What is your end game in buying guitars?

[nomadh]

It's a good question. I couldn't explain it much back then and even less now. Some of it was I might as well fill up my house with crap I like before my wife fills it. Still every thing I bought was a bargain of some type so all of it was an "investment ". Everything was a different design, finish and or functional change. I was going to have lots of "mod platforms" but I was fooling myself. I try not to think about the spare parts and random pickups I bought but never touched. Maybe being a mostly bass player now will force a change.
That said I bought a cool little hq acoustic 2 months ago. I should have returned it but it fit a nice padded guitar case I already had so I kept it.
Kinda sick. :]

[msc_]

Years ago, it used to be fairly easy to trade or sell guitars, but the trade game went away ~ 2018 and selling has been a nightmare. My endgame came when I simply did not have enough room for more. I'm happy with what I have, but I do get a bit of GAS here and there.

[littlebadboy]

I've been buying, and selling. Then, buying. And, selling. Then, a friend told me something like... It seems I am searching for what I could call my own, and the cycle would continue until I find it, and the way is customizing to my needs. So, I bought a PRS S2 as a platform because owning a PRS was my dream but couldn't afford the core models. Customized the heck out of it based on my needs.

My Darth Paul currently in drop C:




I also needed a baritone, a headless, and a standard tuned guitar. But, I did not want to have multiple guitars anymore. So... I thought of having all 3 guitars in one. So, I got a multi-scale 7 string headless guitar. The fanned frets give me baritone and the familiar standard scale lengths where needed.

The Beast:



So, now that I have everything that I NEED, I think I have already achieved my "end game."

However, I think I have been wanting a semi-hollow. But... I don't really need it.

[jtcnj]

Still looking for the right keeper tele.
I was shopping for a cheap ebay maple fretboard neck for the Indio, but instead I just bought another tele.....

Word is these are Classic Vibes with a little extra something.
I would expect the same CV neck, but one other owner posted his neck measurements at a bit thicker than my 2021 CV 50's.
Also, the nyatoh bodies seem to run a bit lighter than the pine on mine.

If so, it will get me closer to my keeper tele.
If not, off it goes.

https://www.proaudiostar.com/open-box-s ... le-fb.html

[OMB]

When I gigged I only had 1 electric and 1 acoustic 12. There were/are so many different feature sets to explore. Very easy to let it get out of control and one can only play so many guitars at once. I am down to 10 which is too many but I have (3) earmarked to sell whenever I get my lazy self to post them.

[NickintheStates]

The end game sure looks like divorce! I kid. I kid.

For me, I wanted to try everything. Pickups, shapes, variations. And over time I learned what I loved for different situations. From this journey I've learned quite a few things:

I love parts "Fenders" that I can spec exactly as I want them, and that means some dings and scratches so that the first accidents don't hurt as much. They're the ultimate hot rods of the guitar world. Once I found a neck shape and radius that I felt at home with, it was on like donkey kong.

I love Gibsons. Tone snobbery and all. I'm a third generation Gibson guy, so it shouldn't be a surprise. When times are good, I have far too many of them. When times are lean I still have too many, but definitely less. More than one might seem too many... but you need a Les Paul with humbuckers... and P-90's. And then mini hums. And then a 335. And then something hollow and Jazzy. And then.. and then.. Juniors! and Specials! Ugh. It's a sickness. But they make me happy. Gorgeous to look at and the warm the room when playing unaccompanied. And they can snarl and bite when you want them to.

And then I love a few cheap guitars that are a thousand times better than they ought to be. That's the fun hunt that keeps things fresh. It's been a bit since I've found one after overdosing for a while, but the eye is always open.

So I guess there is no end game. Unlike my wife, with guitars I can love the one(s) I'm with, but still scratch the itch for some strange now and again. Plus it's a great joy to had sell a person a $200 or $500 guitar that is far far better than it has any right to be. If that's all they can afford then they've maximized it. And if they are a cork sniffer, well, it just might change their outlook on things. The thrill is in the hunt for greatness.

Until you get really old and realized a pine bodied telecaster is all you need and get rid of everything. I'm not there yet... but I do that the pine tele for when that day comes. Cheers gents, I've missed you crazy bastards.

[MichaelR]

Welp for me it was Agileguitar forum. I decided to get back into guitar and always loved the Les Paul. I had let a custom shop special get away years ago and missed it badly. The price for Gibson by then was much higher so I asked google for a good copy that was well thought of, popular and affordable. What I read about Agile seemed very positive so when I saw one advertised on an estate sale I bought my first AgileLP. I posted a pic on the forum and everyone seemed so cool that I started hanging around. The NGD posts got me thinking about and then buying budget guitars. One thing led to another until I reached 15 which may seem like a small number here but most people's eyes pop open when I say I have 15. I have thinned the herd since down to 7 electrics and 3 Acoustics. I mostly play The latest and last Agile I bought which was the custom order we all put in for a doublecut, the black AgileLP or one of my two Yamaha Pacifica's. I will be selling one of the Pacifica's though. I have a Hofner verythin for my semi hollow itch and I feel like all my tone options are filled now. I try not to look at all the fantastic tops that are out there now because my extra cash has become even thinner due to housing and inflation.

[golem]

I find it fun to try different things. I've found pickups that I hated in many guitars sounded great in one.
I discovered just how much I love S styles and how much I hate 60 cycle noise and EMI.
I've gotten to enjoy the challenge of trading. I don't really think there's an end game per se. I learned a lot.

