Prelude
WELL, HERE WE ARE ONCE AGAIN VALUED VINTAGE GUITAR AFICIONADOS. If you are here, I am assuming that you have a passing interest in the subject matter. My hope is that I can help to stimulate that interest in a variety of ways. This month, I am investigating the topic of compulsion and collecting in relation to vintage guitars. This introspective investigation involves a soupçon of self‑examination and a chunk of challenge (Ed: enough with the alliteration, already!). Is this my means to justify my irrational need for the pursuit of the unattainable? Is it to feed my insatiable need to own ever more vintage gear? Is it to fuel my humongous but precipitously fragile superego and overcome my innermost feelings of inadequacy and insecurity? Yes, Yes and Yes. Sussed!
As for the recent Victory in Europe (VE) Day (8 May 2025), it struck me that, perhaps, rather than celebrate victory (for some), humanity should be commemorating Peace (for all). Such a change of emphasis does not diminish the evils of war or the sacrifice of so many to secure freedom but it would symbolise a more positive approach towards a more peaceful civilisation. The fact that we have learnt NOTHING over the last 80 years is desperately disappointing and despicably deplorable. A simple message that things HAVE to change to the imperialist kleptocratic oligarchs in Trumpland, Xiland, Kimland, Netanyahuland et al. Stop now!
I tried to think of a single country that forgoes military spending, for something wholly more altruistic and philanthropic, more beneficial to humankind as whole, rather than its own ends. I came up with a big fat zero. There is something wrong about there being no nation advocating for a more humane global society. I don’t mean this as some wishy‑washy liberalistic fancy. I am ‘super serial’ (NB. from the 145th episode of the animated TV series South Park, ‘ManBearPig’ S10:E6 (2006)). Human does not equate to humane. It should. Enough paltry partisan political polemic (Ed: second warning!), that’s not what we are here for.
The American author Dean Koontz sums up my feelings far better than I can about the heinous failings of the human race over the last century or so:
“This world, which has the potential to be Eden, is instead the hell before Hell. In our arrogance, we have made it so” – Dean Koontz (1945‑)
Another snippet of news is that, after over a year in stasis, work has once again begun on book formatting and editing of, ‘The Distortion Diaries’, the author’s first vanity project of pure fiction. More news on that to come in due course. Making time and space for the novel is a priority for me. Something that I have been less than disciplined about. For that reason, this article has just a little bit less research depth and rigour than it probably deserved (and I would have preferred). However, the assumptions made at various points might make it just a bit of a lighter read.
As always, the caveat applies that this is not a comprehensive academic investigation, just a piece of entertaining conjecture. Also, as always, no AI has (knowingly) been used in the research and writing of this article. You may or may not be pleased that scattered relevant quotes are back this month.
Enough idle distractions, time to get to the point…
To Collect or Not to Collect
This article may well have been subtitled, “The mania of owning things”. That’s what concerted collecting is, a mania. Mania is defined as, ‘an excessive enthusiasm or desire; an obsession’ or, ‘a mental illness marked by periods of great excitement or euphoria, delusions, and over‑activity’. A compulsion is ‘an irresistible urge to behave in a certain way, especially against one’s conscious wishes’.
What constitutes a ‘collection’? Obviously (perhaps), a collection is something that results from the art of collecting (duh!). A collection in this regard is ‘a group of objects or an amount of material assembled or accumulated in one location, especially for some purpose or as a result of some process’.
OK. Clear? So, that’s settled then. Time to put one’s feet up and indulge in a refreshing cup of tea.
Well, hang on just a mo’. That can’t be it. I started this month’s article specifically to investigate why vintage guitar collecting is a thing, why it may or may not be healthy and why it is so commonplace. Definitions are one thing, obsessional addiction is another. That indisputable impulse, the overwhelming force to own every possible guitar that one can get one’s hands on, irrespective of anything else in the universe is irresistible. These things seem to exert an overpowering gravitational pull on the afflicted. Enough of the hyperbole, you get the idea. Time to explore a bit further.
What the trite definitions miss, in my view, is the element of a compelling impulse to ACT, to DO something. Enthusiasm and excitement are one thing (well, actually two things) but they aren’t tangible. Creating a collection of vintage guitar gear is tangible. Very tangible.
“Whether we live alone or with other people, few acknowledge the presence of another roommate. This roommate is named ‘Things’ and the space that ‘Things’ occupies is typically a lot larger than the space people have for themselves” – Fumio Sasaki (1978‑)
During writing this article, it seemed to me that it provided a worthy complement to my recent trilogy of articles. Should you wish to access or review those tomes, click on the relevant link below (pages open in a new tab):
January 2025 – 10 Things I Love and Hate About Vintage Guitars
February 2025 – Ikigai and Vintage Guitars
March 2025 – Eastern Concepts and Vintage Guitars
It looks like that trilogy might just have become a quadrilogy (but not a tetralogy).
