How picky are you about guitars?

[DRF]

I've been pondering this about others and their seemingly craziness for the most minute of details. Also been spending some time lurking on other forums and man o man are guys crazy...the old "I just spent $4000 bux on a custom boutique and didn't bond with it" !!!.

I've got like 20 different guitars and would gig with any one of them in a heartbeat and they will sound great. So long as it doesn't have tiny frets and shitty action,I'm good to go. I'll also confess that 90% of the guitars I bought are right off the internet-untouched beforehand.

I can pretty much tell if I'll love a guitar just by looking at it and the specs. A little time to set it up and voila!.

As a guy once said the neck that is your favorite is the one you spent 2 weeks on getting used to. Maybe its because I hate playing one type of guitar that I'm not picky.

How about you,just how picky are you? how many guitars do you own and are they different?.

[lazz]

I own 3 and I love all of them, I go through phases where I can't put one down but I play them all and they all have strengths and weaknesses. At the moment it's my classic 60s player strat that I'm into but I'm really not that fussy about them
if it has a nice neck then that's a decent starting point for me

[Lurcher]

Okay, I'm going to exclude my specialist guitars (Electro-Acoustic, Electric 12 string and bass) and say I have 3 electric 6 string models.
I have a Cort EVL-K6 which is a classy beast of a shredder. I recently bought an Ellis Les Paul with more than Page wiring and there's my old Yamaha RGX211. Each of these is a delight in its own way but right now there are overlaps between the Cort and the Yammy. I love the Yammy 25" scale and single locking trem. So simple compared with the Floyd types we see today. But its tone was never the strong point. I upgraded the pups to an original Bill Lawrence at the bridge and a DiMarzio soap bar at the neck which was a massive improvement on the stock ones. So my plan is to do a bit of cut & paste and put the Ellis' overwound Wilkinsons in that and get a pair of Hot Slags instead. That should give the harder edge I like and make the Yammy a better backup for either of the others.
The Cort is far more versatile than many would think from its spec. I suspect the clever combination of tonewoods gives it the versatility and brings the very best out of the active pups.
The Ellis LP is already something of an enigma. I just have to pick it up first every day and re-learn some of the styles I used to work with in the regular gigging days with Gibsons and other quality hard-tails. Tone-wise it goes where none of the others can get near, so it certainly has a place of its own in my range.
Now I only need a LP with P90s, a 3-pup SG, a Rikki and an ES175 and I'm set. (Oh the GAS)

Brian

[JIM'S GoldTOP]

I have 2 electrics but I only play my LP. It is one of the best guitars I have ever played. I don't really want any other electrics b/c that will be compition towards my LP. I don't want to choose between guitars. I am very picky on my guitars. I only play the best ones I have and the other ones just sit and gather dust.

[cmcoram]

I agree that we can be picky. I know I am. Over the last 22 years, I've owned 3 Les Pauls (Ibanez Lawsuit Era, MIK Epi, MIJ Epi), 6 Strats (one MIA, 3 MIMs, one MIK, and a MIJ), and two Teles (both Squiers, made in ?). Right now, its one Les, one Strat, and one Tele. For me its about versatility. No one guitar can do it all for me. But a room full? Not for me either.

As for my specific pickiness, I like black Les Paul Customs and TobaccoBurst Classics, Oly White or Black Strats with maple boards, and White/Black/Burst Teles, bound or solid, with maple necks (sometimes a Strat neck is good too), and three pups. All have to have wiring mods, for series/parallel, blend, etc.

Is that too picky?

[hbucker]

I find that if it's a quality instrument, I can bond with it in some form. Doesn't matter if it's a $200 OLP or an R9. Some of the greatest classic tones were made on instruments that cork sniffers would never be caught dead playing. So what does that say?

I find that I have my own set of standards that I look for in guitars and amps. When I'm seriously auditioning an amp, nobody in the room would be impressed with what I'm playing. I strum and listen for over tones with fairly simple chords. Sometimes I play more agressively. But I find find that if the basic tones are o.k. Eruption will sound fine too...

