How many guitars do you need?
I write this post in my office, surrounded by 7 guitars — plus a 3-string cigar box (which I should really learn to play one day).
Downstairs are another 5 guitars.
Last week, I considered buying another.
My collection of “real” guitars sits at a dozen, plus that cigar box.
This is after selling a resonator last month and a handful of other guitars last year to help fund a Gibson Custom shop — a Mexican Telecaster, 12-string Washburn acoustic, PRS Custom 24 and Gibson R8 are all now with other owners.
I mention this for two reasons:
I think it gives me sufficient “qualification” to answer the headline question
To say, in advance, that I’m a hypocrite.
Why am I a hypocrite?
Because I’m a firm believer that the number of guitars you need is one.
That’s right — one.
Before you pick up your pitchforks and tell me your spouse almost read this over your shoulder, I’ll concede there are caveats.
If you’re a gigging player, it’s sensible to have a backup guitar.
If you like acoustic and electric, it makes sense to have at least one of each.
If you like to explore the different sounds or feel of different guitars, you won’t be satisfied by having only one.
You may find that different guitars simply inspire you to play different things.
So I certainly don’t believe there can be no benefits to owning multiple guitars.
Why are you writing this article then, huh?
Because barely a week goes by without me seeing at least one new guitarist ask how many guitars they need. And because it’s become an internet meme for the answer to be “one more!”
The thing that very few people tell you is that there can even be some drawbacks to owning a lot of guitars. I’ll come to that shortly.
The main takeaway I want people to have from this article is simply this:
Buying more doesn’t make you happier, or a better player, and isn’t “necessary” as a player.
So if you’re a new player, or your budget is low, don’t feel that you’re not a “proper” player because you only have one or two guitars.
In fact, you’ll often find that players who own a lot of guitars still gravitate to the same one or two anyway. Consider Rory Gallagher’s Strat if you think you need lots of guitars. This beauty was once shiny and new, until Rory gigged the living bejeezus out of it and gave it the most ultra heavy relic job you’ve ever seen — just by playing it night after night!
With all of that said, let’s look at some pros and cons of owning multiple guitars.
Pros
The justification for guitars doesn’t only have to be playing them. Personally, I also enjoy guitars as works of art. The craftsmanship, the attention to detail, the curves, the wood grain. There is a lot to appreciate in a guitar without touching it.
Having more guitars means you can have one near you in more places. This makes you more likely to pick one up to play because you haven’t got to go to another room to get it.
Guitars sound and play differently. Some are lighter or heavier than others. Nut width varies. Neck thickness varies. Electronics vary. Scale length varies. All of these factors (and more) mean the experience of playing various guitars can differ. That’s often great for motivation and creativity.
Pride. Yep, I’ll admit it. I don’t mean this in an egotistical way — I don’t buy guitars to impress other people and I don’t flaunt them. But there are guitars that I wanted for a long time and had to save to afford, and they bring me immense joy to see and play them. In amongst those feelings is a sense of pride that I was able to acquire them. In the photo below, for example, I had to sell 5 other guitars in order to get the first guitar of the left (a 1959 Les Paul reissue), and the Dove on the right edge of the photo was something I thought would forever be out of reach.
My guitars span a range of price points, which gives me flexibility in what I choose to play. Sometimes you don’t feel comfortable taking your most prized instrument to a gig, or that expensive solid wood acoustic to a beach barbecue, or letting your 7 year old niece put her grubby hands on it. For all of these occasions, having a cheaper alternative brings huge peace of mind.
Those all sound like pretty dang good reasons to go to my local guitar shop…
I know. But before you start putting your shoes on, consider my cons list.
Cons
Most guitars can do most things. This is the truth that very few people like to admit. You can get some spank and twang out of a Les Paul and some meaty thump from a Strat or Tele. No they won’t sound identical but you’ll be close enough. You just need to get familiar with your guitar controls.
Having more guitars doesn’t make you a better player — except for potential motivation to practice more. If you can’t play well on a Strat, you won’t play better on a Gretsch.
It becomes a chore to maintain them all. You either put the time in to do it yourself, or you pay a tech to do setups and adjustments. Either way, it gets old fast.
Having a lot of guitars usually means that most don’t get played much.
They can be a distraction from practice. You can put your energy into buying guitars and researching what you need next, and neglect putting in the practice hours instead.
There is good reason to have multiple guitars, but that reason is not having more for the sake of it. You might want different pickup configurations in electrics, or a dreadnought acoustic plus a smaller one for fingerpicking. But, ultimately, you don’t NEED these.
The bottom line
Do guitars do different things? Sure.
But electric guitars can generally cover most of the same ground comfortably enough, and then you’re hunting for very specific tones. That Les Paul “woman tone” or the Strat “squawk” are examples of when you may struggle to nail an exact tone from a different guitar. But ask yourself this: how often do you need that tone? If the answer is “all the time” then why isn’t that the guitar you already own?
If you’re a new player, this is irrelevant to you anyway. It’s like new drivers owning multiple cars because they handle differently — until you’re already proficient behind the wheel, you’re not really going to notice that difference.
Priority number one is practice and get proficient. Then buy the guitar that you really want.
And if you want more, and have a good reason for wanting it, and can afford it, go ahead and treat yourself. I’m not going to judge you — after all, I’d struggle to reduce my collection.
I’m on soapbox only to say that you can be a good player, a serious player, even a professional player, without your living room looking like Guitar Center.
The happiness is in playing your guitars and having a good time, not in acquiring more and more.
Besides, take it from me — figuring out where to put the cases is a real PITA.
Except guitars are like tattoos you can’t just have one ( no disrespect to tattoos implied )
I always tried to limit myself to two guitars—one acoustic and one electric. It's nearly impossible, but having a few guitars in different states of disrepair helps keep the number down. Sooner or later, something comes up that makes me get another. I like to remind myself that I can only play at a time.