Oooh, the painful malady. I went to my doctor, and he told me that I have a severe case of acute Instrument Acquisition Syndrome!
How am I ever going to survive? Is there a 12 step program? Can I be cured? I feel like if I don't buy another banjo in the next couple of weeks (since I'm selling one this week) I am going to go through withdrawal!
I buy instruments on eBay, fix them up, play them for a bit, and then sell them to "friends" for more than I paid for them. (They ARE banjos, after all, so it's questionable whether they *remain* friends...)
Is there anybody out there who's got it worse? Can I be cured?
Honestly, it can't be that bad. I've only bought 8 banjos in the last 3 years, and I've sold 6 of them again! Help me! Is this a banjo-only disease, or does it affect persons of all persuasions?
Pete you're right!! I've got it toooooooo.........
Only started on the tenor about 7 months ago and I've already bought two...ouch it hurts!!
I've just started looking for my next one.
does this ever stop I wonder? It's gonna make me bl**dy poor..............Aaaaagh. (the bug spreads. On a whim I bought a mando too, is this stringedinstrumentitis I wonder?)
Mee toooo. I cant stop. ... I'll buy ANYTHING that makes music. I have six guitars, four fiddles, a rake of feadógs a mandolin, sax, piano and drum kit.
I am at present conducting a long term study, attempting to correlate the co-morbidity of these conditions, but as yet the results have been inconclusive, possibly because the study is quite novel, having been conceived a mere 4.73 seconds ago. However the therapeutic regime of acute music therapy alongside oral administration of high doses of alcohol seems equally efficacious for both conditions.
Daniel, I had never seen the report by Consultant Psychomusicotherapist, Ed Case until this thread.............
Eureka!!! Now I know what's been bothering me all these years. Did try stiff doses of the hard stuff, intermingled with oral alcohol at one time....played havoc with the tunes for a while so had to ease up!
Gentle immersion in jigreelhornpipes seems to do the trick with a occasional relapse into the spirit of things.................
I'm on the road to recovery. I gave away almost all my electric instruments and amps a few years ago, and have given/loaned out instruments to friends. So right now I'm down to:
Four fiddles
Three guitars
5-string banjo
mandolin
Walkabout dulcimer
Three soprano ukuleles
baritone ukulele
Semi-hollowbody electric bass
whistles various keys
harmonicas various keys
Soprano Recorder
Various ocarinas, bamboo flutes, jaw harps, slide whistles
The bad news, Reverend, is that there is no known "cure" -- all one can do is JUST SAY NO. If you want that monkey off your back, you will find the wherewithall to quit, cold turkey.
The good news is that IAS is cheaper than some of the more severe addictives, it is usually not directly life-threatening or health-impairing, and does not usually carry the same social stigma as, say, opiates. Also, one does not have to sneak off to the less reputable part of town, look both ways, scoot down an alley and say "Paddy sent me" to some ruffian who hands you an insturment of questionable quality for which you fork over too much cash.
And just when you think you have the problem in hand, you have to go to the store to buy new strings or a harmonica to replace the one that went flat, and you look around, and see all the nice instruments and you fall off the wagon again.......
Alas, I have the same disease as well. I love music, and anything that makes music! So far I have:
2 Fiddles (my old student one is going to be sold)
4 Tin whistles
But now I want to buy some more whistles, and I want to try the mandolin and the mountain dulcimer.
*sigh* I don't know if there is a cure for it.
Grego, you might take the cake (if I had baked one).
Seriously, I only sell instruments so that I can afford to buy more! But money has been tight recently, and papa needs a brand new Ome (Who happen to be 5 minutes from my house... Nyah nyah to all you banjo players).
I don't know what I'm going to do! I've sold all the bouzoukis and banjos that I'm willing to get rid of! Wait, maybe if I buy a bunch more and sell them for more than I paid for them! Yeah! That's it!
I'm the same. I bought a fiddle from ebay with the intention of selling it on.... never did though... didnt sell the guitars either. Probably wont sell the fiddle i bid on today if I win it..
