Gas
Tig stated, quote: Be happy with what ya' got instead of looking at what ya ain't got. unquote.
This is very true. A lot of our favorite guitarists didn't have hardly anything when they started out, but they made something out of it. Greatness, it has been said, often comes out of adversity. Real hard times have been known to produce some very mentionable achievements.
A lot of us are not exactly what you would call "bad off", far from it. Also some of us are struggling pretty hard, especially these days.
My personal experience has been that recently I lost almost everything I had, as a consequence of the type of divorce my lawyer was able to negotiate according to Pennsylvania law. I lost everything from my entire life that I had accumulated, except the stuff that I had gotten out of my marital property before I left there. I got most of my musical gear. I lost untold amounts of really good stuff, including power tools and a lot of expensive stuff and things from my childhood on that had a lot of value to only me. I got to keep what I had in my possession and had to forfiet everything left at the house, including the house. I did not want the house. I'm not crying about it. I made out super excellently in the terms of my divorce and kept some of my major possessions and all of my financial assets and income, completely unencumbered. One lucky dude.
But I have had to turn the page, and be happy with what I have got and not look back at what I no longer have.
I have been much happier being unencumbered with all the things I had accumulated and lost, surprisingly.
So I looked at what I have and said to myself, "I'm happy with this". I didn't dwell upon my loss, including the things that around this same time were stolen from me by a relative I took in and tried to help out. I couldn't look back on the thousands of dollars worth of stuff I lost and tear myself up, it would be futile and unproductive. I moved on. Turned the page.
I have had to spend a lot of money to replace almost all of my power and hand tools, and a lot of other of my "main" possessions. I got sometimes less high quality things out of necessity and some things I got were way nicer. I lost all of my camera gear including several Nikon camera bodies and a bunch of great lenses and a great powerful flash unit, for example. I moved forward and bought a much nicer Nikon DSLR and three lenses so far and a super great flash unit.
Yes, I have urges to get new stuff to replace the stuff that I lost, like all my skiing gear. I used to be a ski instructor.
I know what it is to not have things and be happy with what I have. I have been very fortunate and have found a wonderful person to be with in my fiance Charity. She is a very beautiful person. Supportive, etc. Everything my ex wife wasn't. Charity appreciates my love of music and encourages me to acquire higher quality gear in my purchases. So when gas attacks I try to step back and make sure I'm upgrading my collection, not just adding more of the same stuff.
I have been fortunate to get some great new stuff, including guitars. Gassing for stuff is a reality and of course it has to be curbed. There is nothing wrong with nice new stuff. Fortunately I am able to afford to replace stuff and acquire new stuff, including guitars, as I move forward.
I'm certainly not ashamed of that and haven't felt a lot of buyer's remorse.
When you lose practically everything, you don't mind it when you can get some new nice stuff, and not have to be satisfied with some junk. I've had to do both recently, but most recently my financial situation has greatly improved.
I'll tell you what, there's nothing wrong with being financially secure and comfortable, and having a decent amount of disposable income.
So when gas attacks and you have the urge to buy a nice guitar, it's your business , in my opinion, how you handle it. I'm lucky, I can indulge myself. I can also smile and be happy with what I have. But I want to move forward and try to get some new things. Not that I will ever replace everything I have lost. I have walked across the coals. You can't go back.
Personally, I don't indulge in my gas by spending money I don't have.
Like Tig says, you sometimes have to be happy with what you have, and remember that a lot of our guitar heros didn't have real good or real nice stuff when they started out, but they made very satisfying and self actualizing music with the stuff they had.
If you have Direct TV, Buddy Guy just had a GC special on cfhannel 101 every day and he talks about when he was a kid in the Mississippi Delta, South of Memphis, and was actually dirt poor, living near the cotton fields. He had some real funky seminal gear, but he stuck to his aspirations, despite the adversities and became one of the greatest living guitar players and now has an awesome collection of incredible guitars.
So if you have gas you probably have aspiration. Gas isn't a bad thing, keep it within your means and within the perspective of your bigger picture.
There is nothing wrong with having money and nice things. But money never bought you happiness; and I never heard of poverty buying it either.
So, in my opinion, gas is not a bad thing and it's probably mostly a good thing. Just make sure you have the money to support it, or get an education or a job that leads to you having increased purchasing power. In the meantime be happy with what you have.
For many many years all I had was a very funky, junky acoustic guitar that was either free or cost about five dollars. I had a lot of fun with that guitar but always enjoyed playing really fine instruments, just didn't have the money or the plan to get one.
Today I can afford to buy nicer guitars.
