Cool thread!! I guess "guitars" is really while we're all here - it's the essential fundamental of this forum.
As for my guitars, I find comfort and familiarity (two main aspects in potential playability) in Les Pauls. Of course, once that can of worms is opened, there are many aspects to a Lester than make it a winner or loser in my opinion and within the parameters of my personal tastes. I won't go into too much detail here, as subjectiveness and qualitative aspects aren't measurable to all - but a lot as to do with feel, resonance, response, tone, weight, and personality. So Lesters, to me, are kinda like 'home'... I always feel comfortable with a good one in my hands. They inspire me to be very critical of my touch and technique, being super critical of my tone and sounds. I slow down when playing a Lester...I am careful and calculative in my approach when playing one.
For "stunt guitars", you know, drop tunings, chugga, lots of deedly deedly wah wah deedly deedly playing, I go with ESP Horizons. Interestingly enough, Lesters and Horizons vary vastly. What do I love about the Horizons? Necks, speed, fretboard, thin body, and the straight angle of neck to body joinery. The latter making for extreme speed and ease of playing. They're totally different guitars, but they're what work for me. They take 11s nicely, and their craftsmanship and level of finish is absolutely incredible. I own three, and they're flawless (NT7, NT-II, FR-II). These guitars make me go a bit nuts when playing - I just give 'er and listen to what comes out.
I've been REAL tempted to try out some PRS guitars. The recent article in Guitarist(UK) of the 408 really piqued my interest and curiosity. I've never spent any quality time with a PRS. But I do know they seem to have a very devout following and I am sure that's for good reason. Maybe one day in the future - who knows.
I'm not really worried about pick ups and the like, as I end up outfitting most of my guitars with BKPs inevitably.
