The Chase For 'The Best'

It's a good thing I don't have more money. I'd just blow it on studio stuff and instruments, and then be in the same boat I'm in now! ;)
You would maybe be in the same boat, but you would be sipping Château Lafite Rothschild instead of Boones Farm! I think you are fine where you are at anyway best I can tell ;~))
 
I fall into the "best for you" category when I buy things. What comes to mind for me is just I bought a bottle of Makers Mark. Sure, there are much better craft whiskeys/bourbons out there, but I just like a whiskey and ginger every now and then and thus don't want to waste a better whiskey on that. Same with guitars. I don't need a private stock. Non-10 core is completely fine.

For me there's a difference between mixing liquor and sipping liquor. Maker's is great for mixing but for sipping I personally prefer Balcones or Garrison Bros. YMMV. But also, I'd never use crap liquor for mixing, because "garbage in, garbage out"...

Not sure how this translates into the guitar world, but I think nearly all of my guitars are "mixing liquor". They do what's needed, and they're "good enough" for my standards, and again YMMV.

Using sipping liquor in a mixed drink is, to me, a waste. Ergo, I don't see any Private Stocks in my future. I'll admire from a distance, but I don't actually 'need' one anymore than I 'need' a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle. Will I have some if offered? Of course! Do I feel I need to have it? Nah...
 
For me there's a difference between mixing liquor and sipping liquor.
That's a good analogy!

Though...

My favorite drink is a martini, very dry. I've found that a good gin like Hendricks or Monkey 47 makes for a different (I think better) tasting martini than, say, Tamqueray, Bombay, etc.

Maybe it's because my formula isn't 1/3 vermouth, it's about 1/8 vermouth. The vermouth makes a difference, too - I like Dolin.

And this might seem weird, but I've found it to be true: the thing about stirring resulting in a more flavorful drink than shaking, the bruising the gin thing? It's a fact, and apparently the reason is because when shaken, some of the stuff in the gin evaporates quickly. I've experimented with several gins, side by side, and get the same result every time, though shaking the martini does have its merit, the drink gets colder, faster.

I need to get the Ouija Board out and discuss this with Ian Fleming! ;)

But I have found that in mixed drinks with strongly mixed additional ingredients, as long as the whiskey is decent, it matters less.

The sad fact of my existence is that I just got put on a med last week where drinking is strongly discouraged. Becoming an ancient relic sucks (I know, it beats the alternative)! So I haven't had so much as a sip. Bah!
 
Not sure how this translates into the guitar world, but I think nearly all of my guitars are "mixing liquor". They do what's needed, and they're "good enough" for my standards, and again YMMV.

I've found that a good gin like Hendricks or Monkey 47 makes for a different (I think better) tasting martini than, say, Tamqueray, Bombay, etc.

Seems that we all have our personal 'sweet spot' be it in guitars, drinks or many other things. It's not purely binary. @László's 'I never drink the cheap stuff' is true but not only is desirability a spectrum but it's multi-dimensional with other factors like cost adding influence.

For many situations 'mixing liquor' is not only good enough but optimal, like a Hendricks martini. Very few of us play Private Stock exclusively.

And what's nice about mixed drinks, SEs & ... are that it's not just the basic ingredients but how you add the personal touch to mix the drink, mod the guitar or, for example, raise a kid.
 
The best PRS is the one that YOU prefer and puts a smile on your face when you play it. I have 2 .. a 1990 CE24 and 1994 CE22. Both solid colors .. RED and BLACK. They may be the most anti-PRS PRS guitars out there .. bolt on necks, no less. I've owned 2 McCartys and one Tremonti .. all sold. The CE's are staying put!
 
For many situations 'mixing liquor' is not only good enough but optimal, like a Hendricks martini. Very few of us play Private Stock exclusively.
Well, Hendricks is the good stuff, or at least on the good stuff list. The cost is about 40% higher than Bombay or Tanqueray, but in a martini where gin dominates, I think it's worth it. Kind of like a Core PRS, if you will.

Monkey 47 is twice the cost of the Hendricks. I'd classify that as Private Stock, though I'm sure one can find something even costlier. For a special occasion, sometimes worth it. But I'll usually be very content with the Hendricks, though I don't turn up my nose at Bombay or others.

Or I should say, 'was'. instead of the present tense, since right now I'm simply not allowed alcohol at all due to new meds I'm on that have been causing dizziness (I'm told my body will acclimate to the meds - riiiiight!). :(
 
The best PRS is the one that YOU prefer and puts a smile on your face when you play it. I have 2 .. a 1990 CE24 and 1994 CE22. Both solid colors .. RED and BLACK. They may be the most anti-PRS PRS guitars out there .. bolt on necks, no less. I've owned 2 McCartys and one Tremonti .. all sold. The CE's are staying put!
Oh man, they're not anti-PRS! They're fantastic guitars!
 
Well, Hendricks is the good stuff, or at least on the good stuff list. The cost is about 40% higher than Bombay or Tanqueray, but in a martini where gin dominates, I think it's worth it. Kind of like a Core PRS, if you will.

Monkey 47 is twice the cost of the Hendricks. I'd classify that as Private Stock, though I'm sure one can find something even costlier. For a special occasion, sometimes worth it. But I'll usually be very content with the Hendricks, though I don't turn up my nose at Bombay or others.

Or I should say, 'was'. instead of the present tense, since right now I'm simply not allowed alcohol at all due to new meds I'm on that have been causing dizziness (I'm told my body will acclimate to the meds - riiiiight!). :(
I have been having memory issues with this new statin so I get the bad side effects thing. I had this issue when they put me on a different one years ago. It did eventually go away back then but I would literally be playing a gig and not remember what chord was next in the song I was playing. Thankfully I had played the songs so many times that my hands just kind of took over and went where they were supposed to go. I plan on bringing this up with both of my doctors this month. I can't remember things that are common and usually easy to recall during conversations. it is getting frustrating.
 
I have been having memory issues with this new statin so I get the bad side effects thing. I had this issue when they put me on a different one years ago. It did eventually go away back then but I would literally be playing a gig and not remember what chord was next in the song I was playing. Thankfully I had played the songs so many times that my hands just kind of took over and went where they were supposed to go. I plan on bringing this up with both of my doctors this month. I can't remember things that are common and usually easy to recall during conversations. it is getting frustrating.
I can totally relate.

I was switched to a different med the day before yesterday because of side effects. Some improved, some haven't yet. I feel like a walking science experiment!
 
What’s best is simply what functions the best in the use I bought it for. That has nothing to do with money, and everything to do with meaningfulness. Sometimes it costs more, sometimes it’s used, but it should always be the most useful to me. I do subscribe to Kaizen, but it is always in regards to people, better relationships and self improvement. The exception is my partner. While I strive to improve my part of our relationship, she is already the best I could want. Everyone hits the jackpot at some point in their lives.
 
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