Bottom line: I'm picky about what I'm picky about, but over all, I'm not that picky... or something.

[captcoolaid]

Do not care what condition it is in when I play it for the first I either gel with it or don't. Tone off the rack I also do not care about because chances are it is getting modded. All about the neck.

[Perrow]

How picky?

It got to have strings, preferably six of them but I do play a ukulele from time to time, so it's not a hard and fast rule. In a pinch I'd play a Fender or even a Gibson even though I own neither.

Then again, I'd be stretching it quite far if I said I can actually play the guitar. Sure I know a bunch of chords and have two electrics, an acoustic and said ukulele (technically the acoustic is borrowed and the uke is my sons, but I use them both) and can play a few songs, kind of, if I can have the book in front of me, but not what I myself would call a player at this stage. Getting there, but not there yet.

[SGMM]

Very....nowadays anyway....have owned & sold WAY too many so now I'm much more selective & try to only buy keepers....& big necks being most important to me that negates alot of possible guitar purchases!!


After many years & many guitars: I prefer having fewer guitars now....& playing the guitars I really love more not playing a certain guitar because I haven't played it in months!!

[Deftone]

Originally Posted by SGMM

Very....nowadays anyway....have owned & sold WAY too many so now I'm much more selective & try to only buy keepers....& big necks being most important to me that negates alot of possible guitar purchases!!

After many years & many guitars: I prefer having fewer guitars now....& playing the guitars I really love more not playing a certain guitar because I haven't played it in months!!

+1. I'm trying to get my collection down to just my favorites. I currently have four, but I want to keep just two. I'm totally on the fence over one guitar; it's for sale, but if it doesn't sell, I'm not going to be unhappy.

[paulatics]

i have to play it before buying it, i have only bought one guitar without playing and got lucky with my jp2. i like low action and great tone, my collection includes buckers, noiseless single coils and p90's. i am trying to narrow my collection but it is very hard to do. i sold one last month and im down to 17 guitars would like to get down to about 10.

[zontar]

I have to play them before I buy them, and I have spent months looking for a new one.

The last one I bought I spent about 9 months deciding--part of that was saving up more money for it though.

For me I can tell as soon as I hold a guitar if I don't like it--then I play it--and it says more to me.

I always play it unplugged first, unless it's already plugged in and handed to me.

The sound unplugged will tell you a lot about a guitar.
If it sounds good unplugged, but not plugged in, you can change the pickups or electronics and get a better sound.
If it doesn't sound good unplugged, you probably can't save it.

My guitars are different by design. I like different sounds, and when I play them I do different things.

The closest ones would be my three solidbodies with humbuckers--but even those differ.
My LP copy is the oldest of those, and I'm going to be putting in some good pickups as I like the sound unplugged, but not plugged in. It will have a P-Rail in the neck and a JB in the bridge. I plan the wire the P-Rail for humbucker, P-90 & rail. The JB will be set up for series/parallel/coil split.

The Les Paul has a Duncan Distortion in the bridge and a Seymourizer II (Now called a Duncan Distortion II) in the neck. With the maple top it has a stinging tone. Both are wired for series/parallel.

My Iceman is all mahogany, and it sounds different from the Les Paul and the copy. It's stock.

They all have different tones, and feels to them.

My others are more different, but I love them all.

My future plans for buying guitars include types I don't have for more variety.

[MyJuniorRocks]

The sound unplugged will tell you a lot about a guitar.
If it sounds good unplugged, but not plugged in, you can change the pickups or electronics and get a better sound.
If it doesn't sound good unplugged, you probably can't save it.

This I also agree with. They need to be resonant when unplugged. I've got 25 guitars, some bass, some acoustic but its the electrics I have that are most important.
I've got a strat built by a friend of mine. When I plug it into an amp it sustains fantastically. Feedback almost on cue. It's a delight to play.
I've got an R7. Sounds ok acoustically but when it's plugged in, it just doesn't do it. Forget trying to play parisienne walkways. Notes just don't take off.
Flying v Faded. Unbelievable. It's totally alive when plugged in. Almost plays itself. If ever you have played a guitar that is like this, you'll understand what I mean.

