The downside to multiple guitars......

[Matte82]

I've been playing guitar since late 1977, although with nearly 30 year of barely playing at all when life got busy. I'm not a terrible player but I'm an EXTREMELY limited player and I just don't need all of those subtilely different voices to get just the perfect tone for a particular passage. And if I have those options, they become too much of the point, when what I really need to be doing, and what I really derive pleasure from doing is just jamming on certain stuff and learning some new technique or type of riff or line or chord progression. I was happy with just a strat for a very very long time - it was only about the music and never about the instrument. At this point I seem to prefer having two instruments, both for the perspective check and a change of pace, and, as noted, a binary choice seems to be really easy for me to deal with each time I sit down to play. Particularly with instruments as vastly different as a strat and a 594. So, two is as good as or maybe marginally better than one for me at this point. But I'm learning I don't seem to like having MORE than two because then the shadings get too subtle for a quick decision and the shadings take on too much importance and, in my case, that's coming at the expense of the music.

So more is obviously more, but for ME (and I'm not recommending this for anyone else, just recognizing it about myself) less appears to be better. I'm closing on 60. If I somehow get a lot better and more versatile in the next 5-10 years (which isn't impossible - I've made a lot of progress in the year or so I've been back to playing a lot again), maybe I'll reconsider. But for now, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna return the soapbar II - probably better get on it before Guitar Center goes under for good!

-Ray

Fair enough. And I was mostly just being facetious. Probably even a bit jealous of your self control. Mostly just trying to be an enabler of this addiction many of us seem to be bitten by. So I hope you didn’t take anything I said as critical. Indeed enjoying playing music is what is paramount for anyone imo. And some people like many colors to choose from. And some people can somehow get by with only a couple. As long as you’re enjoying the journey, nothing else matters.

 

[RaySachs]

Fair enough. And I was mostly just being facetious. Probably even a bit jealous of your self control. Mostly just trying to be an enabler of this addiction many of us seem to be bitten by. So I hope you didn’t take anything I said as critical. Indeed enjoying playing music is what is paramount for anyone imo. And some people like many colors to choose from. And some people can somehow get by with only a couple. As long as you’re enjoying the journey, nothing else matters.

I didn't take any of it as critical - just expressing a different preference. To take your logic in a slightly different direction, some people like many colors to choose from. But instead of saying some people can somehow get by with only a couple, I'd put it more in terms of some people can't handle too many because they get so caught up looking at all of the pretty colors they forget to paint anything with them. I seem to be thusly limited.

Don't get me wrong - I LOVE guitars. There's a side of me that would love to have walls full of them, I pretty much never go into a guitar store and don't wish I was walking out with another one. I just know that they end up being more of a handicap to me than a help. I'm jealous of those of you who can own a bunch of them and find good uses for them and not be hampered by the mental clutter - I sort of wish I was built that way. But when I'm honest with myself, it's pretty clear I'm not.

I'm the same way with effects too, BTW. I like some reverb and a bit of delay in dialing in my basic sound (but I almost never touch them once I have them set) and then I like an OD pedal I can turn on and off depending on circumstances (and a boost basically just to equalize output between my single coil and humbucker options). But I don't have any modulation effects, no chorus, no flanger, no tremolo, etc. I have a wah pedal mostly because of memories of my youth - if I use it once every month or two it's a lot. I remember when I was first learning to play, I'd get hold of a fuzz box or a chorus pedal and I'd just make a bunch of noise to hear all of the swirly fuzzy stuff but would forget to actually PLAY anything with it. I'm not a beginner anymore but I still seem to have that same disease. I'm better with fewer options. I'd probably be best off with just a single guitar, an acoustic. But I just like the sound of an electric guitar, and my ability (limited as it is) to make it sing and scream a bit, too much to go THAT minimalist.

One more clue: I'm a much much MUCH better photographer than a musician. I've been doing it for even longer, had a similarly long layoff from doing it seriously, but have made money and pleased a lot of people (including myself) with my photography. But after about 50 years of that, I'm still a much better black and white photographer than color. I've gotten pretty good with color - the possibilities don't overwhelm me like they used to - but B&W still feels right and natural and an easier way for ME to arrange the elements into a pleasing image. So I guess I'm just wired funny!

-Ray

 

[Ned Nerdin]

I've been an avowed acoustic guitarist most of my playing life. I progressed through cheap ones, to nicer ones to really nice ones to custom orders from the factory to having an individual builder create something specifically for me. I've settled on two from the same luthier that were built for me. They are wonderful instruments.

Since I was so deep into acoustic guitars, I didn't give much thought to electric guitars. I had one inexpensive electric guitar that I would "goof around" with, but I just didn't consider them seriously.

