Favoritism

[László]

I probably don’t have a favorite guitar per se (look at me, using Latin!), but I do have favorite guitar plus amp combinations, with one exception:

The 20th PS Anniversary model from a couple of years back sounds equally incredible with any of my amps, yet none of my amps sound alike (they cover the Marshall style, Tweed style, and Blackface style food groups). It’s a special instrument.

Every time I play this guitar I go all gooey in the brain. It’s amazing, I love it, it loves me, we’re going to the chapel and we”re gonna get married...

I sometimes think that a more tone-committed person would sell all of his other humbucker electric guitars and order another one of these from PS, but maybe with an all-mahogany body to compliment this one. It’s certainly a do-everything-well guitar.

You know, the idea is to concentrate on this guitar concept, work it forever like a Grissom or Santana or Carlton might, and call it a life.

I keep going back and forth. What’s the point of that? Well, it’s to go narrow but deep, as opposed to wide but shallow (you’re tempted to make the obvious joke here, aren’t you? I wouldn’t be able to resist making that joke if I simply happened to read this post, so don’t be thinkin’ you’re all that clever/original ). Still.

Is it better to have a model that’s “the guitar I play,” or is it better to have a variety of choices, with the drawback that you’re more superficial due to the strictures and limitations of time on this planet? That is the conundrum!

Perhaps there can be no answer for an addicted person like me? But I am attracted to the idea of finding a more or less permanent ‘voice’.

 

[vchizzle]

I feel like I can say find that one guitar with the voice that suits you(me). I feel like I did that when I spec’d my PS. I feel that same way as you describe. I pretty much don’t feel like I need to play any other guitars(and usually don’t, at least not very often). Maybe I got a little lucky, maybe the stars aligned or maybe I picked the right specs for what my needs are and PRS built me a lifer that exceeded my expectations.

By the same token, while my herd is a bit thinner these days, I still have 5 other electrics. All great guitars in their own right. I could probably get by without them. Given my playing time is mostly limited to band things, “the others” see very little action. It’s not that I don’t thoroughly enjoy the others, but I could do perfectly fine with just my #1 and a backup of the same specs in case I break a string.

 

[László]

Pretty much that’s how I feel. Not that I don’t love my others, not that I don’t have uses for them, but more that I kinda have the urge to concentrate on one concept and see what happens,

I suppose I could just play this one for a while and see if I miss playing the other ones. A sensible person (I’m not) would do that.

 

[veinbuster]

I couldn’t stay happy playing one setup with slight variations, so the go deep and narrow wouldn’t be satisfying to me. I do have a go to sound that I fall back to when I’m just using the guitar as a meditation: McCarty into my Mark III dialed to midnight blues. The guitar might be Dirty 100, or ME or violin but the core of its voice is in the same space.

I like a lot of different tones though. The dramatically different voices lead my to play differently stylistically, harmonically and even level of vigour. There may be a day when I only have space for 4 guitars. When I get there, each will be very different: classical, steel string acoustic, solid body (probably Dirty 100 or violin) and some flavour of hollowbody.

 

[Tag]

Pretty much that’s how I feel. Not that I don’t love my others, not that I don’t have uses for them, but more that I kinda have the urge to concentrate on one concept and see what happens,

I suppose I could just play this one for a while and see if I miss playing the other ones. A sensible person (I’m not) would do that.

I think I could honestly do with any ONE of my guitars except my Gibson L5s. They both have solid tops with floating pups (We all float down here!!) and I need a more electric sound at times.
Taking everything into consideration, my Pomegranate PS is my favorite guitar and if I was forced to only have one, that would be my choice most likely. However, I LOVE my Fender Teles and 594s, and anyone of those would do the trick as well. I have 2 Strats, but I cant get a big hollowbody tone with them like my PRSs or Tele.
What having these different guitars do, is inspire me to play more. Without any doubt. I simply get bored LOOKING at anyone of them, and having the different types and colors make it difficult to walk past them without picking one up. So, I definitely play more with several different guitars. That is always good thing.

 

[Tag]

I couldn’t stay happy playing one setup with slight variations, so the go deep and narrow wouldn’t be satisfying to me. I do have a go to sound that I fall back to when I’m just using the guitar as a meditation: McCarty into my Mark III dialed to midnight blues. The guitar might be Dirty 100, or ME or violin but the core of its voice is in the same space.

I like a lot of different tones though. The dramatically different voices lead my to play differently stylistically, harmonically and even level of vigour. There may be a day when I only have space for 4 guitars. When I get there, each will be very different: classical, steel string acoustic, solid body (probably Dirty 100 or violin) and some flavour of hollowbody.

I owned almost every older boogie known to mankind, and the mark III was my favorite. I think it was a blue stripe. 1/12 combo loaded. Great amp!! The tremoverb is also a killer, but one of the few I never owned.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

I owned pretty much one guitar for a long time. Having a pile is kind of a new thing for me, so I enjoy the variety, but I do feel like I don’t know everything they’re capable of because of that.

I should really stop buying new guitars until I get to know all the ones I already have, I suppose.

