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- I don't understand the "Vintage"
and "Collecor" things, but then again, I am a Simple Man. -
The "King
Midas" Phenomenon
I have
known quite a few "collectors" in my years. To this day I don't understand
what it is about simply "possessing" a guitar that seems to be a source
of happiness in life for some people. Maybe in some way it adds a degree
of value, maybe it offers a sense of achievement or accomplishment, maybe
it feeds the ego. I don't know and can only guess. Many of those I have
known personally it was just as much an "I've got and you've not" thing.
Somehow it made them feel "above" me as evidenced by their superior and
condescending demeanor. I don't comprehend the psychological dynamics,
and probably never will.
.
I
have trouble understanding how someone can have hundreds of guitars simply
to have them. If there is a guitar nearby, my first impulse is to pick
it up and play it. (Well, if you set a chinese squire, Jay Turser, or Raven
in front of me I might pee on it instead, but you know what I mean). I
have a lot of trouble seeing guitars in the same light as stamps, coins,
or Beanie Babies. I cringe every time someone refers to a wonderful instrument
as a "piece"! For me a guitar is not a slice of Apple Pie or 20 brief minutes
of
"downtown corner companionship". It is an instrument, designed and built
to perform a particular function. It's about the music, man! To me it seems
absurd, almost a sin to place an instrument in a glass cage, vault, or
pack it away in a storeroom to spend the rest of it's existence in exile
from the human hands and heart it was created for.
.
Many
people view me as a collector, but that is far from the truth. Yes, I do
own quite a few guitars, but unlike a successful Broadway play, the cast
is forever changing. If I had kept EVERY guitar that I have owned in the
last, oh, say 3 years I would estimate my holdings would easily exceed
300 guitars. Yes, I did say 300! Where are they now you might wonder. 90%
have found new homes and for the most part loving hands to caress them
regularly. I find them, resurrect them, tweak them, and PLAY them. If I
get to the point where I am not playing them, I find them new homes where
they WILL be played. I will no longer sell a guitar to someone that does
not intend to play it. It does my heart good to let one go to someone that
in turn loves to play it and is happy they got it, and most importantly,
are continuing their musical quest with it.
.
I
have, upon occasion met a very few collectors that do "cycle" thier stock,
play their guitars, and thin the herd when it becomes too large, but this
is not "King Midas" collecting. It is more oriented towards the aspect
of exploration much like I myself find gratifying. I hover around 25 to
30 of all different types and configurations. Some will never leave as
they have little value and are kept for their unique qualities such as
the Lyle, Conrad, and Univox 12. Others have a very important sentimental
attachment such as the faithful PE-R80 that has been by my side for over
18 years, my first Cardinal (20+ years now), and the Red Cardinal my Mom
gave me just before she died 20 years ago. That is 6 that for good reason
should be deducted from the total.
.
Most
often I go after players, not "collector pieces" (cringe). I am referring
to the ones with dings, dents, that may need work, that are in no way pristine,
but yet physically intact and with a little TLC will play like the dickens.
I gave up trying to compete with the wealthy King Midas collectors, their
fat wallets, and their desire for "perfect" instruments.
.
If
you're a King Midas collector and I offend you, firstly, you were warned.
Second, I am allowed, just like you, to believe and feel how I choose.
I don't understand you or your ways, and by the same token, you could not
possibly in all truthfulness understand me and my ways. We are two sides
of a coin, forever bound together, and forever on opposite sides. There
is no law that demands I like it, but I can and do respect your right to
be as you are (provided I am shown the same respect). Now, if you can in
some way do what no one else has been able to, which is explain in such
a way as to provide me with a true understanding of your perspective, I
will take my hat off to you and revise my position. |
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