Do You Suffer From Gear Acquisition Syndrome?

“Hello, my name is Michiel and I have G.A.S.” The room replies with the depleted enthusiasm that comes with saying a line for the hundredth time: “Hello Michiel…” Guestblogger Michiel Buisman talks openly about a well-known affliction within the music community: the compulsion to keep buying new gear and musical instruments that you don’t really need. This compulsion has a name: Gear Acquisition Syndrome. So what exactly is it, why does it happen and what kind of forms can it take?

Yet Another Must-Have

Know the feeling? You see a new model or bit of kit and immediately know that you have to have it. Maybe you spotted it somewhere, heard it on a new track or just found out about it from a mate. Wherever it came from, you’re already hooked. You do a little bit of research and the more you discover, the more you’re convinced that this thing has been specifically designed just for you. The more you read, the more you find out about the passion and integrity of the people or the company behind it. Above all, this new bit of kit will, without any shadow of a doubt, make you a far better musician than you could ever be without it. And, while you do already have something that looks and sounds a lot like it already, you’re already busy eyeing up your savings account and doing sums to see if you can get hold of one. If you make money from your music or you’re lucky enough to have some money stashed away, then there’s nothing to stop you. So there it is, yet another addition to your ever-expanding collection of useful stuff that you’ll probably never use.

And Then it Dawns on You…

Then you need to find a space for it, maybe integrate it into the rest of your setup, do some more reading, seek out all of the functions and find some tips and tricks, all while ignoring the glaring fact that… it’s something that you just don’t need and probably will never need. Then a mate comes over, notices the new chunk of hardware or fifteenth guitar, and drops the comment: “You got another one, eh?” Then you’re left alone, facing the undeniable truth that you have it. You have G.A.S.

More Important Than Making Music

First thought up in 1996 by Steely Dan guitarist Walter Becker, the term was originally: Guitar Acquisition Syndrome. But the phenomenon quickly expanded beyond the guitar realm to encompass musicians of every ilk, where it evolved to become Gear Acquisition Syndrome. When suffering from G.A.S., you’re essentially more concerned with getting new gear than actually making music. While you hope, expect and believe that all that new gear will make you a better musician and equip you with some fresh creative impulses, the truth is that trawling the music shops for deals starts to play a bigger role in your life than actually making the music itself.

Do You Suffer From Gear Acquisition Syndrome?
Walter Becker (left)

The 3 Forms of G.A.S.

In general, there are three forms that G.A.S. can take: replacement, completion and expansion.

Replacement

This means that you’ve already had one for a while, but the new version is bound to be better. Maybe you sell the old one, maybe not. You already have a good idea of what you’re getting in the new model because you’re already well versed in the earlier version. For me, personally, all of this applies when I’m looking for my next FM synthesizer.

Completion

Completion is one that marketing execs are really good at playing on. It might be a limited edition set, making it essential that you bag every last one to make the collection complete. And for a moment there, it is complete – until they bring out a new set. Of course, you need that too because you already have all of the other models. Teenage Engineering has managed to get me hooked for exactly this reason with their ever-growing range of pocket operators.

Expansion

Expansion plays a part when you’re dealing with a whole other class of gear that lies in a different corner from where you usually shop. Maybe we’re talking about an entirely different kind of instrument or some kind of lighting or audio tech. But still, you’re driven by the steadfast belief that attaining this or that is going to vastly improve your musicianship and it’s clearly going to improve your setup. But in reality, it’s actually going to hinder it.

Do You Suffer From Gear Acquisition Syndrome?

Is it a Problem?

If you have the money, what’s wrong with G.A.S.? Is it actually a problem? Is it a bad thing to become a self-made professional gear-reviewer? Well, that depends. Does shifting your attention from making music to music-making gear feel natural? Then maybe you’re OK. Maybe you’re just developing a new hobby as a gear-head. But if you feel guilty and sad every time a new piece of gear is added to the growing pile, then it might be time to make some changes.

Take Your Foot Off the G.A.S.

Now that you can recognise the symptoms, what now? When you want to stop smoking, there are plenty of books you can read on the subject, but when you want to drop your G.A.S. tendencies, there’s actually one very simple solution: make some music and ‘get good’ using what you already have. G.A.S. is like another form of writer’s block. Maybe you’re dissatisfied with what you’ve been making lately, so you need to find a way of being satisfied and reach for the shopper’s buzz. If you’re having trouble making anything good, then just start by making some janky, terrible music that you know is bad. The first beer out of a new barrel is always just foam. The good stuff only comes in time. What can also help sometimes is putting a couple of creative restrictions in place, like you would when sitting down to write a haiku poem. A self-imposed limit can really help silence the internal critic.

Re-Acquire Your Passion

In closing, it’s worth pointing out that this is a blog about stopping yourself from buying more gear posted on a webshop site that seeks to encourage music-makers to keep buying gear. But when that music-maker is in the grip of a horrible disease like G.A.S., they’re not exactly a poster-child for energy-fueled, joyful musicality. The fact is that an impassioned and inspired artist will always be able to do a lot with very little, and a considered purchase will always trump the latest acquisition compared to that of a gear collector who will probably end up returning it in a couple of weeks anyway.

Read more about G.A.S. in the free book from musicologists Dr. Jan-Peter Hebst and Jonas Henze: Gear Acquisition Syndrome: consumption of instruments and technology in popular music. Or have a look through the (also free) chapter on the subject included in Making Music, by the people who brought us Ableton (interesting whether you work with Ableton or not).