Rhetorical question. Does anyone need all these guitars? Of course not. We want all these guitars. That’s the point. It is fundamental to economics and marketing. The demarcation between need and want is blurred by those wishing to exploit the latter at the cost of the former. Thing is, I can’t be bothered to justify the point. Probably because I can’t defend the fixation. Hopefully you get the idea.
“Nobody can give you advice after you’ve been collecting for a while. If you don’t enjoy making your own decisions, you’re never going to be much of a collector anyway” – Charles Saatchi (1943‑)
The Compulsion to Collect Things:
Why do collectors exhibit irrational, passionate cravings (sic!)? What is the psychology behind collecting? The criteria for compulsive collecting are not definitively set out, although there are many common themes, depending on the source.
Corroboratively, some or all of the following ‘compulsive collecting ground rules’, a.k.a. ‘reasons for collecting’, may apply, regardless of the material being collected.
- For sentimental attachment
- To connect to childhood
- To connect with history
- For the thrill of the hunt
- For the status of owning rare or valuable items
- For the pride of ownership over spectatorship
- For achievement of intellectual knowledge and learning
- For personal pleasure, relaxation appreciation and enjoyment
- For social motivation within a community of fellow collectors
- For competitive challenge
- For social recognition by other collectors and observers
- To invest for future profit
- For a sense of control
Unlucky thirteen. On reflection, I probably relate most closely with 1, 3, 7, 8 and 13 and I probably mostly reject 2, 5, 9, 11 and 12 (the latter very strongly). Anyone who knows me understands that I don’t play well with others and social/community affiliations are unimportant to me. The same goes for profiteering. The rest are neither here nor there. I suspect that everyone probably has a different combination of motivations for collecting. Therefore, this simple model can be quite revealing while also being limited.
In my January 2025 article, ‘10 Things I Love and Hate about Vintage Guitars’, I covered my personal motivation for the enjoyment of vintage guitars. These are independent of, though largely consistent with, the ‘compulsive collecting ground rules’ mentioned above. These, however, are specific to CRAVE Guitars gear. As a reminder, the headlines were:
- The Heritage and the History
- The Ownership
- The Uniqueness
- The Authenticity
- The Variety
- The Look
- The Feel
- The Tone
- The Mythology and the Truth
- The Privilege of Stewardship
“People assume that happiness stems from collecting things outside of yourself, whereas true happiness stems from removing things from inside of yourself” – Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso, 1935‑)
Collecting is a perfectly ordinary human activity. People have been collecting this or that for millennia in one form or another. There is nothing extraordinary or unhealthy about collecting as a diversion, occupation, pastime or passion. It is only when collecting morphs into something else, such as an obsessive addiction for hoarding that the activity can become psychologically problematic.
Personally, I see vintage guitar collection as a habitual hobby, not as a ‘be‑all and end‑all’ (NB. An idiom coined by William Shakespeare in ‘Macbeth’ (1606). It means that something is the final, most important or ultimate aspect of a situation or thing).
Collecting is not an OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and it does not have symptoms attributable to another psychological disorder. However, the more extreme form of hoarding may be considered a subtype of OCD depending on the severity. Hoarding Disorder (the inability to manage and dispense with things) is also a distinct mental health condition with its own symptoms. Be aware of the difference, folks.
As collecting may be considered normal human behaviour, this suggests that there is something positive about it to make it defensible. It also suggests that there is a threshold that marks the boundary between normal and deviant behaviour. It also suggests that the boundary may be different for each individual, making objective evaluation somewhat challenging.
“Collecting is not just about acquiring objects, it’s about preserving history and passion” – John Doe (1953‑)
Many collectors never seem satisfied with what they already have and continually strive for ‘more’. This results in collections that continue to grow until something external intervenes to curtail progress. The ‘thrill of the hunt’ mentioned above is a very real aspect of collecting. It seems that, as soon as one owns something that has been fiercely hunted, the satisfaction wanes rapidly. At the same time, the obsession to find the next thing re‑establishes itself and the feedback loop results in a new hunt. There is therefore a cycle whereby newly acquired items soon become relegated to a sub‑class of ordinary ‘ownership’ and the quest thus continues unabated.
Neurologically, searching for ‘the next big thing’ has been demonstrated through the use of MRI brain scans to help to explain the collection compulsion called the ‘oddball effect’ (NB. yes, it is really a thing). The ‘oddball effect’ is a measurable psychological phenomenon, whereby brain activity and hormonal responses are stimulated by the introduction of a novel item into a range of normal items. As the activity of collecting becomes refined, we actively search out things missing from the collection in order to stimulate the pleasure/reward centres of the brain. At the same time, the items already collected recede into normality. Thus the process of collecting becomes exacerbated. The ‘oddball effect’ has been suggested as a reason why we feel the continual need to feed our obsessions and to expand our collections. It bears some similarities to substance addiction – finding that next fix.
