What’s your Holy Grail hit rate?

[Egads]

Yeah, tough question. Hit rate almost implies lifetime of buying guitars. Even taking just current guitars that I would consider Holy Grails, times and tastes change. Before I could afford more than one or two electrics, I always only bought what I thought was the perfect guitar at the time. As time moved on, I would look for the next perfect guitar and trade the previous perfect guitar!

When I could afford to have more than one or two, and after inheriting my dad's collection, I felt more able to experiment. Gigging Me, twenty years ago, never would have bought the SE One I got a couple weeks ago, but now, I'm really glad I did. Holy Grail? No, but so much fun!

So, FOR NOW, I have four guitars that I cannot imagine selling. Two for sentimental reasons (one of which for tone and playability as well--the Brunner), and two for overall tone, playability, looks, and enjoyment.

1960 Fender Jazzmaster (my dad's Holy Grail)

2018 Brunner acoustic (Custom build tribute to my dad)

2013 PRS SC HB II

2008 PRS 513

Another close to Holy Grail is a 2006 Anniversary Strat that sounds better than any Strat I've ever played. Unfortunately, it is a definite second fiddle to the 513.

 

[dmatthews]

That McRosie has some of the most perfect flame I have ever seen. What a good looking guitar!

Thanks Rick.
That shot was taken the morning after I got it. It was in the open case in the trunk of my car at my office parking lot. The light hit it perfectly.
It is somewhat less visually striking in regular light and/or at other angles.

 

[11top]

I dunno, but these guys showed up recently to jam and I wouldn’t let them in due to social distancing.



I guess maybe the dude in front right gets it.

 

[Egads]

Ah, coconuts!

 

[dmatthews]

I dunno, but these guys showed up recently to jam and I wouldn’t let them in due to social distancing.

They could have hung out with your shrubbery.

 

[DISTORT6]

Undisputed and undefeated #1

 

[Akared]

I voted 20% -- from my very limited experience with all of my guitars (non-PRS guitars included). As for PRS, I owned 4 and there are 2 that I cannot see myself parting with and those being a 2005 CU24 and 53/10 limited. It is funny how I bond with the CU24 more than I do with the ME1.
As a side note, I do not think I have found my holy grail yet -- never really touched any of the private stock guitars.

 

[bodia]

They could have hung out with your shrubbery.

Ni!

 

[matonanjin]

[QUOTE="bodia, post: 563486, member: 8222"]I don't know that I have any "Holy Grail" guitars. Depends on what you're talking about. I did vote 20%, but that's based on my line of thinking. For example, my WL-509 is EXACTLY what I was looking for in a 509. So, for me, I'm not going to get a "better" 509. Therefore, I would consider this a "Holy Grail" in my tiny little mind. [/QUOTE]


I'm in the same somewhat nebulous position as bodia. I have 7 guitars, 3 of which are PRS. Of course, those three are my favorites. But to choose one that is "holy grail"?

I have my Pauls, my HB 1 and my new Santana. And any that have followed my search for my Santana would probably predict it as my "holy grail". But actually if the "holy grail" in interpretation is similar to the "desert island" question I would come very close to picking the HB I. I love the tone, the playability, an, one consideration always at the front of my mind, the weight. When I pick it up I know that it won't be a short while and I have to put it down.

So is my answer 1/7 = 14% or is it 3/7 = 43%? I went with the former (and the closest answer is 10%)

 

[docteurseb]

I put that at 5% having done so many Strat-style builds since the early 2000s I can only remember a handful that were keepers (didn't keep them anyways, I enjoy building and can't keep them all around).

Until a few months ago my oldest one was 14 years, a gold leaf Stat with Fender neck; loved the tone of it and the looks but ultimately my taste for neck shapes changed considerably.
Now my two oldest guitars are only 2-3 years old and are both Clapton Strat-style builds (one in candy green over gold leaves, the other in PRS Northern lights style finish).
One of them is just about perfect for me. The other will probably go, I just can't admit it because it looks so great and I spent too much making it.

The recent Paul's Guitar I got is likely here to stay: neck feels awesome, it's light, sounds great, and looks incredible.
The MEV Experience might replace it if the neck feels as good, if it looks as good (hard to beat) and is as light (even harder).
Other than that have 3 CU24s but I anticipate only keeping one in the very near future, the Paul's Guitar being partially to blame for that due to the neck shape.

 

[Callan]

My first electric was a Peavey tele made of MDF, then I got a Gibson USA standard, then us dlx strat.

The 2 us made guitars aren't terrible (or perfect), but since discovering PRS I feel like every guitar is another holy grail.

Maybe my standards are just lower because of the guitars I played early on, but I struggle to find faults with any of my PRS guitars. There were some pickups that I didn't love, but that's personal taste and once changed have become keepers.

 

[dogrocketp]

I spend 8 years buying and flipping PRS guitars to make money to buy better PRS guitars. Every one I currently have has something extraordinary that tells me don’t sell. I have a beautiful SE 245 that will go out the door, the last one to go. Why? I bought an Orange SE Singlecut to flip. I took it apart, cleaned it, set it up, plugged It in and fell over. I like orange as much as Sergio likes blue, but this one is staying. It’s the best sounding SE I ever heard. And I have too many, and they ain’t going anywhere.

 

[Davey]

Ni!

What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?”

 

[dmatthews]

What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?”

African or European?

 

[Davey]

As of right now, definitely keeping both my CE22's and wood library CU24 floyd. I'd have to include my Celebrity Ovation Acoustic as it was birthday present from my wife.

My SE Paul's, LP Studio and Ibanez RG could probably leave without much arguement, but only because I could reaplce those with more PRSi.

 

[Davey]

African or European?

An African swallow maybe, but not a European swallow. But African swallows are non-migratory.

 

[dmatthews]

An African swallow maybe, but not a European swallow. But African swallows are non-migratory.

I don't know.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa................

 

[Tonart]

It’s serendipity but my very first PRS turned out to be a personal holy grail.

The sheet intensity of its inherent tone is unmatched within my collection. Every note is like dollops of power squeezed into a small bandwidth - an acoustic laser beam. And it takes so little force to make the string go nuclear, it’s almost like magic. Like an acoustic Ferrari.

The look and feel takes my breath away every time. You get a momentary sense of being lost in moment picking gazing at it; it fills your vision. Feels so solid that you derive a sense of strength and quality holding it. Fretting feels so effortless precise and smooth, again conveying that sense of something exquisite and precious.

I have other personal holy grails that give me the same feeling, that take my breath away in a similar manner, but this guitar encapsulates it best.

Alas these holy grails are so so rare. But when stars align and it happens, it’s really something to behold!

 

[Tonart]

It’s one of those things that makes me appreciate being alive (consciousness) , that you’re there to experience it. The thing with guitars and musical instruments too, is that it’s a multi-sensory experience with sound, touch and sight. As opposed to say a scenic view, which is a perfectly good thing!

 

[Tahlee]

It’s been my experience that sometimes you only realize that a guitar should have been a keeper after you’ve sold it. I hate it when I do that.