Answer: Just one more!
Awhile back, my wife walked into my garage/studio, and saw me playing my Reason Bambino. She asked, “How many amps do you need?” As usual, my answer was (with a facetious grin on my face), “Just one more, honey.” Her reply to that was, “You’ve got a wall of amps! I don’t see how you could possibly need all of them.” Actually, she was right, and it didn’t help that half of them weren’t mine, as I was doing reviews on some amps at the time.
Still, I felt I owed her an explanation. After all, I do have a lot of gear, and I actually use all of it, with the exception of a couple of my very old guitars that I’m too busy to service. So I followed her into the house and said, “You know, since I don’t have a band, and I’m doing all this recording on my own, when I’m after a certain sound or dynamic, and I don’t have that sound or dynamic well, I have to find it. Ultimately, that means I get more gear.”
Or maybe I’m just an obsessed, sick individual that needs to have shiny new things all the time. đ Heaven knows I’ve fallen victim to impulsive urges. For instance, just the other day, I was looking at Telecasters on CraigsList. Found a really nice black one with a mirror pick guard for $400! The guy didn’t indicate where it was manufactured (I’m “kind” of looking for an American Telecaster or American G&L ASAT). Luckily I called him up and he said it wasn’t an American because I would’ve scooped it up post-haste! Then I thought to myself, “Dude, you gotta stop this!” Dodged that bullet… đ
Guitar Gear 
Let’s face it we are just freaks of tone,addicted to the life long pursuit of the non-existent holy grail of tone compelled to press on.
I have owned virtually every mfx, amp,boutique,unique and obsolete pedal ever availablle and like Bono says “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for”.
At my age(50) I have come to a resolve with my soul that tone is relative but I can never actually reproduce through amplification or emulation what music plays so clear inside me and beckons to get out and be heard just as I hear it.
So, like you Dawg, my wife points out my Indiana Jones collection of tone promising adventure and calls it expensive archeology.I say to her you you just gotta love me!
Dan, well written response. Perhaps you are correct, the holy grail of tone is non-existent. Although, the pursuit of it is good for the gear market.
It’s taken me a long time to figure out how to explain my guitars to the women in my life, especially when they ask, “Why do you need so many guitars? You only have two arms!”
I tell them that guitars are like shoes. For some reason, the analogy works!
O. M. G.!!!!!!!!! THAT is a PERFECT reply!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
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