The Chase For 'The Best'

[László]

PS as a result of my choices , I've only sold one instrument out of my collection , and that was to a dear friend who was a singer /songwriter in Nashville. For me it you take your time to find your dream, you hang on to it through thick and thin.

I like to kid around and not take myself too seriously. Hence this thread. Honestly, I don't feel badly about it.

I use my gear in my music production livelihood. It's not a 'gear of dreams' thing. Sometimes I get something different simply because I'm looking for inspiration. Other times I want to buy something different to meet the needs of a particular project, and don't want to front too much money out of pocket to do that.

Often that works out well! Sometimes I have regrets, which is (I think) OK, part of what I do.

I like having no more than 4-5 guitars that I think are going to do most of the work I need to do. I need to concentrate. I like having my studio environment give me a sense of serenity and calm. I guess you could say I like the feeling of a clean sheet of paper when I start working.

Having too much gear sitting around, or worse, hanging on walls or stands, is distracting and makes me feel disorganized. Kills the vibe.

Also, I don't want paralysis by analysis - too many choices. I need to get things done quickly because of deadlines. So limiting my gear makes sense for several reasons.

We all have our unique issues!

 

[Prina]

I had a Leica for 30 years, too. After digital came out, I made the error of selling it. I still have my grandfather's Zeiss binoculars for sporting events. I think he got them in 1950. They're still 100% great! A little large (OK, gigantic; more modern sets are much smaller and lighter), but great.

Lasting value, indeed.

Here's the Nikkormat FT that my brother & I got in '68 ($60 each for the body and the lens). My son used it a dozen years ago for a school film photography class. Our binocs are Bausch + Lomb 10x50s from around the same era as yours. Fantastic for sports.

 

[László]

Here's the Nikkormat FT that my brother & I got in '68 ($60 each for the body and the lens). My son used it a dozen years ago for a school film photography class. Our binocs are Bausch + Lomb 10x50s from around the same era as yours. Fantastic for sports.

It is GREAT that you still have that! Great camera.

I had a Leica R4 with the 50mm lens, a 90-135 zoom, the power winder and some macrophotography stuff. Honestly, the more busy my studio business became, the less I used the camera, until finally it just sat around in a cabinet. When everyone seemed to go to digital, and I saw it was hard even getting film developed in my area, I got cold feet and sold it.

You know what, though, I still like the idea of analog photography. I think it'd be fun to use the old camera again if I had it. The lenses were incredible - so sharp, perfect depth of field, easy to do interesting things with.

 

[Greywolf]

I will say one nice aspect of wanting to constantly find the better instrument is the inspiration it provides me in the shop . All of my friends and clients notice that each one is better than the predecessor. The japanese have a term for it that I've embraced for half a lifetime : Kaizen-do , "the path of continual improvement"

 

[Simon Says]

There was an interesting article in the New York Times today about the tendency in lots of folks to have to have 'the best'. Doesn't matter what it is, could be a wastebasket or a toaster. Could be a guitar or an amp. Could be a pizza. Any item at all can be part of the chase for 'the best'.

Oh you bet, I'm guilty, I'm no holier-than-thou critic!

I temper it by evaluating things for myself, but once I decide what the 'best for me' is, I'm most unready to compromise. I have a hard time accepting second-best (given I've decided for myself what best is). I'll wait and save if that's what I have to do. Doesn't matter much what the item is.

Is this self-defeating? An expert in psychology apparently did a study on it, and thinks so. The study found that people who are into that 'best' chase are in fact less satisfied with the decisions they make. They're also more likely to be borderline clinically depressed:

"...it's not really doing anyone a favor," was the quote about the whole thing.

Oh my goodness, I'd never sell a perfectly sweet guitar (or many) because I think I've found a better one, and regret it later!

I always say there's no best, there's only what's best for you. I guess that doesn't mean you're necessarily any better off deciding what 'best for you' actually is, or chasing after it, though I have to say it can be a lot of fun to arrive at that destination, even if it's only a temporary thrill.

While I accept the fact that I'm pretty bad about all this, I know people who are even more into it. I suspect that none of us are 100% immune.

"But honey, it's the JD Powers #1 truck of 2023!"

"Here are Wirecutter's rankings of the best vacuum cleaners."

"The people on the PRS Forum say the 594 is the best PRS!"

Etc.

So here's my 'best' advice (you see what I did here):

Never listen to me, ever.

Even now!

I like nice toys, but I have and know my limits. I know one thing; I don't deserve flashy guitars, not with how I play or with my level of clumsiness. I rape guitars; I trash them unintentionally. It was ok with Fenders; more battle scars on a Stratocaster, then better. Not so cool on a PRS. But they are my guitars; I do no harm intentionally. This is one of the reasons why I don't like playing other people's guitars or guitars at the music shops. I dig in too hard. So best guitars for me are the ones I own right now.

The car... I remember thinking it was a good idea to buy Volvo XC40. It's a medium-sized SUV, ideal for taking my gear and playing jam. Not too big, so parking should be fine... The first time I had a compliment regarding this car, I felt ashamed. I'm not sure why, but every time it happens, I say it's a lease. I'm a meat and potato bloke; I wear trousers with holes, bands Ts, and Converse trainers. I don't do flashy stuff. I have an ordinary new car on order; it will come with no options.

I only chase the best if it's best for me. I never had the urge to share owning stuff with others. This is the only forum I frequent (sometimes I talk **** on TGP, but I don't post much or often). My brain is damaged, or I'm past or before the stage where I need to show how remarkable I am.

Other than my guitar gear and the car, I don't own anything worth talking about or sharing Aw, I have a new kettle; see-thru to see the water getting bubbly.