 

[veinbuster]

I should really stop buying new guitars until I get to know all the ones I already have, I suppose.

I stopped for 9 years. Most people might get to know what they have faster than that.

 

[bodia]

I stopped for 9 years. Most people might get to know what they have faster than that.

Can't wait for your NGD post!

 

[ViperDoc]

I ebb and flow. I started out with a PRS Soapie II and stuck it hard for years before adding a PRS trem SE. I realized I could get or know all the tonal strengths of that first guitar, and it would more undeniably reveal what it couldn’t do. Now I have a truckload of guitars, some I never play and will move along. But since joining a Rush cover project, the 594 has emerged as the undeniable king of the hill. It only lacks a tremolo for the later material, but Lord does it reign supreme! Depending on the material, a certain guitar (and amp) will rise above the rest. Doesn’t hurt to have a full quiver.

 

[Glide-bpm]

509 and 408 seem to be my ultimate preferences for "The One" thus far.

That might change when my Special 22 Artist Limited Edition shows up, but we'll see.

However, I still love playing all my others like the S2 Studio, 594, Mira, etc...

 

[sergiodeblanc]

509 and 408 seem to be my ultimate preferences for "The One" thus far.

That will change when my Santana shows up

fixed.

 

[Glide-bpm]

fixed.

Sneaky little f@!#$%, aren't you........ aCk!!!

 

[elvis]

I think if you are Santana or Grissom, you are making your own sound. For me, I cover a lot of sounds, so one guitar or tone is out of the question.

 

[László]

I think if you are Santana or Grissom, you are making your own sound. For me, I cover a lot of sounds, so one guitar or tone is out of the question.

True, it’s good that I don’t have to cover a bunch of sounds.

 

[WA Paul]

I’ve been struggling with thoughts like these since my PS build arrived. It does everything I could ask as far as tone, playability, versatility and looks. But, but, I LOVE my other guitars too! Just not as much lately. We’ve accumulated some nasty debts with the major home repairs and my loss of income working part time now with my medical issues, but I can’t bring myself to sell any. I suppose that’s a real test I never planned on taking!

I agree that different guitars can bring out different styles of playing or simply different moods while I’m playing. I do preach diversification!

 

[Deleted member 5962]

I think if you are Santana or Grissom, you are making your own sound. For me, I cover a lot of sounds, so one guitar or tone is out of the question.

This is how I feel as well. Good example being, that crazy stuff Jeff Beck can do would not translate well to switching between different guitars with different trems, scales, headstocks, etc. Doing three things at a time with the right hand and doing it the way he does, requires everything to be exactly the same no matter which guitar he pics up. But I like to play lots of stuff and want to "sound like" what I'm trying to play. And, I just like more variation of tones available. That's why I've struggled with strats as long as I have instead of just giving up on them years ago.

The tradeoffs ARE the lack of ultimate precision when switching between all the different guitars. Even just with my PRS guitars, I have 4 different neck profiles, 2 scale lengths, and three different string guages. But flip to a couple others and you have different headstocks (3x3, 4x2,6 on one side, etc), scale lengths, trems, pegged vs. floating trems, Floyds vs. other trems, fixed bridges, different string guages, different amounts of tension on the trem, etc. So, after playing one for an hour and picking up another, you might narrowly miss a bend or two. Might dive farther than you wanted with the bar at first, etc. There is a precision available when you only use one type of guitar and have them all tuned exactly the way you want, vs. playing multiple guitars.

 

[László]

There is a precision available when you only use one type of guitar and have them all tuned exactly the way you want, vs. playing multiple guitars.

Also, every individual guitar, let alone model, responds differently. So you touch the strings consistently, you get consistent sounds, and you’re concentrating on more of the creative ideas with less conscious thought.

Yes, it can impede tone variety. On the other hand, your mind can be freer to create music. Given the choice between the two, I’d opt for musical creativity.

Granted, sometimes picking up a different instrument ALSO inspires creativity! That’s probably why I have more than one?

Most concert players use only one or two instruments; concert pianists on tour will specify a particular instrument - there are even companies that have the great artists come to test out a bunch for a tour, and handle all the shipping and setup for the one that’s chosen. How the instrument responds to touch and gives the player the tone the player wants is crucial to a performance.

Point is, there’s value in learning the nuances of an instrument. I can also see musical value in having several.

Ah well. I have no idea which is preferable!

 

[László]

I suppose that’s a real test I never planned on taking!

Yeah, the health thing. I’ve taken that test. I always planned to be healthy until I was 1,000. When you’re young, you’re immortal. Who thinks of getting older and plans to have a health issue or two?

 

[WA Paul]

Yeah, the health thing. I’ve taken that test. I always planned to be healthy until I was 1,000. When you’re young, you’re immortal. Who thinks of getting older and plans to have a health issue or two?

Very true! I’m 45, I figured I had at least two more years . Ironic thing is I lost 70lbs and got in the best shape I had been in for at least 20years, then pow! Now re-gained most of the weight and took my collection of docs about six months to figure out what was goin on. I have a good prognosis and my employer has been awesome in supporting my recovery so I count myself lucky!