One thing I've noticed is that the best musicians, with rare exceptions, stick with a very few specific guitars. As mentioned, Vai still plays his very first Ibanez prototypes. Jeff Beck's favorite Strat still has the neck from a 1989 signature, oft-repaired. There are ROCK STAR types who change guitars every song and have the requisite sunburst Les Pauls and '57 Strats oozing out their orifices, but most of the tone guys are real particular about what they play. Eric Johnson still loves his (2) old Strats, 335, SG (but
you can buy his signature Fender), John McLaughlin will tour with a Godin but that old scalloped 345 and his Johnny Smiths keep resurfacing, Morse played his original signature Music Man until it fell apart and just recently went the quilty/gold-geegaw route on a new signature (same thing happened to John Petrucci, funny how two tone gods simultaneously discover $4000 guitars sound better... :icon_scratch
.
It also DOESN'T MATTER, when they get a new guitar they just set the knobs differently and go back to work - as David Gilmour says, repeatedly, he can get whatever he needs at any decent music store in any city - he just uses what he has because he's used to it and it does what he needs. This doesn't preclude
you from being able to purchase the new David Gilmour signature Fender for $4000, to go with your Eric Johnson, Andy Summers, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix Fenders*.... Actually you really need one of each, so
you can be a good musician too. Just don't bother
practicing, you can buy your way to success like all those other great musicians who started out having everything handed to them on a silver platter and
still practiced sixteen hours a day because it was more fun than anything else they could think of.... :toothy12:
*
(hey Fender, you can just donate my kickback to my favorite charity - The Me Foundation...)