Is it materialistic to buy or churn lots of music gear?

[Frankencat]

It depends on what you are going for a guess. If it's sheer numbers than yes it's probably more of a materialistic thing. I have gone through that and then realized I didn't need half that stuff and purged. I have also had times when I was looking for a specific piece for a specific need and I would go through maybe 4 or 5 examples of an item - guitars, amps, pedals, etc - until I hit on what I as looking for. That's more fun to me than just buying stuff to like it on. Of course you have to be blessed enough in the first place to have that problem.

 

[the swede]

Interesting, I love discussions like this.
I strongly believe that there’s a thing called materialism. It would be easy to just justify any kind of fascination for trinkets by saying, it’s in our nature, we are hunter gatherers and such. Our technical and industrialized world doesn’t cure that, it just replaces things. We tend to treat digital, non material objects, the same way. So it’s nature after all…

But I also strongly believe anyone has the ability to disconnect and be able to free themselves from being materialistic focused. I do think and believe that being able to divert and learn control over emotions for materialistic things we grow and mature philosophically and psychologically… get wiser… kinda… but only if there is a purpose and goal. If not, there’s no point in doing that. Then the objectification serves a purpose that also is empowering to one’s self.

Personally I’ve always had a “problem” owning stuff. I’m happiest when I own and have absolute minimal of things, any things. Family life was a hard lesson for me regarding that. I had to learn to accept my wife’s needs to “decorate” and make a “home”. I understand her frustration with me because if I was to decide, I would throw out almost everything. “We would have empty lifeless rooms if you could decide” she says to me.

Same with gear. Owning modelers became a problem for me that no one understood. For me it was like locking me inside a very small room inside a hoarders house. As if there only was an inch of floor visible and I am standing there not being able to move or look at anything without loosing control and myself.
Put me in an empty room with one little box that does one thing, and it’s like all the creativity in the world flows through me. Imagine sitting in a corner and slowly turning the lever on an old chime box…. That’s me. Dysfunctional… but… me.

I had to find that balance with gear to.

So yeah Orv… 12 delay pedals is to much from the other extreme end of the spectrum where I reside. I managed to persuade myself having two. One that does one thing, another that does another thing, and together they do a third thing. That’s were my sweet spot and limit is found. That’s where i can justify the “objects” purpose and existence in my empty world. A new one will have to replace something else.

But here’s the thing, and beauty of it all. We are different and no one can really judge or decide what is right or wrong materially for you. If you fucking must have 12 delay pedals, then you need to have that. Consumerism as an idea can be used wrongly to cause guilt. I believe we all have a responsibility towards the world in a philosophical sense, but i also think if someone made something with love and passion and we want to honor that by owning it. We should.

 

[ChordInversion]

I think that need is an absurd premise when applied to musical equipment purchased by people who can afford food and shelter without implementing said equipment to make a living. For most of us, these are luxury entertainment goods. There's nothing wrong with that. Can someone go nuts, combining shopping addiction with hoarding until it eventually overfills their house and bankrupts them? Certainly. Is a guy with 2 dozen guitars he can afford committing some moral failing or being a massive materialist? I highly doubt it.

I have a bunch of guitars that I acquired over the course of around 20 years (I've been playing longer, but the longest I've had any of the ones I have now is around 20 years). A friend of mine drives a Porsche 718 Boxster S convertible that he bought brand new and cost three times what all those guitars cost combined. Another friend flies overseas multiple times a year, and buys and ships home multiple crates of wine from each trip. Another friend owns at least 5 thousand CDs and another 1-2 thousand LPs on a pretty humble income. Two of my closest friends each have a decent sized main house and a large recreational lake house (and no, they don't ever rent one of them out). An old colleague of mine lives in a small city condo, but spends very nearly as much on restaurants each month as she does on her mortgage. Another old colleague is an absolute stunner of a fashionista, and she spends a ton of her large income (she's also a top flight software engineer in a very lucrative sub-field) on it. This can go on all day, of course.

Meanwhile, I drive a Mazda 3 about 3K miles/year. I hate and avoid air travel except when my work requires it. My wife and I have one moderately sized house, and I shudder at the thought of owning two. I don't spend a lot on fancy meals, and I rarely eat red meat in the first place (which I mention from a cost perspective, not inviting a debate on dietary choices). My wardrobe is simple and small. But...who cares? I have my thing, and they have theirs.

