What’s your Main Gee-tar!!! And why….

Here is my main ride. Wanted a PRS for 20+ years just because of their beauty. Finally pulled the trigger in Jan '21. By June of '21, I had 3 of them (McCarty HBII WL, Core CU24 and PS CU24) because they played better than anything else I had ever owned. This one gets 98% of my play time at the moment. It is number one due to a combination of low weight (5.6 lbs - CU24s are 7.2 and 7.6 lbs and start to bug me after about two hours) as well as tones that fit better with my current repertoire ;~)) For those who don't know the PRS line, this is a McCarty 594 Hollowbody II Wood Library spec'd by Ish Guitars with bookmatched front to back flame maple. Rosewood fretboard. Not in this picture are the maple tuner buttons and TRC stained to match body/neck and the ebony control knobs with birds (from Crazy Parts). I will update the pix someday! I did just have my DSLR out yesterday and got some good nature shots, so maybe it is time. Been putting it off because I want to do a "proper" shoot of all my guitars, and that is going to take some setting up that I have yet to alot the time for. I still want all black hardware, but PRS will not sell it at the moment (claiming it is for Private Stock only though some WL runs have been getting the treatment and of course the DW is an all blacked out model) and I would prefer PRS parts. I know there are plenty of Black aftermarket pups I could go with as well (and eventually might), but not a necessity at the moment and I really like these 58/15 LT TCI pups! I just wish they were black.

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This
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or this (I rotate them, but the classic is my favorite, that's my Deluxe)
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Alternatively (for different sound and since this is essentally an HHH strat nowadays), this, but the moment the Flys came in, this one stopped being my true #1
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Why the Flys?

Because they are very light (2365gr the Deluxe, 2475gr the Classic), very ergonomic, I really dig the sound (middle position is both humbuckers in full humbucking mode, I've modded both to do that) and the feature to blend mags and piezo is great (I love this!). Also, they are two of the veeeery few guitars out of the hundreds I've tried out, I like the neck out of the box (I am into thin necks, the refined have a little bit chunkier necks, not a dealbreaker but I still prefer my prerefined ones).

[the necks of my strats are modded to death, profile, thickness, radius, frets, the full monty]

@Patzag , come on mate, back me up! ;)
 
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Received this custom built beauty in June and haven't touched much else since, so I guess it's number one except when I need 7 strings.

Aristides H-06, Bareknuckle VHII + Irish Tour, Mini-Toggle for coil split. The satin chameleon paint looks way better in person, IMO. Most comfortable guitar to play I've ever touched, especially standing. Even when seated I know often play with a strap and the guitar hanging as if I'm standing because it sits in such a nice position naturally. Will likely get a 7-string twin for it when I can fund it.

Realized the only pic I had is from their Instagram account, I guess I need to get some of my own :).

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Shepdoggiest said:
We hafta remember to keep the humidity in the house set high enough to care for our guitars if they're out all the time. I've seen electrics become very hard to set up from lack of humidity. .02
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Worrying about humidity being too low isn't a thing here, right now, even though we generally have a pretty dry climate.
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I'm lucky if I get 30% in winter :sob:

My babies ain't let me down yet tho... had to trim off a little sprout on a few, but nothing major.
 
Trying to figure out which is my main guitar short-circuited my brain. I have at least six contenders for the top spot and can’t pick less than six. My goal for a while is to try to trim down to one or two of my favorites but I’m failing miserably at that.
 
acwild said:
Trying to figure out which is my main guitar short-circuited my brain. I have at least six contenders for the top spot and can’t pick less than six. My goal for a while is to try to trim down to one or two of my favorites but I’m failing miserably at that.
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Join the club. :D
 
A couple of years ago I started making my own guitars in an effort to get closer to my ideal design. It’s evolved, and currently has Tele pickups in a headless Strat format.

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My main gee-tar is a beat up tatty as erm... whatsit Les Paul Studio. The reason why is that it has 6 strings on it! :) It is probably the best value £300 I have spent on a guitar. I hated it when I bought it but it has grown on me. Having said that though I don't like the pickups in it. They are ok for general rock tones but I am in search of the Beano LP tone. More of a PAF style of sound than the 498T/490R tones.
 
Dixiethedog said:
My main gee-tar is a beat up tatty as erm... whatsit Les Paul Studio. The reason why is that it has 6 strings on it! :) It is probably the best value £300 I have spent on a guitar. I hated it when I bought it but it has grown on me. Having said that though I don't like the pickups in it. They are ok for general rock tones but I am in search of the Beano LP tone. More of a PAF style of sound than the 498T/490R tones.
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498/490s are not really much beyond a high powered rawk pickup. Good news is you have plenty of options when it comes to PAF level humbuckers. Duncan Antiquities are very nice indeed, but equally the 59 is a more than passable PAF style pickup for not huge bucks (or pounds I guess in your location) - easy and reversible mod, and a fun exploration of tone!
 
I bought this 2023 PRS Custom 24 Piezo when a store in my area was shutting down last spring at a big discount. Bought it blind.

Didn’t love it at first, but over time, it’s become the thing I play the most. Its versatility makes it very useful in an unpredictable live environment, and it’s also easy to record with. With the right IRs (and the right pick), the Piezo is very convincing. Just a great all-around axe.

One thing people say a lot about PRS is that “they play themselves.” I think most people mean they’re set up well when they say that. Specifically, what I’ve noticed with this guitar is that it has a number of minor accommodations that physically fit my body perfectly. The fretboard has a nice smooth rounded edge, like a pebble, with no machine marks. The body contour fits me better than any Strat I’ve ever tried. The recessed volume knob is easy to access, but doesn’t interfere with your picking hand the way a Strat does. The bridge doesn’t have any sharp elements when your palm rests on it. The tuners are mechanically perfect, and consistently tune every time you twist them. I’ve never played a Fender or Gibson that has all these metrics of comfort. Even the input jack is nicer than the competition.

In that sense, the guitar doesn’t play itself. That’s up to how I set it up. But the guitar is designed like a modern machine to get out of my way and let me play. Like the guitar version of an Oxo grip can opener: designed for comfort, and it just works.


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