I’m currently in a de-GASsing mode. Having had and acted upon some pretty heavy GAS over the past several years, I am now pondering how to downsize.
Although I’ve already sold quite a lot of gear—amps, guitars and pedals—I’m still sitting on 30+ guitars, 4 amps and 200+ pedals. So until I can cut down the current collection, I’m hoping to refrain from any further purchases until further notice.
But GAS is a hard habit to kick. Two things seem to be helping: trying stuff out before buying and playing more with what I have.
On the former, for example, being a fan of Bill Frisell I was interested in a Tele with a Bigsby. I live in Japan, and was planning to visit the Fender Flagship Store in Tokyo this Spring. As fate would have it, I met some one here at a Guitarist Summit who had that very instrument. It looked beautiful, but once I played it for a while, I realized that it really wasn’t for me so gave up on the quest.
On the latter, I’m taking an inventory of all my pedals, starting with delays (of which I have 30). Spending time with each really clarified what they can—and cannot—do and whether or not they spark joy. For example, going through the Boss offerings I found that the vintage DM-2 (of which I have two—3205 and 3005) is not for me, while I love the original old DD-2, which really tweaks my heart strings. I’m now looking closely at the DOD Rubberneck.