To your "At what point does all of this just turn into rampant consumerism and a life lived in the shadows of consumption?" question, IMO: When the acts of shopping and buying and debating and "connoisseur"-ing (and for some, flipping) matter more than the actual enjoyment of the thing in question. 12 delay pedals is fine if you're comparing them and experimenting with them and finding their differences and maybe even writing songs incorporating interesting, fun, or unique features of each. If instead it's just about the buying and the debating - or worse yet, about asserting expertise or membership or status based on your credit card statement - then yes, I think that's probably unhealthy.

But nobody should care what I think.

 

[laxu]

I have a bunch of guitars that I acquired over the course of around 20 years (I've been playing longer, but the longest I've had any of the ones I have now is around 20 years). A friend of mine drives a Porsche 718 Boxster S convertible that he bought brand new and cost three times what all those guitars cost combined. Another friend flies overseas multiple times a year, and buys and ships home multiple crates of wine from each trip. Another friend owns at least 5 thousand CDs and another 1-2 thousand LPs on a pretty humble income. Two of my closest friends each have a decent sized main house and a large recreational lake house (and no, they don't ever rent one of them out). An old colleague of mine lives in a small city condo, but spends very nearly as much on restaurants each month as she does on her mortgage. Another old colleague is an absolute stunner of a fashionista, and she spends a ton of her large income (she's also a top flight software engineer in a very lucrative sub-field) on it. This can go on all day, of course.

Meanwhile, I drive a Mazda 3 about 3K miles/year. I hate and avoid air travel except when my work requires it. My wife and I have one moderately sized house, and I shudder at the thought of owning two. I don't spend a lot on fancy meals, and I rarely eat red meat in the first place (which I mention from a cost perspective, not inviting a debate on dietary choices). My wardrobe is simple and small. But...who cares? I have my thing, and they have theirs.

It's always interesting to think how different people live. I have a friend who lives in a small rental apartment, and spends pretty much all his spare money on traveling the world every year. He's visited almost every country at this point.

It sometimes makes me think whether he is spending his money better than I am, because I find that the most memorable things tend to be e.g trips with friends/wife rather than what you might've bought.

But at least guitars are a relatively cheap hobby unless you get deep into vintage/boutique gear.

 

[AlbertA]

But at least guitars are a relatively cheap hobby unless you get deep into vintage/boutique gear.

And they have residual value.

 

[ChordInversion]

It's always interesting to think how different people live. I have a friend who lives in a small rental apartment, and spends pretty much all his spare money on traveling the world every year. He's visited almost every country at this point.

That's what some people like. I would find that to be utterly miserable. Mind you, I have made friends on four continents. I just don't like traveling.

It sometimes makes me think whether he is spending his money better than I am, because I find that the most memorable things tend to be e.g trips with friends/wife rather than what you might've bought.

It's all individual. I have vivid, wonderful memories of things I did with things I've bought. Most of my best memories are indeed about time spent with friends. Not a single one of them involves a trip. I know people whose travel experiences are their most treasured. Neither of us has to be wrong.

But at least guitars are a relatively cheap hobby unless you get deep into vintage/boutique gear.

Yeah, guitars and gear are not too over the top, depending upon the living a person makes and their other obligations (kids, other dependents, etc).

 

[laxu]

That's what some people like. I would find that to be utterly miserable. Mind you, I have made friends on four continents. I just don't like traveling.

I don't like flying or driving. It's more of a necessary evil to get to interesting places. At least I'm not any taller than I am (184 cm / ~6 ft) because I would be miserable in already cramped plane seats.

 

[ChordInversion]

I don't like flying or driving. It's more of a necessary evil to get to interesting places. At least I'm not any taller than I am (184 cm / ~6 ft) because I would be miserable in already cramped plane seats.

It's not just the planes, though those are the worst parts. It's a lot more than that for me.

 

[Jarick]

Yes it absolutely is. I'm extremely aware of how unproductive it is to spend as much time and money as I do chasing gear but I still do it. Bad habit I can't shake I suppose.