67 SG Jr. same as the faded V. It's just alive. The way the amp reacts with the guitar. It's not always about shear volume or too much gain. The guitar vibrates with the sound waves. (a bit like a hollow body but more controlled)

I've played bass most of my gigging life (24 yeears and counting) and I've owned plenty of them too, but i found a 75 P bass that is like this. Loud and slick.

I love all my guitars, even if they don't all 'do it' for me.

[AmazingJourney]

Originally Posted by Deftone

+1. I'm trying to get my collection down to just my favorites. I currently have four, but I want to keep just two. I'm totally on the fence over one guitar; it's for sale, but if it doesn't sell, I'm not going to be unhappy.

I trying to do the same thing, but I don't think I can just go to two.
I love my Gibsons, I have two LP's and an SG. can't see selling them unless it was for financial reasons.
Same goes for my two Rickenbackers, two Schecters and two acoustics.
I'd like a Tele too.

So, with all this in mind, I'm looking to go from 18 to 10. I've already started that process as there are 5-6 that I have passed on to others who have expressed an interest in playing, but couldn't get themselves a guitar. That's how I got down to 18.

But, if could only keep two they would be my LP Studio and my Ric 330/6.

[snaredrum]

i'm in the process of selling pretty much all my cheap guitars to fund a couple of mid price ones, and it's a pretty strange experience. I've always been the "i love my guitars but they're JUST guitars" guy, and i hope i still will be when the pretty expensive ones arrive...

[cynic79]

I'm not terribly picky, but I can generally tell within 30 seconds of picking up a guitar whether I like it or not. The resonance, the feel of the neck, and weight are all make or break for me.

[dynamohum]

I've a whole bunch of guitars - all eras, wide variety of makers. They're all different. I disagree that you can know within 30 seconds whether the guitar is for you or not. I suggest a minimum of one month constant playing before making such a decision. Some guitars that I initially thought to be lead-weighted turkeys turned out to be fantastic players with their own unique contribution to the tone I was seeking.

That's my own personal opinion on the matter. Other people may think differently .

[SiriusAbbott]

I currently have 17
16 electric,and 1 acoustic(this isnt counting my bass' and mandolins)
of those,just over half are "keepers",has nothing to do with the name(or lack thereof) on the headstock,nor does it have anything to do with the hardware,or finish,that came on/with the guitar.
It is all about feel,I can tell pretty quickly whether or not the guitar and I have any "connection"
if a "connection" is established,then I move into the realm of "what does this instrument need to make it perfect?"(perfect being my personal view of perfection) and then appropriate measures are taken to bring that guitar "up to" my desired level of "perfection"
I am always amused by corksniffers,real or virtual,as the make/model/features of any instrument has NOT to do with its use as a musical instrument,nor ones successfull "union" with said instrument.
I am currently 46 years old,have played since I was 11,have played proffessionally,have taught proffessionally,and now merely do it as I dont have any real choice in the matter...it is just what I do
that being said,I have owned hundreds,yes,hundreds of electric guitars over the years,so you'ld think I am probably very picky
how picky am I?
well,I bet I play guitars that many of you wouldnt give a second glance at....and,conversely I am old,so I can afford to do things like have custom instruments made for me....but,heres a secret for you,my custom made,many thousand $$ guitars neck...is based off of an ass-ugly $100 pawnshop prizes neck....its just one hell of a lot prettier

in summation,I am picky about feel,everything else can...and probably will,be changed

[snaredrum]

Originally Posted by cynic79

I'm not terribly picky, but I can generally tell within 30 seconds of picking up a guitar whether I like it or not. The resonance, the feel of the neck, and weight are all make or break for me.

i completely agree. weight is a big one for me as i have arthritis. i recently passed on an Ibanez AR100 from about '81 as it weighed about a stone. best sounding guitar i've played in a while, but unplayable in a live situation.

