Yep, agree with you.
We all want to make new and better sounds. However, purchasing a new guitar
, for most people , will rarely achieve what they dream.
Justin has made a vid on exactly this subject thatās well worth watching
My take is yes - buy some new gear, but go gently and cheaply- - try a whole bunch of pick gauges and styles , a new string brand or tone
And most important, be sure your current guitar is set up properly
Owning multiple guitars and being a better player probably work against each other. If one focused on a single guitar for a few hours every single day for a few years, theyād probably get better faster than if they kept switching.
However, guitars are beautiful things. One is allowed to appreciate beauty, and art. That in itself, makes the case for buying multiple guitars, if you can sensibly afford them.
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The unfortunate thing is that GAS is not only bad on the wallet but also trains the industry in a direction that is doing everyone a disservice, IMHO. Thatās not a judgment. Iāve fallen into the trap on other hobbies too.
Iām guilty of this as well. 2 yrs. 8 months ago I started guitar after not playing since junior high (70ās). I bought a Squier Strat HSS and a Mustang LT25 amp. I have a buddy who I think negatively influenced me some. He chases tone.
So, I tried a couple of different guitars and amps. Settled on a Player 2 Strat and Boss Katana. Took some money to get there.
My guitar in junior high was a cheapo acoustic. I do like some acoustic music, so, in the beginning, I ran out and bought a GS Mini. Hey, number one seller, whatās not to like. It seemed fine. It was with open chords. Didnāt dig it moving up the fretboard. I let it go.
Currently, I picked up a PRS SE CE 24 5 months ago. I think, but I am not sure yet, that I play it better than the Strat with my thicker fingers. I do like the Strat though and I can play it.
Still thinking about an acoustic, but one with a full size or close to full size fretboard. Been checking them out, I might prefer the 1.75 nut. Not sure I will buy one yet, mulling it over.
What does all of this mean above? You can see my progression from beginner trying things, to an advanced beginner finally figuring it out. I donāt think my experience is all that uncommon.
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I didnāt have much to start with but even 2 guitars is more than I ever use. I havenāt got good enough to be inflicted with GAS.
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Iāve suffered from GAS at various times. Bought new gear / guitars thinking they were the key to getting better. Turns out mostly they werenāt. Biggest difference in getting better is PLAYING. So replace your GAS with GPS - Guitar Playing Syndrome and youāll be glad you did.
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I think i found a balance in my GAS. Since i bought a strat, i havenāt looked at any other guitar any more. Along with 2 other guitars, i have all i need.
Same goes for pedals. I have a few, which are used constantly (honestly couldnāt do without them any more, as they define the sound iām chasing and thus have found) and some others wich are on standby, but also present on the board.
Again, the need to buy more/other pedals is, at least for now, not present. I found a balance.
Sure, whenever JHS launches another video of another pedal they made, i would have that initial reflex of āooh, gotta have that oneā, but iāve learned that after a few minutes, this feeling subsides.
No more need for that new and shiny pedal.
So for me, iām not buying any more, but iām not getting rid of anything either.
There are a few amps and guitars lying around that havenāt seen the light of day for a few years now, but i canāt seem to part with them either. Maybe iām a nostalgic, or maybe iām keeping them around as a warning.
Remember the days when you thought that this amp, or that guitar WILL make you sound great? Guess what. It never happened.
Practice, practice and more practice, alongside some good teachers does the trick. And listening to yourself playing and recordings of guitar players you like.
Thatās what counts the most. Something all the gear in the world coudnāt do for you.
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I used to be in buying and selling second hand effectpedals. So also in creating pedalboards.
Yesterday I deployed a new version of software on my Mod Dwarf that allows me to directly download NAM A2 captures from the Tone3000 website onto my Mod Dwarf. That unit can be configured via your browser, dragging connections and plugin on a virtual pedalboard.
I have only bought a Valeton gp50 as backup ā¦but for years now Iāve been selling and not buying stuff.
Now Iām morei n quality of life things: more cables and boxes so I donāt need to put other things in other boxes all the time, depending on the type of gig or rehearsal 
All of our phases in things are part of a hobby. itās one of the many facets that feeds our interest and drive. one of the MANY
I think, being able to calm you GAS somehow, is always a good thing.
I like exploring stuff and tones but I detest the downtime it brings so it needs to go fast and smooth. Same for recording. So āQuality of life GASā might be a thing too? 
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I play for fun.
I buy guitars for the same reason.
Selling is a hustle thoughā¦
If you can afford it and it makes you happy and you play more, no reason to stop. Unless itās an uncontrolled addiction, of course.