 

[László]

I like nice toys, but I have and know my limits. I know one thing; I don't deserve flashy guitars, not with how I play or with my level of clumsiness. I rape guitars; I trash them unintentionally. It was ok with Fenders; more battle scars on a Stratocaster, then better. Not so cool on a PRS. But they are my guitars; I do no harm intentionally. This is one of the reasons why I don't like playing other people's guitars or guitars at the music shops. I dig in too hard. So best guitars for me are the ones I own right now.

The car... I remember thinking it was a good idea to buy Volvo XC40. It's a medium-sized SUV, ideal for taking my gear and playing jam. Not too big, so parking should be fine... The first time I had a compliment regarding this car, I felt ashamed. I'm not sure why, but every time it happens, I say it's a lease. I'm a meat and potato bloke; I wear trousers with holes, bands Ts, and Converse trainers. I don't do flashy stuff. I have an ordinary new car on order; it will come with no options.

I only chase the best if it's best for me. I never had the urge to share owning stuff with others. This is the only forum I frequent (sometimes I talk **** on TGP, but I don't post much or often). My brain is damaged, or I'm past or before the stage where I need to show how remarkable I am.

Other than my guitar gear and the car, I don't own anything worth talking about or sharing Aw, I have a new kettle; see-thru to see the water getting bubbly.

You do build super-nice pedalboards; that's worth talking about and sharing. There's probably other stuff you do that's pretty interesting, too.

 

[Simon Says]

You do build super-nice pedalboards; that's worth talking about and sharing. There's probably other stuff you do that's pretty interesting, too.

True, I'm a bit obsessed with this

 

[ViperDoc]

“Wants” determine your drive more than anything else. The absence or numbness to satisfaction? Now that could be a problem.

 

[Prina]

The absence or numbness to satisfaction? Now that could be a problem.

So true. Anhedonia: the loss of ability to feel pleasure. A common symptom of depressive disorders and substance use disorder.

Probably rarely caused by acquiring too many PRSi unless you're mainlining them.

 

[StSpider]

I think many people just want to feel special. "This guitar is special therefore I am special" kind of mentality. I don't mean to insult them, I kind of get it, but it's all an illusion at the end of the day.

There's no winning this race we're running.

 

[László]

I think many people just want to feel special. "This guitar is special therefore I am special" kind of mentality. I don't mean to insult them, I kind of get it, but it's all an illusion at the end of the day.

There's no winning this race we're running.

Speaking of understandable (but ultimately irrational) ideas...

A friend was trying out one of my guitars and said, "Man, this thing is going to be an heirloom."

I said I wasn't in a hurry to do what has to be done in order for the heirs to get it.

 

[JasonE]

Speaking of understandable (but ultimately irrational) ideas...

A friend was trying out one of my guitars, and said, "Man, this thing is going to be an heirloom."

I said I wasn't in a hurry to do what has to be done in order for the heirs to get it.

Right?

 

[Greywolf]

or perhaps some just cherish being the stewards of something special and enjoying it while we are able to

 

[veinbuster]

or perhaps some just cherish being the stewards of something special and enjoying it while we are able to

It is always nice to be in the presence of something special.

 

[László]

or perhaps some just cherish being the stewards of something special and enjoying it while we are able to

I know people feel that way. I have no real objection to folks buying into the conceit that "Everything's on loan here," as Chrissie Hyde sang.

But the sine qua non of stewardship is non-ownership. A steward manages something he or she doesn't own. Stewardship's definition is "the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care." It is a fiduciary duty.

Most of us own our guitars. They come without strings attached (you see what I did there). If someone steals your guitar, they have stolen it from you, the owner, not anyone else.

They aren't given to us by someone else with the expectation that they should be taken care of, or managed and returned. We picked them out. We bought them. We can do whatever we like with them.

We can use them as as firewood if we feel like it.

We're also free to create the fiction that we are stewards of our very nice property. It's a lovely thing to imagine future generations being able to appreciate it.

At least, until we put it on Reverb!

When I'm doing my usual intensely picky guitar care, my wife likes to kid me and say, "The next owner is going to be SO glad that you were this fussy."

 

[Greywolf]

I've only sold 2 instruments , all the rest have been gifts over the years , of the 34 that remain I treat them with reverence and enjoy them until my grandchildren inherit them . Being Native American , we don't really look at anything as really owned , we just enjoy it while it's there and take care of it for the future generations , 7 being the norm .

 

[RickP]

I keep reading through this thread because I enjoy seeing the different positions people place themselves into when presented with the concept. That framing says more about the person than their words. Perhaps that was what the question was intended to bring out, knowing the depth of thought enjoyed by the author. Multi-faceted, indeed, Mr. S.

 

[László]

I keep reading through this thread because I enjoy seeing the different positions people place themselves into when presented with the concept. That framing says more about the person than their words.

I like seeing the responses and thinking about them, too! We're an interesting bunch here, sharing certain interests, but also having divergent views.

It's also a very intelligent group. Everyone's got interesting things to say; this forum's more like a conversation than folks merely putting stuff on the wall and walking away. It's fascinating.

Sometimes members feel very strongly and emotions rise, but it's usually temporary. That happens among friends, but friends we all remain.

 

[JasonE]

I definitely feel that I own my guitars and gear. I worked for the money that purchased all of it. I also know I will not be taking it with me. That means that I will either sell the bulk of it before I pass and so something with the money, or, those that they are left to will do something with them that fits their lifestyle.

Unfortunately, I am the only guitar player in the family, outside of my brothers. I have given thought to gifting a couple of guitars to people I think would really appreciate them. One of those people is one of my brothers. I am really not sure which one he would really like to have. He mentioned my 335 the last time I talked to him. He asked me if I still had it. I really wasn't able to get to the bottom of why he asked about it.

 

[tiboy]

I know of 3 lads who thought it better to have Ringo versus Best.