[TahoeTone]

"Only two things in life that make it worth living... Guitars that tune good and firm feeling women."
-Waylon Jennings-

One out of two aint bad...

[humbucker]

DRF, thanks for starting this. I think it's very important to play an instrument(s), that a person feels comfortable with. Just like old cars, I buy 'em to play 'em. My line up, which IMHO, is the best that it can get for me, is a early '70's Crestwood LP copy, '90 Standard (no highly figured top here!), '90 Studio, and a '88 Showcase edition Custom that I almost threw up on when I first saw it! I really thought it was hidieous looking!! I wouldn't trade or sell any of these because they "feel just right and sound just right". I have owned a number of guitars over the years, and even a few other Gibson LP's as well. After some time with them, I would sell/trade them for something else, just because they didn't "feel right", sound right or live up to my expectations. I had a '78 LP Deluxe gold top which weighed 12.3 LBS., that was just too heavy, a '91 LP Custom Lite w/Floyd Rose set up, because it couldn't handle the string gage that I use, a '75 Custom that just didn't sound right. I have a couple of owned Flying V's, Strats and Paul copies, that just didn't cut it. It might be a learning curve thing, just trying to figure out what it is you like about a certain "feel" of a certain guitar, the playability and/or the sound. All I can say is that you the player must be comfortable with the instrument you are playing. I'm not so concerned about the looks of an instrument or it's brand, as I am about the playability, feel and sound.

[Nightrain]

I can play pretty much anything, as long as the neck isn't too thick/body too awkward. I generally can't be bothered to spend ages searching for one perfect guitar when I can find one that is perfectly playable within a couple of hours.

I played my Les Paul, an 08 Standard (I'd only played 3 others beforehand), for about 5 minutes and bought it, wasn't even going to try any guitars but this one looked so nice. Picked it off the wall, played it, and wow. Definitely the perfect guitar for me, guess I got lucky!

[DRF]

Originally Posted by Nightrain

I generally can't be bothered to spend ages searching for one perfect guitar when I can find one that is perfectly playable within a couple of hours.

Ya,a couple years ago I felt in a Strat mood,walked into a store and saw a lite ash hanging on the wall. It was black,big frets,seymour's...I gave it a once over to make sure no cracks or warped neck...and took it to the counter.

Now,its not my main guitar nor am I flush with cash but I played it alot and was a part in my evolution to buy another strat. yeah I got a problem.Like others here.

[DIMTranquility]

If there was one thing over time that I've learnt from owning different guitars is that Floyd Roses are a pain in the ass. Actually, I avoid tremolos in general like the plague.

I owned a high end ESP once, it played great, fast neck, loved the sound, but that Floyd would always get in the way when I'm changing strings, changing tunings and everything that I just gave up on it altogether. After that I got a cheaper LP-type guitar and realized it's so much more convenient to just have a bread and butter guitar with a TOM.

I always try to keep my collection stripped down to just the ones I love. I think 3 is a nice number.. one for standard/Drop D, one for D/drop C and one for C. No extras, no 'I might use this once in a while'.. if I'm not rocking out with it at least 5 times I week it's not going to stay in my collection long.

[lespaulbluesbreaker]

One problem I've found is that most guitars hanging on the walls in your avergage guitar store usually feel like crap. Not because they are bad guitars it's usually just the strings and a poor set up. Strings that are old and tarnished just sound dull and lifeless and don't feel good; fingerboards can be dry; frets not polished and smooth feeling; maybe a nut needs tweaking for better tuning; an action may need lowering/raising - anyway, you get the picture. If a guitar at least feels good to you, sounds reasonably well unplugged then chances are that once you've given it a good go-over, even though it may be a "new" guitar, it will be a good guitar. If I were overly picky when looking at guitars I would probably never buy one! Only one guitar off the wall that I played recently stands out; a '57 gold top VOS that was just perfect! If I didn't have the wife to answer to, that one would be sitting in the rack at home right now! So give that axe a chance and look at what it could be too.

