One great one, or a room full?

[back2thefutre]

I buy guitars like I buy suits. I want 1 good suit, rather than 5 crappy ones.

 

[incabass]

I know this forum is all about the "more is better" approach, and I'll admit I've got 5 electrics and want just one more, too. But you know, with my acoustic playing I have one near-perfect guitar that is a joy to play (Larrivee OM-09), and sticking with the same instrument and setup over a longer period really has helped my playing a lot. And when I've played other acoustics they don't give me GAS at all unless they are a reso or a 12. On electric I'm always jumping from one axe to another, fiddling with setup, etc., checking ebay for parts, and I'm tempted to just pick one of my electrics and stick the rest under the bed for a year and see if I even miss them. Maybe keep one more with a slide setup. Oh and I have a baritone in progress but that doesn't count. See what I mean?
So many of the greats stick with one instrument, or at least one type, throughout their careers regardless of what they may have in their collection.

Sacrilege? Pure folly?

a room full of great ones. you can never have too many.

 

[rapfohl09]

I buy guitars like I buy suits. I want 1 good suit, rather than 5 crappy ones.

I want 5 good suits :icon_thumright:

 

[swarfrat]

Or better yet, I want a suit, some Dockers, a  Polo shirt, Jeans, T-shirt, and a pair of shorts.

If you try to get one set that covers all that you just end up looking like Angus Young no matter how much money you spend.

 

[Torment Leaves Scars]

I own quite a few guitars, but I play a few more than others.  Each of them has a distinct personality, and the guitar I pick up is dependent upon my mood.  

Most of the time, I'm in "Metal Mode," so I reach for the Warmoth, which going into the build, I had one thing in mind, and that was building the ultimate Metal guitar (without active p'ups).  It didn't matter to me what it sounded like on a clean channel, because I already have a guitar to play on clean channel.  It just so happens that my "ultimate Metal guitar" isn't the one-trick pony I expected it to be.  :cool01:

If I wanna play some blues or something, I'll grab for my Tele.  

If I wanna "reminisce" back to when I was a kid, I'll play my Rich.

If I'm going away and don't want to risk breaking a guitar I care a whole lot about, I bring the Ibanez.  It was sort of an "inheritance" from an ex-gf, who left it over my house, and eventually, it was forgotten about.  It's a POS anyway, so I really don't care what happens to it.

If I'm in the mood for something relaxing, I pull out the Epiphone acoustic/electric.

As for the Alvarez acoustic, I just...have it.  It was given to me by my SIL.  She didn't play, and figured I'd play it, so she gave it to me.  It basically just sits and collects dust.

So, the more guitars, the merrier?  You bet!  My next one will be a neck-through MCS (Moser Custom Shop) FastStar!   :headbang1:

 

[Ace Flibble]

I've had some thirty-odd guitars pass through my hands in the last five years and there hasn't been a single second where I've felt I've had enough. I literally can't sleep at night because I'm too busy thinking of what the next purchase (or build, in the case of Warmoth) should be. I spend maybe twenty minutes every other day actually playing guitar but six or seven hours every day going over old brand catalogs and looking at whatever else.

So for me, it's all about having basically every guitar under the sun. If I was going to stop at any particular point it would have been when I got my Gibson Custom Shop LP, that thing was damn near perfect.. for what it was. But it didn't have single coils, there was no phase switching, there was no 7th string, there was no vibrato. The mahogany neck worked for that guitar, but what if the same guitar was made with a maple neck stock? What if the same guitar was made but with a brass nut? What would it sound like if you wound just one of the coils of the bridge pickup hotter then used the middle selection with a 250k tone pot set to 6? That's why I didn't stop with what should be the unbeatable guitar, that's why I doubt I'll ever stop. The technical aspect of how guitars are made and how every little thing can effect the sound interests me far, far more than playing. I doubt I'll stop buying guitars until I have every single combination of woods, electronics, hardware and construction possible. And then I'll need five of each one, one for each tuning I use. And a spare to keep in a case.

