The Steel Guitar Forum

I have nothing better to do so I worked out how much I had spent on Guitars(steels and six stringers) amps and effect units/pedals over the years and I averaged it out to be around $2200 a year.

How about You?

Billy
P.S I have been buying for arount 20 years.

Interesting post, I have been buying steels for 40 years. In the early days my parents and sister's would help out cause I was too young to have alot of money. But after a thinking about this and a quick add up, approximately $400 per year over 40 years. That doesnt sound like too much, but over a period of 40 years I guess it adds up. I've still got all the non pedal steels, pedal steels, and amps, except for 2 pedal steels, which I sold to buy another steel.

I plead the 5th. If Karen ever found out the real numbers. I be up that creek without anything. Be careful verrrryyyy verrry careful.

More than I had!

In 50 years? Much too difficult to quantify. It would be interesting to try however. The problem is remembering all the gear that I've had.

Gosh, sorry to spoil the party. But I never own more than two guitars at a time, one electric and one acoustic. I have actually made a profit on some of my turnovers. No more than a couple of hundred a year over the last five years for me (not counting the first year). And now that I've settled into my guitars I probably won't spend any for a few years. Back in my first incarnation back in the late '70's to mid '80's I spent even less. I had a Dobro 60 DS and I can't remember the name of the pedal guitar. Broke even on the pedal. I can't remember what happened to the Dobro.

I be up that creek....

John C., I have a position available up my creek, Boatswain's Mate, when your needs arise.
gary L

Been playing professionally for over 40 years and have done it for a living at times so you can't ever spend that much or you'd be short on your rent money. These days I play weekends either on drums or pedal steel and about all I buy is either strings or sticks. I do some trading from time to time but I always make more than I spend.

Way to much, but not as much as on my other hobby......nature photography. Now thats one where the sky is the limit and then some.

bout the same as duane...$300-$400/year if you stretch it over 40 years of picking. i buy something i like and need and then wear it out!!
no fad-induced buying to keep up with the jones'...

Nowhere near as much as I've spent on my durn teeth!

I've been playing for 35 years. After 6 guitars & 25 different amps, sorry my old adding machine wont go that high. Wayne

I really do not want to know, and sure don't want Nan to know. Along with the Photo doings it kept some one happy. She did not do so bad this year buying gear for her kitchen, she has everything you could want for her Kit. also an icemake 65 pounds a day. A freezer 2 bigest refrigarators you can buy, all are loaded, we could live a long time by staying home. But wally world every day for refills. Also a new dish washer.
I think she beat even me this year.

ernie

Here's a tip .I always pay myself 1.00 when I practice at home.This adds up in a couple years,especially if you practice daily, you would be surprised at the money you earned practicing.It could help pay for your next steel.

I always fine myself 1.00 when I practice at home. Kinda works out the same though!

I could have bought a small country for what I've spent on music stuff over the years. I'd hazard a guess somewhere around $125,000 since 1985.

Currently, all the gear I own including P.A. is worth about $12,000. but it's more than paid for it's self.

JW

Last year I bought: Rains SD-10, Emmons SD-12 PP, Sho Bud LDG, Two Dobros, two Nashville 112s, W/knob guards, Ampeg bass amp, Two Teles, a new Black Box, a new 15/16s BJS, and Two Zirc Bars. My gas attack is over,(for now) and I'm glad I don't have to justify anything to anyone ! I forgot the Sigma, and it's black.
J. W.

But Billy, are you including in your average the revenues from all the ones you bought and later sold? Or are you just interested in outlay but not income? (Or perhaps you've only accumulated instruments and never sold any again?)

Cheers & say hey to Ann for me,
Jim

i have totaled over the last 10 yrs about 12000.not including digital recording stuff and misc other things.or money spent keeping wifie happy and off my case.

Jim Cohen,
At the time of calculating the given figure I did think of equatinng the goods sold etc, but the beads fell from My abacus,I have ,however managed to adapt Ann's pearl necklace and do the final calculation.
Yearly expenditure
Items purchased over the years........$2200 P.A.
Items sold/px ........................$750 P.A
Items retained........................$1000 P.A.

This shows I throw away about $450 each year.
If We take away the amount I have earned by playing all these years I can reduce this loss to about $50 per year
If I were to calculate the amount of $ Ann has spent on Hair do's over the same period........
She would need a bigger pearl necklace.

have a nice holiday in Blightey Jim and Jane.

Best regards
Billy and Ann

Best guess is around $68K back to 1968

I am not sure. I am pretty sure though, I haven't made enough money playing over the years to cover the strings I have bought.

Well, actually not as much as I thought it would be. About $425 per year over the last 35 years. It would have been more, if I'd had it to spend...

Billy, does that include flights and accommodation?
You might have been better off by having it shipped to you. Oh, yes! Thanks for picking up stuff for me on your jaunts Stateside.

Arch.

I wanted to place your name away from COW in the header Richard...that would look funny!!
68K?....Sheesh...I thought I was bad!>..