SteveFord Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 Lusting after and collecting guitars is fun (I'm as guilty as anyone) but it seems to me that the way to become really good on an instrument is to really just have one that you play all of the time. When I was a kid I only owned one guitar (an SG Standard) and I knew my way around that guitar like I know the back of my hand. Yes, I was a moron for selling it. Reading a couple of interviews that Gibson posted I was struck by how Elvin Bishop and Steve Howe both played the same guitar for 40 plus years - not just the same model but the same guitar. Steve Howe mentioned just how great that guitar played because it was played by him for years. He also mentioned how it takes around 20 minutes for the guitar to kind of wake up which I've noticed as well. I set aside all of my other guitars to play only the Lucille and it's taken a while but that guitar is now starting to play really nicely; before it was just this big weird red thing that fought me every inch of the way. Am I the only one here who thinks that the trick is to just stick with one guitar and master it to the best of one's ability? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 Lusting after and collecting guitars is fun (I'm as guilty as anyone) but it seems to me that the way to become really good on an instrument is to really just have one that you play all of the time. When I was a kid I only owned one guitar (an SG Standard) and I knew my way around that guitar like I know the back of my hand. Yes, I was a moron for selling it. Reading a couple of interviews that Gibson posted I was struck by how Elvin Bishop and Steve Howe both played the same guitar for 40 plus years - not just the same model but the same guitar. Steve Howe mentioned just how great that guitar played because it was played by him for years. He also mentioned how it takes around 20 minutes for the guitar to kind of wake up which I've noticed as well. I set aside all of my other guitars to play only the Lucille and it's taken a while but that guitar is now starting to play really nicely; before it was just this big weird red thing that fought me every inch of the way. Am I the only one here who thinks that the trick is to just stick with one guitar and master it to the best of one's ability? Yeah, I've noticed that same thing, as well...on ALL my guitars! And, to be perfectly honest, though I have no real intention of selling any of my wonderful guitars, I have to admit I don't honestly know WHY I've collected as many as I have. G.A.S., no doubt, but some of it is just that I really love guitars! Some, is probably trying to recapture some of the one's I sold, or traded away. Some is because I could afford them, when I bought them...which as a kid, I was more limited. Odd, how that limitation has shown up, again! LOL "C'est La Vie!" I have no regrets, that way. And, I do play one guitar, for a LONG time...right now, mostly my '61 SG (Satin) reissue. But, they all get played, eventually...and usually, for a fair amount of time on each. So, I guess I rotate their duties, so to speak. And, going back and forth, leaves me more adaptable, to different necks, as well. So, it's not a bad thing. But, yeah...I had only 1 six-string ('68 LP Custom), and 1 12-string ('68 Ric 360-12), for years, in my youth. CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 I've ranted many times about my Tele. It's THE guitar for me. I've owned it 36 years and this relationship has grown slowly while hundreds of others guitars came and went. I have about 70 guitars here but that number will change. I'm beginning a healthy cull. Not done buying guitars but I'm also not fooling myself. If I want an SG one week, then I'll buy one. Ditto for a Jazzmaster or Dove. The only difference is that after all these years I've wrapped my brain around the fact that GAS is fine, feed it if you can afford to, but when the rubber hits the road, you likely have ONE guitar that does it for you. Never forget that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 Certainly some players find "THE" guitar for them, and I can totally understand forming that kind of bond with an instrument... if you are doing your own thing... your music, your way, all the time. But a lot of players are in cover or studio situations where different instruments create the palette of tones they need to make the customer/audience happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 Certainly some players find "THE" guitar for them, and I can totally understand forming that kind of bond with an instrument... if you are doing your own thing... your music, your way, all the time. But a lot of players are in cover or studio situations where different instruments create the palette of tones they need to make the customer/audience happy. Great "Rationalization!" CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 . There are a lot of players that handle multiple guitar types - bass, electric, acoustic, reso . . . and play a few different guitars during performances. And there are surely a lot of players out there that have ONE guitar that does it for them. But, I wouldn't take that to necessarily mean they only own the one instrument and never play anything else. When I was young, I had one electric and one acoustic - I don't think I'll be returning to that. I really enjoy having different guitars to play - different tones and sounds. On a tangent of players sticking with one particular instrument - the MTV Unplugged series is always interesting to me as you get to see/hear songs played with instrumentation you don't usually find them performed with. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 Great "Rationalization!" CB Same goes for amps, btw. And pedals... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 How many here, have just ONE "Amp?!" Having that one (or more) Great Amp, is just as (if not more) important, as "which" guitar one has/uses...IMHO. CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevDavidLee Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 ...Am I the only one here who thinks that the trick is to just stick with one guitar and master it to the best of one's ability? Yes you're the only one. Now get out of here and stop this nonsense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevDavidLee Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 ...I have about 70 guitars here.. Which means you are not allowed to post in this thread because you have given in to the gas and... and... okay I shouldn't be posting in this thread either.. nevermind :-" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted August 24, 2014 Author Share Posted August 24, 2014 A Firebird VII, an ES335 w/ a trapeze tail piece, a really nice SG, a Les Paul Gold Top and an ES150-TD would be welcome additions but these are the articles which got me thinking about this: http://www2.