR]

1 hour ago, Barking Spiders said:

' it might come in useful one day'

 

I seemed to have a collection of spades in my shed. Having several spades is always a good idea. In the summer I had a good clear out and decided to get rid of the excess spades. It snowed on Monday. Mrs R took the remaining spade with her in her car. I couldn't get my car out of the drive...

At least one of those spades would have come in handy. Had to borrow one from the neighbour. Wonder how many spades there are in our street. Not many judging by I seemed to be the only one clearing any snow.

 

The problem is, it's a delicate balance, many is the time I've regretted throwing something away (I can always buy another one if I really need one) only to spend hours scouring the Internet or local shops for it's replacement.

 

Then there's the 3 rubber mallets I have in the garage, because of the times I've not been able to find the other one. 

Edited December 14, 2022 by TimR

[TheGreek]

Guaranteed that as soon as I throw a bass box I need one. 

 

I can completely relate to hoarders. 

[Dan Dare]

This is by no means universally applicable, but I have come across several collectors who are not great players (to put it politely). The ones I have encountered are successful in their careers, so have plenty of cash to splash. They appear to imagine that owning fine vintage instruments will somehow enable them to play as well as their musical heroes. I played in a band briefly with a couple of guys - one an architect and one a lawyer -  who were afflicted in this manner. They had plenty of fabulous instruments and were both nice guys and good company. They were also seriously hopeless. Socially, it was very enjoyable - we played at some very nice parties thrown by similarly wealthy pals of theirs - but musically, it was painful. I tried in vain to tell myself to just enjoy the company and the craic, but I had to walk in the end.

[Agent 00Soul]

1 hour ago, Dan Dare said:

This is by no means universally applicable, but I have come across several collectors who are not great players (to put it politely). The ones I have encountered are successful in their careers, so have plenty of cash to splash. They appear to imagine that owning fine vintage instruments will somehow enable them to play as well as their musical heroes. I played in a band briefly with a couple of guys - one an architect and one a lawyer -  who were afflicted in this manner. They had plenty of fabulous instruments and were both nice guys and good company. They were also seriously hopeless. Socially, it was very enjoyable - we played at some very nice parties thrown by similarly wealthy pals of theirs - but musically, it was painful. I tried in vain to tell myself to just enjoy the company and the craic, but I had to walk in the end.

How I wish that better instruments led to better players!  I'd start with me.

[stewblack]

To compound my sickness, I absolutely mourn for every single bass I've ever sold as well.

 

[TimR]

2 hours ago, Dan Dare said:

I played in a band briefly with a couple of guys - one an architect and one a lawyer - 

 

I'm pretty sure we've all been in that band. 

[TheGreek]

1 hour ago, stewblack said:

To compound my sickness, I absolutely mourn for every single bass I've ever sold as well.

 

 

An illness many of us suffer from...

[Stub Mandrel]

I gave away a bass once. To my brother.  He loaned/gave it to a friend, which pained me, but they gave it back to him when they left the uk.

 

He hasn't picked up on my hints yet. Even thought of buying an identical one and offering a swap...

[Ralf1e]

On 11/12/2022 at 11:20, LeftyJ said:

I'm a bit of a hoarder. With any interest I start getting into, I can never stick to keeping things simple. When I got into birdwatching, I needed a nice pair of binoculars and a spotting scope. I gave myself a budget, and like I always do, ended up spending double that because I found something nicer. I got a pair of military surplus binoculars, loved them, and got another pair just like it - for no real reason. I now have two Leica Swiss army 8x30's and a Hensoldt (Zeiss) German army FERO D16 8x30. Do I use any of them anymore? Sure, the Hensoldt lives in my work van in case I get to some place nice that deserves a closer look. Other than that, I moved on to the next fling. 

 

I'm similar with my basses and guitars. Find one I like? Then I need another just like it "as backup", even when I'm not gigging it. Being a lefty makes matters worse, because I have difficulty parting with instruments - as they're all incredibly rare, being lefty instruments. What if I get hit with seller's remorse? How will I find one like it again? I've certainly experienced this and have a couple of guitars that still cross my mind regularly even though they've been gone for over a decade. It's what made me hold on to several basses for long periods of time without ever laying a finger on them - and how I ended up with 3 Ibanez ATK's, 3 Ibanez MC924's, 2 MIJ Squier Strats, 2 Status Graphite S2 Classics (well, one's a 5-string so technically it's a different instrument...) and several others that have come and gone. Which, to be fair, I haven't missed at all. 

And then there's the basses that I hold on to for sentimental reasons. I've been in two recording and gigging bands where I had a very clear 5-string "main axe" that I used on most gigs, but don't really play anymore. But I could never bring myself to selling them! In fact, I bought the 4-string equivalent to match... (Warwick Streamer LX) 

 

I'm at 20 guitars and basses combined at the moment, and have thought of selling a few so I can try something new (I've been aching to try fanned frets) but I can't bring myself to sell any of the instruments I currently own - except for my Carvin LB75, which is for sale but won't get me anywhere near Dingwall money. 

Buy a cheaper FF until you know if it suites you

[Ralf1e]

I look on Gumtree etc on a regular basis. I don't buy basses or other items like amps and so on because I need them. I buy them because they are there and at what I consider a bargain price

There are exceptions like my Aria SB900 that it took many years to get around to finding but mostly now I buy as investment value.

Examples are. One of my Westone Spectrum LX's I paid peanuts for as it had rotted battery in it. The guy selling it didn't even know it was active.

The Fender USA Jazz I bought this week turned out to have the same issue rotted battery and at least one broken pot. Easy repair. I checked the pickups they are good as is the truss rod.

A squire 40th anniversary p bass I bought a while ago for £50 gave it a set up its a good un

An Ashdown Electric Blue 180 EVO II I got for £75. It is oldish and heavy but it's tone is really nice and saves dragging a bigger rig about to practice sessions

The Tanglewood Baron bass I found a while ago for £75 is so much bass for the money. That also needed the battery wiring given the kiss of life.

I am a hoarder by nature so having retired at 69 earlier this year looking out for these things keeps me out of mischief or not as the case may be.