 

[Torment Leaves Scars]

I've had some thirty-odd guitars pass through my hands in the last five years and there hasn't been a single second where I've felt I've had enough. I literally can't sleep at night because I'm too busy thinking of what the next purchase (or build, in the case of Warmoth) should be. I spend maybe twenty minutes every other day actually playing guitar but six or seven hours every day going over old brand catalogs and looking at whatever else.

So for me, it's all about having basically every guitar under the sun. If I was going to stop at any particular point it would have been when I got my Gibson Custom Shop LP, that thing was damn near perfect.. for what it was. But it didn't have single coils, there was no phase switching, there was no 7th string, there was no vibrato. The mahogany neck worked for that guitar, but what if the same guitar was made with a maple neck stock? What if the same guitar was made but with a brass nut? What would it sound like if you wound just one of the coils of the bridge pickup hotter then used the middle selection with a 250k tone pot set to 6? That's why I didn't stop with what should be the unbeatable guitar, that's why I doubt I'll ever stop. The technical aspect of how guitars are made and how every little thing can effect the sound interests me far, far more than playing. I doubt I'll stop buying guitars until I have every single combination of woods, electronics, hardware and construction possible. And then I'll need five of each one, one for each tuning I use. And a spare to keep in a case.

It's very strange like this for me, too.  I had just finished telling my wife, "This is gonna be the last one, the Grand Poo-bah; the dream guitar," yet I still find myself wanting a Moser Custom Shop neck-through FastStar, as well as a Dave Murray Signature Strat, but it doesn't end there.  I also find myself wanting a hot-rodded Jazzmaster, and another Warmoth "Star," but only this time employing active p'ups, 24 frets, a slightly beefier neck, a "720" mod, and "Dragon-burst" paint.  :help:

Before, I was of the mindset, "Who needs more than one or two guitars, especially if they do the job, and then some," but, now I find myself being a "collector" of sorts, but not for the sake of investment.  Guitars have just become a real great hobby, and I just love'em.  I honestly couldn't give anyone a single reason why I need so many guitars; I'm not a professional musician, all that great of a player, a teacher, etc.  I can't really give any reason other than the fact that I just love guitars, and love playing different guitars.

 

[iamdavidmorris]

Man, this thread speaks to me.  Right now I have a 1999 Taylor 710CE, an Alvarez jumbo to take camping, a really nice Fender American Tele, an Xaviere XV-870 for kicking around, and a Taylor T5, which is really the only guitar I play in public at this point.  I just HATE switching guitars.  And I play in church, so I find I don't really have enough time to even switch between acoustic and electric without messing everybody up.  That's why I'm building the following Warmoth guitar:

Chambered Strat: Mahogany/Alder (probably)
Fatback neck: Goncalo Alves/Pau Ferro
2 Seymour Duncan P-Rails with push-pulls for single coil rails, P90s, and series/parallel humbuckers
1 volume, 1 tone, 1 varitone, variable treble bleed circuit, and a killswitch
Trem King bridge
Graphtech Ghost system with acoustic preamp (and mid/dark switch) and synth/midi out
DR Zebra 11 gauge strings

I won't be able to do everything with that setup, but I'll be able to do almost everything.  It will be a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none guitar.  And it is my intention that it will be the only guitar I'll play.  We'll see how that goes.

 

[DangerousR6]

I've had some thirty-odd guitars pass through my hands in the last five years and there hasn't been a single second where I've felt I've had enough. I literally can't sleep at night because I'm too busy thinking of what the next purchase (or build, in the case of Warmoth) should be. I spend maybe twenty minutes every other day actually playing guitar but six or seven hours every day going over old brand catalogs and looking at whatever else.