“The journey of a collector is never-ending; there is always something new to discover” – Brian Selznick (1966‑)
For guitarists, this desirous activity is commonly referred to as GAS, a.k.a. Gear Acquisition Syndrome. GAS was originally thought up by American guitarist Walter Becker of Steely Dan in 1996. He used the term to expose the sometimes ridiculous ends musicians will go to, to obtain gear.
GAS is the overpowering yearning to acquire musical equipment. This symptom is common among musicians who often believe that getting hold of more gear will somehow improve their musicianship. The result of GAS is that the acquisition of physical artefacts may eventually take priority over the creative music making process. In such a a volte‑face, ultimately, the means become the end.
“Resistance is futile” – Originally from the British TV series, ‘Doctor Who, Tomb of the Cybermen’ (1967), though widely attributed to the Borg from ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Best Of Both Worlds’ (1992).
It has been suggested that GAS derives from a feeling that one’s gear is inadequate leading to dissatisfaction and the development of an intense craving (sic!) for new/more gear, followed by impulsive buying beyond one’s identified need. Sellers try to exploit this cycle of unfulfilled satisfaction. Suggested remedies for GAS include an evaluation of what one already owns, establishing a budget cap and sticking to it, and to prioritise actual need as opposed to unjustifiable wants. Yeah, like that’s gonna work!
“It’s a trap!” – The character Admiral Ackbar, from the film, ‘Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi’ (1983)
Guitar Collecting and CRAVE Guitars
I, as you are probably well aware by now, ‘collect’ Cool & Rare American Vintage Electric Guitars, Basses, Effects and Amps. Yes, folks at a virtual GAS Anonymous™ meeting, “My name is CRAVE and I have a problem”. I’m beginning to accept that I have become one of those people for whom vintage guitar collecting is a reason for living (my ikigai – see my article of February 2025, ‘Ikigai and Vintage Guitars’). It seems that collecting vintage guitars has come to define me as a person, including my character, my personality and my lifestyle preferences.
Now, despite CRAVE Guitars being around as an entity since 2007 and online from 2014, it is not a large, special ‘collection’ by any stretch of the imagination. Neither is it a valuable, elite ‘collection’. It is a very modest assemblage of affordable old gear. Plenty of people have a great deal more gear than I do. The difference about CRAVE Guitars, I think, is that it is carefully curated for everyone to, hopefully, appreciate and enjoy. I wish I could also make audio files so others can experience the tone of these babies. Truth be told, I’m not a good enough musician and I genuinely don’t have the time/patience to go down that road. I would also like to provide videos and augmented reality but that is also beyond me at this stage.
“Objects are what matter. Only they carry the evidence that throughout the centuries something really happened among human beings” – Claude Levi‑Strauss (1908‑2009)
Guitar Collecting and Playing
Despite much searching and despite the fact that there are names for many obscure types of collectors, there doesn’t seem to be a name for someone who collects guitars, let alone vintage guitars. You know, like philatelists collect stamps. Heck, there isn’t even a collective noun for guitars themselves and neither is there one for guitarists. To be honest, I can’t think of a suitable noun that adequately describes the affliction. Perhaps it is time for someone to create a name for vintage guitar collectors. How about a CRAVE‑o‑holic, CRAVE‑o‑phile or CRAVEatalist? No, perhaps not. Alternative suggestions on a postcard, please.
One question that seems to come up repeatedly is whether someone is a guitar player or a guitar collector. Now, my response is along the lines of, ‘it doesn’t matter’, as the two are not mutually exclusive. As long as one is a guitar enthusiast, it matters not where one is along the continuum between the two, with most of us probably somewhere nearer the middle than one or other extreme (collectors who don’t play and players who don’t collect) – i.e. a normal distribution curve. The wonder of guitars is that players can collect and collectors can play. Many other forms of collectors don’t get that dual opportunity. For instance, going back to stamps, you can collect them but you can’t actually do much with them other than to look at, display or trade them.
Neither does it matter a jot whether guitar collections are vintage, modern or a mixture of both. In my experience, many guitarists have two or more guitars, which represents a collection of sorts. Many collections are just random accumulations of guitars without a coherent rationale or theme to bind them. It was important when CRAVE Guitars© was formed that there was some common attribute that connects them all (cool, rare, American, vintage, electric). As I have described before, I rationalised a random accumulation of guitars into a time window from post‑WWII to 1989 (the latter being my arbitrary cut‑off). I started to focus purely on Fender and Gibson guitars, although that rapidly came both too expensive and too limiting. Thereafter a selection of other vintage guitar brands were included, as a complement to the big two while also remaining coherent overall. It was then further extended to include vintage bass guitars (CRAVE Basses©), vintage effects (CRAVE Effects©) and vintage amps (CRAVE Amps©).
