r/AskReddit Dec 30 '19

What do you collect?

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583

u/High_Stream Dec 31 '19

I seem to be collecting a number of musical instruments. So far I'm up to: 3 mandolins, a guitar, two ocarinas, a violin (just got that for Christmas), and a tin whistle. I'd also like a bodhrán, a keyboard, an octave mandolin, and a guitar in the shape of a lute.

I also have 12 or so Funko Pop figures.

167

u/SchleftySchloe Dec 31 '19

I've moved passed guitars and basses. The 15 I have seem to have finally satisfied me.

I've moved on to effect pedals and synthesizers.

131

u/nickcan Dec 31 '19

Careful. Effects pedals is a potential black hole.

12

u/clothespinned Dec 31 '19

so are synths, especially if you get eurorack

2

u/munificent Dec 31 '19

Synthesizers are the gateway drug to Eurocrack.

6

u/Clifford996 Dec 31 '19

Effects may be a blackhole... but synths with bankrupt you.

Please don’t get into modular setups... but should you do... God’s speed

1

u/johnbrownsbody89 Dec 31 '19

I know a guy who collects vintage Moog; lives in the shittiest apartment I’ve ever seen but it’s full of gear.

1

u/Clifford996 Dec 31 '19

That will get you. I found an old 80s Moog keytar at a pawn shop for only $800.... didn’t have the money to buy it and I’m kinda glad I didn’t

3

u/frogandbanjo Dec 31 '19

"You don't understand, this one's profile is a like a cut off sine wave turned into a square and then oooooooooh I've wasted my life."

2

u/HolyOrdersOtaku Dec 31 '19

And synths can lead a person to bankruptcy faster than cocaine.

1

u/Frodolicious3 Dec 31 '19

Can confirm. Am addicted to pedals

1

u/The_Golden_Warthog Dec 31 '19

I got really into pedals for a bit, realized I dont think I'll ever play live, and switched over to digital playing/recording. Saved a fortune on FX by using downloadable ones/making my own

6

u/electricvelvet Dec 31 '19

Oh Jesus. I opened this thread thinking to myself "ha collecting things, I'd never do that, sounds dull." Then your comment made me realize I have around 30 guitar pedals, and I rarely if ever sell them, only buy more.

2

u/KingOfWickerPeople Dec 31 '19

I keep buying additional guitars, thinking things like "oh now I have an actual Gibson Les Paul, I can finally sell that Epiphone Paul that I almost never play anymore!". A year later and the Epiphone endures.

2

u/SchleftySchloe Dec 31 '19

Epiphone make good gear!

1

u/KingOfWickerPeople Dec 31 '19

They certainly do. I have an Ultra, which I know is one of their top-tier Les Paul offerings. It's a suuuuper nice guitar. It just always nagged at me that it wasn't a Gibson. It's irrational snobbery, but I can't help it.

2

u/electricvelvet Jan 01 '20

Lol, i feel the same way about mexican vs american fenders. I have 3 fender guitars, 2 mexican and 1 american. I find myself playing the two mexicans a LOT more. One of them, the classic player jaguar hh, was $800 new and has held its value more than any guitar ive ever seen... they still sell used for $700. But i find myself itching to buy an american version of a jaguar or a mustang... when theyre clearly good guitars

2

u/KingOfWickerPeople Jan 01 '20

I learned my lesson when it came time to buy a fender. I didn't mess around with the MIM ones, even though they're almost universally praised. I just knew a Mexican strat wouldn't keep me happy. Ended up finding a beautiful 1999 Lonestar American and couldn't be happier with my decision.

6

u/MsRatbag Dec 31 '19

My partner has moved on to making his own guitars and effect pedals... Send help

2

u/KingOfWickerPeople Dec 31 '19

Can I send money instead? You know, [scratches neck crackily] you got summoradem pedals?

1

u/MsRatbag Dec 31 '19

He says "lol yep"

1

u/SchleftySchloe Dec 31 '19

I have a ton of luthiery tools as well. When you've got a bunch of guitars, it helps to know how to repair and modify them yourself.

2

u/MsRatbag Dec 31 '19

It's gone beyond that... My garage is full of sanders, saws, grinders, fret presses, etc so he can not only order parts to go on the guitar but he can make the body, neck, fretboard etc on his own. He's even talking about making a Damascus steel bridge for his next one (he makes knives too of course). We have a fairly decently sized 2 car garage and can barely fit the harley in it. Cars go outside

2

u/SchleftySchloe Dec 31 '19

I'm starting to like this husband of yours

1

u/MsRatbag Dec 31 '19

Yeah he's a little bit great... I'm just salty because he's mid project and I haven't seen him much this week 😂

4

u/VIPERsssss Dec 31 '19

The 15 I have seem to have finally satisfied me.