So for me, it's all about having basically every guitar under the sun. If I was going to stop at any particular point it would have been when I got my Gibson Custom Shop LP, that thing was damn near perfect.. for what it was. But it didn't have single coils, there was no phase switching, there was no 7th string, there was no vibrato. The mahogany neck worked for that guitar, but what if the same guitar was made with a maple neck stock? What if the same guitar was made but with a brass nut? What would it sound like if you wound just one of the coils of the bridge pickup hotter then used the middle selection with a 250k tone pot set to 6? That's why I didn't stop with what should be the unbeatable guitar, that's why I doubt I'll ever stop. The technical aspect of how guitars are made and how every little thing can effect the sound interests me far, far more than playing. I doubt I'll stop buying guitars until I have every single combination of woods, electronics, hardware and construction possible. And then I'll need five of each one, one for each tuning I use. And a spare to keep in a case.

It's very strange like this for me, too.  I had just finished telling my wife, "This is gonna be the last one, the Grand Poo-bah; the dream guitar," yet I still find myself wanting a Moser Custom Shop neck-through FastStar, as well as a Dave Murray Signature Strat, but it doesn't end there.  I also find myself wanting a hot-rodded Jazzmaster, and another Warmoth "Star," but only this time employing active p'ups, 24 frets, a slightly beefier neck, a "720" mod, and "Dragon-burst" paint.   :help:

Before, I was of the mindset, "Who needs more than one or two guitars, especially if they do the job, and then some," but, now I find myself being a "collector" of sorts, but not for the sake of investment.  Guitars have just become a real great hobby, and I just love'em.  I honestly couldn't give anyone a single reason why I need so many guitars; I'm not a professional musician, all that great of a player, a teacher, etc.  I can't really give any reason other than the fact that I just love guitars, and love playing different guitars.

My sentiments exactly, not a professional, not a rock star, I just love guitars. Everything about guitars, building, playing, collecting, history.... :icon_thumright:

 

[llmtelecaster]

I've got 3 warmoth strats. One of them I use 95% of the time, the other two split the other 5%. It sounds ridiculous, but with each guitar that I've built, I've been edging closer to achieving the perfect strat....and I've still got a way to go. First it was the compound radius, then back to a straight radius with SS frets, then to a maple neck with jumbo non-SS frets. Each guitar feels more comfortable than the previous one. Eventually when I get as close to perfect as I think I can, I'll probably sell all but a couple strats and my LP. I will have finally found the Holy Grail!!!!

 

[bbl4ck]

I think the basis of this answer lies in what several well lived rockers have stated [i.e. Jimmy Vaughan, Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe].

One's too many and a hundred ain't enough...  :headbang1:

:rock-on:

 

[Torment Leaves Scars]

I've had some thirty-odd guitars pass through my hands in the last five years and there hasn't been a single second where I've felt I've had enough. I literally can't sleep at night because I'm too busy thinking of what the next purchase (or build, in the case of Warmoth) should be. I spend maybe twenty minutes every other day actually playing guitar but six or seven hours every day going over old brand catalogs and looking at whatever else.

So for me, it's all about having basically every guitar under the sun. If I was going to stop at any particular point it would have been when I got my Gibson Custom Shop LP, that thing was damn near perfect.. for what it was. But it didn't have single coils, there was no phase switching, there was no 7th string, there was no vibrato. The mahogany neck worked for that guitar, but what if the same guitar was made with a maple neck stock? What if the same guitar was made but with a brass nut? What would it sound like if you wound just one of the coils of the bridge pickup hotter then used the middle selection with a 250k tone pot set to 6? That's why I didn't stop with what should be the unbeatable guitar, that's why I doubt I'll ever stop. The technical aspect of how guitars are made and how every little thing can effect the sound interests me far, far more than playing. I doubt I'll stop buying guitars until I have every single combination of woods, electronics, hardware and construction possible. And then I'll need five of each one, one for each tuning I use. And a spare to keep in a case.