It's already unaffordable... In fact, I think it will automatically fill up whatever amount of "disposable income" there happens to be. Not that I consider buying instruments to be disposing of income (as if it were a used tissue...) It's more like deciding whether you can afford to eat less, so that you can feed your habit.
Reverend, the only way I get round my dose of IAS is to build.refurbish them myself.
However "Er Indoors is getting wise to this; postman has knocked on our door twice in 10 days before she was off to work, leaving mysterious parcels for me, which are bits for my refurbishing my economy-model '30s' 5-string. I get used to the cry "WHAT HAVE YOU BOUGHT THIS TIME ?" echoing up the stairs.
I set the pattern a few years ago when I bought a concertina on the quiet, thinking I could refurbish it, sell it on, and finance the purchase of a bouzouki, which I'ld bought anyway. Got caught out, eventually grudgingly forgiven with an "At least it wasn't a Harley-Davidson." ( Why is it assumed men in mid-life crises want a Hog ? ) ( Anyway, I'm too old for a MLC ).
My friends…..
Rejoice in this affliction ….savor it. It’s seldom fatal
(except to the wallet!). I love my fiddle…I’m married to it /her.
If not for being a tragically selfish act – I would have it/her buried with me when I go!
(Throw in me favourite set o’ pipes too)
Yet, there is never a fiddle for sale that I don’t pick up and play
(and – a few HAVE gone home with me).
If there were 9 more of me – I could be a Ceili band, what with
the stuff around here.
A word of caution…. You will know that you have become terminal when – with the intention of actually playing them -
you start shopping around for SPOONS!! (and shaky eggs).
Just remember...you're not a millionaire until you've *spent* a million dollars.
Between bicycles and musical instruments, I'm well on my way.
The nice thing about buying instruments is that it's not really "consumption." We don't use up our instruments. We just take care of them for a few years and then they're passed on to the next generation.
I'm in waiting for my latest acquisition, an elcheapo ebay mando, though I'm clearly not as afflicted with IAS as many of you who have posted above ... except for four fiddles, half a dozen whistles, a bodhran, two sets of clap sticks and a tambourine. I've got a shakey egg on my keyring (she says ducking for cover). And I gave away the tipshop guitar I acquired broken and revamped. I've even bought a packet of hide glue!!! As if I'm gunna DIY. Ha ha! Who me? Never.
IAS
IAS
Oooh, the painful malady. I went to my doctor, and he told me that I have a severe case of acute Instrument Acquisition Syndrome!
How am I ever going to survive? Is there a 12 step program? Can I be cured? I feel like if I don't buy another banjo in the next couple of weeks (since I'm selling one this week) I am going to go through withdrawal!
I buy instruments on eBay, fix them up, play them for a bit, and then sell them to "friends" for more than I paid for them. (They ARE banjos, after all, so it's questionable whether they *remain* friends...)
Is there anybody out there who's got it worse? Can I be cured?
Honestly, it can't be that bad. I've only bought 8 banjos in the last 3 years, and I've sold 6 of them again! Help me! Is this a banjo-only disease, or does it affect persons of all persuasions?
Pete
# Posted on September 26th 2007 by Reverend
Re: IAS
Pete you're right!! I've got it toooooooo.........
Only started on the tenor about 7 months ago and I've already bought two...ouch it hurts!!
I've just started looking for my next one.
does this ever stop I wonder? It's gonna make me bl**dy poor..............Aaaaagh. (the bug spreads. On a whim I bought a mando too, is this stringedinstrumentitis I wonder?)
# Posted on September 26th 2007 by tctelboy
Re: IAS
Plus, have two guitars, bohdran and a D Clarkes whistle.....
Must go to the doc's I think!
# Posted on September 26th 2007 by tctelboy
Re: IAS
My Dad is the same. Has bought about 20 mandolins in the space of 4 years. He is going to restore them and sell them.
# Posted on September 26th 2007 by 52Paddy
Re: IAS
I've definitely got it. Trouble is, I don't sell 'em again ...