I started to play a little more electric guitar, and decided to buy something decent. I didn't want to get in "too deep", so I went safe and found a Strat I liked. It wasn't too much (especially compared to the acoustics) and that seemed fine. After having the Fender for a while, I decided I need a Gibson as well. I picked up a Les Paul. It sounded different than the Strat and played different than the Strat.

The Les Paul was exactly what you expect from a modern Gibson. The finish was a little sloppy and it didn't stay in tune very well. The biggest issues was I was ALWAYS accidentally pulling the first string off the fret. I think the nut slot for the high e was in the wrong position placing the string too close to the edge of the fretboard. That guitar was infuriating to play. It was an expensive instrument and (for me) a disappointment. It was pretty, though.

I had a very fortunate work occurrence in 2016 and decided to treat myself to a really nice electric guitar. After a LOT of research I decided to get either a PRS of to have something built specifically for me. I ended up getting the PRS because I didn't want to wait. Still being primarily an acoustic guitarist, I decided to "split the difference" and get a hollowbody electric. I found a gorgeous Hollowbody II artist package and snatched it up.

You can probably guess how this story is going to proceed. The Strat played nice. The Les Paul hung on the wall and looked pretty. I had also picked up a high-end Telecaster and a custom shop Gibson 339 prior to the PRS hollowbody (these are different, and less interesting stories) . All these guitars (except the Les Paul) got relatively equal playing time. If I HAD to choose a #1 from these choices it would have been the Tele, but not by much. The PRS changed everything. The guitar feels right. Setting it up is effortless. It took me quite a while to get the Fenders set up to my preference. The PRS took about 15 minutes. It's been perfect ever since and hasn't budged. It's ALWAYS in tune. The feel of the neck (satin finished maple) is perfect. The darn thing is also ridiculously pretty. And the sound.......It has a depth of sound that isn't matched by my other instruments. From clean to crunch to dirt there's more in the PRS than the other guitars. The difference between the neck and the bridge pick up sounds are very diverse. The tone pot actually makes a difference throughout its entire range.

Once you get something good, you want more of it. That's the downside to multiple guitars. I have the Hollowbody II AP. I now have an AP CU24-08 on order. I just picked up a Vela. The Les Paul and my first Strat are gone (although I do have a couple of different Strats that serve different purposes). Now, I'm looking at the 339 and think, "Do I need that guitar?"

I know, this post is too long, Whatever. I've enjoyed writing it as I sip my coffee. If I'm not playing guitar, I might as well be writing about guitar.

Fair enough. And I was mostly just being facetious. Probably even a bit jealous of your self control. Mostly just trying to be an enabler of this addiction many of us seem to be bitten by. So I hope you didn’t take anything I said as critical. Indeed enjoying playing music is what is paramount for anyone imo. And some people like many colors to choose from. And some people can somehow get by with only a couple. As long as you’re enjoying the journey, nothing else matters.

I went to a Santana concert in Vegas a few years ago and became in love with PRS guitars. I bought my PRS in April of 2016 and though I own over 20 guitars, my PRS customer 24 has become my main go to guitar. I love the feel, the sound, especially with the Archon 25 watt amps is just what I have been searching for over my 50 year guitar playing experience. I am currently looking at possibly getting a PRS Hollowbody II Carved Figured Maple Top with Nickel Hardware Charcoal Burst but am holding out for a different color. My current PRS is Bloodorange and I love that color. Keep making great guitars Paul and company.

 

[markie]

The down side is.................. Changing strings

 

[bodia]

The down side is.................. Changing strings

Ain't that the truth!

 

[veinbuster]

The down side is.................. Changing strings

That’s why you have to invite your friends over.

 

[dcm_guitar]

That’s why you have to invite your friends over.

Would you REALLY trust your friends to change the strings on your guitars? I'd invite my friends over, I'd enjoy their company, I let them play any guitar I have, but nobody but me is changing the strings. I just don't trust anyone else.

I think I have a problem........

 

[markie]

That’s why you have to invite your friends over.

Tried that with Sleeby. He did one guitar & played it. He then proceeded to test each guitar after I restrung them!

 

[veinbuster]

Tried that with Sleeby. He did one guitar & played it. He then proceeded to test each guitar after I restrung them!

You just put him on the wrong end of the assembly line.
I would have done at least 4, as long as you didn't put any perny in front of me too soon.

 

[veinbuster]

Would you REALLY trust your friends to change the strings on your guitars? I'd invite my friends over, I'd enjoy their company, I let them play any guitar I have, but nobody but me is changing the strings. I just don't trust anyone else.

I think I have a problem........

I have some very trust worthy friends. GCRon would even tweak the truss rod if needed and make everything perfect.