You're probably right about being able to get a good chunk of the money back, and the incentive not to get bored makes some sense too. 

But that said, I'll repeat/paraphrase a story I read in a guitar magazine a long time ago.  The guy telling the story was on the crew for a famous band that he didn't name.  My theory based on the story at the time was the Stones, but I have no proof of that.

I have told to other people in similiar situations. (I don't think it's ever made a difference, but I like the story, so here goes.)
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This band had a two guitar setup most of the time, but from time to time the singer would play guitar as well.  Night after night on the tour they would take the extra shitty amp that they had for this purpose and try to pull a good sound out of it, and night after night this guy would apologize to the singer because the equipment was bad, and they'd get it switched out when they got a chance after the tour. 

One night Eric Clapton was backstage visiting at a show (that is what makes me think it's the Stones).   At some point they decided that he would come up and jam with the band, and they'd just hook him up to the extra shitty amp that the singer used, because it was the only extra they had.  The guy was sweating this all night because he thinks he's gonna be the reason Clapton sounds like shit to this audience.  Clapton comes out, strums a couple chords, walks over to the amp, turns a couple knobs a little....  and boom, it sounds like Clapton always sounds.

He wasn't the only one who noticed because the singer came up to him afterwards to point out that maybe they don't need to get rid of that amp after the tour.
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I wish I could remember where I saw the story so I could maybe find a link to it for real, because that's just my hazy memory/paraphrasing of a story that I read probably between 5 and 10 years ago. 

Also, seperate from all that, if you do get really into the guitar, you're gonna just want more guitars, so you can always upgrade later. 

That's just me though..... Maybe starting really nice just makes you skip the step where you sell off your first kinda crappy guitar to finance a new one that most guitar players I know went through.

I don't think that's "bitching just to bitch" at all.  I agree with him that the songs are too cluttered, I like them more than he does, but that doesn't make his point wrong.  As a matter of fact at least 3 people that I've played the leaks for said the same thing, and didn't really like them for that reason either.  I like them a lot, but think some could be much better if stripped down. 

I don't know how much I agree with the fact that it's Pittman's fault though, especially after reading Slash's book and hearing his description of Axl recording November Rain way back when.  Sometimes it works and sounds great, sometimes it just sounds like there's too much going on. 

It is possible Pittman and Axl are kinda kindred spirits in their love of multiple layers, and that just pushes it further, but there's not gonna be anything on these songs that isn't there because it's what Axl wants.

I've had a theory for a while that it'll come out that a lot of the things Pittman is getting credit for will end up being done by Axl when we're able to see credits/liner notes, but if he's getting a bunch of songwriting credits I'm probably wrong.

I don't think that's bashing at all.  Anybody that thinks it could capture the times like Appetite is kidding themselves.  How many albums since have...  maybe half a dozen in 20 years.

Be it fans, band members, executives, or anybody else, it they think there's any chance of an AFD part II impact (good economic times or not), they're gonna be sadly mistaken.

The Sons Of Many Bitches- Apparently Uninterested In A Life Of Creative Growth Or Social Relevance/Outlaw Gold Mother Fucker
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