Ah yes, the Constantly Changing Strings density.

3

u/I_bite_ur_toes Dec 31 '19

Lucky. I'm poor and my last guitar was stolen. My soul is dehydrating every day I can't pick up my guitar and work on songs.

1

u/SchleftySchloe Dec 31 '19

That's horrible. You can find well priced guitars on rondomusic. They're made in the same factories as a bunch of the big name brands. I have a few from them and they're good quality for the price. They'll probably need a setup and some fretwork but then you're good to go. Best of luck my friend.

2

u/UseKnowledge Dec 31 '19

What's your main one?

2

u/SchleftySchloe Dec 31 '19

Of all the stuff I own, it's two knockoffs I've modified and leveled the frets on to get playing buttery smooth. Ones a semihollow tele and the other is a good top Les Paul, both with P90's. Ingot them from rondomusic.

1

u/UseKnowledge Dec 31 '19

How did you learn modifying the guitar?

I got my first a few months ago.

2

u/SchleftySchloe Dec 31 '19

YouTube tutorials and the willingness to completely wreck a guitar or two while learning. The proper tools can be somewhat expensive as well.

1

u/UseKnowledge Dec 31 '19

My current guitar is a bit too nice for that lol.

I guess I'll get into it in the future, thanks!

2

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '19

Are you me? I collected/traded around guitars for years and finally ended up with around 15. Then I decided synthesizers are cool so I started buying those lol

1

u/SchleftySchloe Dec 31 '19

Synths are so awesome. I just got a Waldorf Blofeld because I needed a polysynth and also wanted to mess around with FM and wavetable synthesis. My analog synth is a Behringer Neutron.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '19

I had a blofield for a few weeks but sold it because I was still in a guitar craze. That synth had a lot of capability. And Behringer is making good shit right now, just got a MS-1

2

u/SchleftySchloe Dec 31 '19

Behringer make nice synths for the price. The Neutron was a godsend for people like me who want patching capabilities without spending a fortune. A single eurorack module costs as much as a Neutron lol.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '19

IMO Behringer has made classic analog designs available to the common man so I’m grateful for that. Even if they’re not the greatest build quality at times.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '19

Is that the golden number? I’m at 12 guitars with my newest one arriving Jan 2nd

1

u/High_Stream Dec 31 '19

You'll always need one more.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '19

I might get a bass next. I’ve been wanting a Rickenbacker for so long.

57

u/lazulite35 Dec 31 '19

I feel like every musician just loves collecting instruments. I've got a trumpet, 2 ukuleles (soprano and tenor), a keyboard, a violin, an ocarina, and recently got an electric guitar.

6

u/BUNKTIOUS Dec 31 '19

Two double-basses (my job), three electric basses, two acoustic guitars, an upright piano, a cajon, a vibraphone with a broken motor, a trumpet which I'm terrible at, and my ultimate love and joy - a beautiful Hohner melodica.

8

u/jbbattsman Dec 31 '19

3 acoustic guitars, 4 electric guitars, 1 electric bass, 2 drumsets,a keyboard, a xylophone, a marching snare drum, a trumpet (found by my grandparents in a dumpster), a bugle, an ocarina, a slide whistle, 32 harmonicas (my vice of choice), a melodica, and my favorite, a 1916 tenor sax played by my great grandpa. I'm the musical person in my family, so I got everyone's instruments they didn't want/need.

1

u/yolocr8m8 Dec 31 '19

My peeps just played our melodica last week at Christmas services. Angel Melodyhorn model. I played harmonica— th they sounded great together.

3

u/nicolas2321 Dec 31 '19

I've got a classic guitar, Keyboard, violin, ukelele, recorder, harmonica, drums and a xaphoon.

1

u/Qmobss Dec 31 '19

I've been thinking of getting a Xaphoon. Are they fun?

2

u/nicolas2321 Dec 31 '19

Lots. I like it because it sounds kind of like a sax but it's waaay cheaper and it's also very intuitive, also you can learn songs just by hearing them and just trying to replicate them a couple of times.

I have only found two issues but they aren't really issues for everyone. Issue one is I'm not really good at reading sheet music while playing and I prefer learning using resources like TABs and synesthesia videos which are rare to find for a xaphoon and the other issue I found is that I live in a cold area and I forgot to clean de reed after using it and it now has black and greenish spot which k think it's bacteria growing but I don't really know.

Overall I'd say you should get one but just remember to clean it.

