All a bit....... meh

WezV

GoldenEraGuitars said:

I’ve been here before but this time I don’t know if there’s any turning back...

I did a massive gear shift in May/June. I couldn’t afford the space to keep the Marshall 4x12 cab setup in the workshop so I sold up and bought a Princeton from Peach in June (a fender clean amp seemed like a good test amp for our builds). This coincided with me adding cabinet doors to my workbenches which allowed me to store the amp under my bench and keep it dust free, neat and tidy. The problem is... I’ve only switched it on twice since I bought it. I also have zero desire to play, no actual guitar of my own and no pedals. 

Even the thought of playing makes my fingers feel like jelly and I end up on a trip down memory lane thinking about the times I’d plug an Ibanez into a Marshall and have some proper fun. The thought of then trying to get back into that mindset makes me feel tired and bored and I go back to what I should have been concentrating on in the first place.

Given that I’m surrounded by other people’s guitars all day, every day I knew that playing might get sidelined for a while. But I wasn’t expecting this.

Soooo.. in a nutshell, I don’t own a guitar, I probably own the wrong amp for my rock roots and the thought and effort of playing annoys me. This has been going on since last year. Have you been here before? 

I'm the same.   I do own too many, but don't actually play them that much.  I got an amp at the start of lockdown I have only plugged in twice.

I think its okay to accept that you can get enjoyment from guitars in other ways than playing.   For some, thats collecting.  For others its building, modding, finishing etc

I love getting them to the point they play and sound great... I lose interest a few minutes after that is achieved  

clarkefan

If you really think that turning back might not be an option then what, maybe you're saturated, the love is dead and your mind needs new stimulus, or maybe you're just a bit worn out and need some time away.

Honestly gutted for you.  After some stress issues last year one of the benefits I had of recovering from that was reconnecting with the original excitement that got me into playing in the first place  Good luck to you.

Kittyfrisk

WezV said:

GoldenEraGuitars said:

I’ve been here before but this time I don’t know if there’s any turning back...

I did a massive gear shift in May/June. I couldn’t afford the space to keep the Marshall 4x12 cab setup in the workshop so I sold up and bought a Princeton from Peach in June (a fender clean amp seemed like a good test amp for our builds). This coincided with me adding cabinet doors to my workbenches which allowed me to store the amp under my bench and keep it dust free, neat and tidy. The problem is... I’ve only switched it on twice since I bought it. I also have zero desire to play, no actual guitar of my own and no pedals. 

Even the thought of playing makes my fingers feel like jelly and I end up on a trip down memory lane thinking about the times I’d plug an Ibanez into a Marshall and have some proper fun. The thought of then trying to get back into that mindset makes me feel tired and bored and I go back to what I should have been concentrating on in the first place.

Given that I’m surrounded by other people’s guitars all day, every day I knew that playing might get sidelined for a while. But I wasn’t expecting this.

Soooo.. in a nutshell, I don’t own a guitar, I probably own the wrong amp for my rock roots and the thought and effort of playing annoys me. This has been going on since last year. Have you been here before? 

I'm the same.   I do own too many, but don't actually play them that much.  I got an amp at the start of lockdown I have only plugged in twice.

I think its okay to accept that you can get enjoyment from guitars in other ways than playing.   For some, thats collecting.  For others its building, modding, finishing etc

I love getting them to the point they play and sound great... I lose interest a few minutes after that is achieved  

This, very much this. Sympathy to all fellow sufferers.

Kilgore

I used to get this when I played electric. It reached the stage where I would noodle for 20 to 30 minutes every couple of weeks or so, messing about with amp settings, pedals, etc, but not actually playing. I very nearly gave up.

I switched to acoustic and now I play more than ever. There's not much to fiddle about with, all you can do is play it. 

monquixote

p90fool said:

I haven't really played since my last gig in March and don't even have finger callouses any more. 

It's not looking that likely for the next year either, and although I do still fix the occasional guitar or amp for other people and have recorded a couple of singers in my studio I don't really have anything to do with music any more. 

There are other things in my life though and we've become closer friends with our singer since we've stopped working together and have time to socialise.

Our acoustic covers trio is now a mountain bike trio, it's more fun if I'm honest.

I relate to this. 

With kids and a busy job I used to only ever play if it was rehearsal, or a gig. Once I stopped gigging it seemed like there was no real point in playing as there was no objective.

It's taken about 3 years to get to the point where I quite like noodling for fun again. Mostly that's been triggered by having two guitars hanging over my desk in the office so I see them and think "hmm" every so often.

SRD81

I totally emphasise with lots of these comments.

I’ve got a 2 year old boy and a demanding work schedule and was really struggling to find the time and motivation to play.

When I did get that precious free 30 minutes I too wasted a lot of it sodding about with pedals and amp settings etc and then noodling the same old 6-10 songs/riffs that I could recall from memory.

The result was a total loss of desire to play and it really got me down to the point where I was considering selling all my gear and becoming a responsible adult

DrJazzTap

For me it was playing in a band again. Although we haven't stepped foot in a practice room since March. 
I'm not a big fan of keeping stuff for stuffs sake.
 I've been umming and ahhing about selling my DGT. I've really bonded with the CE24 Semi hollow, and the DGT seems a bit lack lustre in comparison. If I see a decent amp to trade I probably will do. 

