Reversing the Effects of G.A.S.

If you play guitar, it is only a matter of time before you come down with a case of G.A.S. That's right. It's not if, but when. Truly, Gear Acquisition Syndrome affects us all.

A humble practice rig, post-G.A.S.

A bad case of Gear Acquisition Syndrome comes at the worst possible time. Rent is due. Your girlfriend's birthday is coming up. Your electricity was shut off because last month because you prioritized buying a half-stack over paying the utility bill. It's okay, I understand. I am here to say there is hope; I saw this light at the end of the tunnel this morning.

Who's Jonezin' for some new toys??

The only cure I have found for G.A.S. is a difficult and arduous road known as S.G.F.M. It sounds terrible I know but Selling Gear For Money is a plausible solution to your woes. I speak from firsthand experience because this morning I sold my beloved Fender '65 Reissue Deluxe Reverb amp to pay some stupid bills. But what's done is done and now I will rely heavily (and only) upon my AC30 over the next several months. As my friend Brad was on his way over to purchase my Deluxe I started to have seller's remorse. I ran to the living room, plugged in my Strat and coaxed out some of the sweetest, reverby clean-Fendery sounds imaginable. In fact as his car pulled into the driveway I wondered if I would be better off selling my Vox instead, or if I could go through with the deed at all. I came to the conclusion that it would be easier down the road to find a similar replacement for my Fender sound than my Vox. So, after a handshake and exchange of tender I overcame my G.A.S. by actually going through with S.G.F.M.

As Brad drove off I was left with two questions:
1) Did I make the right decision?
2) Which should I get next, a Z-Vex Box of Rock, A Zendrive, or a Danelectro 12-String?

There is another upside to selling pieces of your gear besides the extra cash in your wallet. Simplifying your rig can help you get "back to the basics" and focus on how much your technique affects your tone. When I was younger my dad told me I didn't need new "guitar stuff" every month. The conversation usually continued like this:

"But Dad, you don't understand I can't sound like Jimmy Page without a new _____"
- fill in the blank with one of the following: Marshall Half Stack, Les Paul, Super-Awesomo Skull-Crusher Overdrive 5000

"Son, I'm no guitarist but I know that Jimmy Page on an acoustic guitar still sounds like Jimmy Page."

"You don't get it Dad...I would be 10 times better if you would just forward my allowance!"

Well you get the point. And my dad had a great point. Even if your pedal board is sophisticated enough to launch a successful Moon landing, it will never compensate for sound technique. Part of the reason my Strat sounded good this morning was that it WASN'T plugged through my pedal board. I wasn't distracted by distortions, compressors, and whatever other knobs there were to twiddle. I didn't have two distortion pedals pushing amps in stereo so loud that I was scared to strum a chord. The focus was on playing actual music.

Maybe Charlie Christian would have sounded way better if he was melting faces off through a wall of Marshalls, maybe not. For now I am trying to find comfort in the thought that less is more. One thing is certain, less G.A.S. is less time spent on Harmony Central and watching Youtube gear reviews and more time for playing music you love and living a real life!