Guns or Guitars?

So, I shut down my saltwater aquarium recently, and sold everything. Now I've got about $1,500 of "fun money" sitting in the safe. The dilemma I'm facing is, I don't know which of my hobbies I want to spend it on.

Before anyone says "upgrades/mods" the answer is "No." There isn't anything that I can for $1,500 that I think is worthwhile to the car. Gaining 10-20hp isn't worth it. Until I have a solid $10k for FI, I probably won't do anything to the car, but I digress.

So, for the gun enthusiasts here, my current mini collection is as follows:

Dan Wesson CCO
CZ-P01
JM Marlin 1894 357/38spl
Henry H001
Mossberg Shockwave
Colt XSE Delta Elite


I can add more to my funds, or spend less, but not sure if I want to add another gun to the safe or not. I've had AR's and AK's, they're just not my thing. I've been thinking about a Kriss Vector, CZ Scorpion, IWI Tavor (or Galil) Coonan .357 1911, or....?

I'm not into polymer guns, so that eliminates Grocks, M&P, and all that other Tupperware stuff. I'm looking for something kinda different, but not something that is so left-field I have to go beyond my LGS for ammo. (This is why I got rid of my .500 S&W Magnum) Thoughts?

Now, I'm also considering getting back into guitar playing, I played for over 10 years, but stopped when my son was born, and sold off all my gear. I even named my kid Gibson after my guitar. Now if I buy a guitar, I will be looking to squeeze a guitar and amp into the budget, because one is useless without the other. I'm also approaching 40, and what better to do with a midlife crisis than to start a band in a few years? I've been looking at the PRE SE's, Jackson LP styles, and Epiphone Wildkats. I'm not a huge fan of guitars made in China, and would actually prefer US Made, but will settle for Korean. I'm sure someone else here plays, looking for feedback (no pun intended) on some guitars!

I like guns myself, but I played, and am still playing drums for years doing recording and playing live. With the Memorial Day sales going on at Musicians Friend, I'm sure you can get an American made guitar and an amp within that budget.

WhiteyDog said:

I like guns myself, but I played, and am still playing drums for years doing recording and playing live. With the Memorial Day sales going on at Musicians Friend, I'm sure you can get an American made guitar and an amp within that budget.

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Yeah, that's the other caveat, I won't buy a gun or a guitar without putting my hands on it first, which kinda kills online deals for me.

HotBadgerFart said:

Yeah, that's the other caveat, I won't buy a gun or a guitar without putting my hands on it first, which kinda kills online deals for me.

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I can agree with that. The feel, the action, much better to experience in person. Drums, eh, do your homework, order them, put on better heads, tune them to the sweet spot to make 'em really sing and you're ready to rock.

WhiteyDog said:

I can agree with that. The feel, the action, much better to experience in person. Drums, eh, do your homework, order them, put on better heads, tune them to the sweet spot to make 'em really sing and you're ready to rock.

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My drum chops are worse than Lars on Garage, Inc.

Tough choices. I have a small Sig Sauer collection and an even larger bass guitar collection (7 or 10, depending on how you count). I play in two bands, so they do get put to use.

In your situation, I'd lean towards guitars. I think Guitar Center owns Musicians Friend. You can go to a Guitar Center and play a lot of what they have, then order it from Musicians Friend if that's your pleasure. To be honest, the prices are pretty similar, so you'd probably wind up just buying it at Guitar Center.

I'm on the far left. My son is the guitarist, so there's a few of those hanging around the house, too.

martinjlm said:

Tough choices. I have a small Sig Sauer collection and an even larger bass guitar collection (7 or 10, depending on how you count). I play in two bands, so they do get put to use.

In your situation, I'd lean towards guitars. I think Guitar Center owns Musicians Friend. You can go to a Guitar Center and play a lot of what they have, then order it from Musicians Friend if that's your pleasure. To be honest, the prices are pretty similar, so you'd probably wind up just buying it at Guitar Center.

I'm on the far left. My son is the guitarist, so there's a few of those hanging around the house, too.

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True, the one owns the other. Go take a few for a test spin in the store, wheel and deal while you're there, and tell 'em you're going to Sam Ash.

WhiteyDog said:

True, the one owns the other. Go take a few for a test spin in the store, wheel and deal while you're there, and tell 'em you're going to Sam Ash.

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I'm actually taking a trip to the Charlotte, NC area in a couple weeks, and they have a Sam Ash, 2 Guitar Centers, and a big Mom & Pop shop there.

You'll miss out on the Memorial Day deals, but when finding THE one you want, sale or no sale, it's going home with ya.

WhiteyDog said:

You'll miss out on the Memorial Day deals, but when finding THE one you want, sale or no sale, it's going home with ya.

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I'm leaning heavily towards the Jackson Monarkh SCX in Zebrawood

Woah, I had a DW drum set that was zebrawood outer veneer. loved it. They don't put tremolo's on them?

WhiteyDog said:

Woah, I had a DW drum set that was zebrawood outer veneer. loved it. They don't put tremolo's on them?

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That specific model doesn't have one, but I don't use one anyway. I hate Floyd Rose setups, and if I need dives, I just bend the neck. Besides, tremolos don't belong on LP cut guitars!

Ah, got it. I'm not real familiar with the pick ups or tremolo's. I remember hearing guitar guys saying using the tremolo's make the guitar go somewhat out of tune?

HotBadgerFart said:

I'm also approaching 40, and what better to do with a midlife crisis than to start a band in a few years? !

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Sounds like finding a "clean" hobby you can enjoy with your band members and your band can bring joy to others in the community. Win for all, not midlife crisis... wish people would stop using that term. lol

All that said, I'd get the guitar... I don't play but I have tons of guns and they sorta play out after a while. I visit the range and shoot several guns not for fun, but to ensure if I have to use them I'm proficient. Starting to look at them as necessary tools vs. fun toys (never looked at a gun as a toy, play on words there for you nuts who want to make the comment more than what it is....).

1500.00 USD is good enough that if you have a band you can make an album by putting most of it into mastering and maybe 400 into a small CD run. CDs are still a carrot to finish an album.

Having that kind of goal gets you to start and finish a project. I still run a small record label and our 20th album just came out. The band had to admit that without a contract forcing them to finish the music would never get done. The industry has changed and I make documentaries from the music. When I started an album cost me 15,000 and EP was 10 grand. Don’t even get me started on outdoor concerts. The last one was 30 grand. But I’d put the money toward creating instead of staring at a gun or guitar. Although I did videotape the lead singer of the latest album and he has over 20 guitars...