Personally, I think that I play guitars first and collect guitars second. At least that is the chronological order through which I reached this point in later life. The fact that I can’t play very well is immaterial. I enjoy playing but have long realised that mastery of the instrument is beyond me, in the same way that mastery of vintage guitar collecting is also beyond me. Two trades, master of neither. Sigh.
As mentioned many times, I do not necessarily regard (or admit to) myself as a vintage guitar collector. However, a close friend confronted me on the subject and I reluctantly had to conclude that, in fact, I have fallen victim to having a collection of vintage guitars, which makes me a vintage guitar collector. Sussed again! Sigh.
“Collecting is like a treasure hunt, you never know what you might discover” – John Doe (1953‑)
Guitar Collecting and Ownership
Owning something is different from the things we own. Since time immemorial, humans have sought respect, identity and value in possessing things. Possessing something for oneself excludes the possibility that others can own the same thing. Ownership has long been associated with self‑esteem and materialism. Things, however, are not that simple. The relationship established between an individual and an object they possess can be very strong, even to the extent that sometimes the two become inseparable.
Material possessions encompass more than just owning an object. Objects can convey messages about status, power, wealth and superiority, and they are actively used to set one apart from one’s peers. Therefore, ownership becomes an integral part of personal lifestyle, community, society and, ultimately, civilisation. Ownership positions us in a pecking order within a social hierarchy. Yet the objects themselves don’t have any of the attributes we associate with owning them. In a world of infinite abundance, an object’s value is worthless, while in a world of scarcity, the same object’s value may be disproportionately high. Ownership value is therefore relative to its availability. This is another of the basics of economics.
Ownership helps us integrate into humanity, although paradoxically, ownership also separates us from others. An obsession with ownership leads to approval, envy, jealousy, resistance, control, competition conflict and outward demonstrations of self‑indulgence that subvert the humanity we so much yearn to belong to.
The psychological traits of ownership begin in childhood, continue through adolescence and becomes entrenched in adulthood, ready to be passed down succeeding generations. We are born with nothing. We take nothing with us when we die. Yet we spend a great deal of our lives in the pursuit of possessing material things.
Psychological ownership can be different from legal ownership, for instance, “that is MY parking space”. Many of us still want to own physical record or film collections despite plentiful streaming services. The cost and availability of access to streamed services, never mind the space savings, far outweigh the perceived benefits of ownership, yet many of us still want to own our own things rather than lease or borrow them from institutions.
The notion of ownership as an extension of the individual results in financial as well as emotional investment requiring decisions to be made on the basis of personal priorities. If those priorities include, for instance, the accumulation of vintage guitars, a collection becomes the ultimate manifestation of the ownership process (and it is a process, separate from the objects possessed). One person’s priorities may be of little or great interest to others, therefore possession becomes part of a like‑minded community’s self‑selection process.
There is no room here to delve into the ever more complex and fascinating issues of ownership. Suffice to say that human beings place considerable importance on possession and ownership.
Proof, if it was needed… would I relinquish the guitar collection I own? Not bloody likely! Even during the crisis years when I lost my home, my career and my self‑belief, I found a way to save and protect my vintage guitars with the help of a good friend. ‘Nuff said.
“It’s not as though you feel satisfied after collecting a certain amount of stuff. Instead, you keep thinking about what you’re missing” – Fumio Sasaki (1978‑)
Guitar Collecting and Value
Guitar collecting happens irrespective of the value of the instruments being collected. Once again, the two are not mutually exclusive. At least to me. For some, though, accruing monetary wealth it is the primary motivator and vintage guitars simply represent the currency exchange. I don’t have the means to play in the high end sand pit, so I dig in the muddy puddles of modestly priced/available vintage guitars. That’s OK by me. Affordable is good and far more grounded.
In the media, the instruments and collections that we tend to hear about are the large collections of genuinely rare (and therefore valuable) guitars. Number and value being the inversely proportional main factors. Some collections are worth a fortune with values that beggar belief. The major collectors are content to push up values with the consequence that the enthusiast becomes increasingly marginalised and/or excluded.
Then there are also the celebrity owned guitars that go for, frankly, ridiculous sums of money that we hear about from time to time. Often the two are complementary and we take notice of the largest collections worth the most amount of money. These collections tend to fall into two categories – public collections such as museums and private collections held by wealthy individuals.
I have often raised this aspect of vintage guitar collecting here. I recognise the need for public collections to document and preserve (not necessarily conserve) the historical importance of the guitar. I have anathema towards private collectors who hide the artefacts away and dare not touch them, let alone play them, in case it erodes their valuable return on investment. The latter, regular readers will know, I term the ‘collectorati’™, a pejorative term.
Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind” – Buddha (Siddhārtha Gautama – c.480‑400BCE)
Now, a Zen approach covered in my March 2025 article, ‘Eastern Concepts and Vintage Guitars’ mentioned ‘shikata ga nai’ (control what you can control) and Gaman (rising above adversity). These two philosophical tenets suggest that the way is to accept what exists (in this case, the ‘collectorati’) and focus on one’s own agenda with dignity and self‑respect. In addition, the quote from the Buddha above makes some sense and I submit to his greater wisdom. Therefore, to the Zen version of me, the ‘collectorati’ are abhorrent; however, it is not my place to abhor them. Instead, I will gain contentment from what I am able to collect and to do it with enthusiasm and humility. As a result of this rather profound and ‘spiritual’ insight, to me, value becomes irrelevant and inconsequential. I will gladly leave the detestable twin traits of greed and avarice to others. Enjoy wallowing in the filth of your dirty dollars, you can’t take then with you into the afterlife and you probably don’t genuinely enjoy them in this life.
While value is not a primary motivating factor for me, it does factor large at those points where value decisions need to be made about buying and selling part of a prized collection. So… if value is not important, would I give away my cherished vintage guitars? Not bloody likely, the sequel! Fundamentally, value has a part to play in the decision‑making process of managing and curating a collection.
“A collection is only as valuable as the knowledge and passion behind it” – John Doe (1953‑)
Guitar Collecting and Dealing
Dealers are kinda the odd one out here. They are a go‑between and a facilitator. They are a necessary evil as well, holding us all to ransom for an extra buck or two here and there. These are the bods largely responsible for feeding our collecting obsession. I kinda liken them to drug dealers hanging around school gates dangling ‘free’ baggies of tempting addictive substances just to get us hooked and then to keep us all hooked for their financial benefit. OK, perhaps that’s pushing the metaphor a bit far but you get the general idea.
“Collecting is an adventure that brings joy and excitement to everyday life” – Amelia Earhart (1897‑1937)
For many of us, guitar retailers were the starting off point for satiating GAS and encouraging us to spend beyond our means to acquire the latest shiny ‘must have’, at least until the next visit. For me, that first retailer was a long‑lost guitar shop in Worthing, West Sussex, England – infuriatingly, I cannot recall its name. While I unfairly maligned dealers in the previous paragraph, they perform an essential, if intimidating, role in the broader music industry. The world will be a worse place without them and, God forbid, that they should disappear from the high street, leaving the Internet as the only source for our particular ‘drug’.
Now, if one goes along with the widely held principle (assumption) that every guitar looks unique, every guitar plays uniquely and every guitar sounds unique, then online purchasing undermines the principle of choice and the products are confined to the status of a commodity. Extrapolating the point; if a commodity carries with it a lower emotional investment value, it becomes less satisfying in ownership and therefore more easily disposed of. A bit like buying an average car or an average house unseen and untried, if you will. This throwaway consumer society approach is the antithesis of passionate collecting,
“Collecting is a way of owning a piece of history and preserving it for future generations” – Albert Einstein (1879‑1955)
Plenty of the meccas for guitar gear such as 48th Street (Music Row) and West Village in Manhattan, NYC are a pale shadow of their previous glory, as is Denmark Street (the UK’s Tin Pan Alley) in London (following in the footsteps of Charring Cross Road and Shaftesbury Avenue). While there remain plenty of independent stores dispersed ever more thinly, the declining trend is undeniable and of great concern to neophytes and veteran collectors alike.
This tragic decline in supply is worrying, as it may possibly result in a concomitant decline in demand. If both supply and demand are suppressed, there is a resulting steep deterioration in significance.
We have eBay and Reverb to fall back on as major sources of second hand gear online. However, in the author’s experience, these are not compensating for the scarcity of brick & mortar dealers. For many of us, they have become a limited avenue for addiction.
“I love collecting guitars, even though I can’t play well” – Kiefer Sutherland (1966‑)
Examples of Vintage Guitar Collections
What follows is just a small example of the many types of vintage guitar and music history gathered into a single space. It is not intended as comprehensive, rather a modest starting point for guitar enthusiasts from which to explore the multitude of physical collections held both privately and publically.
Some Private Collections:
Jim Irsay was the owner and CEO of NFL American football team the Indianapolis Colts. He passed away on 21 May 2025, aged just 65. He had spent over 25 years creating one of the world’s leading collections of rock & roll, American history and pop culture artefacts, including some of the most iconic instruments in rock history. David Gilmour’s Black Fender Strat? A cool $3.9m. Jerry Garcia’s Tiger? $957,500. Bob Dylan’s Newport Folk Festival Fender Stratocaster? $965,000. George Harrison’s Gibson SG used on Revolver? $567,000. He also owned Kurt Cobain’s Fender Mustang and Eric Clapton’s ‘The Fool’ Gibson SG. The total value of Irsay’s collection is estimated to be well over $1bn.
Scott Chinery was an avid guitar collector who passed away in 2000. His extensive collection of over 1,000 guitars covering 150 years of guitar history remained with his family until 2021. The collection was acquired by the Archtop Foundation, a not‑for‑profit organisation based in Burlington, Vermont. The foundation’s mission is to share the collection with everyone. Chinery is perhaps best known for his portfolio of blue archtop guitars, including a web site dedicated to ‘The Blue Guitars’.
