This guitarist spent £100K on gear to learn valuable lessons so you don't have to

"I wanted to reflect on some of the things I've learned as someone who has bought and sold a lot of gear," begins YouTuber and gigging player John Nathan Cordy. He estimates this amount being in the £100,000 territory over the years, which is eye-watering but believable when you're a musician buying and selling gear, sometimes used guitars, that won't depreciate in value much – some sometimes the opposite.

"Last time I looked at it, I had done a big sell-off of a bunch of gear and had sold off over £40,000 worth of stuff," he adds regarding that most recent purge alone. That includes effects pedals, amps and guitars. So what did he learn from his GAS and the purging that followed? 

Cordy is a an excellent player with an informative YouTube channel we'd urge you to subscribe to, and his candour in the video above is worth listening to. He explains how amps can be a rabbit hole, and you don't need to change your main guitar or effects to keep things 'interesting' when each time you do involves a period of connecting and learning… that might not even pay off. "It's good to have a consistent rig," Cordy summarises. 

Workflow is also an interesting subject he tackles – what gear fits in with your life and makes it easier for you to play guitar? Multiple guitars can be more of a hindrance than a help with that sometimes. And what actually helps you progress as a musician may not be guitar gear at all - it could be as simple as a vocal mic. 

There's food for thought here for sure.