It's very strange like this for me, too.  I had just finished telling my wife, "This is gonna be the last one, the Grand Poo-bah; the dream guitar," yet I still find myself wanting a Moser Custom Shop neck-through FastStar, as well as a Dave Murray Signature Strat, but it doesn't end there.  I also find myself wanting a hot-rodded Jazzmaster, and another Warmoth "Star," but only this time employing active p'ups, 24 frets, a slightly beefier neck, a "720" mod, and "Dragon-burst" paint.   :help:

Before, I was of the mindset, "Who needs more than one or two guitars, especially if they do the job, and then some," but, now I find myself being a "collector" of sorts, but not for the sake of investment.  Guitars have just become a real great hobby, and I just love'em.  I honestly couldn't give anyone a single reason why I need so many guitars; I'm not a professional musician, all that great of a player, a teacher, etc.  I can't really give any reason other than the fact that I just love guitars, and love playing different guitars.

My sentiments exactly, not a professional, not a rock star, I just love guitars. Everything about guitars, building, playing, collecting, history.... :icon_thumright:

It's not even about the history, for me.  I dunno, guitars are like my other hobby, cars.  I have a 1994 B4C Camaro and a 2005 WRX STi.  There are days when I just wanna drop the hammer and put tires up in smoke, or just rocket down a freeway, and it's all about the Camaro.  Then, there are the other days when I wanna drive the Hell out of a car, hangin' corners and rowing through gears, and it's all about the STi.  It's the same thing with guitars.  It just depends where the lightning strikes.

Most days, I'm locked and loaded, and just wanna ride the lightning, but there are others when I just feel like slowing things down a bit.  It's almost like choosing which clothes I'm gonna wear.  When I put on a suit and slip on that Tag Heuer watch, I feel like a million bucks; confident and cool, but if I'm wearing a pair of jeans and an Iron Maiden shirt, my attitude changes.  It's the same story with the guitar I'm playing.  The guitar pretty much determines my mindset.

 

[OzziePete]

I must admit ot having two closets full of guitar cases, a combo amp in the living room, a preamp in a rack, a software package full of amp sims, and an iso cab shoved into my main wardrobe in my own bedroom! So yeah, I have way too much tied up in geee-tars!

Have considered thinning the herd, but what do I sell? After doing that in the past (once by neccessity and once by decision) I know that's something I'll regret sooner or later. I have also got 3 Warmoths which won't sell for a quarter of their real worth and they do sound great anyways, & the guitars I don't use are a Strat, an old Ovation acoustic and an Epiphone Casino (Korean). Collectively the Strat might be worth some dollars but the others, pffft.

I have always worked on a library of sounds, I found a lot of similarity to my approach with that of U2's The Edge, so I am sure if I ever had the money that guy had, I'd have a house full of gear. I suppose it's a small mercy that I don't have the wealth.

Logically, the Maton acoustic, the 3 Warmoths, the Trashy and the P-Bass should be all I'd ever want? Right? :-\

 

[Torment Leaves Scars]

I must admit ot having two closets full of guitar cases, a combo amp in the living room, a preamp in a rack, a software package full of amp sims, and an iso cab shoved into my main wardrobe in my own bedroom! So yeah, I have way too much tied up in geee-tars!

Have considered thinning the herd, but what do I sell? After doing that in the past (once by neccessity and once by decision) I know that's something I'll regret sooner or later. I have also got 3 Warmoths which won't sell for a quarter of their real worth and they do sound great anyways, & the guitars I don't use are a Strat, an old Ovation acoustic and an Epiphone Casino (Korean). Collectively the Strat might be worth some dollars but the others, pffft.

I have always worked on a library of sounds, I found a lot of similarity to my approach with that of U2's The Edge, so I am sure if I ever had the money that guy had, I'd have a house full of gear. I suppose it's a small mercy that I don't have the wealth.