The Blue Guitars
Ralph Jay Triumfo is a musician and guitar collector from the Philippines. He is regarded as owning the largest guitar collection in the world and, in fact, he holds the Guinness World Record for the largest collection of guitars, with a staggering 1,026 guitars in his possession, as of 2021.
Joe Bonamassa is a world famous blues/rock guitarist and self‑confessed vintage guitar nerd. He is also well known as one of the world’s foremost private collectors of electric guitars and amps. His collection totals well over 500 guitars, as well as around the same number of amps. What’s more, JB doesn’t hide these treasures away for himself. He takes his enviable classic guitars on the road and uses them on stage, so that everyone can appreciate the combination of his undoubted guitar playing skills and the iconic instruments that he owns. He also shares his passion online, particularly on social media.
Rick Nielsen is the guitarist of the American rock band Cheap Trick. He is believed to own upwards of 250 guitars, including many custom guitars built for him by Jol Dantzig at Hamer Guitars, such as the multi‑neck guitars that have become his trademark. Highlights include priceless 1950s Gibsons including Les Pauls, Explorers and Flying Vs.
David Gilmour was the guitarist with Pink Floyd and has a lengthy solo career. He has accumulated a massive collection of guitars over the years. Famously, in 2019, he auctioned 120 of his guitars, raising $21m for an environmental charity.
Slash – The Guns N’ Roses guitarist reportedly has a collection of over 400 guitars, including vintage Les Pauls and rare prototypes.
“Collecting is my passion” – Ursula Andress (1936‑)
Some Public Exhibitions:
What follows are just some of the public exhibitions that may be of interest to readers. The links worked at the time of publication but overtime they may become redundant. Just sayin’.
Songbirds Guitar and Pop Culture Museum, Chattanooga, Tennessee – the Songbirds museum opened in 2017 in downtown Chattanooga, TN and has more than 1,700 fretted instruments in its collection, touted as the world’s largest collection of rare and vintage guitars. The collection’s value is estimated to be in excess of $200m.
Songbirds Guitar and Pop Culture Museum
The Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP), Seattle, Washington State – originally called The Experience Music Project (EMP) was established by the late Microsoft co‑founder, Paul Allen. MoPoP, as it is now known, also houses The Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame. One of the features of the MoPoP is the giant guitar sculpture, ‘IF VI WAS IX’, as well as other guitar sculptures and music artefacts. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the museum features exhibits celebrating the music and history of Seattle including ‘local’ artists like Jimi Hendrix and Nirvana.
The Museum of Pop Culture
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), Cleveland, Ohio – The RRHOF, located on the bank of Lake Erie attempts to document rock history through artists, producers, engineers and others, rather than instruments. The Rock Hall (for short) was founded in 1983 by the chair of Atlantic Records, Ahmet Ertegun and the Museum was dedicated in 1995. While the focus is not on guitars, there is a diverse range of artefacts covering the evolution of modern music.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
C.F. Martin & Company Museum, Nazareth, Pennsylvania – More than 100 guitars are on display, including the first Martin guitar, the earliest Dreadnoughts and Kurt Cobain’s prized D-18 dreadnought acoustic. Unsurprisingly, it is a venue for fans of Martin guitars, as well as those seeking insights of historical importance. If you aren’t into Martins, you may want to seek an alternative.
C.F. Martin & Company Museum
Delta Blues Museum, Clarksdale, Mississippi – The Delta Blues Museum was originally established in 1979 and became a standalone museum in 1999, homed in the historic Clarksdale rail freight depot. The museum is dedicated to preserving interest in the story of the blues, following the blues masters and their historical journey from the deep south of the USA to become a worldwide phenomenon.
Delta Blues Museum
National GUITAR Museum, Bradenton, Florida – The NGM was the first American museum dedicated to the history, evolution, and cultural impact of the guitar. The museum has touring exhibitions that focus on a unique aspect of the guitar’s historical role in popular culture. Each touring exhibition is curated by the museum and includes artefacts from its permanent collection.
National GUITAR Museum
The Gallery of Iconic Guitars (GIG), Belmont, Nashville, Tennessee – The museum at Belmont University was founded following the death of collector Steven Kern Shaw in 2015 and is supported by vintage guitar expert, George Gruhn. GIG aims to celebrate some of the rarest and most iconic guitars as well as other stringed instruments. The collection comprises over 500 rare guitars and mandolins valued at over $10.5m.
The Gallery of Iconic Guitars
Museum of Musical Instruments (MIM), Phoenix, Arizona – Hank Risan is a collector and founder of the museum’s collection that focuses on the instruments played every day by people worldwide. The museum, which opened in 2010, comprises over 7,500 instruments from across the globe.
