I'm looking for an idiom to describe someone who decides to take up a new hobby, then buys an excessive amount of gear before they've even started. Perhaps they believe they need this gear to master the hobby, or that having the gear will make them better at it.
For example: someone decides they're going to learn how to play guitar. They buy a top-shelf guitar, a half-stack amplifier, a graphic equalizer, effects pedals, direct boxes, and a gig bag full of gadgets. Eric Clapton might be jealous of their equipment, but they haven't even learned how to play one chord yet.
Another example might be someone who decides they're going to try to get in shape, so they go out and buy a multi-station gym, an expensive bicycle, a heart-rate tracker, top of the line athletic clothes, but they can't even walk a mile without fainting.
How do I put this insanity into words?
Best Answer
In British English there is a common colloquialism:
"All the gear, no idea"
It describes your requirements perfectly: novices who splash out on expensive equipment but who lack the aptitude to use it properly or even to perform satisfactorily in the subject endeavour.
Unfortunately, I can't find a reputable reference work to back up my claim but, as a native Brit and current UK resident, I can assure you that this phrase is well established and popularly understood.
However, I can provide some evidence that the phrase is in use by quoting this Telegraph newspaper article.
In it, the author (a Telegraph journalist) recounts his first experience on a racing yacht (emphasis mine).
The Telegraph is a well-regarded newspaper in the UK, so the phrases it publishes could certainly be considered acceptable, commonly-used English.
EDIT: Even the venerable BBC seems to use the phrase, as seen in a recent article about cycling (emphasis mine):
The urban dictionary gives an accurate (if poorly written) definition: