# Guitarists have many things in common personality-wise



## Martis93 (Jun 24, 2013)

Have you guys ever thought about this? Guitar players are in general reserved, calm people. Obviously, there are some exceptions but we're talking majority here. This leads me to think that guitarists get along well because their world outlook is similar and not necessarily because of the hobby that they share. Which would also mean that only certain people are attracted to guitars in the first place. What do you people think about this? Interested to hear other opinions.


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## devolutionary (Jun 24, 2013)

Martis93 said:


> Guitar players are in general reserved, calm people.



Wut? I have only met one _electric_ guitarist who fits this bill in my life, and he's 50 with health issues after the years of boozing and drugs in the 70s and 80s R&B/pub rock scene. The rest of them (my father and myself included) are all bloody insane.


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## DSilence (Jun 24, 2013)

I think that would be be a very big assumption, there are many different types of people in alot of different groups.


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## Xaios (Jun 24, 2013)

Martis93 said:


> This leads me to think that guitarists get along well because their *world outlook is similar* and not necessarily because of the hobby that they share. Which would also mean that only certain people are attracted to guitars in the first place. What do you people think about this? Interested to hear other opinions.



I think that's a gigantic can of worms. Perhaps there are reasonable indicators within one particular genre, such as the metal that this forum generally subsists on, but compare the average metal guitarist to a country or blues guitarist, of which there are just as many as metal guitarists, and I imagine the difference in general worldview would be fairly pronounced.


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## User Name (Jun 24, 2013)

i dont consider myself like alot of musicians. i was never a part of the music crowd when i was in school as i was an athletic kid on the track and football team. i now attend college on a track scholarship. 

its very broad to consider most musicians to be of a similar personality. the only thing you can usually bet on is political views


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## Basti (Jun 24, 2013)

I'm reserved and calm as are many other guitarists I know, but I have to say it's a bit rash as an assumption...people do it for different reasons and see it differently. However I don't doubt that all guitarists must share some psychological traits, just maybe not so general.
I also think that guitarists who frequent guitar forums form a subtype of their own so whatever you get from the guys here may not be all that generalisable


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## ArtDecade (Jun 24, 2013)




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## Rosal76 (Jun 24, 2013)

I don't believe guitar players are calm because everytime we see new guitar products and can't afford them, we go batshit insane and start talking about selling our kidneys to raise the money. And when we do get something cool, we're still excited that we have it and want more gear. Also, when someone posts a new product, some people will use all capital letters and exclaimation points.

NEW 2013 IBANEZ CUSTOM!!! WANT!!! DROOL!!! MINE!!!

Just kidding but I go get upset sometimes about it, not being able to afford certain guitars.


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## pink freud (Jun 24, 2013)

I think generalizing the type of people who play one of the most popular instruments is a bit futile beyond "Generally guitar players play guitar."


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## Yo_Wattup (Jun 24, 2013)

Martis93 said:


> Have you guys ever thought about this? *Bass* players are in general reserved, calm people. Obviously, there are some exceptions but we're talking majority here. This leads me to think that *bassists* get along well because their world outlook is similar and not necessarily because of the hobby that they share. Which would also mean that only certain people are attracted to *basses* in the first place. What do you people think about this? Interested to hear other opinions.



FTFY

Guitarists are ....ing insane and are rarely fit for public interaction. Not sure what drugs you're taking OP.


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## pink freud (Jun 24, 2013)

Yo_Wattup said:


> Guitarists are ....ing insane and are rarely fit for public interaction. Not sure what drugs you're taking OP.



Hey now, it's not like we're _singers_ or anything...


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## Vhyle (Jun 24, 2013)

Yo_Wattup said:


> FTFY
> 
> Guitarists are ....ing insane and are rarely fit for public interaction. Not sure what drugs you're taking OP.



There's a lot of truth to this. I'm a guitarist, AND I'm in the military, which requires much interaction. I must be off my friggin' rocker.

Some days I wonder...


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## Metal_Webb (Jun 24, 2013)

This thread is a classic example of observational bias if I've ever seen it 

"I've met 2 guitarists, they are nice reserved people. Therefore all guitarists are nice and reserved."


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## sniperfreak223 (Jun 25, 2013)

outwardly, to people I'm unfamiliar with, I'm nice, quiet, and reserved, but that's just to hide the terrible things going on in my head...and once you get to know me, you get to see how truly ....ed up I am. And give me my guitarmor and I open up to my true crazy self pretty damn quick.


