If you think guitarists are crazy about gear, you should try...

[garrett]

We all know how guitarists obsess over every little detail of our gear. Everything from strings to pickups, body woods to cables, pedals, amps, etc. There's such a market to expand and approve our "palettes" that we all end up spending a fortune on new guitars and gadgets.

What other interests do you have, or know of, that are gear intensive?

I'll start with cycling. When I took interest in riding earlier this year, I opened the door to a whole new world of gear obsession. I've seen so many parallels to us guitarists. Different bikes for different purposes/moods. Debates over the merits of different frame materials. People spending small fortunes on the hottest new trends purported to make you perform better. Brand snobbery. Old School contingents. And the list goes on.

I've spent months studying up on everything from pedals and shoes, computers, lights, gear ratios, components, the all-important Lycra shorts, etc. I now feel like I'm fluent in two different Gear Languages. roud:

Other than cycling, I bet photography must have a lot going on, gear-wise. Any fisherman? Don't know much myself, but my dad has a ton of rods/reels and tackle for bass fishing.

 

[james]

I'll start with cycling. When I took interest in riding earlier this year, I opened the door to a whole new world of gear obsession. I've seen so many parallels to us guitarists. Different bikes for different purposes/moods. Debates over the merits of different frame materials. People spending small fortunes on the hottest new trends purported to make you perform better. Brand snobbery. Old School contingents. And the list goes on.

Get a nice, old steel racing frame. Ride it until you're passing everyone and not getting passed. Then worry about gear (my opinion).

Photography is the worst! My photography teacher in college used to say "you can buy an expensive camera, but it's not going to take better pictures than a good, old camera".

 

[Harw00d]

Car detailing.

I wont say anymore.

 

[László]

Fact is there are crazed enthusiasts in every single area of the world, and in every area of human stuff, who are all about their gear. Cars, cameras, motorcycles, guns, art, wine, food, bikes, clothing, jewelry, cigars, pens, coffee, camping equipment, rugs, antiques, coins, stamps...you name it, you'll find folks totally into it.

Go to a woodworking shop or forum, and you will find people arguing passionately over the best hammer or chisel. I'm serious!

People love their stuff!

 

[garrett]

Get a nice, old steel racing frame. Ride it until you're passing everyone and not getting passed. Then worry about gear (my opinion).

Yeah, I've seen/been given similar advice. I think it's equivalent to when we say "Get off the forum and go play your guitar!"

I've also seen statements like "It's the rider, not the bike," which reminds me of the classic "tone is in the hands" argument.

I got myself a new road bike on the higher end of "entry level" and I'd say it's analogous to an SE or a Squier Classic Vibe guitar. In all cases, a solid feature set. Not The Best, but certainly more than Good Enough. I think cyclists are generally worse than guitarists when it comes to over-equipping.

 

[AP515]

Dressage

If you have to ask how much it costs......

 

[garrett]

Car detailing.

I wont say anymore.

Now that's one I hadn't considered. But I bet there could be debates on which polishing compound is superior, or which sort of buffer you should buy...

 

[garrett]

Photography is the worst! My photography teacher in college used to say "you can buy an expensive camera, but it's not going to take better pictures than a good, old camera".

Another analogy to the "tone is in the hands" argument, I'd say. My wife is a great photographer who uses modest gear. She's snagged some impressive shots even with a lowly disposable camera. Me, the best pics I've ever taken were when she was telling me what to do! :laugh:

 

[Harw00d]

Now that's one I hadn't considered. But I bet there could be debates on which polishing compound is superior, or which sort of buffer you should buy...

Yeah, car detailing is a bit of an obsession for me, its even stretching out to guitars now looking for the best care kit!

My favourite bit of car detailing.....Snow Foam:

And finished

I like a bit of photography too!

 

[tiboy]

Hey Garrett I did it in reverse. I was a bike junkie before I traded that addiction for guitars. I ride a custom Parlee ordered in 2004. The Bob Parlee story is earily similar to the Paul Reed Smith story. One man builds a great boutique product, gets the word out, attracts some cork sniffers, builds a business offering flawlessly made products, then adds an Asian made component to the mix to expand the business and capture the non cork sniffing crowd.

I intend nothing derogative by the term cork sniffing as I am often a cork sniffer. Problem is now I have to choose between a new Parlee or a PSR PS, neither of which I can afford.

If the Parlee is for playing clean, the Moots is for when I want a little dirt.

 

[DRM_777]

There's plenty of things I'd like to get into as well as music, namely Archery, but as with most things, to get into it properly, even at a hobby level it cost's a crap load of money usually and for time being, I can't really afford to split my finances with another interest so it's all about music for the foreseeable future...... I mean it makes sense since music is what I have been doing with my life for the past 20 years!

I'll be honest though, I don't even know if I could handle another interest. I mean, I like photography and I'm actually not bad for an amateur, but I have friends who are professionals or on their way to becoming pro's and I don't have the skills or the know how to be as good as they do and I am left thinking, if I'm not going to be able to what they do, is there really any point in me spending a load of cash on it when the same cash could go towards something directly related to music? I don't want to become another "Fauxtographer" who prances about with a brand new DSLR Camera and fifty varying sizes of lenses when the most I'm ever going to be taking pictures of is my cats........LOL

If anything, I like more passive activity's like the movies and reading. I've set aside some cash to buy myself a new TV and a new 7.1 Sound System in the new year. But even then, I'm not super obsessed about the type of gear I am getting, and my total wont be much more than £2000 for the lot, where as you get folks who are also into home cinemas and the like who will spend tens of thousands on a single component!!!

