NGD - fact or fiction?

[E.M.]

Psychological evaluation: patient brings home new guitar, turns out to be the best guitar “ever”. I’ve been guilty as charged. Sometimes it’s more or less true, other times it’s just the allure of the honeymoon phase and that “best ever” guitar is sold or traded within a year. Any psych experts out there - how and why does this happen?

 

[brandtkronholm]

Psychological evaluation: patient brings home new guitar, turns out to be the best guitar “ever”. I’ve been guilty as charged. Sometimes it’s more or less true, other times it’s just the allure of the honeymoon phase and that “best ever” guitar is sold or traded within a year. Any psych experts out there - how and why does this happen?

I feel like you might as well ask Liz Taylor about her husbands or Larry King about his wives...

 

[DutchRay]

Short and simple: Money can't buy happiness (or skill).

I've been down that road dozens of times. When I was a kid I wanted to play like Jimi and SRV, so a strat was it. But I didn't sound like them at all, I just didn't have the skills. When I found my '64 strat I dedicated myself to playing instead of searching for the perfect guitar and I with the help of a tube screamer I started sounding more like I wanted.
Then I discovered humbuckers. Those made playing much easier since I could get the sound I heard in my head with just the guitar and a good loud and dirty amp. Fast foward 15 Les Pauls and I found my '55 Goldtop and again I got myself deep into playing.
Along the way I discovered that I always sound like me, no matter which guitar I bring and only playing and studying can change that.

 

[MrNubs]

it's the best guitar ever, until you compare it to the next best guitar

hopefully it doesn't take 15 guitars to do so

DutchRay quote "Fast forward 15 Les Pauls and I found my '55 Goldtop and again I got myself deep into playing."

it just confirms my super logical statement above

Psychological evaluation fee, 800 USD - payable today or interest will start to accrue

 

[Burst_in2_flames]

Recency bias. It's very real, but it doesn't necessarily mean that you're wrong. It may very well be the best guitar you've owned.

Just check back in with yourself in six months or a year, and by then you'll know.

 

[jb_abides]

I reject the premise that NGD equates to claims of BGE. Sometimes it does, but mostly it's just NGD and Honeymoon. but not necessarily BGE!

Nor do my reads of most folks' NGD claim BGE if they are sufficiently experienced and have handled a few... If their personal sample set is small, it may indeed by the best THEY'VE experienced; OK and good for them.

That's not BGE... Ever (Evah)! is a big reach.

 

[Amp360]

All I know is I see a lot of people selling "the best one they've ever played", usually while "thinning the herd". If I were to start selling off what didn't get used I sure wouldn't start with the best ones but ymmv

 

[P-Nutz]

“Best One Ever” … the phrase defines itself.

Never can one know what “ever” will bring …

 

[Any Name You Wish]

Most serious players will move up the quality scale as time passes and skill improves. The new guitar, be it a Custom Shop, vintage, or an American made RI are simply better than the old guitar. A working musician might change bands and style, and that Strat doesn't fit anymore and sits un-played and is sold to fund the new Les Paul. Both if these instances have happened to me. NGD honeymoon lasts about 6 months for me, then the new one falls into more normal rotation.

If one buys an expensive Custom Shop guitar and it sits un-played, that's one of those little life lessons.

 

[charliechitlins]

New experiences are cool.
Ever spontaneously break into a new song at rehearsal, and it's just SO great...and the next handful of times you play it, it's just not the same?
Or fell head over heels for a really hot girl and a few months later, she just doesn't look as good...

 

[KoP]

For many, it’s all about ‘the hunt’ and acquisition of a new material item. There’s also some accolade seeking when the person posts up pics in a NGD thread. The same happens in watch forums, car forums, etc. Any material item forums.

The way to get over it is to transcend materialism.

 

[goldtop0]

The hunt, the euphoria(I've found it), the ecstasy(the playing).
The way I do things is that 95% of my acquisitions are sight(on the net) unplayed, there's a little bit of selling some years later usually when one thing doesn't work out, but not a lot thank goodness.

 

[Winkyplayer]

I'm kind-of opposite. New guitars aren't yet familiar to me, and I find I have to play them quite a lot before I really start to enjoy them.

 

[renderit]

The hunt, the euphoria(I've found it), the ecstasy(the playing).
The way I do things is that 95% of my acquisitions are sight(on the net) unplayed, there's a little bit of selling some years later usually when one thing doesn't work out, but not a lot thank goodness

I'm kind-of opposite. New guitars aren't yet familiar to me, and I find I have to play them quite a lot before I really start to enjoy them.

I take a lot of time figuring out what might make one better.

Usually takes a few months for some bigger things like "tone not quite there" or "differing action and pickup tweaks" and years for others just to "get it perfect".

I have rarely met a Gibson that I can't make into something special if it ain't there out of the box, hence I don't sell many at this point in my life.

With all the pots, caps, pickups, string gauges, tuners and everything else out there they are NGD with every new change.

Rinse, lather, repeat.

 

[gibson-r8]

I’m fickle. My favorites shift with the lunar cycles or some cycle. I put together a strat that took me four or five years to like. Then it was my favorite for a while. Then the Les Pauls rotated in with an SG or a tele working into the mix. Fickle…

 

[jb_abides]

I’m fickle discriminating. My favorites shift with the lunar cycles or some cycle. I put together a strat that took me four or five years to like. Then it was my favorite for a while. Then the Les Pauls rotated in with an SG or a tele working into the mix. Fickle… Discriminating

Fixed

 

[Old dude 70]

At the moment I favor p-90s and singles, so it’s my 330 or my Nash tele, next month it could be the Lester same with amps

right now in love with my new Columbia reverb, but could easily move to my lil dawg delux or the Aiken 18 watt Marshall type

moves the the seasons, I usually take my time selecting gear so even though there is definitely a honeymoon period I haven’t picked any dogs or even dissapointments so all good these days

 

[Jethro Rocker]

Probably need a real pysch to determine this.
That said, I think with many many people, new shiny things make you feel better about yourself regardless of what it is.
Honeymoon period over, and reality sets in. I think that is why too many of us have too much stuff.
At least I still rotate all of my guitars amd most amps at shows.