Guitar Monogamy

jeffgoobs said:
I'm basically a one guitar guy. I own (and have only ever owned) three electric guitars. I started on acoustic when I was fourteen, so it was a couple years anyway before I even wanted an electric. I had tried people's electrics (Strats and Les Pauls) but they weren't really my cup o' tea. The summer after my sophomore year in high school, I tried a friend's electric, and for the first time, I loved the way it felt. It didn't play like any of the electrics I'd tried up until that point. I was like 'hmmm, so this is great. When I do get an electric guitar, it will be whatever type this is. Incidentally, when I asked him what type of guitar it was, he told me a brand name I hadn't heard of before... it was a Paul Reed Smith. (This was in '94... I was 16.) After proving to my parents that I was sticking with the instrument, they agreed to letting me get an electric guitar for the holidays.

We went to Daddy's Junky Music in Boston, and we asked the salesperson if they had any Paul Reed Smith guitars. So he takes us to the back room, and starts showing me Customs which start at like $2500. My (and my parents') eyes nearly fell out of our heads. None of us had any idea how much the guitar was going to be; I think we all assumed it would be like $400-500. The salesperson, sensing the discomfort, instead showed me one of the CE24 models, which he told us was the same quality as the Customs, but you don't have to pay for any special options like a 10-top, birds, etc., and that we'd not be paying any extra labor cost that goes into the gluing process of a set-necked guitar since this one had a maple neck. I promised to pay for a portion of the guitar, my parents conceded, and got the PRS.

I'm still playing this PRS today, 30 years later. I loved my guitar so much so that I wanted to work for the company (and eventually I did.) While working there, I got my second electric guitar: a modded version of a Hollowbody 1 (I'd wanted a hollowbody since I'd started playing, having been obsessed with Trey Anastasio of Phish.) This time, I got to choose my own stain color, electronics, and other little things.

My third (and final) electric guitar is an Eric Johnson Strat. When I had started playing out, I played a lot of funk, and could NOT get the correct tone I wanted while playing some of the songs we were covering. Turns out I needed a single coil guitar. Similarly, I had tried someone's EJ Strat at one point and thought to myself 'if I ever had to get a Strat, this will be the type.' And so it was.

Incidentally, I still play my original PRS CE24 95% of the time, despite the customizations of the Hollowbody. The scale length, neck carve, and 24-frets are just perfect for me. (I swapped out the HFS/Vintage Bass pickups with uncovered 24/08s, which I love.) The Strat sits dormant in its case for the most part, other than an occasional recording.
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Just wanted to say what a fantastic story this is. I got my first electric at Daddy’s (Salem, NH store), a Gibson SG, and I wish I had held onto it like you did with your PRS.
 
TheRedDevil said:
I have much more cheap but really great 100-500$ (partly used) guitars
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I was on business trip in Prague recently and bought a white Peavey Raptor Plus for $100 on a sale in a music store for hotel room practicing (like that ever happened).

I'm really embarrassed to admit it but after a setup and a set of fresh titanium Ernie Balls I don't think I'll let it go. Yes, it's not as fantastic and perfectly built as my ex G&L S-500, but for $100 it sounds really good, like a good Strat should, and makes a great "investment" overall. Not going to play it anyway, maybe will take it for a blues jam a couple times, but it looks awesome on a stand, I much prefer its headstock to Fender's or G&L's!
 
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I’m in the sell and trade up category lol :)
The one I wish I still had was nothing special it had custom on the head stock and I have an old picture of it.
 
While pedals & amps used to come and go, guitars seem to hang around.

I only play 3 of them regularly (‘13 Les Paul is #1, LTD Eclipse with a Floyd FRX, and a Gretch Jet Baritone), the rest are either now retired and enjoyed a few times a year (1974 Les Paul Custom), or only for certain gigs or songs (HSS American Strat).

