I like that description Ken, suits me well too I think.
I'm just a couch player, majorly insecure about my abilities, as I really only started playing at this regularly about five years ago (though I dabbled with guitars here and there in my teens and later in my early 30s). I do have a bit of collector in me, particularly in terms of Beatles gear I guess, but here of late I've tried to move away from that somewhat and concentrate more on my playing.
Interesting thread....I like reading everyone's experiences.
I play maybe 10 gigs a month, have to change my strings every month, make money (actually pretty decent money now) from those gigs, so I guess that makes me a working musician / collector in rehab.
"They make great f***'n basses". - Lemmy, NAMM 2009
Used to be a GP, stopped playing for 20 years and now a JH with hopes to be a GP again someday when the kids get a little older. With a 4001, 4003 and 4005, I guess i'm a bit of a C as well... but I could never own one that I wouldn't play.
[quote="rkbsound"]Hobbyist, for sure. I only have 2 Ricks, and I'd like more....but I'd hate to be called a collector!
Question for Forumites ---- at what stage in life (or quantity of Rics) does your ownership of Rics qualify one to be a collector ?
Curious, does owning one classic, vintage model make one a collector compared to someone else who might have three or four more commonly attainable Ric models ? Or does an accelerated pace of acquiring Rics, in short successive weeks or months, make one a collector ?
Is "Collector" all subjective, in our own minds ?
Regards - Rich F
I've played semi-professionally for the best part of 25 years and I've bought, sold and collected all kinds of guitars and basses since I was sixteen. My paid gigging pro jobs are few and far between right now, mainly due to corporate work and band management commitments, however I'd like to return to regular work in a gigging band if I can reduce my other commitments.
I'm definitely a jamming hobbyist and I love getting together with other musicians, including various Forum buddies, to make some noise.
I've currently got 56 guitars and basses, mainly vintage Rickenbackers with a few Fenders and Gibsons, so I guess I need to put my hand up for the collector team as well. I started when "vintage" still meant 50s and 60s, not 70s, 80s and 90s! None of my instruments are case queens; they all get played and I thoroughly enjoy sharing my toys when friends come over, or when we have an official confluence jam. The fact that most of my guitars are appreciating in value faster than the stockmarket is a bonus, but it's not the main driver for my collecting fetish.
Gigging amateur -- anyone else going to be at Lollapalooza in a week and a half or so?
Also probably a collector. I have more basses than I need for my 3 times a month rehearsing band and my 3 times a year gigging other band (in which I don't play bass, for that matter). I tend to end up with Ricks that are in some way "special", whether with vintage goodies, or otherwise limited (Shadow, CS). But then again, I also have a custom parts jazz bass, and a brand new '08 P bass on the way, plus a couple guitars (and other instruments) that are in no way collection-worthy, and aside from a couple moments of envy over pre-CBS Fender basses, not much interest in collecting non-Ricks. Plus I play all my instruments out, and my hobby supports itself ... so let's say amateur musician with a tendency to collect fancy Ricks. To further complicate things, I'm a singer first and foremost.
Put me down as jamming/collector - what they used to call a "parlor musician" in the 1920's. I took up guitar 10 years ago at the tender age of 48. I didn't know a G chord form an augmented whatever. But I took some lessons, stuck with it through serious left arm/hand injuries, and now play about an hour a day (everyday). I've been building up my modest collection over the years and it now stands at:
1918 Gibson F-2 mandolin
1947 Gibson LG-2
1957 Gibson Les Paul Special
1962 Gretsch Country Club
1965 Rickenbacker 360/12
1966 Gibson Hummingbird
1969 Fender Stratocaster