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## Hollowway (Jun 25, 2013)

Well, the OP is making an observation, and while its premature to jump to a generalization, observations are the beginning of most scientific studies. It would be interesting to give guitarists (or guitarists playing a certain style/genre) a personality test to see if there is anything in common. It could be (and I'm just spitballing here) that musicians are generally focused and have decent attention spans and like to learn.  And do heroin.


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## Martis93 (Jun 25, 2013)

Yeah, now that I've read through your comments, I guess I should've posted that this is genre-specific. I wasn't talking about people I've met, but you can usually tell a lot about a person just from watching an interview. Hell, maybe I just happen to listen to a lot of bands whose guitarists are calm.


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## cjbrents (Jun 25, 2013)

I know quite a few guitarists, including myself, thy are calm when our in public. You know, after the show they're out mingling with fans, but that's the only time. When we're alone or when we're around people we know very well, we tend to act differently. I believe it's all about comfort zones.


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## Datura (Jun 25, 2013)

Electric guitarists often seem quite competitive and find it hard to admit someone is better than them. 
Source: Introspection.


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## Vhyle (Jun 25, 2013)

Here's another observation... you say most guitarists are reserved and calm?




That's most likely from the pot.


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## Randyrhoads123 (Jun 25, 2013)

Aside from one friend, most guitar players I've met that like rock/metal are the biggest druggies ever. Also, not quiet or reserved. So I stay at home and come on this forum to talk about it.


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## sniperfreak223 (Jun 25, 2013)

But I'm clean and sober now...almost died from an overdose in 2009 and apparently was dead for about 8 minutes from alcohol poisoning in 2011 (still feeling the effects of that in the form of irreversible liver damage), so I decided that was enough for me...I'll still do a shot or two here and there, but nothing more...I appear to be the one electric guitarist that almost fits the calm, sober profile


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## UV7BK4LIFE (Jun 25, 2013)

Martis93 said:


> Guitar players are in general reserved, calm people.


 
Oh, that's the "ticking time bomb" type. Watch out for them, dude.


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## jehu12141987 (Jun 25, 2013)

If, by this generalization, you mean alot of guitarists suck; based off the ones I have met in my lifetime, I would say you are not lying.


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## Esp Griffyn (Jun 25, 2013)

I'm both reserved and extrovert at different times, depending on who I'm with. Which box would I go in? Massive generalisation is massive.


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## GiveUpGuitar (Jun 25, 2013)

Me and my other guitar player are easily the loudest, most obnoxious people in my band. We're both overly excited, talk way too ....ing much, and overall have a "live for the moment" mentality.

I can't say we all have the same things in common, but I do agree that its much easier to find a guitar player that's similar to you compared to other instruments/musicians.


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## erotophonophilia (Jun 25, 2013)

Randyrhoads123 said:


> Aside from one friend, most guitar players I've met that like rock/metal are the biggest druggies ever. Also, not quiet or reserved. So I stay at home and come on this forum to talk about it.



Jam ban guitarists do the most drugs. If they were 100% sober they'd play something different. They hide drug addiction with peace and love, like modern day hippies.


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## Hollowway (Jun 26, 2013)

A lot of the stuff you guys are saying may or may not be true. But the one thing that I have found to be true among ALL guitarists is this: You start playing guitar, and eventually you will die! Depressing, but there is a 100% correlation, I've found. It hits some people earlier than others, but there's no denying it.


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## NickS (Jun 26, 2013)

Hollowway said:


> A lot of the stuff you guys are saying may or may not be true. But the one thing that I have found to be true among ALL guitarists is this: You start playing guitar, and eventually you will die! Depressing, but there is a 100% correlation, I've found. It hits some people earlier than others, but there's no denying it.



I'm gonna live forever


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## GatherTheArsenal (Jun 30, 2013)

Interesting observation  although I might agree that setting up a correlation like that between:

A) guitarist 
and 
B) an observable personality trait 

can maybe by chance be right at any given time, I've noticed over the years that a lot of people who picked up an electric guitar, whether I've personally met them or not, have been a bit on the eccentric side, me included.


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## TheFerryMan (Jul 1, 2013)

...Prince, Malsteen, Dave Mustain, David Sheckle. (no i can't spell, what of it.)

Sup


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