I recently saw this clip from Billy Connelly’s tour of Route 66, in which he stops by a guitar collector’s house. The guys had 50 Fender Coronados and 3 rooms filled with pedal steels and lap steels. (Oddly, I don’t recall seeing Strats, Teles, Les Pauls, etc. Perhaps he only had the budget for the second-tier collectables?)
On the one hand, I understand this to a degree because I can look at guitars all day. On the other hand, the only thing that really separates this guy from someone on one of those hoarders shows is resale value.
So when does enthusiasm cross over into OCD territory? Personally, I have 6 electric guitars, but they are all different styles and makes. And even though I have somewhere around 1000 cds and about 500 albums, I’ve never felt the need to have the entire catalog of any artist except in cases where they’ve only released a small amount of recordings.
Maybe this is all just a justification on my part (and maybe if I hit the lottery I’d ratchet things up a few notches) but right now, I feel like I’m still on the healthy side of my obsession.
I know some of you have massive collections of music (I’m thinking of a Sinatra-loving Townsman in particular), and I’m guessing that there are some folks on here who have impressive arsenals of guitars.
So how much is too much? And how close are you to crossing the line? (The guy in the clip says that he’s built additions to his house to accommodate his collection.)
I vote OCD.
When buying and cataloging become more important than listening/playing you’ve got a problem. When you can no longer talk shit here you’ve probably got a problem.
Back when I was unmarried and making fat bank in the telecom industry, I had a bad case of something that seemed to respond to guitar retail therapy. I, too, focused on second-tier guitars that I thought were under-appreciated. I got up to a point where I owned 13 guitars — mostly things like Epiphones, Hagstroms, Supros and such — but then I “sold” many of them to the studio, and I don’t miss them. I now have six, though I really only play three. They fill up a wall nicely, and that’s the main reason I keep the six.
Long lost Townsman Mickavory needs to chime in here because I can’t/won’t speak for him, but I will speak for myself.
We recently spent some time sharing some music in our oversized collections. We both have obsessed over stereo/mono editions and deluxes of our favorite albums. We both have remarked on having to buy the same record over and over again.
For me, it’s always been about the music. While I like holding it and seeing and reading about it, I still just want to hear the tunes. I will admit to a degree of obsessing about having to own an entire catalogue of an artist I admire. Everything from the best of the best to the worst of the turds. Once I am a fan of yours, I will stick it out. I think I am the only one around here who still buys Elvis Costello’s music and actually enjoys the new records.
I agree with Mod, though. Once it becomes about the catalogue and organization, it’s time to let it go. It makes me feel guilty when I get a record and I don’t listen to it. I bought all those remastered Blondie records when they came out. I even went back out to the store when I realized I had left Plastic Letters behind. The Hunter is one of the biggest turds ever released, but I still try to listen to it every so often if only to make sure I still hate it.
These days, Mickavory and I don’t buy as much stuff as we used to. Thanks to our little external hard drives, I don’t have to wonder about those Mellencamp records I’ve envied. I just transfer them to my drive. He doesn;t have to lust after my ridiculous collection of Michael Nesmith solo records. Perhaps in our old ages, we have been able to finally enjoy these stupid collections we’ve amassed. And I do recognize that they are stupid. During our most recent visit/sharing session, I remarked to him several times how utterly ridiculous we are. I suppose most crack addicts know they are not healthy.
I may have shared this story here before, but if not, here it is for everyone: When I first began obsessing over Nesmith and his solo career, alot of his stuff was hard to find and some of it never made it to compact disc. We have a pretty cool local vinyl store called Little Big Store. They had a copy of Live at the Palais hanging on the wall with a 40 dollar price tag on it. This was expensive to a young college student, but I really wanted to hear this “mystery record.” I was dismayed to find that one of the reasons it was so high was because it was still stilled. This was like conundrum for me as I really wanted to hear it. I bought the thing with the knowledge that when I did tear it open, that it would be mint and play perfectly. I remember walking away from the register still debating on what I was to do with my new find. The lady who owns/run the place was saying something to the effect of, “Don’t open it…Nesmith is record show stuff….” At the end of the day, I realized that I’d wanted and paid the high price for it was because I wanted to actually hear the music. Needless to say, the shrink-wrap came off that album one I got home.
I’ve never had the same obsession about guitars. I like the ones I’ve got and will upgrade/change based on need. But they are meant to be played, not looked at.
TB
I used to be absolutely obsessive about The Fall’s records, although I bought them to play and because I like them. Meeting Mrs H made it slightly more problematic listening to them about the house, plus these days I know that I can get hold of any which I want to listen to within minutes, while in the seventies and eighties I would travel all over the country in the hope of finding a copy of The Man Whose Head Expanded. I only ever saw one copy, which is the one I own, and it didn’t even cost any more than any other single at the time despite its absence from mainstream shops. The knowledge that everything is out there makes it easier to pass on stuff. These days I collect autographs of people I like and admire, they are quieter than Fall records and don’t take up nearly as much space. When I was younger I would have catalogued them, these days I’d rather be making stuff with the kids.
I still love records and cd’s (records in particular). I’ve got over 1000 Stones cd’s, and probably 600 or so of everyone else and another 600 records, so I don’t think I’m too out of hand. But Stones – wise I’ve also got posters in tubes, too many books for a three shelf bookcase and a steamer trunk full of magazines and stuff, not to mention bobbleheads, dolls, framned posters and pictures and just junk in general. I think I’d be feeling a little hoardish if I had more than 2000 records. But then again, ask me when I get there!
The big question for you, 2k, is Do you own a bobblehead of the replacement bassist?
If the answer to that question is Yes you may need help.
You know what? You can’t even get a Bill bobblehead. Just Keith, Mick, Charlie and Ronnie.
I have a Schmuzzle Puzzle, too. I’ve never opened it. I hate puzzles.
No Brian Jones bobbleheads?
I’m curious as to how one can get to 1,000 Stones CDs. Live shows? Every possible complilation? I know that the Stones have far fewer studio bootlegs than the Beatles.
Nowadaze, there’s probably a bootleg available of every show they ever played.
There’s probably more hours of material bootlegged of Stones studio activity than the Beatles. The Beatles have more rehashed stuff than The Stones, but I don’t think they have anything quite so ambitious as the eight cd’s worth of Satanic Majesties studio sessions, or the ten disks from the Voodoo Lounge sessions (both sessions are in stunning quality sound wise, too). The biggest problem is the rehash/upgrade bullshit bootleggers put you through. Want the newly unearthed studio Reelin’ and Rockin’ (not newly unearthed these days, but an example)? You get to buy all those old Chess outtakes again. Want the IBC demos? The five songs originally were spread out over three or four records and the bootleggers never mentioned they were from one session. Or then you find out there’s a version in stereo that was only mono.
I have a ton of concerts, too. I’m kind of done collecting that stuff these days because I have too much, but I’ve got one of the better studio outtakes and alternate version collections out there.
I know a guy that actually has hours of Exile outtakes that aren’t available anywhere, but he isn’t sharing. I don’t have anything like that. These days you can probably download most of my stuff for free, but good luck sourcing it correctly.
I have bobblehead Charlie Watts sitting here at my desk at work, right next to cardboard standup Bob Dylan. It’s no wonder I won a trophy for “neatest desk” here. I thought “neat” meant “clean.” Apparently, “neat” means “neat.”
TB