Lifetime Keeper

tiboy

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Confession time. Who here has publicly declared a guitar as a "Lifetime Keeper" only to move it on in life? Name that guitar(s).
 
Oh gawd, where do I start? First year Clapton Strat in 7Up green. Wanted a LP and traded it in on a LP Studio Plus. Couldn't afford to keep more than one guitar. First year Music Man EVH in hot pink. Still couldn't afford more than one guitar so I traded it in on a 96 McCarty. Which became another "lifetime keeper". Sadly, I had to sell that to pay an unexpected tax bill. Now that there's more disposable income, I hope to never go through that again!
 
I don't think I have ever publicly declared a guitar a lifetime keeper. Probably because I knew I'd eat those words if made public. In the spirit of the thread I am sure I have named a guitar...or two...lifetime keepers to friends. The only one of those guitars that I have sold was a DGT. I had a DGT from the 2010 Experience run with Pernambuco necks. That guitar was a monster. So nice, I sold it twice?! Not sure that's how that is suppose to go, but you get the idea.
 
The only one of those guitars that I have sold was a DGT. I had a DGT from the 2010 Experience run with Pernambuco necks. That guitar was a monster. So nice, I sold it twice?! Not sure that's how that is suppose to go, but you get the idea.
That was/is a great guitar from a fantastic run.
I'm surprised s many people forgot to keep it.
 
My lifer is the Emerald Green Cu24 AP in my avatar. It's the first PRS I got and it still compares to the best I have very favorably. It's just a fantastic guitar. I've never been tempted to sell it.
 
I've kept my HBII in that regard for over a decade, don't plan on breaking that vow.
 
For me, it was a black 2010 Jackson Soloist SL-1. I loved the neck, the light weight, and the 80s approved JB tones, really everything except the royal PITA of restringing the @#%& Floyd Rose. Barely had it three months before my financial life spectacularly crashed and burned. Stuff happens for a reason, though, and my newfound frugal nature got me to start trying used guitars instead of always buying new, which led me to my 1990 EG-3. Probably not the greatest message to put out on a forum for a guitar manufacturer depending on new sales, I know... ;-)
 
I've done it so many times. Even worse, I've ordered custom guitars I waited 2 years for and sold them the day I got them. Even before I was a dealer, I used to buy around 100 guitars a year just to try as many as possible out. My Gear Acquisition Syndrome is definitely worse now though..especially because PRS emails a really cool list of one off guitars once in a while...
 
Not so much a "lifetime keeper" thing, but for a long time I assumed I was a Les Paul guy. I'd periodically try other guitars, but none of them held my interest and within a week I'd find myself grabbing my Les Paul again.

As a Les Paul guy I worked my way up from an Epiphone to a used Standard, to an R6, then R9. Once I had the R9 I figured it was my "lifetime keeper" simply because there wasn't a whole lot of room to move up at that point and I wasn't finding anything that sounded any better.

Upon 'discovering' PRS I sold all my Les Pauls except the R9. It's no longer my #1... but I don't think I'll sell it.
 
Went thru 5-6 Gibson ES-347s back when they were readily available cheaply. Kept the "best" one as my "forever" guitar. That lasted over 20 years, by which time I had moved on to something I liked better. Then something came up as a trade offer for something I really wanted......In the meantime, an original Swamp Ash Special was one of THREE guitars that pretty much took its place for playing live. I still have it, but seldom play it any more.
I am hesitant to call anything my current lifetime keeper. There are a few Singlecut Private Stocks that I have turned down offers on, and do not expect them to go anywhere. Same goes for that DGT with Perny neck. But, that said, there is one certain Huber Dolphin II that almost always seems to end up in my hands when I am doing something that HAS to come out exactly right.
 
I'm not sure I've ever made the "lifetime keeper" statement, somewhat for the same reason as JFB. The only one I've said I'd not sell was my 1st PRS and I still have it. Suppose that's kinda the same thing. I can't ever picture selling it or my PS.
 
Oh gawd, where do I start? First year Clapton Strat in 7Up green. Wanted a LP and traded it in on a LP Studio Plus. Couldn't afford to keep more than one guitar. First year Music Man EVH in hot pink. Still couldn't afford more than one guitar so I traded it in on a 96 McCarty. Which became another "lifetime keeper". Sadly, I had to sell that to pay an unexpected tax bill. Now that there's more disposable income, I hope to never go through that again!


That pink MM must have been amazing! I saw one in a store here and wished I had the money to buy it.
I've had so many great guitars that I had to let go of due to no personal reason of my own, but due to family obligations. I learned a long time ago not to call any guitar I get as a lifetime keeper, but I may have to reneg on that with the 594. I know I will never let go of the Golden Dragon XOX Audio Tools Handle I designed and ordered either, or my one-off custom pink Vigier.

I'm finally getting to the point in my life where I have owned so many of each type of guitar I wanted, that I am starting to become satisfied with what I currently have. Hell, it only took 59+ years, but at least it did happen.
 
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That pink MM must have been amazing! I saw one in a store here and wished I had the money to buy it.
I've had so many great guitars that I had to let go of due to no personal reason of my own, but due to family obligations. I learned a long time ago not to call any guitar I get as a lifetime keeper, but I may have to reneg on that with the 594. I know I will never let go of the Golden Dragon XOX Audio Tools Handle I designed and ordered either, or my one-off custom pink Vigier.

I'm finally getting to the point in my life where I have owned so many of each type of guitar I wanted, that I am starting to become satisfied with what I currently have. Hell, it only too 59+ years, but at least it did happen.

Off all the guitars I've owned over the years, that EVH was my favorite neck.
 
I expect to keep this for my lifetime, subject to the original owner wanting it back and perhaps with a visit to another member when he is in a country it can be taken to.
CK_04ViolaTopDetail.JPG
 
I've got two guitars which aren't going anywhere. The reason is simple. The wife helped me pick out these two guitars, she REALLY likes the way they look, they are "her favorites" in my collection and therefore, they aren't going anywhere. Simple.

1:
PRS_SwampAshStudio_1698.jpg


2:
PRS2016_McCarty594.jpg


And as an "Honorable Mention", my wife also really likes "the camouflage guitar" which is actually a Mark Holcomb signature model.
PRS-MH2015_2470x1280.jpg


These are not for sale. Ever. :)
 
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