# Posted on September 26th 2007 by ethical blend
Re: IAS
Mee toooo. I cant stop. ... I'll buy ANYTHING that makes music. I have six guitars, four fiddles, a rake of feadógs a mandolin, sax, piano and drum kit.
I think we all need a support group.
I'm off to ebay now............ HELP
# Posted on September 26th 2007 by session savage
Re: IAS
You really don't want to know how bad this affliction can get when you play harmonicas...
# Posted on September 26th 2007 by robharper
Re: IAS
Dear Reverend Pete,
My commiserations. This is indeed a serious condition, and has recently been linked to sporadic cases of p-tifsad
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/2687/comments#comment52234
I am at present conducting a long term study, attempting to correlate the co-morbidity of these conditions, but as yet the results have been inconclusive, possibly because the study is quite novel, having been conceived a mere 4.73 seconds ago. However the therapeutic regime of acute music therapy alongside oral administration of high doses of alcohol seems equally efficacious for both conditions.
# Posted on September 26th 2007 by Rudall the time
Re: IAS
Daniel, I had never seen the report by Consultant Psychomusicotherapist, Ed Case until this thread.............
Eureka!!! Now I know what's been bothering me all these years. Did try stiff doses of the hard stuff, intermingled with oral alcohol at one time....played havoc with the tunes for a while so had to ease up!
Gentle immersion in jigreelhornpipes seems to do the trick with a occasional relapse into the spirit of things.................
# Posted on September 26th 2007 by tctelboy
Re: IAS
Oops hard stuff is oral alcohol!! That must have been my mistake....
# Posted on September 26th 2007 by tctelboy
Re: IAS
I'm on the road to recovery. I gave away almost all my electric instruments and amps a few years ago, and have given/loaned out instruments to friends. So right now I'm down to:
Four fiddles
Three guitars
5-string banjo
mandolin
Walkabout dulcimer
Three soprano ukuleles
baritone ukulele
Semi-hollowbody electric bass
whistles various keys
harmonicas various keys
Soprano Recorder
Various ocarinas, bamboo flutes, jaw harps, slide whistles
"Never own more than you can run with". (my Dad)
# Posted on September 26th 2007 by fidkid
Re: IAS
The bad news, Reverend, is that there is no known "cure" -- all one can do is JUST SAY NO. If you want that monkey off your back, you will find the wherewithall to quit, cold turkey.
The good news is that IAS is cheaper than some of the more severe addictives, it is usually not directly life-threatening or health-impairing, and does not usually carry the same social stigma as, say, opiates. Also, one does not have to sneak off to the less reputable part of town, look both ways, scoot down an alley and say "Paddy sent me" to some ruffian who hands you an insturment of questionable quality for which you fork over too much cash.
Good luck.
# Posted on September 26th 2007 by Piece
Re: IAS
And just when you think you have the problem in hand, you have to go to the store to buy new strings or a harmonica to replace the one that went flat, and you look around, and see all the nice instruments and you fall off the wagon again.......
# Posted on September 26th 2007 by AlBrown
Re: IAS
My fiance told me to choose her or the musical instruments................. man I'm gonna miss her
# Posted on September 26th 2007 by session savage
Re: IAS
Pete, I think I told you three or four weeks ago that my recent octave mandolin purchase was my last instrument investment (IAS cured, yay!)
It's being going fairly well since then - I've only purchased one tenor banjo in the meantime.
# Posted on September 26th 2007 by grego
Re: IAS
Alas, I have the same disease as well. I love music, and anything that makes music! So far I have:
2 Fiddles (my old student one is going to be sold)
4 Tin whistles
But now I want to buy some more whistles, and I want to try the mandolin and the mountain dulcimer.
*sigh* I don't know if there is a cure for it.
Sara
# Posted on September 26th 2007 by Celtic Lass
Re: IAS
Oh yeah, I also have...
3 Irish Flutes (2 PVC and one 3-piece Tony Dixon).
Sara
# Posted on September 26th 2007 by Celtic Lass
Re: IAS
LOL at all of you!
Grego, you might take the cake (if I had baked one).
