To Purge, or not to Purge?

Babyfrank

I have a modest collection of mainly mid to low value guitars.  I used to play pretty regularly in a covers band, but we're not particularly active these days, with only 2 or 3 gigs a year, which typically come from people approaching us, rather than us hustling for them.  

Lately have the urge to purge... I have a few guitars that I definitely want to keep; My Aria semi that is effectively my engagement ring, my Fender Tele & Strat (both Mexican but good guitars that I've grown to love and do the job well), my cheap-as-chips Chinese JA90 knock-off Thinline Tele with a bigsby, and my Faith Venus acoustic.  Between the 5 of them, they can do everything I need for the band or solo.  

I'm tempted to just get rid of the rest that are rarely played, not necessarily to then buy yet another guitar (which is what I'd normally do) , but just to declutter my guitar life, if that makes sense.... I guess I'm just over the GAS/Arms Race thing.

So... I'm almost ready to hit the FS forum/Gumtree/Facebook with my other guitars but wanted to ask;  Has anyone been through the same?  Did you go through with it? Did you regret it, or not?

Keen to hear what other folks experiences are.

Cheers

Keith

ICBM

Purge. It will make you feel better.

- Joseph Stalin

Yes, and it does. Even the ones you've listed sound like quite a good collection, so the rest are clearly unnecessary.

thomasross20

Yes, purge.

JookyChap

Yeah, I do it most weeks, always feels better afterwards

stimpsonslostson

I developed a significant collection of random guitars (and associated paraphernalia)- it was getting ridiculous so for the past couple of years I have used a rule that anything that goes unplayed for a month goes. 

I often "reinvest" the proceeds into other guitars, but it means that there's very little deadwood in my (much smaller) collection- it all gets used regularly. I still think I have too many guitars (I've got a super strat, Esquire, SG and hollow body), but somehow feel better knowing that none are ornaments.

57Deluxe

before you can eat snails, they have to be puged for 5 days on milk and white bread...

Alnico

I did it in 2014.

Had about 6 guitars, some good, some not so.

sold them all and put everything into my Telecaster at Feline Guitars.

I got back the best guitar i've ever owned and never looked back.

The biggest revelation was dropping the notion that i needed to 'Cover Bases' and stop caring what the Tele sounded like to the audience. It sounds like me, i don't care if it should be humbuckers, it's me and my Tele playing a song. Like it or don't, not bothering me anymore.

My Best mate has lent me an Epiphone Les Paul to use when i occasionally feel like i absolutely have to use one but it's Very rare i pick it up and normally it's just for the odd one song or two. Even then, switching to a different weight and feel just feels wrong and that familiarity with my one good guitar has been the best part about it.

I love Strat's because they're Strat's but i don't think i would ever own another one unless money really improves.

I'm lucky to have what i've got and that enforced spending boycott has also helped me to appreciate that fact.

Purging feels great if it's what you want to do but when i did want a collection, that felt good too.

I think it's a personal feelings thing.

guitarfishbay

Purge! I did it and haven't missed anything I sold, now I have a bunch of instruments I really like.

kjdowd

Purge. And be brutal about it. I sold a load, got down to a core setup and then sold a load more. I'm left with a Strat, a tele and a helix and I'm playing more than I have in a while.

grungebob

Yeah just do it. I used to have around 11 guitars and 4 amps plus loads of pedals I didn't even use. Now I have two guitars and one amp and one pedal (cheating a bit there as its a line6 m13). Don't need anything else or want for that matter.
Very happy with the two guitars I've got.

Sassafras

I prefer to have a few guitars that I know very well than loads that I hardly ever touch.

xSkarloey

Get rid.

I had the notion once that I wanted one good electric and one good acoustic.

I flogged the excess and most of my pedals.

