How many guitars do you need?

That is a question that is both uncomfortable and deeply fascinating at the same time. There are convincing arguments for sticking to just one, as well as continuing to expand the collection.

One?

The idea of having just one guitar is scary and enthralling in equal measures. There are obvious benefits to the concept. Owning just one instrument would mean that I had every chance in the world to get to know it intimately, and learn how to coax every possible sound and nuance out of it. I would never have to fuss over which guitar to use during a practice or recording session, a rehearsal or a gig. I would simply have to bring my guitar, and then make it work somehow.

Sticking to that single guitar ties neatly into a concept that has always fascinated me, namely using restrictions as creative challenges. Write a song using only two chords, or a complete short story in fewer than 100 words, go on a shoot with just a 50 mm lens. Or: try to make all my sounds with just one guitar, especially one with a single pickup. Somewhere deep within me, there is a streak of the minimalist. What makes that really difficult to adhere to is that there are so many cool guitars. Guitars are not just musical tools, but also objets d'art. Thus I have only been able to find a true outlet for the said minimalism within one particular musical area, and that is amplification.

The discussion whether just one guitar would suffice is rather pointless. If nothing else, that ship sailed long ago. I don't have any plans to whittle down my collection to just one instrument. I've spent a lot of time and energy, effort and money into amassing the collection I currently have, and the sentimental attachment is almost impossibly strong with some of the guitars. Therefore, this discussion will be entirely theoretical. But I will say that if circumstances were to force me to get rid of most of my guitars, which one I'd keep would very much depend on the situation. If there were a possibility to do some kind of a mod, I'd probably put at least one humbucker in the blue Strat, and then that would be the one. If not, then I'd keep the black Les Paul Studio. If someone gave me a challenge and a budget that would make it possible for me to get by on any guitar of my choosing, as of right now, I would probably go for some sort of PRS, most likely a Custom 24.

More?

Fortunately, I am not in that situation, and therefore I am quite pleased to own a collection of instruments that range from very good to absolutely awesome. There will inevitably ups and downs for some of them, but usually that's due to normal wear and tear, which can be fixed pretty easily.

I have noticed that over time, I will oscillate between humbuckers and single-coils depending on what sort of music I prefer playing at any given point. There might be a year or two during which I spend most of the time with my Fenders, and then I gravitate back to the Gibsons. This has happened enough times that I've learned to take it in stride, and not regard it as a portent of great changes. I think it's pointless to reshape my collection according to short-term trends. That, if anything, would be throwing away my money. I've never regretted buying a guitar, but I have regretted selling one or two.

So why own more than one guitar, really? It's not really a question to ask someone who plays on stage. I've broken strings during gigs without a backup guitar handy, and that was no fun at all. And that's a mild malfunction compared to the misfortunes I've seen happen to others. If you're serious, you bring an extra instrument.

Part of the explanation is the sound. A Les Paul is not a Strat. A 12-string is not a nylon string. And so on. The differences are much more pronounced on acoustic guitars, whereas an electric can be manipulated to a great degree via boosts, compressors, equalizers and so on. So if a guitar can be made to sound like anything, why have more than one (plus one as a backup)?

Because sound isn't the only variable in the equation. Sure, I can plug in any of my guitars and play anything from 60s covers to technical death metal on it. But the heavier the genre and the more distorted the sound, the more I gravitate towards humbuckers, chiefly because like the dark side of the Force, they are quicker, easier and more seductive. Feel is also a factor. There might not be much of a difference between a Strat and a Tele in the grand scheme of things. Sure, there are some sounds you can get on one but not the other. But I would be hard pressed to tell the difference between, say, two tracks recorded on the two different bridge pickups (which, incidentally, is where I live most of the time). Yet, when I sit down with each of them, the difference in body shape and the subtle difference in sound and pickup combinations put me in different mindsets.

There is also an emotional and sentimental side to the issue. Pick any of my electric guitars, especially the 1950-60 designs, and I can rattle off a list of players that have inspired me to get that guitar.

Ultimately, it's about determining whether or not it is worth it, and I happen to think it is. Guitars are fun. I have learned a great deal out of exploring the strengths of each instrument, and written and recorded quite a few tunes, occasionally with some pretty cool sounds. At the end of the day, I think that this is the sort of area where if you don't understand, there is really no way I could explain it to you in a way that makes sense. (Conversely, if you do understand, there is no point in explaining anything to begin with.)

Getting rid of the GAS

Coming out of the store with a new guitar in my hand is among the best feelings in the world. It is quite possible to get completely addicted to it, making up excuses to keep on giving myself that rush. I'm keenly aware of the syndrome. I got into a groove between 2012 and 2017 and purchased one guitar a year, and I would be lying if I claimed that it didn't get to me.

The most important part is that having many guitars, while fun in many respects, is not an end unto itself. Every new guitar means that the time I get to spend with each individual instrument gets progressively less, and there is another entry on my maintenance and restringing list. That's how I know that this cannot continue indefinitely, and I get more selective and restrictive for each new purchase. There is a list of about 25 guitars that would be fun to have. But realistically, I see a six-string PRS in my future, and that's about it.

I also need to remind myself that I'm perfectly capable of raising my game on the guitar without purchasing so much as a pick. The gearhead in me hates that, but it's true. Sure, a new guitar leads to improvements, but that's not intrinsic to the instrument, but a direct consequence of spending all that time getting to know it.

Therefore, a new guitar has to add something I can't already get: extended range, a new pickup type, and so on. I do understand players who prefer Strats and own six of them, because when you zoom in on such a low level, there are subtle differences between models. I try not to do that because I prefer the variety, but I know that if I let go just one tiny bit, I will get myself a whole bunch of Strats just to have them in many different colors. White for Hendrix, black for Clapton/Murray—you get the point. It is bad enough as it is, with two US Strats in my collection with not much more that sets them apart than neck wood and body color. That might be enough for some, whereas I find myself wondering what to do with the blue one in order to give it a unique voice.

Another thing I have done to ward off GAS is to find my level and stick to it. I have wanted a sunburst Les Paul Standard and a white or black Custom for as long as I can remember. But when I finally could afford them, I was no longer interested. I had spent so much time with my black Studio that I couldn't see what I would gain from purchasing any of the more expensive guitars. There might have been a time when there was a natural upgrading sequence from Squier to Fender Japan, from US mass-produced models to US custom-shop orders. Not anymore. If there was a wrinkle in the space-time continuum and I somehow got forced to restart my collection, I don't think I'd buy any US-made instruments.

I have noticed that the urge to get a new guitar can be traced to a subconscious feeling of dissatisfaction with one of my existing ones. I eventually gave in and bought myself that seven-string. But before I reached that decision, I went back and forth many times during the course of a year or a year and a half. Much of it was that my baritone was in dire need of a setup job. As soon as I did that, and it played smoothly again, with good intonation, my need for a seven-string evaporated. So keeping my existing collection in tip-top shape is a good way to keep myself from buying something I don't really need.

As an ending note, I found that I tended to get myself a pedal whenever I felt down and needed a little pick-me-up by way of some retail therapy. That might not have much of a problem in the short term, but over the years, it added up. What I eventually found was that those impulses are just as satisfied by buying something considerably cheaper. I discovered that I could scratch that itch by purchasing a set of a gauge of strings or picks I had never tried before. Not only did I take care of the GAS for that month, it also ties into my philosophy that one should always try out new stuff, because you just never know when you might stumble upon that secret sauce.