It is hard to keep the spark alive, I tended to be a pedal fiend, but my board has been apart for nearly four months now. I really like just being able to plug straight in.  

I've tried to look at my practice routine or at least practice something when I pick up a guitar. That’s a lot to do with me though, id beat myself up later for just aimlessly noodling. 

Alternate tunings are great for inspiring you I find. I have one acoustic I keep permanently in dadgad.

Perhaps the john5 thing might work for you, from what I can remember he practices or plays the polar opposite of whatever his current gig is. If he was playing with Manson or white zombie he'll play chicken picking in his spare time.
It seems to me you spend a lot of time with fenders finest, so perhaps like you say a cheap ibanez and a valvestate marshall might get the juices flowing? 

Alex2678

I don’t have a guitar related job so I’m not at all in the same boat but whenever I get tired of guitar listening to loads of new (to me) music or old music that I haven’t listened to in a while can help bring it back. Or learning to play something really difficult 

I used to be into thrash metal and thrash metal only and I did get bored and sell all my gear. Then got into Richard Thompson, Cream, early Fleetwood Mac and bought some new gear

GoldenEraGuitars

I think that’s what my “problem” is @WezV .

As a “creator” I take more joy in the journey of what I’m working on. To see an order through to the end is something that always gives me pleasure. But once that is achieved I have to move onto the next body or neck. I take little out of the final product and that’s something that I have to maintain to ensure I’m getting the best out of myself for the next customer. It appears the price I have to pay is that my own interest in playing the guitar has dwindled to this point.

I hear what some of you are saying. I’m still working 70 hours a week or so and trying to juggle the workload, 3 children under 12 years old and salvage what I can outside of that for myself. I have no desire to play with other musicians tbh. That would require even more organisation on top of what I’m doing and I just don’t have the drive to do it. I have thought about a small practice amp, this may be worth looking at it. 

I suspect the sale of the Princeton will make things easier for me, mentally.

NelsonP

Learn new songs.
Play them, with www.guitarbackingtrack.com as an accompaniment.
Works for me.

TTBZ

Maybe something digital would be worth trying? I always struggled to get motivated (after getting the kids off to bed) to get all the pedals etc out to play through my amp when I could only have it stupidly quiet. I briefly had a HX Stomp and in that month or so that was the most playing at home I've done since we had our kids, it's so convenient. It's not the same as a proper amp and doesn't sound as good but I loved having it all in one box ready to go with the headphones plugged in. Due to budget I've had to downgrade to a Pocket Pod but even that's more convenient than an amp and has the same plug and play aspect I'd been missing.

ThePrettyDamned

I have a guitar going spare. It would benefit from someone who knows what they're doing give it a once over, but you're welcome to it on an indefinite loan if it helps.

It's a prs-alike with two oil city custom pickups. Plays well, nut could do with some attention. 

Haych

This time last year I was gearing up to start a new band with some mates.

I had all the members in place and by the end of November we'd all agreed a way forward, which songs we were going to attempt to cover, where and when we were going to rehearse; it all seemed just perfect.

Things went a little bit awry in the start of the new year (2020) as one of the guys couldn't make a rehearsal due to unforeseen events so we pushed it back a few weeks.  Getting busy people together is always difficult.

Then Covid happened, the country went into lockdown, the momentum for the new band was lost and I haven't touched a guitar since about March/April.

I sold a load of gear to make way for what might happen and job insecurities etc.  I still have the one guitar and a fairly nice Fender DeVille plus a few pedals stuffed in the back of the amp.  Haven't turned it on in ages.

What worries me more is that I'm not bothered!  That's a bit of a paradox really as if I wasn't bothered I wouldn't be worried.  But since I was 11 guitar has been a huge part of my life and now I just don't seem to care.

I mean, I want to care but the energy for it just isn't there, let alone the opportunity.  So yeah, I feel your pain, @GoldenEraGuitars ;

And if I did care enough to get the guitar out, put new strings on, fire up the amp etc, what would I do with it?  I can't remember why I used to be so mad about guitars.

Every now and then I browse the classifieds or Ebay looking for a guitar that might put some hot coals under the boiler again but the sensible head always stops me.

I hope it's just a phase but I'm worried this has set in for good

rossi

i did a few blues  jams singing and playing the same for   jazz open mikes just to prove I could do and not get bottled off stage  and to keep me honest .No end seems in sight of them coming back and I am old and vulnerable to the the dreaded  so it all seems a waste of time .I have  a new Spark and I hardly use  and last time I played I just went as usual through my Blackstar Fly.Although I am an old timer I missed out huge decades of blues and and jazz before starting again so a lot of lyrics arent stuck in my head  like  the early 60's stuff I did play back then ,and I am too lazy ,old ,bored,etc , to bother learning them .Younger people should have the mike not me .Even when the jab comes few oldies will trust it much .On the other hand I may have an orange Bullet Mustang coming my way so that may well revive the juices  but it wont be the same .

Blaendulais

For 3 years I was a gynaecologist.  I think I felt pretty similar.  If my patients had washed I may have felt differently.