Museum of Musical Instruments
Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met), Manhattan, New York City – Coming to The Met in the spring of 2027 will be a rotating exhibition of historically important guitars focusing on American guitar making from 1920‑1970, donated to the museum by Dirk Ziff, an American billionaire publishing heir and financier, working with vintage guitar connoisseur Perry Margouleff. Nearly 600 guitars have been donated and around 150‑170 will be on display at any one time. Be prepared to have your mind blown in 2 years’ time.
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Smithsonian National Museum of American History – The Smithsonian is based in Washington, DC. It is home to the museum’s collection of over 500 guitars. Sadly, the dedicated hall of musical instruments exhibition closed in October 2012. However, the museum collection includes many stringed instruments of historical significance.
The Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Hard Rock Café – Hard Rock is an international chain of hotels, theme bar/restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos, sports venues and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London, England. In addition to many artist‑owned instruments and rock ephemera displayed in numerous settings across the world, Hard Rock opened two dedicated Hard Rock Vaults in London and Orlando, Florida in 1979, featuring rare and valuable guitars and other rock memorabilia.
Hard Rock Café
Seven Decades, London, England – A British innovation co‑created by vintage guitar collectors and musicians, Phillip Hylander and Michael John Ross. The premium collection of vintage guitars is played by the Seven Decades Band in live stage shows mainly in London but also travelling around the country. The shows give audiences the opportunity to see and hear vintage instruments being used for their intended purpose. The concerts take place at events such as guitar shows as well as at national venues such as the Victoria & Albert (V&A) Museum in London. ‘The Story of Three Guitars That Changed The World’ focused on the Fender Telecaster, Fender Stratocaster and Gibson Les Paul. The shows cover music from 1950s’ rock & roll to the present day, including genres such as rockabilly, country, heavy metal, punk and disco.
Seven Decades
The Royal College of Music Museum, London, England – The RCM was originally founded in 1882 and the museum was re‑opened in 2021 as a world leading music conservatoire. The museum collection currently comprises over 14,000 musical artefacts covering instruments, art and music related objects, including the earliest known guitar.
The Royal College of Music Museum
Guitars the Museum, Umeå, Sweden – Guitars the Museum was opened in 2014 and hosts the world’s largest collection of rare 1950s and 1960s guitars. The collection comprises more than 500 vintage guitars on public display, with estimates putting the collection’s value at over $10million. The museum remains a not very well kept secret among vintage guitar aficionados.
Guitars the Museum
Tamworth National Guitar Museum, Tamworth, Australia – ‘The Big Golden Guitar’ is a 12m high fibreglass statue located at Tamworth Visitor Information Centre, which also houses the Australian National Guitar Museum.
Tamworth National Guitar Museum
“Communism doesn’t work because people like to own stuff” – Frank Zappa (1940‑1993)
A Few Clichéd & Corny Puns about Guitar Collecting
Sadly, my research only turned up a few bad relevant jokes. I am afraid that most guitar players will already know these.
Why did the guitarist bring home yet another guitar? Because his guitar collection has been missing “just one more” for the last ten years.
How do you know a guitar collector is lying? He says, “I have enough guitars for now”
I asked my dad if he could leave his guitar collection to my children when he dies. He said, “That’s music to my heirs”
A woman on trial accused of beating her husband to death with his guitar collection.
The judge asked, “First offender?” The woman replies, “No, first a Gibson, then a Fender”
You know you’re a guitarist when you’ve got more guitars than clean socks
If you know how many guitars you have, you don’t have enough
If anyone says you have too many guitars… block that person immediately. You don’t need that kind of negativity in your life
My greatest fear is that when I die my wife will sell my guitars for what I told her I paid for them
“I’ve got too many guitars” said no guitarist ever!
I don’t suffer from Guitar Acquisition Syndrome, I enjoy every minute of it
The formula you have to determine how many guitars you need; the number of guitars you currently have, plus 1
Guitar collectors don’t have problems – they have limited storage space and an expanding wish list!
How do you make a guitar collector cry? Tell them their dream guitar was listed for sale… yesterday.
How do you know a guitarist is also a collector? Their collection is worth more than their car!
What does a guitar collector bring to a desert island? Six guitars and no survival skills whatsoever
Guitar collectors don’t retire… they just spend more time ‘investing’ in their collection!
Why do guitar collectors always seem broke? Because ‘affordable’ is a relative term
My wife said I have too many guitars. I said, “No, I have a diverse collection of tonal possibilities”. She said, “Well, I have a diverse collection of divorce lawyers”
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. I apologise profusely.
Final Thoughts on the Compulsion to Collect Vintage Guitars
Basically, there are no hard and fast rules to compulsion, collecting and vintage guitars. Most of it is subjective and far from definitive (a recurring issue with these articles). Everyone will have their own motivations for collecting, methods of collecting and justification for the ownership of their personal collection. What does come through is the sheer diversity of vintage guitar collections across the world, of which this article is just the tiny tip of a very large iceberg.
