A lot of guitar players hide their guitars, just like car collectors hide cars — and for similar reasons: they don’t want to be found out. Not for that new purchase, or the other one that they got a while ago. They need a place to hide them. Although you may see guitars hanging on walls, hanging or sitting on racks, and on stands, there are more! There are almost always more!

I also play double bass and started going in this direction with my basses. After my fourth double bass, I had to stop. You can’t hang them on the wall. They are the same size as people, and you can’t play double basses simultaneously or even take more than one on a gig.

I also play percussion. I’ve always left drums and other percussion right out where everyone can see and play them. People really like to bang on drums.

Keyboards are larger than guitars and harder to hide, but not as hard to hide as pianos and harpsichords, for example. I grew up with two pianos, a harpsichord, and a Korean pump organ all right out there for us to play.

What my parents taught me about instruments is that, if you put them away or hide them, you won’t play them. They’ll live a quiet life, you may feel guilty or even possibly forget them, and you’ll never know how many you have. I don’t know how many I have, but I’m going to count them very soon. Once I’ve found them.

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