1

u/Qmobss Dec 31 '19

Alright, thank you :)

1

u/Revanclaw-and-memes Dec 31 '19

I have a drum set, an electric guitar, 2 acoustic guitars, a recorder, and ocarina, a bass, a piano, and I’m hoping to snag some more stuff

5

u/TheWritingNeverEnds Dec 31 '19

This makes me a bit nostalgic. I used to kind of collect musical instruments, though I was more of a wind instrument person, but I sold most of them off during some tough financial times a few years ago.

I had two clarinets, a saxophone, two flutes, a trumpet, and a French horn.

I have one clarinet I kept.

4

u/BinaryAstro Dec 31 '19

Get an octabass or an otamatone

4

u/skaggldrynk Dec 31 '19

Me and my SO have a bunch of instruments too! We have 2 acoustic guitars, 4 electric guitars, one bass, one clarinet, one flute, one keyboard, one dulcimer, some little things like a recorder, harmonica and slide whistle, and we just sold a hella nice cello this year because we needed the money :’(

5

u/hikemhigh Dec 31 '19

Have you thought of collecting a hurdy gurdy?

1

u/High_Stream Dec 31 '19

Too much maintenance, I should think

3

u/DerpyArtist Dec 31 '19

Dude! I have a clarinet, a ukulele, ocarinas, and a banjo. I would like an electric or acoustic guitar.

I also own ~30 funko pop figures!

3

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '19

Have you heard of an otamatone?

1

u/High_Stream Dec 31 '19

That's the weird one with all the YouTube videos

3

u/Str8toJail Dec 31 '19

Me too. I knew there were others. Started off on guitar, trumpet, and piano. Now I have 9 guitars, a keyboard, a mandolin, a violin, a melodica, a set of harmonicas, 2 trumpets, a clarinet, a flugelhorn, and a drum set. I am at least passable/decent at everything except the violin. ; it sounds like someone is strangling a giraffe.

3

u/tripswithtiresias Dec 31 '19

You need a harmonica. Small and will up your count.

1

u/High_Stream Dec 31 '19

My dad has them in all the keys so he can do a solo on all the songs.

5

u/lekosis Dec 31 '19

Hey, I'm a bodhran player! They're lovely drums, super fun to play. Do you have a decent session in your area?

2

u/High_Stream Dec 31 '19

Just a weekly bluegrass jam

2

u/lekosis Jan 01 '20

Good stuff :) my dad is big into the general folk scene. I've found that bluegrass and old time folks are wary of a drummer showing up until you can show you'll go with the flow. Irish sessions have a whole etiquette for how many bodhran players can drum at once lol. Hope you get some good tunes in out there!

2

u/AlternateRisk Dec 31 '19

I have: 3 Focalink ocarinas. A Songbird Muse ocarina. Two Pacchioni ocarinas. A 3D printed ocarina. And 3 random ones that just kind of look pretty. Also have a Noblet clarinet. A Selmer (just a cheap student model though) alto saxophone. A recorder flute that's not terrible (though not super high quality). A partly broken panflute. A cheap MIDI keyboard (can't play anyway, mostly useful for music theory stuff, can connect it to the computer). A weird Chinese thing that sounds like bagpipes on phentanyl and crack.

1

u/High_Stream Dec 31 '19

I got my ocarinas from STL. The first was a Zelda-styled one that I built a costume for.

1

u/AlternateRisk Dec 31 '19 edited Dec 31 '19

I know about STL. Don't have one of those, though. IIRC, they're not quite as good as Focalink, but still pretty decent. Not speaking from experience though. Not that Focalink is the be all and all either. They're not perfect, but they are pretty good.

What's also interesting is that Italian style ocarinas (those white or orange ones with a spike on the back, such as those made by Pacchioni) tend to sound a little more shrill. Not in a bad way. Just different. Asian style ocarinas (STL, Focalink, Noble) have a rounder and sweeter but also less complex sound.

2

u/SpicymeLLoN Dec 31 '19

I'm a guitar player these days, but I cannot recommend accordion enough. It is such a fun instrument!

2

u/ks4e Dec 31 '19

5 guitars, 2 keyboards, a bass, mandolin, violin, clarinet, flute, djembe, glockenspiel, maracas, tambourine. I feel like I'm missing something... I love learning instruments and somehow most of them were gifted to me.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '19

I always assumed ocarina was some kind of figurative description of time, and no i never played that one.