I have an early Schecter Hellraiser with EMG’s, a Floyd and an absolutely beautiful top & binding that I keep for the EMG’s, a Carvin DC6 that I let others play if there’s an impromptu jam, an Ibanez Bass that I play at home a lot, and an Ibanez Acoustic that hardly sees the light of day LOL but plays and sounds great.

I also have an Amazon wall hanger that actually plays pretty good after I pulled the crappy frets, sanded the fretboard level to take out all the low spots and put in some nice Stew Mac medium-higher fret wire and a Tusk XL nut. Changed all the hardware and dropped some EMG’s in. It comes out for Grand Funk Railroad’s American Band.

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Domct203 said:
While pedals & amps used to come and go, guitars seem to hang around.

I only play 3 of them regularly (‘13 Les Paul is #1, LTD Eclipse with a Floyd FRX, and a Gretch Jet Baritone), the rest are either now retired and enjoyed a few times a year (1974 Les Paul Custom), or only for certain gigs or songs (HSS American Strat).

I have an early Schecter Hellraiser with EMG’s, a Floyd and an absolutely beautiful top & binding that I keep for the EMG’s, a Carvin DC6 that I let others play if there’s an impromptu jam, an Ibanez Bass that I play at home a lot, and an Ibanez Acoustic that hardly sees the light of day LOL but plays and sounds great.

I also have an Amazon wall hanger that actually plays pretty good after I pulled the crappy frets, sanded the fretboard level to take out all the low spots and put in some nice Stew Mac medium-higher fret wire and a Tusk XL nut. Changed all the hardware and dropped some EMG’s in. It comes out for Grand Funk Railroad’s American Band.

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This makes me wanna buy an Amazon guitar…ugh! 😀
 
Chromatizm said:
Nothing sounds and feels like a proper Strat, or a proper Tele, etc. I just don't use those sounds every day.
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This ^^^^ Or a 335, Les Paul, Explorer, Flying V, PRS, Jazzmaster, Soloist, Warlock, Mockingbird, SG... 🤣

I may not play every one every day, but I rotate more often than not. They all inspire me in different ways and I feel like I play differently on each one.

For years when I first started playing, I played locking tremolos almost exclusively. After about 15 years or so, I decided I wanted a change, so I put those away and started playing stop tails. It was challenging at times, but I think it made me a better player. Eventually, I went back and now I play both.

I definitely understand the connection that happens when playing one guitar constantly, but nothing I've found does everything perfectly and many times, the ones that try to do many things aren't the best at any of them. That's why I want a Strat to be a Strat, a Les Paul to be a Les Paul, a Soloist to be a Soloist, etc., etc.; that's just what works best for me.
 
Churchhill said:
This ^^^^ Or a 335, Les Paul, Explorer, Flying V, PRS, Jazzmaster, Soloist, Warlock, Mockingbird, SG... 🤣

I may not play every one every day, but I rotate more often than not. They all inspire me in different ways and I feel like I play differently on each one.

For years when I first started playing, I played locking tremolos almost exclusively. After about 15 years or so, I decided I wanted a change, so I put those away and started playing stop tails. It was challenging at times, but I think it made me a better player. Eventually, I went back and now I play both.

I definitely understand the connection that happens when playing one guitar constantly, but nothing I've found does everything perfectly and many times, the ones that try to do many things aren't the best at any of them. That's why I want a Strat to be a Strat, a Les Paul to be a Les Paul, a Soloist to be a Soloist, etc., etc.; that's just what works best for me.
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I love my Collings City Limits (upscale LP, kinda), but no way it does strat 2/4 position tones, it just doesn't, and it never will. That's ok.

It does do some really cool bridge/neck tones that sort of scratch that itch for me though, and that my strat neighborhood guitars can't touch, even the Vigier in bridge/neck position.

They're all different, and if I had a tele and a 335 and a White Falcon and a 470-JL they'd all be different too. Which is good. That's why they exist.
 
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