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What an interesting topic. I went through some serious GAS when I started learning guitar in earnest 6 years ago. One thing I do believe is that a quality instrument, properly set up, makes learning and a desire to practice more probable.
For me, acquiring that next guitar was a reward for sticking with it and improving. I became a collector of sorts.
I ran out of room so if I acquire a new guitar one has to go. I am not willing to part with any of the full-scale guitars I own. I do have a 7/8 scale Taylor A10 that I have half-heartedly attempted to sell. My justification for moving that guitar along is basically it is an excellent guitar for a child or small stature adult to learn with. I donāt think it is productive for me to play it and then reteach my fingers to land on the full-scale fretboards properly when playing the other guitars I own.
I rotate daily through the stable so each guitar gets some love and I look forward to playing.
Truth: Tone is in the hands more than the instrument, but a badly designed or improperly set up instrument can greatly degrade tone.
I have a feeling Iām more or less at the point of one-in-one-out for guitars. I have two acoustics (technically 3, but one is only for specific situations so I donāt tend to count it), but I havenāt played one for a long time because a full-size dreadnought is just too big for me. That one will probably be the first to go, and Iāve been leaning for awhile towards letting it go to make room for a resonator. Iād likely not bother trying to sell it. Iād probably donate it to a music charity that gets instruments to kids.
I also just recently finished building an electric guitar. Itās early yet, but itās possible it may replace my Epiphone Les Paul. The homemade one, I think, has more tonal variations possible than the LP. Will I buy another guitar to replace the LP? I donāt have anything in particular in mind, honestly. My intent in building one wasnāt necessarily to replace the LP. I wanted something that looked and sounded different to complement the LP. And it does, but it also overlaps the sound of the LP.
If I did sell the LP, Iād be more likely to kick the money from that back into something music related. Lessons, storage/organization, some utility/quality-of-life gear, stuff like that. Maybe even towards helping my wife get the stuff sheāll need to do small gigs.
Itās true, to an extent. I know I have more gear that I technically āneedā, but I do need a few different pieces of gear to be able to create the tones I want to work withā¦ so one guitar and one amp would also not cut it, for me. For instance, there is a wild difference in tone between single coils and humbucker pickups - and I do need both of those options. And I also need to bring a proper spare guitar when playing live gigs, and that one obviously has to pretty much double something I already have (in my case, thatāll mean at least one extra HSS guitar with a trem system, of a decent quality).
But, to be honest, I have a fair amount of overlap in my collection of guitars - and thatās simply because I like gear and can afford to buy it, soā¦ as long as it doesnāt make me practice or play less (it does not) and as long as Iām not irresponsible wrt spending, then Iām not feeling bad about it.
Sometime a new piece of gear can actually inspire me to play certain new things and learn new songs or genres of musicā¦ or just play more, on my new ātoyā.
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I read this thread with interest.
I was a little surprised, TBH, to read that some guitar students might actually think that getting a new guitar will help them play better. Itās totally obvious it wonāt unless the first guitar is awful and difficult to play. I had sort of assumed that most people buy them because they look nice and there are lots of different styles and colours. This in itself is important for some people. When you see a guitar that is beautiful, you just want to pick it up and play it so it does give motivation to practice.
I started learning 3 years ago. My first guitar turned out to be a good one (and cheap) and it feels nice to play. I didnāt know anything about guitars and did want to get other guitars to see/hear/feel how they were compared to the one I already had. That in itself has obviously not helped me play guitar better but it has taught me something about guitars and what I like and what I donāt like. I have several guitars now including one I built and one that was a complete restoration. Most were very low cost and 2nd hand. I only spent really a lot more on the one I built. The others were mostly cheap or in some cases very cheap guitars (I know cheap is person specific). I learnt a lot about guitar building and setting up through all of this, which I think was valuable experience. I donāt yearn for new guitars anymore, but will surely buy again - with a one-in-one-out policy.
Iāve bought 3 amps and I use 2 of them (I have 2 places of residence, so I have one at each). The one I donāt use anymore is also very nice and was low cost. I havenāt sold it because I donāt think I would get much money for it. I have bought gear I didnāt like. Instead of selling it, I gave it away to students who are into guitar and have little money (as a professor I have lots of contact with students).
When I think about how much I have spent on gear, it wasnāt a lot of money for me and given that I have played most days for 3 years it doesnāt seem like a big expense per hours of use.
I mostly play 2 of my guitars (I donāt need the others, but I like them) and I would be totally happy with one of my amps (Roland Blues Cube Hot) if I didnāt have 2 places of residence.