"Gear Lust"

I am a musician.  I love to listen to music.  Play music.  Sometimes though, I think my favorite thing to do is to shop for instruments. It's strange how gear can capture your heart.  I currently own 3 electric guitars (Ibanez Artcore Semi-Hollow, Fender Telecaster, Danelectro Convertible) 2 acoustic guitars (Martin D-16 and Taylor GS8) a Fender Champion 600 and Guytronix Ardmore amp, 1x12 Avatar cab w/a Weber Vintage series speaker, a board full of pedals, a Schlagwerk cajon, a wurlitzer piano, plus a whole synth setup for my mac.  The list of gear I have own in the past is 10 times that long.  None of that includes all of the fabulous gear that I have access to at my work.

The crazy thing is that I always want more.  I am never fully content.  Right now I am eyeing a new Gibson hollowbody guitar, 3 different guitar amps, a replacement speaker for my cab, new tubes for my amp, a couple new pedals, and even some new cables.  Most of these things are completely unaffordable for me too...really all of them.  Yet the "need" for more never goes away.

I have a lot of respect for guys that have "a sound."  You name a musician and you know what their setup is.  It's as iconic as they are.  There are whole genres of guitar tone named after them because that's "their sound."  They get that by grabbing a guitar and an amp and playing if for all its worth.  I need that reminder.

Now, there isn't anything wrong with new gear, different gear, better gear.  But I always need to be examining my motives for wanting gear.  Is there really a problem with my guitar?  Is the best solution a $2400 new guitar, or a $25 new bridge on the current one?  The solutions to my musical problems are more likely than not cheaper than I want them to be.  Maybe even free.  Often in my head.

That being said, if anyone sees a really good deal on a Fender Bassman, let me know.