Thursday LR

[Jaystrings]

Sun is melting that ole white stuff away here in the sunny south. Like so many other southern states, this is way too rare to cause us to own snow removal equipment. Many businesses & schools are opening late this morning or at noon. I feed the creatures in the woods here, & the tracks show that the deer have appreciated that. Now the squirrels & birds are out feasting again. Life is returning to normal.

LUNCH: Gonna be a stirfry with lots of healthy veggies & chicken, plus an apple, yogurt, & green tea

WINNER: Thanks for the high participation yesterday. Fun reads. And folks, if they have another GbL gathering, I'll come if it ain't around July 4th. I think having one every few years is a good idea. As much as I enjoyed all the replys yesterday, I will NOT let a coin flip make me decide between bassman & blargfromouterspace. Gonna send ya both a book - just send me your addresses to jaystrings@aol.com. Your replies reminded me of a number of things, which brings me to today's question:

The most interesting facet of the GAS experience is the length some folks will go to avoid telling another [especially their spouse] what's going on or that they are getting another guitar. The lies, the deceit, the evasion tactics!! I devoted a whole chapter to it in the book & it could have been a book by itself as it turns out. And it's not just a man thing, either. I have heard from several female guitarists who simply do NOT tell their husbands the truth about what their guitar cost or even that they have acquired one. A woman who plays for church, weddings, special events, & teaches guitar recently told me that she has ordered a Limited Edition Gibson acoustic but will not tell her husband of 25 years because he would leave her if he knew what it cost. It will be her 20th guitar which she must now "hide" amongst the others.

I have a great guitar wife, but I must admit that I don't always tell her a new one is coming in. I often play up the ones I sell or trade & downplay the ones coming in. If one comes in when she's not here, I rarely mention it. And I keep rearranging them in my music room. I did include her on a trip to visit Chuck Thornton in Maine to meet him, pick up a goldtop that he had just completed, and to plan the next one that he would build. One day of that road trip was devoted to that, and the other 9 days were devoted to any darn thing she wanted to do - including an art festival, side tours, & patronizing a couple of B&B's and restaurants that her friends had recommended. All enjoyable & worth it.

My question for you today is: What is the wierdest or most outrageous thing that you or someone you know has done to deceive their spouse/partner about their GAS experience(s)? Gotta be true.

And remember to compete for the G&L gig bag by also posting your response on this week's questions on http://www.gasexperiences.blogspot.com. Ya got until noon EST Saturday to do that.

And how about posting a picture of an axe you've not been totally forthcoming about. Here is a pic of that Cp Thornton goldtop PLUS the other one I got out of the same batch after seeing it. I never mentioned that there were 2 guitars in the shipment when it arrived. She loves the goldtop & the fact that she knows who made it.


Tomorrow
Jay

[sirmyghin]

I have never really had to hide any gear acquisition from the Wife. She is extremely supportive, and as long as it won't hurt us financially I am allowed to get things. For example if I get a good tax return, I am allowed to put down the order for a 7 string monster. She does ask the "do you 'need' it?" but I go through fair means to make sure I don't puchase guitars that would be redundant. I only keep 2 guitars (and a bass) at home right now, my heavily modded C66, my ASAT special (to be modded w/ a 4 way switch) and the wonderful red monster, my LB75. There is no hiding, no subterfuge. She knows exactly what they cost, when I got them, where they are from, etc. I don't want a large collection like a lot of you folks sport, I like to keep a few guitars that I feel very comfortable with. Just this year I sold one that I never really bonded with, but held me over until my contour. I didn't need money, I just felt it needed a good home.

[Dave_P]

I haven't done anything crazy, my most recent purchase got through the door as an "investment" guitar, it's understood that someday I will sell it, hopefully at a profit. The one thing I failed to mention was that if I do sell it, it will be to purchase a different more expensive guitar

My wife doesn't keep close tabs on my guitars and it has crossed my mind to use the "blend with the herd" technique, but I'm a terrible liar so I go other routes like rounding down to the not so nearest, but it's now an acceptable number, hundred. Like before tax and shipping and then you get rid of that pesky 99 on the end (i.e. $399 becomes "3") that way you're not lying, just omitting the details

-Dave

[Kit]

Those are really fancy canoe paddles you have there, Jay! It looks like in case of emergency you can also use them as musical instruments?