Why did I opt to collect vintage guitars and turn them into an online entity? Well, I didn’t plan it that way, I kinda fell into it and over time it germinated organically (metaphorically speaking) and it grew into what it is now. I’ve covered the appeal of vintage guitars in the last three articles, so I won’t re‑iterate that here. The reason CRAVE Guitars exists and is an online resource is mainly to share these artefacts with the wider world. I could do the objectionable ‘collecterati’ thing and keep them to myself but what’s the point in that? Heritage needs sharing.
It is immaterial how small or large a collection might be – there is an infinite variety along that continuum. Contrary to popular female beliefs, size really doesn’t matter where vintage guitar collections are concerned. What matters is that there are people (like me) conserving the heritage and acting as stewards for future generations. The financial value of a collection is irrelevant to all but the heinous investors and, once again, there is an infinite variety along this continuum.
“Collecting is a never-ending journey of discovery and learning” – Sir David Attenborough (1926‑)
So, is it better to own a single high value vintage guitar or a shed load of low value ones? There is no right or wrong answer to that specific question. Would I trade in my entire so‑so ‘collection’ for one great guitar? Nope. If anyone approached me to sell the enterprise as a going concern, would I consider a reasonable offer? Nope. I wouldn’t know how much CRAVE Guitars is worth as an entity. If I had to start over again, would I choose guitars differently? Possibly not. If I could go back in time to being that naïve teenager again, would I ever have predicted that I would be in this position in 2025? Nope. Would I have done things differently? Indubitably.
Each to their own. Discuss…
CRAVE Guitars is limited by three things – space, funds and availability. I can’t see any of those three things changing any time soon. The current ‘most wanted’ list exceeds 50 vintage guitars but that hasn’t been updated in a long time because there is no point in pursuing any more acquisitions at the moment. That list just covers guitars, never mind basses, effects and amps. Compared to the professional collections, CRAVE Guitars is miniscule. However, it is my pride and joy and I am content of what I have been able to achieve given circumstances.
Can the desire to accumulate guitar gear ever be satiated? Possibly, but I am afraid that I will probably never know or find out. Like the junky being cured of addiction – life just doesn’t work that way. We may be able to live with it but we cannot overcome it. My view is that once one has been smitten, the course of ownership is irreversible.
One thing seems irrefutable, the compulsion to collect vintage guitars is a very real thing and it ain’t gonna stop anytime soon, at least for me. Good and long may it continue. Otherwise, I would have very little to write about each month. Enjoy your own personal journey.
“A collector’s passion can turn ordinary objects into extraordinary treasures” – Pablo Picasso (1881‑1973)
CRAVE Guitars’ ‘Album of the Month’
It seems appropriate for there to be a link between the article and the ‘album of the month’. Given the considerable relationship of one individual, his dedication to playing music and his not‑insignificant collection of vintage instruments, this month, we go for…
Joe Bonamassa – Dust Bowl (2011): ‘Dust Bowl’ is the 9th studio album by blues rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa. The album, comprising 12 tracks over 63 minutes, was released in March 2011 on Mascot Records. I don’t really have a favourite JB album, so ‘Dust Bowl’ is the one that tends to draw me in. Great cover art too, based on an image by American Depression‑era photographer Arthur Rothstein (1915‑1985), entitled, ‘Dust Storm, Cimarron County Oklahoma’ (1936). Very fitting for the music, which is exemplary, as is the norm for a guitar star.
There are many albums by the prolific guitarist and vintage gear collector. Any are well worth tracking down and giving a listen, if only to be gobsmacked by the dude’s awesome guitar playing. Critics may put his music down to straightforward blues/rock but in the 2020s, lord knows we need guitar heroes who know their chops and Bonamassa is one of those, probably the best since the late Stevie Ray Vaughan.
BELIEVE IN MUSIC!
“Collecting is a way of expressing your personality and interests” – Audrey Hepburn (1929‑1993)
Tailpiece
Another month, another article. It is becoming increasingly challenging to come up with a variety of topics and to keep things fresh interesting. I do hope that this one doesn’t disappoint. Who knows how long I can keep this streak going. Next month, another article, different subject. Let’s see what happens, eh?
I am still failing dismally in curtailing monthly blog articles in order to concentrate on ‘The Distortion Diaries’. Give me strength to prioritise and try harder. I hope to have some news on that front in due course.
In the meantime, I hope we all survive this perilous Earthly existence. We should be able to live, not just survive. We need to be able to live and have the opportunity to live better. Even more importantly, we should be able to thrive and flourish as individuals, communities and civilisation, not just survive. Time to live, then. Life is genuinely too short not to. Have FUN when you can.
Truth, peace, love, and guitar music be with you always. Until next time…
CRAVE Guitars’ ‘Quote of the Month’: “There is light at the end of the tunnel… unless it is at night or you have your eyes closed”
© 2025 CRAVE Guitars – Love Vintage Guitars.