[doc-knapp]

Learning to play guitar was my midlife hobby after having a child. I decided to dip my toe in the waters slowly with inexpensive guitars in case I chose to quit my new hobby. It led me here, and over ten years later I'm still here, but the GAS went away after growing a rather large collection of lefty inexpensive guitars that I've upgraded into really good players. Now I have a room full of guitars to choose from every day when I play, and I'll probably slowly sell them off as I get older and downsize in a few years.

[voodoorat]

I want to have guitars that each have a role to play, and when I buy them it's with a theory of a role that they will play and then I have them for a while to see if they actually fit that role or not. I think I could survive if I was told "you have to pick one electric guitar, one acoustic guitar, and one amp"--but I would prefer not to, and to be able to pick one that I'm in the mood for or one that suits what I want to play. What I don't want is to have multiple guitars that fill the same niche, because I'm bound to prefer one over the other(s) and those to be just a waste. I make mistakes all the time and think something is going to play some particular role and it winds up not doing what I expected for one reason or another, but I'd never know if I didn't try. The closer I get to having a guitar/amp I love that suits whatever I want to play the less I covet new stuff--but that said, my brain eventually seems to always think of other things I haven't tried yet so I'm not sure there's really ever an end game until I stop having resources to blow on guitar stuff.

With this approach I tend to pick and choose "good deals" unless I'm 100% sure that I want something and don't think there's much chance I'm not going to keep it. If I can buy something and have it for enough time to tell whether it fills a niche and whether I love it or not (this may take some months for a sort of recency bias to wear off enough that I am sure one way or the other--also sometimes I grow to really like something or figure out a different role for something over a few months that initially I'm underwhelmed by) but still be able to unload it without a major hit (or even for a profit) then it's a low-risk approach.

I also like to have a couple of extra cheap-but-decent-players guitars so if I want to I can give them away.

[Chocol8]

For me it has to fill a purpose. I was mostly a Strat player for a very long time. I keep 3, currently and for a few years they are a MIJ, MIA, and a Squier 50's CV. The Squier is great, but rarely played.

Felt the need for a LP style guitar which originally brought me to AGF and an AL-3000. Upgraded to the AD-3200 which was a big step up for my tastes, and I just got a second as a backup.

I have one Tele, a clearance MIM Cabronita, because everyone should have a Tele, and I wanted something with filtertrons. I also have a couple of acoustics that I never play but keep for sentimental reasons.

I have had other guitars, but they either catch on or move on, and I have very little GAS for more guitars. When I want different tones, it mostly comes from amps or effects so I don't need a lot of variety of guitars.

[tonebender]

There is only one electric guitar that is not in my house that I would like to own and that is one of the newish satin, burst, Gibson 335s. I played on in Sam Ash and the neck profile was definitely fine. Some of the neck profiles over the years are not my cup of tea. I have a 339 and a Midtown but I sure would like to have the 335. As far as electrics go that would be the only possible purchase I would make. I could see buying another Gibson or some other high end acoustic if I ran up on one that I could not walk away from. Beside those scenarios I have still in the unloading mode and need to move a few out. I have two listed currently but not a single bite for over a month now. Two acoustics like brand new that I have listed well under at just about half price so I can move them on. I am actually surprised that I have had no interest. I may try listing them here.

[nomadh]

Why do you buy more guitars?
We all have different reasons to make specific purchases.

I found the old forum looking for sources for good budget priced guitars when I first started seriously trying / learning to play 8 years ago.
Sometimes I get caught up in the NGD posts and GAS got the better of me. But, each purchase had a purpose.

I was never in this to collect gear, just looking for the best budget options in different style guitars and finding what suits me.
I have learned so much here, and it is a great group of folks too.

I'm a classic rock, early metal, blues rock / blues, and a little surf player.
I like to have a variety of types to play and have one or 2 (or 3) strats, teles, 3 LP, 1 SG, 2 Vee, 1 Explorer, 1 pointy Floyd super strat, 1 semi-hollow, 1 Jazzmaster style, and an acoustic. I don't have any specific guitars for drop or open tunings, or slide, but sometimes keep one or more in something other than standard for a while.
Different pickup types or combinations (single coil / HB / P90) as well as different flavors in the same type - PAF vs hotter /modern, etc. also play into the variety mix.

To the untrained eye - my wife says why do you need (well need is a different discussion) 2 or 3 of the same guitar? 3 LPs are mostly the same, yet different pickups make them - different. But they are the same in they are all 8.5lbs. or so max, have a rounded or fatter neck profile, TOM or wraparound hard tails, and no neck dive as experience has taught me what works best for me.

Many have come and gone along the way, as I now have a better understanding of what I like and what fits me best.
So, a lot of the puzzle pieces have fallen into place with most of the guitars I have as keepers.

Mostly I don't look for more if I am happy with what I have, the LPs for instance.
However, The right deal on the right guitar is still one the table; never say never (again).
If the AL 3200 weren't 10+ lbs I I might own one, though I prefer a rounded / not slim neck profile.

I'm on a buy / build the right 2 strats (SSS and HSS) thing right now.

What guides your purchase decisions?

Very paralleled experience for me. After having way more electrics covering more bases than I can pretend exist I started buying acoustics. Its getting silly. I bought trying not to duplicate styles or finishes and still stick to natural wood finishes.
Part of it for me was buying guitars in self defense and I love a bargain. Its self defense because my wife buys crap all the time filling up our house and damn if I wasn't going to fill part with something I like.