I know I originally started this thread as a 'trinity' of the 3 guitars that would cover the most tonal variation, the 3 guitars to give you the widest scope for playing any music that you play. In my original post, that meant my 594 for all the vintage Les Paul type tunes with the 509 being the Single Coil Strat/Tele guitar. My Custom 24 was for all the more modern rock/metal as it has higher output PU's and the Trem too - I know the 509 has a trem but I was counting that for as a Strat type model and, like strats, has a trem too. I guess I could have gone with a Cu24 Floyd for the more modern rock & Metal but I felt that this style of trem would be less intimidating...
The only thing missing really was a hollowbody and/or Piezo. Izzy Stradlin made hollowbody guitars work in Rock so I wasn't thinking of Jazz or old blues when I bought my HBii - and won't be thinking that if/when I add a 594 HBii to the collection either.
Now I have my HBii though, its incredibly difficult for me to decide which 3, if I had to narrow it down, would give me the best range to cover any situation. I now understand how difficult that is. At the time I started this, I thought that picking 3 would be a lot easier as most people ask what would be the 'one' guitar, that hypothetical desert island (with an electrical supply) guitar. Instead of being limited to just one, picking 3 should be easy...
Trying to decide which guitar, if any, my HBii could replace if I had to narrow it down is very difficult. The closest is perhaps the 594 - same PU's but the HBii is hollow and has a Piezo whilst the 594 is solid and offers coil splitting for more versatility. Would it then replace the Cu24 which is a double humbucker guitar with just a 5way - but also has 24 frets and different PU's - more different sounding. It can't replace the 509 as that is 'unique' and the only guitar with a more tele/stratty sound - point is, I can make a valid case for every one of the 4 as to why it should be one of the 3. I guess if really pushed, I would think my HBii would replace my 594 in the trinity - just because the HBii offers more with the hollowbody tones and of course the Acoustic type Piezo tone too - thus replacing any actual acoustic. Between this the 509 and Cu24, I could cover a lot of what the 594 would be included for....
If/when I do get my 594 HBii, I would think that could very easily be interchangeable with the Solid 594. In a lot of ways, the 594 HBii is much more of an 'indulgence' - A guitar that I (almost) don't need and more just want. Between my current 594 and HBii, the Hollowbody 594 doesn't seem to add much to my range of choices. Only the 'split' coil options add something my HBii doesn't offer - basically 5 different tonal options but the HBii adds the Piezo. That's why I do think the 594 HBii would be a self indulgent (more so than any of the others which can be argued as self indulgent LOL), something I don't 'need' for any particular song, sound etc that my current range already covers. Its not a guitar that I can 'justify' its inclusion in my collection as much as I can the rest if that makes sense.
I only have 4 electrics and an Acoustic and can totally see why others have struggled to pick just 3 as their 'Holy Trinity' - the 3 guitars that can cover anything they may need tonally. At the very least though, if people get to post their '3' guitar pictures, I get to look at some awesome guitars in their collections...