Do you play your favorite guitarist's guitar?

No.

Since you mention it, Jerry Garcia was my favourite player, but Doug Irwin guitars are not available.

My favourite players now and past never influenced me to buy their sort of guitar. I always loved the (classic) strat sound and used a 70s strat exclusively for 23 years. I hated its handling though.

My favourite player now (my favourite players have to be alive to qualify) is Jimmy Herring. I would never buy a Tele though. The E strings are too close to the edge. I'm too clumsy to use something like that.

Though Peter Green was a favourite of mine, I never craved a Les Paul. Its not my sound. When I did acquire a Les Paul and started to use it, I felt like an imposter. I was using someone else's sound. It felt weird.

There is no perfect guitar for me. Though I have several that I use and enjoy.

My favorite too. :)
 
He played a strat in the early days (not REALLY early days, but early '70s, pre-Irwin) and it seemed like he mostly had his Irwin's set up for a very strat-like tone. Maybe with a few more options and a synth built into later ones, but still basically a strat tone. For me, about '70-74 was peak Dead and he wads mostly playing strats during that stretch, so I still consider him a strat player. And to the extent I can come even remotely close to his sound (which I can't), I get closest with a strat...

And, if you have any boutique guitar money left over after buying all the PRS's you want, Doug Irwin isn't still making guitars, but Tom Leiber is. He was Irwin's right hand man and is making a couple of models that STRONGLY resemble the stuff Irwin was making. Really nice work too. At prices you might expect... I don't know if it's kosher to post a link here to another maker, but you can search for Lieber guitars. I'll never buy one but it's fun to look...

-Ray

Personally, my favorite period is the '85-'90 run, right until Brent died and Jerry went back off the rails. But, the long-scale neck of Tiger (and other custom guitars) and use of the middle pickup make your Strat statement solid. And he played the Graham Nash Strat beautifully.
 
i bought a white les paul custom just like the one on ‘green mind’ and a rick 360 just like johnny marr, then fender puts out a signature jazzmasters??? what a rip
 
Personally, my favorite period is the '85-'90 run, right until Brent died and Jerry went back off the rails. But, the long-scale neck of Tiger (and other custom guitars) and use of the middle pickup make your Strat statement solid. And he played the Graham Nash Strat beautifully.
33830463_10156429616121252_2321577840945922048_n.jpg
 
I am more of a fan of whole songs and genres. I really admire Carlos Santana, Al DiMeola, Alex Lifeson, and yes Neil Young and electric and acoustic.My first really good electric was a Les Paul, also had a fender Strat, but I really loved Paul Reed Smith Guitar’s when I discovered them myself in New York City in 1989. I was aware Carlos Santana was playing something cool with birds but that was about it back in the 80s watching MTV. So never bought a guitar just because a player played them. Wait not true Neil Young, I started playing Martin acoustics years ago because of him.
 
Personally, my favorite period is the '85-'90 run, right until Brent died and Jerry went back off the rails. But, the long-scale neck of Tiger (and other custom guitars) and use of the middle pickup make your Strat statement solid. And he played the Graham Nash Strat beautifully.
Well, the Dead's best and worst periods could be a thread, a forum, an encyclopedia! And I guess it already has been and is all of those things. So I won't go too far into it here except to note that I think a big part of why I liked the early 70s so much was because they were down a drummer. As much as I love Mickey, they were a totally different band without him, and I thought a more lithe, swinging, turn on a dime improvisational combo like a great jazz quintet. With him, they're like an ocean liner - they could get up a hell of a head of steam, but good luck missing the iceberg! With just Bill on traps, they were like a speedboat that could change pace and dance around in the waves and turn on a dime. And this isn't a matter of what I was there for. I first saw them toward the end of '77, which to some was their peak year, and I was there from then through the end, with a lull in 88-92 when our kids were babies. And I liked '77-78, '81-83, and '87-88. But when I go to put on some Dead, it's almost always early '70s unless it's the anniversary of one of the more epic shows I saw.

I've owned lots of different models over the years. I don't think I ever bought one just because one of my influences played one. Not purely, anyway. Besides, I don't own a 150 year old red oak mantle that I could turn into a guitar neck. Plus, I'm not all that keen on pressboard.

I guess I probably did START playing a strat because so many of my favorites played them. I don't really remember - I just always kind of wanted one and I gotta figure that's a big part of why. But then I played one forever and I guess that sound and feel just got in my blood. I don't play it because of that now in any direct way. But I probably still love them so much now because I've been playing them for so long and if that was the initial spark, I guess it's still kind of a cause.

Whatever, i just love 'em. I should probably sell my 594 and get a Silver Sky because I'm evidently more of a single coil and P90 guy than a humbucker guy, (which I had started to think differently about for several months and led to me having a 594). But I just don't feel the need or desire to in any way change my current Cray hardtail strat, which is my favorite one after 40 years of 'em. And I seem to be madly in love with P90s and probably shouldn't just have a $350 P90 equipped telecaster, but I love THAT cheap beast too and don't feel any desire to upgrade it (maybe put a RWRP pickup in the neck, but other than that). So even if humbuckers are only my third favorite pickup these days, I'm lucky enough to have as good a humbucker guitar as there is and I freakin' love it too. So what if the expenditures are out of whack - I have three guitars I completely love and I'm sitting good and tight with what I've got...

-Ray
 
Because of my favorite band, The Beatles, I had an '66 Epiphone Casino, but never really bonded with it.
 
In the end, our tone, the subtle nuances of our playing, and the note choices we make, are uniquely our own. We really can’t help being ourselves, no matter what instruments we choose to play.

So I figure it’s more interesting/satisfying/fun to take that tone journey, and discover our own sounds (and with any luck, develop our artistic sense) along the way.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not in any hurry to reach a destination. ;)
 
In the end, our tone, the subtle nuances of our playing, and the note choices we make, are uniquely our own. We really can’t help being ourselves, no matter what instruments we choose to play.

So I figure it’s more interesting/satisfying/fun to take that tone journey, and discover our own sounds (and with any luck, develop our artistic sense) along the way.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not in any hurry to reach a destination. ;)

Well said!
 
I bought a Santana because you're my hero. :D
I think that counts.

Myself, I'd say yes. I have a Wolfgang, a JP12, a Satriani, and have have chased the perfect all white strat (Hendrix at Woodstock and Trower Live) for 40 years! No Holdsworth guitar though. No one EVER will play like him so no sense trying.
 
I think that counts.

Myself, I'd say yes. I have a Wolfgang, a JP12, a Satriani, and have have chased the perfect all white strat (Hendrix at Woodstock and Trower Live) for 40 years! No Holdsworth guitar though. No one EVER will play like him so no sense trying.

I've got a white '89 MIJ Strat ('63) with vintage electronics and Fralin Vintage Hot pickups that would fill your Hendrix jones.....
 
always wanted a 335 because of lennon’s casino, never got one. avoilded fenders for years because the beatles were shown playing gibsons and gretches and rickenbackers on all the good records.

Because of my favorite band, The Beatles, I had an '66 Epiphone Casino, but never really bonded with it.
 
Back
Top