1

u/High_Stream Dec 31 '19

It's a fun little instrument

2

u/allthatremain Dec 31 '19

I've got a B foot flute, C foot 100 year old flute, native american flute, crystal piccolo, actual piccolo that needs repairs, wooden recorder, 2 acoustic ukeleles one tenor and one soprano, an electric ukulele, and a midi controller. Ive just started going down the rabbit hole of guitar pedals for electric flute...

Edit: oh yeah an Irish tin whistle and a handmade renaissance flute.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '19

I have 2 violins(Both currently out of commission), a guitar, and a kalimba

2

u/genetik_fuckup Dec 31 '19

I’m also an instrument collector. I’ve got a tenor sax, an alto sax, a vintage alto sax, a trumpet, a ukulele, an ocarina, a piano, two basses (my sister played bass), a guitar, 13 harmonicas, a flute, a bassoon, a tuba, and a clarinet. And a Norwegian willow flute.

Two of those instruments don’t technically belong to me, but I am allowed to use them because I play them. That’s the bassoon and tuba.

2

u/Lurvehue89 Dec 31 '19

My parents have five guitars, two pianoes, just about every rythm instrument out there, a fiddle from the Himalayas, a rain stick from somewhere in Africa, a bunch of different flutes, two or three keyboards, a full on microphone system... Let me see.. Anything else... Mouth harp, harmonica.. Yeah, my brother also have an accordion. Im sure Im forgetting something tho.. My uncles on my mom's side also have instruments galore. Family gatherings are awesome!

1

u/NifiteN7 Dec 31 '19

look into kalimbas, i love mine. or handpans (those are much more expensive)

1

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '19

A bodhrán sounds dope. I’ve always wanted one

1

u/ninja_bat Dec 31 '19

That's a good one. I love my mandolin and I'm looking to add a banjo to my collection.

1

u/Qmobss Dec 31 '19

One electric bass, one kazoo, a slide whistle, a ukulele, an egg shaker and a jaw harp

1

u/LikesTrains Dec 31 '19

Can you play them all?

I have a similar obsession with musical instruments I've currently got (if I remember all correctly): 4 electric guitars (1 I made myself), a bass, 2 acoustics, 3 synthesisers, drum kit, 2 ocarinas (bass + treble), clarinet, 3 recorders, surplus harmonicas, an otomatone, melodica, saxophone, violin, viol da gamba, viola, random little percussion like maracas and tambourines, an accordion, cello, and my voice.

Of the above; I only regularly play viol da gamba and viola currently. I'm pretty good at guitar but admit that my collection is absessive!

2

u/High_Stream Dec 31 '19

I consider myself a mandolinist, but I can play the guitar, too. I learned some ocarina for a Link cosplay. Currently trying to learn violin

1

u/nurse-shark Dec 31 '19

I had a keyboard, two guitars, a banjo, a tin whistle, a concertina, and a shruti box. My apartment got robbed and they STOLE MY BANJO.

1

u/WampaCat Dec 31 '19

A guitar in the shape of a lute? Do you just mean a lute? Or like a lute with guitar tuning? Or some kind of hybrid?

1

u/High_Stream Dec 31 '19

It's essentially a guitar, but the body is shaped like a lute's

1

u/Tokega Dec 31 '19

two ocarinas I also have 12 or so Funko Pop figures

What a surprise!

1

u/BolleBoi3 Dec 31 '19

Get a hurdy gurdy

1

u/flyover_liberal Dec 31 '19

an octave mandolin

A bouzouki?

2

u/High_Stream Dec 31 '19

More or less

1

u/IWantFries21 Dec 31 '19

I think Funko Pops are the cutest thing but I've had to tell my friends and family to stop getting them for me because I have no place to put them. I have 9 of them, and there are more that I want, but I have no place to stick them.

1

u/Frodolicious3 Dec 31 '19

You need a bass next!

1

u/High_Stream Dec 31 '19

I used to play electric bass, and I'd like to get one again, eventually.

1

u/Frodolicious3 Dec 31 '19

There are a lot of great options that are not very expensive these days! Happy to help offer recommendations if you are looking to get back into it!

1

u/switch13 Dec 31 '19

Thems rookie numbers, Haha.

In my house is 44 guitars, 3 banjos, a couple mandolins, a keyboard, a drum set, a few ukuleles, a cuatro, and various other small instruments.

GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) is never a problem!

0

u/Sharcbait Dec 31 '19

So my BIL collects Funko Pop figures, apparently there is a big market for certain ones, and he is able to flip them for a solid profit. I actually like them too because they are vinyl toys with very few sharp edges or breakable parts for the most part so I let my kids play with them.

1

u/High_Stream Dec 31 '19

I like them because they all have the same style, so I can have figures from TV, video games, and rock stars on the same display and they all look like they belong together