How Much is Too Much?

I recently took the tour of the Taylor Guitar factory in San Diego. Naturally, being a musician and all, I had to play a number of the guitars they had in the store. It's like the candy store: you can't get enough until you're sick... or broke. Despite finding guitars that were very playable and had a great sound, I left empty handed. Some of this was my wife shaking her head at the thought of me blowing 4 grand on a guitar and some of it was "Don't you have enough guitars already?"

This question is often posed by the unbelievers or those with more sense.

In fact, I have 14 guitars, but I always note that they are all different and do different things rather than being a collection of say Gibson Les Pauls. That is, of course, disingenuous, but it's mine and I'm sticking with it.

But it is an interesting question: can you have too much? Which in this case means guitars. (We'll leave, for the moment, all the other musical and recording ephemera one can waste money on whether needed or not.)

The rational answer is yes, you can have too much.

Though 14 guitars is not actually that many and I wouldn't mind having many others, practically speaking, it would be impractical.

Why?

Because inevitably, you end up playing 1 or 2 guitars while the other collect dust. Even when recording and utilizing the different sounds each guitar provides, that doesn't mean it's played very often. I think of my 12-strings, which I rarely play and which I chide myself for not playing more! And, adding to that, what happens, as with my recent purchase of a jazz guitar (I know, right?), is that the guitar I had been playing the most, a Mexican Martin, is now doing time in a DADDAD tuning, which, oddly, has its perks: forcing me to write in that tuning, but I don't don't play it much of late.

And yes, having just bought a jazz guitar, which I didn't previously have, does it make sense to spend money on another acoustic, of which I have many?

According to my wife, the answer is "No!"

Not that I'm pinning this on her...

©2019 David William Pearce

For The Masses...

On the 8th of August, my merry band and I entertained the good folks at the Snohomish Farmers Market. It was a lot of fun.

Mostly, and for some this is distressing, we're background music, something to listen to while checking out the different stands at the market. Of course, people do look over as they pass by and many do stop for a moment or two to check out who exactly is making the music they're hearing.

Unlike a number of the other performers that play at the market throughout the year, we were playing all originals, no covers, and as we were obligated to play for 3 hours, that's mucho original. Not many artists have that much original material unless they've been writing and playing for many years. I have a lot of songs and it was fun to play a couple of long sets.

Because it was 3 hours, and because I've been meeting and playing with some fine local songwriters, I asked a couple to join the Fabulous Nancy K and me. Benny Lee and his daughter, Alexis, and Joy Taeko each played a set and we all mixed it up on a number of songs.

And I think the people at the market enjoyed the variety the 5 of us provided. The kids especially. There's something simply joyous in having a child stop in their tracks and watch, almost mesmerized by the players before them. That's why you go out and sing, why you put up with the loud cars passing by and the guy who thinks the best place to yack at his buddy is right in front of the performers.

Meh.

Other than that though, a great time, great atmosphere; worth every moment.

©2019 David William Pearce