Kit

[sickbutnottired]

I have fits of GAS. Like Sirmy I don't have a very extensive collection, and if I don't play a guitar I move it out the door. I think I could get into collecting someday, but right now I am in a constant space battle. My practice studio is a little 11x12 room. And Cases are the worst. Where the hell do I put all the cases?

But for some reason, if I succumb to a bout of GAS, i have more attacks right away. So last summer I sold a cheep acoustic and told the wife I was going to buy a bluesboy. I didn't, but I did buy a Deluxe. And an in ear monitor system, and a 50 foot snake. So I was only about 2500 to the deficit on these transactions. Not so bad. Then I got a deal I couldn't refuse on a decent D-28 Martin. I tried not to mention the Martin, and paid for it out of my cash 'operating money'. I was literally in my studio last minute bidding on a bluesboy, when she DID notice the D-28, and went nuts. I did NOT at that moment mention the other guitar I just committed to.

'Why is it so hard to talk to me about this stuff.' so on and so forth. For days.

Fortunately, someone bailed me out on my bluesboy bid and I turned that damn 28 over pretty quick, and bought some....earrings!!!!

I have taken the cure. And sent a wish list of the gear I want to tackle this year. In spreadsheet. And we are going to discuss as THOROUGHLY as necessary! I hope for at least spending authority to do either a bluesboy or a special. But probably not both.

Righteous Gold Top. I love a gold top.

[sirmyghin]

^ Sickbutnottired,

I find Gas always strikes in fits, particularly when I am having a guitar built. I am never more susceptible to purchases and irrationality than when I am waiting for that new axe to be finished at the shop and shipped to me.

[Jaystrings]

^ Sickbutnottired,

I find Gas always strikes in fits, particularly when I am having a guitar built. I am never more susceptible to purchases and irrationality than when I am waiting for that new axe to be finished at the shop and shipped to me.

LOLOLOL!!! You can take some comfort in that I understand you better than your wife does. And a lot of other sick-0's out there do, too. I truly believe there are MANY strains of the GAS virus. You see, my theory is that whatever triggered that custom GAS attack & subsequent order placement also set off something else totally unrelated to that particular GAS attack. To a sane outsider, like our wives, it would seem that the mere placement of the order woud be enough to satisfy & keep us "within certain limits like budgets, space availability, matrimonial threats, etc" ...... but it seems to have an almost reverse effect on our rationality & purchase restraint genes.

I tell you, this thing is deep & is going to require much more research & discovery if a cure is EVER to be found. Hopefully, such a pill or vaccination will not happen in my lifetime.

Jay

[Jaystrings]

matrimonial threats = cut off

[yowhatsshakin]

My question for you today is: What is the wierdest or most outrageous thing that you or someone you know has done to deceive their spouse/partner about their GAS experience(s)? Gotta be true.

OK, 'baring of the soul' time.

1. When I bought my 25th Anniversary I had gotten a spalted top ASAT Bluesboy just the month before. And although I had told her I would be on a 'guitar per month' diet for 2009, I just couldn't tell my wife, fooling myself that the next day would be a better time to do it. As it happened, we were working in the garden at the back of the house when the UPS truck arrived. Without her noticing, I 'smuggled' the box inside the house through the front door and downstairs into the music room.

2. I bought a F-100 Return Edition and a Phyllis Model 'Blondie' at about the same time. One I told her about and had delivered at home; one I didn't tell her about and had delivered at work only to bring home when I knew she was at work.

But both of these occasions left me with a bad taste in my mouth. We have talked about it and now we have a certain 'understanding'. The 'Aha Erlebnis' for her was this: we had just put new floor covering downstairs. She has a massage practice in our MIL and she always wanted an hardwood floor there. So it now has bamboo. The other half downstairs, aka 'my half' for which we got new carpet, is the library/den and the music room. She joint me in my room about 2 months ago when Craig had asked me to measure the DC resistance of my ASAT''s to add to the collective knowledge base. She told me afterwards that even from behind she could see I was beaming every time a guitar came out of its case and I showed them off to her. She had never realized how much guitars meant to me and that there were worse habits to spent the money on. But as long as the bills were paid and we still saved up money for retirement ... What does she think I buy these guitars for? (OK, I know that's an excuse too )

- Jos

[Philby]

I hadn't had a pang of G.A.S. for at least 6 months till I saw that Thornton gold top. Thanks a lot Jay

I find that I get G.A.S. the worst if something else in my life is not travelling well e.g. not enjoying work, tired of all the half finished DIY projects at home etc. etc. Some people self medicate with alcohol and drugs, but I buy a guitar or amp.

