MAS, GAS, it's all good, but ...

[Mark Gunter]

what to do when all that gear starts taking over the house?

"I've got guitars, basses, amplifiers and drums
Accordians and mandolins and things that sometimes hum"

One of my favorite Traveling Wilbury tunes, if you haven't heard it before (or lately) here's a tribute to everybody suffering from Gear Acquisition Syndrome.



(And, the requisite mandolin content, here's Boo Wilbury with one of his mandolins

[Astro]

You obviously aren't married.

I'm allowed one room. Its a small guest bedroom made into my "music room". Its a total mess and packed full of gear.

I keep wanting to clean it up and organize but I'd rather use the time to practice.

Besides, I know what pile any given thing is under. Well mostly...

[Tobin]

I see the Mandolin Cafe ballcap in that video. Nice touch!

[Hudmister]

So how about some group photos, total collections arranged in a single space. I would love to see what some of you instrument hoarders have assembled. All instruments, amplifiers, , blue chip picks, microphones are welcome to participate.

[JeffD]

Love that video.

I oscillate back and forth between a music room for storage and maybe even practice, and on the other hand everything out in the open everywhere. I don't tend to live a compartmentalized life, but I think it would be cool to get all this stuff more organized.

I had the same problem with my books years ago. I had dreams of kind of a home library room, but I read in every room and so every room has book shelves.

So the opposite dream would be some kind of open floor plan, where all my interests were at hand. But I can see that getting very chaotic very quickly.

A fellow I know built himself one of those tiny homes you read about, no bigger than 200 sq ft, with electric and heating and air conditioning and all facilities. He lives in a regular house on I think three or four acres of woods, and built this on the other side of the land from the house. When he left his office job and worked from home he used it as a home office. He would go to work every day. He is now retired, and the "play house" has become the repository of all his musical stuff, lots and lots of guitars, a few banjos, ukuleles in mass quantities, and even a mandolin or two. All stored in cases on shelves like a warehouse. In the main house, where he lives, he keeps one guitar, one ukulele, and sometimes a banjo.

Lots of reasons I don't care for his solution. But it works for him.

I don't hang my instruments on the wall as decoration, but I do like to have all my choices conveniently at hand.

[Mark Gunter]

So how about some group photos, total collections arranged in a single space. I would love to see what some of you instrument hoarders have assembled. All instruments, amplifiers, , blue chip picks, microphones are welcome to participate.

I put a few of mine in the middle of the video, but getting them all together? Maybe one day. I have three other mandolins, and about twice as many guitars, a few loaned out, a couple in my shop, and a few more down in the music room, also a piano and a fiddle. I thought I'd take a picture of all of the ones here at the house, but petered out halfway through. It's kinda sad, really, but I get a lot of enjoyment from these things. All the big music room pictures are from others. I'd love to see some more pics representing other folks MAS or GAS here. There was a thread last year that did a lot of that. I think it was another one of those "store in the case or leave it out" kind of threads. Some cool pics of our mandolin cafe friends' homes and musical accoutrements.

[lenf12]

(And, the requisite mandolin content, here's Boo Wilbury with one of his mandolins

Hey, that's only got 6 strings!! Can it really be a mandolin??

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[Mark Gunter]

Hey, that's only got 6 strings!! Can it really be a mandolin??

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

I can see six posts, but only four tuning buttons! What the ????

[lenf12]

I may be going blind but if you count the strings closer to his right hand...I'm just saying it doesn't look like paired courses to my old eyes.

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[dhergert]

I guess I'm pretty lucky.

My wife also plays and has three guitars. My son plays and has three e-basses, a couple of e-guitars, lots of amps and heads, a piano and a keyboard.

I never get any complaints about my three mandolins, two Dobros, eight banjos, two flutes, uncountable harmonicas and recorders, xaphoon, multiple empty cases and a sound-system strewn around the house.

I think musical instruments and equipment are an assumed furniture item in our house; they are just as natural as our multiple cats and little dog. We do however try to keep everything neat.

Of course, when I do finally retire, the first few years will be dedicated to a total house inside-and-out facelift.

Hey, it could be worse, we used to adopt unwanted 3-to-5 foot Iguanas.

[Tobin]

Hey, that's only got 6 strings!! Can it really be a mandolin??

The piano in the foreground is blocking the last two posts and the end of the peghead.

[MediumMando5722]

I can relate. In my house:

7 electric guitars
1 electric bass guitar
2 steel string acoustics
1 nylon string
1 ukulele
1 full drum set
1 upright grand piano
1 upright bass
1 banjo
1 mandolin
3 amplifiers
1 autoharp

If my dad comes over, add 1 each of banjo, guitar, and mandolin.

[JeffD]

Here is a companion thread: https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/s...ight=groupings

[Mark Gunter]

Here is a companion thread: https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/s...ight=groupings

Cool

[CarlM]

I do not advertise what I have or talk about what my friends have because you can become a target for burglary. People I know with large gun collections have had to go to extraordinary lengths to secure them. Instruments are not quite as bad but still can be taken and sold.