Seriously, I only sell instruments so that I can afford to buy more! But money has been tight recently, and papa needs a brand new Ome (Who happen to be 5 minutes from my house... Nyah nyah to all you banjo players).
I don't know what I'm going to do! I've sold all the bouzoukis and banjos that I'm willing to get rid of! Wait, maybe if I buy a bunch more and sell them for more than I paid for them! Yeah! That's it!
Pete
# Posted on September 26th 2007 by Reverend
Re: IAS
Oh come on Pete, who do you think your foolin.
I'm the same. I bought a fiddle from ebay with the intention of selling it on.... never did though... didnt sell the guitars either. Probably wont sell the fiddle i bid on today if I win it..
Its a lost cause Pete
# Posted on September 26th 2007 by session savage
Re: IAS
Take up uilleann pipes, then go back to university so have no disposable income to speak of. Then IAS becomes unaffordable.
# Posted on September 26th 2007 by DrSilverSpear
Re: IAS
It's already unaffordable... In fact, I think it will automatically fill up whatever amount of "disposable income" there happens to be. Not that I consider buying instruments to be disposing of income (as if it were a used tissue...) It's more like deciding whether you can afford to eat less, so that you can feed your habit.
Pete
# Posted on September 26th 2007 by Reverend
Re: IAS
Reverend, the only way I get round my dose of IAS is to build.refurbish them myself.
However "Er Indoors is getting wise to this; postman has knocked on our door twice in 10 days before she was off to work, leaving mysterious parcels for me, which are bits for my refurbishing my economy-model '30s' 5-string. I get used to the cry "WHAT HAVE YOU BOUGHT THIS TIME ?" echoing up the stairs.
I set the pattern a few years ago when I bought a concertina on the quiet, thinking I could refurbish it, sell it on, and finance the purchase of a bouzouki, which I'ld bought anyway. Got caught out, eventually grudgingly forgiven with an "At least it wasn't a Harley-Davidson." ( Why is it assumed men in mid-life crises want a Hog ? ) ( Anyway, I'm too old for a MLC ).
# Posted on September 26th 2007 by Guernsey Pete
Re: IAS
I am looking around my living room at:
2 fiddles
2 violas
2 guitars
2 tin whistles
2 bodhrans
(this looks like the Noah's ark of musical instruments - I'm realizing my family only seems to buy these in sets of 2)
1 flute
a complete drum kit
numerous other percussion instruments
dual turntables with a mixer (for one of my son's DJ endeavors)
I'm having trouble maneuvering around the room at this point due to all the music paraphernalia!
-Nancy
# Posted on September 26th 2007 by munchko
Re: IAS
My friends…..
Rejoice in this affliction ….savor it. It’s seldom fatal
(except to the wallet!). I love my fiddle…I’m married to it /her.
If not for being a tragically selfish act – I would have it/her buried with me when I go!
(Throw in me favourite set o’ pipes too)
Yet, there is never a fiddle for sale that I don’t pick up and play
(and – a few HAVE gone home with me).
If there were 9 more of me – I could be a Ceili band, what with
the stuff around here.
A word of caution…. You will know that you have become terminal when – with the intention of actually playing them -
you start shopping around for SPOONS!! (and shaky eggs).
j
# Posted on September 26th 2007 by Fr.Jack
Re: IAS
Just remember...you're not a millionaire until you've *spent* a million dollars.
Between bicycles and musical instruments, I'm well on my way.
The nice thing about buying instruments is that it's not really "consumption." We don't use up our instruments. We just take care of them for a few years and then they're passed on to the next generation.
# Posted on September 26th 2007 by Will Harmon
Re: IAS
I'm in waiting for my latest acquisition, an elcheapo ebay mando, though I'm clearly not as afflicted with IAS as many of you who have posted above ... except for four fiddles, half a dozen whistles, a bodhran, two sets of clap sticks and a tambourine. I've got a shakey egg on my keyring (she says ducking for cover). And I gave away the tipshop guitar I acquired broken and revamped. I've even bought a packet of hide glue!!! As if I'm gunna DIY. Ha ha! Who me? Never.
# Posted on September 27th 2007 by Clear Drops