[Dan]

Being both a poor college student and a person with particular tastes, I think that I'm pretty picky about guitars. To be more specific, I tend to analyze and overanalyze any sort of major purchase. While this may take the fun and spontaneity out of buying a new guitar, I've ever been too disappointed with a purchase. I find that over time I grow more fond of instruments I would have disregarded in the first place. Often, these make me more happy than the guitar I would have initially picked. Go figure!

[HyakuShiki]

I'm only ever really picky when it's inspired by an artist. Like, when I want a Firebird, it has to be similar to Dave Grohl's. Or when I want an Explorer, it has to be like Johnny Guitar Watson's. I dunno, if it ends up just being a guitar I like myself, I want it to be sort of not that seen, like the white and gold reissue of Danelectro's Shorthorn.

[Grand Pappy]

I have 6 electrics & 1 acoustic. Out of all 7 I tried only 3 before purchasing them. 2 of the 3 that I tried before buying were used. The rest were bought sight unseen on the web, so I guess I can not be considered too picky. I just want everything to work like it's supposed to, have a comfortable straight neck and good action. I do get picky when it comes to modding, both cosmetics and electronics. I have a modding addiction (thanks in a large amount to this forum!) and I'm always messing with each electric, until I'm satisfied, tonally and cosmetically!

[soliloquy]

i believe i'm fairly open to new guitars, and always try to give them an honest try before saying no to them.
however, i must say i'm one of the more picky guitarists i've seen in many years. i'm no cork sniffer by any means, but when it comes to a guitar, i always play it unplugged. regardless of if its an electric or not, but if the guitar doesn't sound right to me unplugged, i could care less if the pickups in it are made by NASA or touched by god. pickups can always be changed, wiring can always be changed. so thats no big deal. but if the guitar doesn't resonate right, feels too plasticy (as in too thick a finish), or uneven frets, etc, then i wont even give it a second thought.

as a result, i have pretty much eliminated most of PRS guitars for not sounding right to me unplugged. too thick of finishes, or if its not the finish, then they just play too stiff for my liking. i cant put my finger on it, but something about them just doesn't do it for me. they do look beautiful though!

currently i own 3 agile guitars, and one hybrid Crafter guitar. 2 of my agiles play amazing. the third, not so much. though all mahogany, it really doesn't sound it, and plays more like a maple neck. i like maple necks, but my agile has the sound of a maple neck, and the feel of a maple neck, without being a maple neck, and that kinda irritates me. it doesn't sound loud, just bright.

also, when i am plugged in, i generally toy around with the electronic knobs here and there. i noticed that majority of import pots either are too staticy, or act more like on/off, which is another thing that irritates me. i know that can be changed, but whatever...

and now, more than ever, i'm hating narrow nuts. i want to go for all 1 11/16 sized nuts, but dont like my selection only limited to gibson, epiphone, some prs, and thats pretty much about it. dean, though claims their nuts are 1 11/16, most ive come across have all been 1 5/8. i want a wider nut so i can finger pick on, move my fingers freely on, and without making my shredding slower. i noticed on extra wide nuts like that of classical or something, it takes me more time from string to string...

right now, i'm looking for an ibanez RGA121, or an ibanez RG321mh, an Alden guitar that is made to look like a zemaitis copy, and a Dean Soltero coz i want a V neck.

[Belzeebub]

Im very picky about my guitars. Here are the things I usually consider:

1. Feel - I like '60s profile neck types...not baseball bats
2. Weight - got to be weighty enough for sustain but also comfortable to "wear"
3. Looks - tend to go for sunburst or brighter colored guitars than black/darkly colored guitars
4. Utility - I play a lot of kinds of music so I want to make sure, I have the appropriate guitar on hand when I play songs that would require me the use of a whammy bar, single coil pups, semi hollowbody sound, etc..