I know it well, and I just started playing!
It's starts simple. Age 17, one Aria LP copy, a year later, An Ibanez Blazer, then a year later a Fender Telecaster, then two guitars a year, then three to six a year. I finally kicked the disease at guitar #60 and sold everything, or traded them off, finished a couple of college degrees, got married, and I have and use two relatively inexpensive guitars, stock. No fixing them, no modifying them, no fooling with Floyd Rose parts, etc ... just having the energy going into playing and getting better.
My drummer still has GAS nearing his 20th guitar or bass, but oddly, for now, has only one drum set, but is entertaining an electronic set. He will probably get drum set GAS and that takes copious amounts of space. He got married and has a baby so GAS will have to stop if he wants to have a normal life without too much conflict of interest. Wives and responsibilities (college, career, kids) don't lend well to GAS unless you are a multi-millionaire or a young person who lives at home.
Where I live either the very rich have tons of guitars, or kids with parents who spoil them. Working people, people with families, people in school, people with girlfriend/boyfriends need the time and money for stuff other than gear like rent/mortgages, clothes, and groceries.
The most extreme GAS situation I knew was a drum geek who had five sets and maybe 50+ cymbals. Adding to this he had rare drums from all over the world. Though he didn't play a lick of guitar, he knew what was spot on so he had his 1959 Gibson Les Paul, Pre-CBS Stratocasters and Telecasters, and some other top of the line vintage gear just in case any stray guitarist may want to join him in a jam session. And oh yeah, basses too. Either he was very wealthy, or my guess, is that he was a Silicon Valley type Wozniak guy who had too much money with nothing to do but spend it. His drum room was 500 square feet of just his sets and drum and percussion museum. He lived in one bedroom and the other bedroom was full of PA gear, unopened cases of guitars and basses, and cables/wiring/stomp boxes-boards just in case he would get called on tour. Junk food, soda*, mounds of unwashed laundry** and living right above a take out pizza joint. Perfect for living the GAS life.
*For some it's not soda, but beer, or other substances not so good for longevity.
**The unwashed laundry, no matter how gross, still cannot stink worse than the vintage guitars that have layers of decades of smoke (of all kinds), beer, whiskey, sweat (and God knows what other body fluids), and even vomit on them. A real collector never gets out the guitar polish unless it's new stuff. The cases that house these sometimes more than expensive than cars types of guitars, have to stink even worse than the guitars. It's kind of like cigars. This has to repel anybody of the female sex, unless it's Nancy Wilson
Below are some serious, TUMS approved, GAS collections.
