What is it that makes (some) humans collect things?
Is it a throwback to hunting? Is it a desire to complete something or make it whole? Is it the pleasure of owning "the set" and/or the thrill of the challenge? Is it a consequence of Marketing/Advertising and having too much spare time or cash?
Why??
I spent 10+ years collecting Kawai guitars. I had eBay searches (worldwide) for any new listings. Google searches/alerts for any mention of Kawai Guitars. I'd trawl through the Japanese s/h instrument sites. I even set up a website, ostensibly to provide info on the guitars (there was nothing else online at the time), but really to prompt potential sellers to email me - which quite a few did. I found - and bought - the ones I wanted, and quite a few that I didn't want but tripped over during the journey. I actually started out wanting one specific model/colour, but ended up with ~25 others before I sold off the outliers/oddities. I still have ~12 today.
And 12 is probably the world's largest collection of these guitars.
They're in storage, which costs, so they rarely even get looked at and certainly never played. Keeping the website going (which is about 15 years out of date now) also costs, and there's no way I'm going to put the time into updating it.
Maybe it's time to give Gardiner & Houlgate a call with a consignment of unusual guitars ...
Comments
When we moved, about 8 yrs ago, I had 50+ guitars. It seemed sensible to get some of them out of the way during the move, avoid the risk of damage/loss and avoid cluttering the new place up whilst we got it sorted.
And there's never been a need to bring them all back.
When spotty-teenage me bought his first "proper" electric, I had to choose between 2 models - a Kawai KS11XL and a Kawai KS12XL. I'd never played either, and the reason for choosing one/other was that Tim Gentle Music in Southend had a full-page ad in International Musician and Recording World offering them at a <half-price deal, which brought them into my budget. I liked the design (DC, twin HBs) and the open-headstock was different.
The 11XL had a carved maple cap over a mahog body, the 12XL had a phase switch (both had coil taps) in place of the maple top. The extra mini-toggle swayed me.
I often wondered what the other one would have been like.
Roll forwards 25-odd years, and I randomly spotted an 11XL on eBay. I bid on it, got out-bid, bid again, got out-bid (etc) until it hit new PRS SE prices. And, having recently bought - and loved - my first PRS SE, I thought I'd be better off spending that sort of ££ on a PRS SE rather than an old Kawai. So I let myself be out-bid.
Big - BIG, and EXPENSIVE - mistake. A few months on, still thinking about the eBay Kawai, I decided to track another one down. Couldn't be too difficult, right? Long story short, I ended up buying 20-odd Kawai models from the same sort of era before, a few years later, I finally found another 11XL (someone emailed me, telling me about one in a s/h shop in Carlisle).
I'd spent a few £k amassing different models from across the world before finding that one. I should really have just spent another £100 on that eBay auction, scratched the itch, and saved myself the money, and time.
But then I'd never have had all those email chats with other Kawai owners across the globe ...
At least I only did it once
Lately it’s been Roger Mayer pedals & vintage Boss. I started on a journey to collect all MIJ pedals before I came to my senses. Now I’m focused on a silver screw collection.
The really silly/pointless thing I seem to want is a 50w JTM/JMP/800/900 collection. Why the hell would I ever need 4 Marshall heads??? I don’t use the one I already own enough as it is.
I do still collect in a very small way - I'm trying to amass the full set of Patrick O'Brian's Aubery and Maturin adventures in the Folio edition. Thankfully there are only twenty books in the series and a couple of years in I'm looking for the tenth. It's a good excuse to spend time in second hand book shops and browsing eBay.
Particularly with your story there might be associations with a time when you were able to spend hours and hours playing every day etc.
I used to be able to pick up old quality watches at boot sales cheaply years ago but that's pretty much over now although I made the best of it at the time.
I had around 200 at one time but still have around 100, I just love 'em.
I also collect old fountain pens but we'd better not go into that.
I think a good part of collecting is the enjoyment of research and the consequential knowledge of your subject.