I have a slight addiction.
I am a guitar fanatic, and can’t seem to stop myself from buying them. Actually, let me amend that statement. I can’t stop talking myself into buying guitars that “with a little work, would be awesome!”
I have one in my closet right now that needs to have the really BAD paint job that someone tried to do stripped off, and be re-finished and put back together. And it only cost me just a few bucks!
That is, before I decide I don’t like certain parts of the guitar that affect tone and playability. And before I replace the parts that are missing. And before I decide what color I want to finish it, if I don’t like what lies beneath the crummy, rattle-can paint job.
I have done this before, and will continue to do it again, I have a feeling.
The problem with guitars is there are so many different kinds, and they are all great at different things. That is a problem for someone like me.Someone suffering from Gear Acquisition Syndrome.
It’s a terrible affliction that affects thousands of guitarists and bassists every day.
That shiny new model, that beat up old one that has seen serious action on the road, that amp that has “the right sound” for MY tone! They all seem to be crying out in one loud, unified voice, “Buy us, we will make your life better, make you cooler, and make your music that much more relevant!”
I mean, really, you can almost hear it!
And if it’s not a new guitar or amp, there are effects pedals of every shape, size, color, and price point that the mind boggles and the eyes glaze at the sight of the selection. These little do-dads change the sound of a guitar, and make it sound BETTER.
If I can just find that one Holy Grail of a pedal that does everything I need, I will stop. I swear.
So, if you hear a musician complain about having G.A.S., don’t run to stand upwind. Instead, offer a kind word, a knowing look, and take the catalog out of their hands before permanent damage is done.
Oh, and whatever you do, don’t lend them “just a couple of bucks for this great piece of gear that just needs a little bit of work!”
Ben Cox is the morning show host of “Ben Cox in the Morning” on KQBZ, 96.9 FM in Brownwood Texas. He is the new in-stadium voice of the Howard Payne Yellow Jackets football team, & Ben is also an event DJ for weddings, parties and the like, and can be contacted through the Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce.
The thoughts and comments reflected in this column are those of the writer alone, and do not necessarily reflect those of Wendlee Broadcasting, or its affiliates.