I suppose the fact that Music is how I make my living means that it's actually a good position to be in because anything I buy equipment wise for my business doubles up as a purchase for pleasure too.....

 

[]-[@n$0Ma☩!©]

Hey Garrett I did it in reverse. I was a bike junkie before I traded that addiction for guitars.

Me too. I still have a pair of Litespeeds chained to the rafters in my garage. I can't begin to imagine how much I threw away on bikes and bicycle parts through the years. It would do me some good to get back to those roots. I'm a lard ass these days.

And while I agree with James on the plush ride of steel, I'm still 200 pounds at 7% body fat (which was a long time ago). Steel frames flexed too much for my size - which I learned after snapping both seat-stays coming down a mountain pass. Aluminum was my poison for a while - and then titanium came along. Heaven!

 

[james]

Nice Parlee!

And while I agree with James on the plush ride of steel, I'm still 200 pounds at 7% body fat (which was a long time ago). Steel frames flexed too much for my size - which I learned after snapping both seat-stays coming down a mountain pass. Aluminum was my poison for a while - and then titanium came along. Heaven!

Holy crap...ouch. Did you make it out ok?

you need one of these Pegoretti Big Leg Emmas. Check out the stays!

My two main whips:

I do obsess over stuff as the thread suggests, but I don't have the means to act on it. Totally happy with these bikes, though.

 

[]-[@n$0Ma☩!©]

Holy crap...ouch. Did you make it out ok?

Yeah, the failure wasn't catastrophic. The seat-stays cracked just below the clamp for the seat post.

But if it had been carbon... [shudder]

 

[David Eaton]

I think males are predisposed to the "hunt for gear" regardless of what our hobby is. My cousin used to have an RC car shop and they had a racing league. Guys would come in with tool kits with different tires optimized to the nap of the carpet and the temperature of the carpet in the corners. Golfers do it with clubs, us with guitars; if you're male and you have a hobby you probably engage in similar gear hunts, and they all seem odd to those not into that hobby.

 

[clcwarlock]

I am into cycling as well, I have a Kona Cindercone Mountain Bike and a LeMond Versais road bike. It is important to spend a certain level on your mountain bike upfront because of the cost of replacement parts. If you spend $1,500 up front for a singletrack hardtail it will usually last you a good while. If she spend less and ride in the woods a lot you will be replacing a lot of the entry level parts. However you can easily spend $5k on a bike that only weighs 15 pounds. Also, What kind of riding will you do? Singletrack, Downhill, Road, All Mountain the list goes on and on.

 

[james]

I learned that the hard way. When I bought my first mountain bike, I went through a new wheel every few months. Admittedly, I wasn't super smooth, but they were still junk wheels.

 

[]-[@n$0Ma☩!©]

I remember when I when I got my first full-suspension bike - an XTR loaded Joshua F-1 from Fisher. It was AWESOME right on down to the Chris King hubs and ceramic rims.

I started getting pinch flats like crazy because I would just barrel over big rocks and bad sections. A hardtail forces you to pick a line. A good line.

Man, this thread makes me wanna pull the bikes out of the rafters!!!

 

[garrett]

I'll be honest though, I don't even know if I could handle another interest.

I feel you! I used to be into cars as well, but I gave that up because it was taking up too much money and time from music and I get a lot more enjoyment from guitars and gear than from a car. I actually took an interest in cycling over a year ago, but the sticker shock was major! Finally, by this summer I decided to bite the bullet and get involved because it's a great activity for my fitness. I am definitely less focused on guitars and music, but at least I feel great!

Some nice bikes, guys!

I'm very satisfied riding my GT GTR Series 3. It's aluminum with carbon fork, Tiagra groupset. I think it's a great budget ride, but like guitars, I'd like to have one of each material. It's fun looking at all the expensive bikes in Bicycling magazine, but I fortunately haven't succumbed too badly to Bicycle GAS yet! I'm not getting rid of any guitars to make room for bikes.

Here it is after yesterday's ride. 37 miles (a personal long) in damp conditions. The bike is actually filthy, but it doesn't show much in the pics. Another fun thing about riding is, by chance, I linked up with a guy who lives near me who happened to be going the same place. He led us on a new-to-me route with some great scenery and the largest hill I've taken on to date. Beats working out in a gym, hands down!

 

[garrett]

I am into cycling as well, I have a Kona Cindercone Mountain Bike and a LeMond Versais road bike. It is important to spend a certain level on your mountain bike upfront because of the cost of replacement parts. If you spend $1,500 up front for a singletrack hardtail it will usually last you a good while. If she spend less and ride in the woods a lot you will be replacing a lot of the entry level parts. However you can easily spend $5k on a bike that only weighs 15 pounds. Also, What kind of riding will you do? Singletrack, Downhill, Road, All Mountain the list goes on and on.

Yeah, mountain biking is a subset with its own world of stuff! I haven't taken an interest in it so far. Don't think I could take it on at the moment, anyway.