Logically, the Maton acoustic, the 3 Warmoths, the Trashy and the P-Bass should be all I'd ever want? Right? :-\

Honestly, I like to line my guitars up next to each other, and then count them, even though I already know how many I have.  Then, I think to myself, "This is just absurd," and laugh about it.  It's like a maniacal sickness.  :help:

 

[Ace Flibble]

I sort of did that about a year ago. I was redecorating my bedroom and it was only then that I realised I had had three guitars laying under my bed for about four years. I'd forgotten I even still had them and I certainly couldn't remember the last time I played any of them. I just kind of went "ha, that's stupid", took them out... and put them right back there once the room was done. And haven't touched them again since. They're not great guitars or anything (I think their total new value was about £400 and their second hand value in total is all of about £50), but it was still kind of a bizarre moment.

At this particular moment in time I've got thirteen guitars, 11 electrics and 2 acoustics. Since the start of 2011 I've used three, maybe four of them. One's propped up here in the living room, with some cables and a Line 6 gizmo that lets me use my laptop as an amp (which may be heresy to some, but it's good for practice late at night with headphones). One of the acoustics, one electric and some random little Fender combo amp are in my bedroom (got to start the day right), with three electrics under my bed. Two of them are in my office ("working from home" translating as "scouring guitar classifieds and checking for updates to the Warmoth showcase"). The rest, my pedal board and my halfstack are currently filling up the guest room (ah, so that's why the missus turned to the drink...). I think there's a ukulele somewhere in the house too...

And despite all that here I am with six tabs open, four of them relating to the potential purchase of guitars.



Just one more Telecaster, then I'll be done. And a Jazzmaster. A short scale bass would be grand too. I've wanted a nice, straight-forward Fender combo amp for a while, maybe a Hot Rod Deluxe? And a 7-string, I definitely need a 7-string. A PRS or VIP would be nice. And another Les Paul, one with P-90s. One of those Line 6 Variax guitars could be useful. Ooh, and a double neck, I've got to get a double neck. And a big jazz box. One more really nice acoustic, I'm thinking a Gibson Dove. Then an ESP Horizon III, those are super pretty. And a Firebird.

Then that'll be it, I swear.

... Though I would still be lacking an SG...

 

[mayfly]

I have had the experience of opening up a guitar case and saying "oh - I forgot that I had this..."

 

[AprioriMark]

About a year ago, I was cleaning my garage and found a bass tucked away that I'd not only forgotten about, but had played dozens of shows on.

-Mark

 

[JimBeed]

What kind of bass was it?
For some reason i dont want to ever have basses ill forget about, my fender i havent played for the best part of a year for obvious living away from home reasons.
But my epiphone is getting its fair share of use from a friend for the time being.

 

[tfarny]

I've decided to do it - one regular tuned six, tweaked to perfection, my acoustic, a baritone and one with a slide setup. Everything else I'm going to forget about and see if I ever miss them.

 

[stubhead]

I have about ten guitars. I like seven-strings, six-strings, single coils and humbuckers, and I can pretty much cover the bases with what I have. I guess I'm lucky in that I collect songs and techniques more than instruments, and that's a bottomless pit that's free for the taking. I find myself zeroing in on a particular guitar for weeks or months, then I change. I've always tried to make all of my instruments as different than one another as possible, I don't really feel the need for ten Les Pauls, though I do understand it. We're no different than squirrels hoarding acorns for the winter, or people who collect Ferrari's, or little old ladies with their Hummel figurines.

When you look at the staggering number of great musicians who play only one guitar at a time - from Jeff Beck to John Scofield - and compare that to the zillion-stage-guitar really-good guys like Joe Perry, you almost wonder if having too many guitars interferes with getting great. Sort of like effects - if Jeff Beck played with a five-foot-long pedalboard, he might very well run the risk of sounding like a guy with a big pedalboard. There's some level of higher concentration that the best guys reach that doesn't lend itself to the thought "Dammit - I shoulda play this on my other guitar...." I have a video of Eric Johnson from 2006 where he plays "Cliffs of Dover" on an old... Les Paul/SG! And, he sounds just like... Eric Johnson, playing "Cliffs of Dover."