CURE for Gear Acquisition Syndrome?

“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”

Following this principle I've sold all the unnecessary gear I collected and I'm more than ever focused in production now. I'm super happy.
 
I've failed to get rid of some things that are now too old to be worth anything, some may not even work any more, though they kicked butt back in the day.

Anyone interested in a semi-large PARIS rig?

I'm still hanging on to some Lexicon and TC reverbs, though they're way less convenient than software.
 
Set musical goals. If you are focused upon musical output (release something every week or within a narrowly defined set of parameters: AXE-FX and one Drum Machine, etc.)
Much of your gear lust goes away if you focus upon output. More gear actually just gets in the way. You'll have neither time nor interest in learning yet another OS, or workflow.

Take your plug-in list and throw out all but 3-5 EQs, compressors, reverbs, whatever. You don't NEED much of it. 5 versions of Tubescreamers? Sell 4 of them and pay off some debt. Just get serious about discovering your musical direction. You already have all of the gear that you need. Now it is time to create.
 
Kent said:
Take your plug-in list and throw out all but 3-5 EQs, compressors, reverbs, whatever. You don't NEED much of it.
Click to expand...
This ^^^^^ is something I should do... at the end the list of "favorite" is a short one.
Kent said:
Now it is time to create.
Click to expand...
This should be the reason we get things but something, the more you got, the less you use...
 
If there was an Gearholics Anonymous association, I would be ready for the first meeting 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 (joking but not so much.....)
 
i have found a guaranteed cure for buying more guitars... simple 2 step process: buy all the tools to build guitars and then learn to build them - blammo - issue solved. I have not had the urge to buy a new guitar in quite some time (sadly my urge to buy insane amounts of figured wood is terminal).

axefx has cured my need for new amps for the most part... but every now and then I'm tempted by this or that.

for me... I play guitar the most right after I've added something new to my collection... It's a lovely cycle. Way better than some other addictions. Life is short... might as well enjoy yourself now imo.
 
Goals.

What are your goals? To collect gear or to make music with the gear?

If it’s making music with the gear, stop buying more of it and make music. If it’s to collect gear, then keep going.

I ran into this issue at one point when I was putting my studio together and had a little more money than I was used to. I got to a certain point and said “Wait, I now have all the gear I need to write/record the music I want to. I’m now wasting time.”

And then hold yourself accountable to that as long as it’s mentally healthy for you to do so. The reason I italicized the last part was because I just went through a straight year of writer’s block and bought more gear in that year than I have in the previous 28 altogether. Some nights I’d get a new pedal or guitar and then do nothing with it, so I’d start beating myself up thinking I was encouraging myself to actually go write some music when all I was doing was shitting on myself when there was no music to write. It wasn’t the healthiest way for me to get away from writer’s block. I just made myself feel guilty for buying shit I can afford and wanted.
 
Diego said:
I still own a TC Electronic System 6000 and own the Native PI, No way: the analog sounds better..... 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣
Click to expand...
Uhh.....

Did I not get the joke, or do you not know they're digital? (neither would surprise me at this point)

FWIW, I keep demoing the native versions and not liking them.

Kent said:
Take your plug-in list and throw out all but 3-5 EQs, compressors, reverbs, whatever. You don't NEED much of it. 5 versions of Tubescreamers? Sell 4 of them and pay off some debt. Just get serious about discovering your musical direction. You already have all of the gear that you need. Now it is time to create.
Click to expand...
Agreed.

That being said, I'm keeping 3 tube screamers. They look different. And one of them sounds different from the others. Plus, they're all pretty cheap.
 
marsonic said:
Uhh.....

Did I not get the joke, or do you not know they're digital? (neither would surprise me at this point)

FWIW, I keep demoing the native versions and not liking them.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately English it’s not my native language. So it’s my fault if I can not express what I meant. I know that they are both digital, that’s why I wrote that “analog sound better”: that’s what people, who thinks that anything outside a computer is “analog”, told me when I say that I love digital units 🤣
 
Piing said:
Get married
Click to expand...
This didn't work for me. My wife is a SAH mom, and runs the finances, but she fully supports my musical interests. I'm also fortunately able to make more than enough where we don't have to worry about it. I just kinda go "I want this new thing", she figures it out, and then tells me when I can get it. Most of the time the immediate answer is "That sounds fun, go for it".
 
Diego said:
Unfortunately English it’s not my native language. So it’s my fault if I can not express what I meant. I know that they are both digital, that’s why I wrote that “analog sound better”: that’s what people, who thinks that anything outside a computer is “analog”, told me when I say that I love digital units 🤣
Click to expand...
I thought that might be the joke.

And, yes, I've heard the same. Somehow a thing with its own box with AES in and out sounds better than the same algorithm in your computer.
 
It's a made-up term. It's not real, you can't be diagnosed by a professional with it.

Learn self control.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom