5 Years of G.A.S. Smarts

About 5 years ago, my G.A.S. attacks were becoming more intense and more frequent. My Harem Management Strategy was to buy redundant models and thin out the less preferable over time. Well, that has worked somewhat, but I still own one or two completely identical guitars and, consequently, the harem size grew. I found in the process that I could have just as intense a G.A.S. attack over a guitar precisely like one I already owned!! Is that not insane?

I was just wondering:

If I'd known 5 years ago what I know now, how would my G.A.S. attacks and harem be different today?

Here are a few of my thoughts, and I'd like to know yours.

1] I wouldn't buy duplicates or redundant models. I found that even if I do get back to only one of that guitar, it is invariably the one I bought first. It just doesn't work for me. I need to save my G.A.S. attacks for guitars unlike anything I already own.

2] I would have started checking Craigs List sooner. Online auctions are their own brand of fun, but can also lead to disappointments as well as unreasonable shipping costs. I have recently found quite a few really great deals on C.L. I just shudda started sooner.

3] I've only recently started appreciating anything other than a Fender amp. I should have been looking for good, interesting amps as well as guitars.

4] I have found that G.A.S. intensity is greatest when faced with an opportunity to buy a custom built guitar. Dealing with a builder opens so many options and choices that sleep becomes more difficult than ever. Over the last 4 years, I have discovered CP Thornton guitars and have gotten to know Chuck very well. In my opinion he builds the finest, most underpriced guitars on the planet. The fact that the wait from concept to test drive can take 6 - 12 months only compounds the problem..... BUT it is worth the wait. How would knowing this impact my attacks and harem today? I would have started this process sooner. The harem size would be smaller but probably more valuable.

Whyizzit? (Increasing book sales)

Whyizzit - G.A.S. book sales have spiked lately. Four have been sold this morning from one source alone. I average selling about 2 copies a day around the world. This normally only happens between Thanksgiving and Christmas. What's going on here?

Whyizzit? (GAS intensity)

Whyizzit? Why are so many folks suddenly notifying me that their G.A.S. attacks have become so intense lately? Is it possible that the economy and associated cutbacks have led to increased denial and delayed gratification, which has transformed their former strain into the dreaded PentupGAS strain?

Oh, the emptiness!

A vintage Eagles' song Tequila Sunrise uses a phrase "it's a hollow feeling". We all know that feeling when it comes to man - woman experiences. My good friend Rod Ice reminds "the GAS-afflicted go through a very similar experience in our guitarquests. You know that gnawing, pervasive mood of loss when (for whatever reason) a sufferer is unable to buy another guitar. Like withdrawal from an addictive drug, perhaps? A crawling hunger that rests deep within the belly... or soul."

I've certainly been there. Sometimes the GAS gods will put one right in your path at the worst possible financial time. And in today's economy, I'm betting there is a lot of these empty, yearning feelings occurring. I've also experienced it soon after a purchase which drained the ole "fun money" account into a bone-dry situation. Any new acquisition would come from giving one up, a (perish the thought) trade. Some are mentally skilled enough to rationalize that the timing is just bad, karma isn't right, or even that others will be there down the road - when the timing IS right. This enables them to move on. Oh, if only it were that easy for me. I wind up losing sleep doing "what if" scenarios. Remembrances quickly come to mind of all the ones that got away because I hesitated, the times I chose to bid instead of hitting the "Buy It Now" and ended the auction, only to find someone else just beat me to it during my hesitation. The agony gets revved up a bit when the notion occurs that perhaps this one just might have something about it that makes it even MORE collectible or valuable that wasn't mentioned in the description. You know, a little pleasant surprise that is unlikely to be there on others that come along. Olde sayings like "He who hesitates is lost" and "The early bird gets the worm" pop like kernals in a microwave. Words on a page blur, only to be replaced by mental images of where it will hang or sit among your others. Conversing with others brings strange looks as your mind drifts to bank account balances and impending debits and credits... desperately seeking something that might accelerate a deposit or delay a withdrawal. The combination of exhausting all financial wizardry ideas AND sleep loss exacerbate the gnawing feeling. All energy and reason reserves must be tapped in order to begin the painful acceptance of a hard reality.

What say you about this hollow feeling, this yearning?

How many is TOO MANY?

When the harem got up to 10, I decided to keep it there. So, my next GAS attack found me trading a keeper for what would have, should have been #11. The next milestone was at 25. I mean, who in their right mind could possibly need/use/play/care for more than that? In about a year, that harem size had grown to 50, and I found it much easier to hold there. I held for a while, then somehow caved on a few GAS onsets. Darn thing shot up to 72 before I realized exactly how many I had. In taking that inventory, I became disappointed that I had a few I had not seen or played in years because they were in the rear of the closet. I made a conscious decision that I needed to thin out the duplicate guitars in all collectible AND non-collectible models. Not easy to do, but it was a smart thing. I'm currently down to about 55 and headed towards a cap of 50. My strategy is working because for every 3 or 4 I sell, I replace it with a CP Thornton model - the guitars I consider to be the finest on the planet. This is the only strategy that has worked consistently for me. I want to be able to display ALL my lovelies and have NONE hidden away in a closet. And I'm finding that I can live quite well with fewer net harem members as long as the quality of workmanship and playability of the new members remains high.

What about it, how many is too many for you?

True Confessions

Come on, now... have you ever deceived anyone about exactly how many guitars you actually own? It's just hard to explain sometimes, isn't it? Lots of folks do because they'll never hear the end of it from someone who just can't understand. Tell us about it. What you did, why you did it, and how it turned out.