The best true G.A.S. story I have heard was on the TDPRI forum so it must be true right?

This guy had bought a Telecaster Deluxe off the internet and was tracking its delivery date. He arranged to have the day of delivery off work so that he could sneak the tele inside and blend it with the herd without his wife knowing. So the day of delivery arrives and he pretends to go to work but he really just drives around the corner and waits to see that his wife has driven off to her work. Then he goes back home and waits. And waits. And waits. Later in the morning he is horrified to hear his wife's car coming down the driveway. 'What are you doing here?' she asks. 'Not feeling too good' he lies. 'Me either' she says. 'I've got a headache and I'm going to bed'. So she takes her laptop computer upstairs and begins on-line shopping from bed. 'Damn it' he thinks. 'I've gotta intercept that delivery van before it arrives'. So he stands out the front of his house and pretends to do some gardening. Cleans the fence etc. etc. Finally the delivery van arrives and he waves it up the road a bit where his wife can't see it. He is able to intercept the guitar and hide it around the back of the house without being spotted by his wife. Victory. He plans to leave it there until evening when he can sneak it inside while she's asleep. But then it starts to rain. Heavily. The guitar will get wet. He checks inside and his wife is now in the kitchen making a coffee and reading a magazine. He has to get the guitar past his wife, up the stairs and into the music room on the first floor. Then he has a moment of genius. He goes out to his van and grabs a long length of rope. He goes up to the music room, opens the window and lowers the rope. He attaches the rope to the handle of the case and VERY carefully hauls it up and through the music room window without his wife seeing it. As I recall, his wife eventually went upstairs to bed, fell asleep and left him to several uninterrupted hours bonding with his new tele.

[sickbutnottired]

matrimonial threats = cut off

LOL.
I can tell you for sure it was no idle threat!

I didn't realize that my particular brand of GAS was so widespread. It sure is great to have this support group! Or are the patients running the place?


Jos, there are definitely worse things to spend money on. Guitars are basically like cash. Ebay pretty much values production instruments. Not including some of the really collectible pieces, and I know you have a few of those! But, overall it looks to me like you can pretty much count on getting about 70% of your money out of a guitar you paid the ebay average for out pretty quickly and all of it out if you have time.

Still, I think a little investment diversity outside guitars is probably wise! And my wife definitely thinks so!

[sickbutnottired]

Here is a link for some of the lurkers out there that aren't fessin' up.

http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-fin ... lity-poll/

[blargfromouterspace]

I had my first experience with spousal disapproval just last week. I'm not married but do live with my partner, though we do not share finances (I'm a student so could bring very little to that party). The 1st of January was the anniversary of the day we met. We had decided not to buy one another xmas presents but to put the money aside for a holiday somewhere nice, and I figured that idea would also apply to anniversary presents. Wrong! She'd got me a couple of little things including a voucher for this really good record store. I'd bought her nothing, and she didn't seem to mind at the time, even going as far to say that she didn't expect it. A few days later I bought a ZT Club amp (for myself, mind) and when she got home and saw it she made an "I'm unimpressed and disappointed" face and turned on the waterworks. I had to explain to her that I actually needed the extra dB's in this amp for a large outdoor gig I had last weekend. I managed to convince her too and justified it by telling her the cost of the other amps in the shop which I didn't buy. I'm sure that excuse will only work once and I will have to come up more creative ones in the future.

I'd say, at a guess, that she would spend on clothes and travel about what I spend on music stuff, it's just that my money all goes on one big thing that takes up space in the house. If you have a crappy holiday then you can't sell it to get at least a bit of your money back and second hand clothes aren't worth much at all.

[zapcosongs]

I'm guessing you're going to real hungry for some Iced Vovo.... ;+) - ed

[bassman]

I could write volumes on this subject! Chapters, story after story.
I have G.A.S. so bad, that I didn't even want to tell my wife about your book, because then my affliction would have a name! I have been doing this for 35 years!

I have bought guitars and kept them at work, left them in the car, left them at friends houses. etc. etc. etc.

I once had my wife so mad she said that she would rather catch me sleeping with another woman than find out that I bought another guitar!

I could go on but I have to be at an open mike to play with my band RAGs tonight. This is our practice time.

We'll talk later.

[GDub]

...
My question for you today is: What is the wierdest or most outrageous thing that you or someone you know has done to deceive their spouse/partner about their GAS experience(s)? Gotta be true.
...

