So - I'm kinda bored with my gear...

I get bored, sure. I don't buy and sell gear much anymore though. I try playing with things and seeing what I can do with them, like creating tricks and stuff, or seeing how much I can push something until it sounds bad.

Other times I'll spend time just trying to recreate tones that I hear on records.

I'm not sure I get bored with the gear as much as I expect myself to keep getting better and learning more, and getting tired of hitting roadblocks. One of these days I'll get to the point where someone walks in and requests a tone and I'll just put stuff up and nail it. Maybe then I'll get bored.

Not really, some things i guess, I thought those Helio's rigs were a never sell for you? IMO, i think there are certain pieces of gear you just shouldn't sell, if you don't have instruments you never even think about selling, you haven't found the "ones" for you yet, i personally have an acoustic gtr, jazz bass, and drum kit that fall into that "never sell" category(2 of which i've owned for 21 years), they are probably not everyones cup of tea, but totally personally defining from my perspective, they are quite literally part of my family.

It is all about inspiration though, so as long as you are honest/trust yourself to make a good decision, and you're inspired by something, sell away. If you have a track record of regret, think 2wice or more would be my advice. 8)

I combat that feeling by building from my base. With instruments if I start getting bored with single coils I'll move to humbuckers, p90's or filtertrons, or from solid body to hollow, etc.

With gear I tend to explore options I don't currently have...e.g. I'm building a 24 channel API summing mixer, PWM compressor and germanium mic pres...

I'm afraid to sell choice pieces of gear because even if I may be temporarily bored with them I'm sure I'd regret selling them....almost immediately thereafter..

I like svart's idea of using the gear to recreate specific sounds...which will stimulate and inspire playing and writing in new ways....

I did this for years but now I only buy gear if I have a real need for it. For example I did find myself often wanting a P-Base sound. So I went for one last week. Makes sense to me. The "I want it because its cool" approach was just leading to a huge debt on my sweep account. Which by nature had high interest. I made myself very poor and the banksters very rich. 

It was two years ago - something had to happen.
I stopped smoking; and I stopped drinking - that alone saved 300 Euros a month.
I sold all gear I did not touched the last two years, so my debt was lower.
I asked the bank for better conditions - they did it.

Today I am debt free.
I feel free!
What the Bank offers for going in debt is too tempting.
I do not believe the devil anymore.

The gear I have is good enough to make great music.

My new guiding principle:
If I buy something to make myself happy = something is wrong.

gar 2520's? also don't forget the 1731'a, i have combos of SL 2520's input/1731's output side in my capi stuff, i love that combo! Are you using Jeffs ACA summing set up on your mixer?

I'll just mess around with a different genre, and/or focus on a different instrument for a little while, I play bass, guitar, keys and drums so I can get creative. Maybe you should get out of the house, start up a band for the local club scene, show em how it's done!

Thing is...I don't need any more mic pres...I feel all "hoardish" if I buy more...I have 8 now and never record more than 2 at a time

BTW - I got to the guitar shop and the guitar had just been sold. Unfortunately, I played a used $3800 Santa Cruz that was killer and then a $6500 Collings Clarence White that was to die for...Sigh

Instruments? Not really. I actually sort of hate new guitars...for a number of reasons but the main one is they play weird. I've longed for the days of when I owned one electric (well technically two--exactly the same-in case a string broke)....I think there'sa lot to be said for having AN axe--even if you DO change it a lot...signature sound of the moment and all.

Recording gear....you could call it boredom, I guess--I certainly often want to change things for no good reason. Now, it's my quest to make stuff smaller--have the least "stuff" possible and still make myself happy. Thought about that the other day--I mean it's not like I have an immediately NEED to have less stuff (ie, losing space or needing money)....so, why am I expending any thought about this? Maybe it's the mental issue of looking at a big mixing rig that will collect dust now 11mo out of the year. Maybe it's that I'd really like to move the piano out of the middle of the room--and over where the recording desk is would be where it could go....maybe there is SOME concern that I can probably monetize some gear now that will lose value should I "need" to downsize later....ehh...mostly though--it's a kind of distraction I think from needing to get these lyrics written. Much like checking in here.

When I feel like this... I pull all the leads out of everything, clean them, dust, polish tidy up, throw shit out off the shelves.. clean the windows.

I find thats almost as good a feeling (seriously) you make everything neater and clean, and do your maintenance tasks...

then you are refreshed...


cheers

Wiz

You're just focused on the wrong thing, John. Do some collaboration. Do a road trip specifically for songwriting. Record some friends. Get your mind off of gear and focus on the gift.

About which royalties you are referring about, the few cents you can get from YT/Spotify/Google Music etc. Even with a World wide hit you will get a few hundred, or grand per year. But you are million miles away from a rock. Landing a hit is like playing the lottery. You never know if you win.

You can still make money with a radio hit.