I know have more stuff than I had at the time of the purge (typical!) But with the exception of one very tatty electric and a few cheapo pedals, the stuff I've accumulated since has been good quality stuff I use and want to keep.

thecolourbox

Definitely do it, and then replace them with one or two "improbed" things which is what I did after my mini breakdown last year. I purged all of this lot:

Guitars 

Fender Telecoustic

Eastwood Airline

EMG EMG Tele pups

Amps 

Fender Greta

Fender Pro Junior

Mooer Little Monster Bassman

Vox Brian May

Vox Lil Night Train Cab #2

Pedals 

Boss DD7

Digitech Whammy 4

Digitech Digitech Expression Factory

Electro Harmonix Bassballs

Electro Harmonix Holy Grail

Electro Harmonix Chillswitch

JHS Twin Twelve

Joyo 6 Band EQ

Joyo Sweet Baby

Joyo Tremolo

Joyo Vintage Overdrive

Little Bear Woolly Mammoth

Nux LM3

Randall RM50

TC Electronic Hall of Fame

And now I have this modest but good quality set up:

Guitars

Incoming Reso Airline guitar

Working on my DIY SG

Amps

Fender Princetom

Pedals

Proco Deucetone Rat

MXR Fuzz Face

Boss Looper

TC vocal multi fx

Zoom g3

And I can now enjoy playing the things I have (or at least, I will when my lovely Fibreglass guitar is done )

strtdv

Unless you've got dozens to begin with, keeping 5 guitars isn't what I'd call a purge, more of a scaling back.

I'd still do it though

Sarge

Purge, I'm doing it now.
I just sold 3 of my fave but rarely played, and most of my pedals and spare pickups. Feels good, especially on the wallet.

Philly_Q

I've sold a lot of guitars over the years but I still have way, way too much stuff.

I'm not feeling too much GAS these days - it's become more a case of occasionally seeing something which looks interesting, rather than having a permanent "want list".

So I do see myself getting rid of some guitars and although it won't be anywhere near a purge, I know from past experience that once I start selling I tend to carry on - sometimes to the extent that I sell things I never really intended to and end up scratching my head afterwards.  But on the whole it feels good to get rid of stuff and I rarely regret it.

The problem is getting motivated.  I've always sold through eBay but I'm a bit disenchanted with it, so I'm considering other options too.

cbilly22

Purge, definitely purge!
I've sold 8 or 9 guitars over the last few months, half of them Gibsons. I now have my old MIJ Tokai LP and a pair of Pacifica's, a purple 611 and a heavily butchered 510v....and I rarely play the Tokai as it wrecks my shoulder(sounds monstrous though!!).
Play more and better without all the extra distraction of wondering which guitar to use for what. If I can't get it done on those guitars, more kit isn't gonna help. Did the same to my pedal board. Tuner, wah, od, booster and a delay.
Honestly, the audience don't give a shit, they just see and hear a guitar.

impmann

Well... I'd say if you're not keen on/not using something move it on.

But!!! Remember the market is flooded, you won't get top dollar and if you aren't sure about something keep it as realistically it doesn't really cost anything to keep a guitar.

Skipped

There are circumstances in which Less is More and this is one of them. Owning one or two guitars is a great idea.
They will be better guitars.
They will get more play time.
You will bond with them.
(Some of you are wondering why you have never bonded with your 27th best guitar. Let's chat about that sometime and then figure it out).


Of course there will be a couple of people reading this who have 20 guitars available that earns them their living producing the right sound for any situation. They know that I am not talking to them in this post.

Babyfrank

Thanks guys! Purge it is...

imalrightjack

I have only five electrics in the house at the mo: Gibson Midtown 2015 (my only gigging guitar), Strat Plus 50th anniversary (hardly ever play it but I've sanded the neck, removed the lacquer from the fretboard and it's been hand-painted!), Schecter PT (heavily modified and I won't sell it below a certain price or it's not worth it), Gretsch 5420T (I like it but can't see much practical use for it) and a PRS SE Custom 24 which, for me, needs new pick-ups.

I could honestly live with only the Midtown.  The neck sounds beautiful clean and it can rock hard on either pick-up.

Glad you came to the right decision