My wife is the "benevolent" dictator of the band I'm in, and she's TOTALLY supportive of my GAS. Fortunately, I have very good inhibitors which have kept me safe from impulse buys. My inhibitors save me money--especially during the last several years! I don't need any more guitars. I'm fortunate enough to be stocked for all situations.

--GDub

[Jaystrings]

Fortunately, I have very good inhibitors which have kept me safe from impulse buys. My inhibitors save me money--especially during the last several years! I don't need any more guitars. I'm fortunate enough to be stocked for all situations.

GDub..... I think you're blowin' smoke [LOL]. You're the very reason I bought that Danelectro 51 Reissue, which I still have. I've heard the postings of your band, and y'all are very impressive. But you seem to have been able to come up with Heritage, Danelectro, G&L, & lord knows what else over the years. No wonder you're well stocked. My guess is that you're running on fumes & will be fine UNTIL.... until you inadvertedly spot that special one that crosses your path when you least suspect it. All of a sudden you'll start thinking about how successful the band has been lately, the stress you've been under, the economy, how long it's been since you fondled a new axe, how much you'll be saving if you act now, how much ole so-and-so will give you for it when you've had your way with it, and maybe even how it would add to the diversity of the band sound..... my prediction is that the barriers will fall a bit. Then it gets easier.

Besides...... any guy wearing a skirt should be able to own any darn thing he can manage!! LOL!!

Good to hear from you, fella. Hope all is well out there in God's country. I'm gonna catch your act next time I go out there.

Jay

[zapcosongs]

Jay. Don't forget the Lowden. Maybe the finest of all. - ed

[yowhatsshakin]

Oh, c'mon Tim As if owning a musical instrument store and calling it your 'profession and business' is not the ultimate form of G.A.S. I want to use that excuse ... You have ready access to an inventory and quality of instruments we mortal G.A.S.-ians only dream off

Great story BTW!

- Jos

[blargfromouterspace]

I'm guessing you're going to real hungry for some Iced Vovo.... ;+) - ed

Always

[jamie d]

Jay,

Love the GT, but the CSB on flamed maple is classic.

Jamie

[GDub]

Fortunately, I have very good inhibitors which have kept me safe from impulse buys. My inhibitors save me money--especially during the last several years! I don't need any more guitars. I'm fortunate enough to be stocked for all situations.

GDub..... I think you're blowin' smoke [LOL]. You're the very reason I bought that Danelectro 51 Reissue, which I still have. I've heard the postings of your band, and y'all are very impressive. But you seem to have been able to come up with Heritage, Danelectro, G&L, & lord knows what else over the years. No wonder you're well stocked. My guess is that you're running on fumes & will be fine UNTIL.... until you inadvertedly spot that special one that crosses your path when you least suspect it. All of a sudden you'll start thinking about how successful the band has been lately, the stress you've been under, the economy, how long it's been since you fondled a new axe, how much you'll be saving if you act now, how much ole so-and-so will give you for it when you've had your way with it, and maybe even how it would add to the diversity of the band sound..... my prediction is that the barriers will fall a bit. Then it gets easier.

Besides...... any guy wearing a skirt should be able to own any darn thing he can manage!! LOL!!

Good to hear from you, fella. Hope all is well out there in God's country. I'm gonna catch your act next time I go out there.

The truth is that I've not thought about (let alone GASsed over) a "new" guitar for a couple of years. I actually think being in a working band has cured my GAS. I regularly play the guitars I favor and the others are just taking up space (though I like having them around ). About the Dano, glad you found one you like. I often keep my '56 Pro Ltd (reissue) out on a stand and ready for use in my room when I'm in practice mode.

As for my "inhibitors," maybe I am blowin' a little smoke. The kilt thing hooked me BIG TIME! Fortunately, the "skirt" acquisition syndrome has calmed down over the past year, but I currently own 18 kilts. (#19 is in the works--in the Canadian Maple Leaf tartan. I ordered it to celebrate my newly attained Canadian citizenship! Long story, but I am officially a dual citizen of the US and Canada.)

And then there's the camera thing. I got back into photography last year (after a 15 year hiatus). And that means cameras, lenses, etc... I've got no money for guitars!!

So there you go. Glad you're doing well and still stocking the herd. I've been lucky (so far) during the current economic situation, but I saw it coming and kept my house in order, so to speak.

--GDub

[sirmyghin]

Wow Philby, Tim, great stories.