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/Features/en-us/elvin-bishop-0623.aspx http://www2.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/Features/en-us/Interview-Steve-Howe.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevDavidLee Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 I hear and understand what the OP is saying but I really truly enjoy having a brothel of great guitars to pick from depending upon my mood, my purpose, my intent (whether playing live or in the studio) and what inspires me on any given day. I grew up poor and my first guitar was a $30 acoustic made by Suzuki. The guitar warped almost immediately and in the end, before I burned it up in my back yard, you could put a pack of cigarettes in between the neck and the strings. The only good thing about that horrid "neck action" was that I learned hammer ons and pull offs at an early age. :) My first electric was a Hondo Les Paul look alike and the tone sounded like an amp with 12 blankets thrown over it. I'll never forget the first Fender Strat I bought along with a Fender Twin and how that changed my playing skills forever. I could (finally) hear every little chicken pickin nuance and picking dynamics like never before which meant I could no longer hide my mediocre playing skills - I had to step up and truly learn how to play. It was the best thing to happen to me as far as my music was concerned. I was fortunate to work hard, earn good money and be able to start acquiring the gear I had always dreamt about owning but never thought I would. I've been playing for 48 years now and I am thrilled to be able to afford to purchase the gear I want and to enjoy the fruits of my labor and my dedication to the music. It's like oxygen to me. Couldn't live without it. B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 My first electric was a Hondo Les Paul look alike ... You are making me have a major nostalgia moment... the best guitar player in my neighborhood/school had one of those Hondo LP copies - cream colored. We all thought it was the most amazing thing ever. It sounded like GOD compared to what the rest of us had. His name was David too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender 4 Life Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 i'm not as convinved on the "one guitar" idea as I am on the one "model or type" idea..... in the past 6 months (after almost 40 yrs of playing) i've realized that i'm a 25.5" scale guy....I do best w/Strats, and only slightly less well with Teles. that said, even among my Strats, I have one that seems to almost play its-self......and it's the only guitar I have with a 25.5" neck scale AND a 12" fb radius. evidently the ergonomics of that neck to my hand and fingers is the perfect match. and it's a freaking Mexican Strat at that! still love my Gibbys, Epis, etc.....but they're getting less and less playtime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 ... When I was a kid I only owned one guitar (an SG Standard) and I knew my way around that guitar like I know the back of my hand. ... As for me, I wasn't a kid anymore, but the 1978 SG Standard I bought used in 1982 was my first "real" guitar 32 years ago, and fortunately I still own her. Anyway, I don't share the "one guitar" or "one model" opinion. The songs of my bandmates and me rule my applications, and the guitar providing the desired tones is the right one. Piezo tones are required as well. I couldn't do without the "Big Four" among the solidbodies, and a few others as well. Amps and speakers can be emulated nicely. That's what I do next to always despite of owning several real valve/tube amps. I also checked lots of "virtual" guitars, they just didn't impress me that much. Other than with amps, I feel that guitars have to be "real" ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonzoboy Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 Having gas has little to do with one's ability to play well as a matter of fact I believe that a guitarist who has a large guitarsenal has a marked advantage over one who sticks to only one guitar.When a player sticks to one guitar for all of his/her playing they are limiting their ability moreso than enhancing it.Just take this scenario if you will: A guitarist who played nothing but a Les Paul ever since day one,gets to a venue and finds that a stage hand has dropped a rack of overhead lights onto it and reducing it to kindling.Another guitarist saves the day and brings him his beautiful Custom Shop '64 Strat to play,I'd be willing to bet that the guy would be lost with the difference in neck and body shape,layout,action and length of scale.Sure a guy may become a wizard on a particular guitar but in doing that he would be greatly limiting his ability to be a versatile and well rounded guitarist. A guitarist who is comfortable with just about any brand or model of guitar to the point that he/she shows great proficiency no matter what ax he chooses to wield,has an enormous advantage over the guitarist who limits his scope by being tied to the same guitar for life.My guitarsenal now numbers 33 and I intimately know every little idiosyncrasy of each and every one of them.After a while you come to a point where you know all that you ever will about the way a guitar feels and responds to your handling,everything you do with a particular guitar from thereon in is just part of your learning curve and adding to your proficiency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveinspain Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 I'm going to start selling my guitars… And then when I fine and buy an ES 175 that will be the guitar for me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holmis Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 I probably cure mine when I get this... 1960 VOS Plain Top Les Paul Standard and what not. This is not ANTI GAS, just saying Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 I guess my perspective is that I play a lot of different sorts of music and different guitars better lend themselves to that. Dave in Spain is close, though, IMHO with the ES175 as being close to electric perfection. It works of a wide range of musical and playing styles. But then... I started on classical and it's about the same size and playing geometry excluding neck width. Frankly I think it's also a fine classical music/playing style guitar regardless that it ain't got nylon strings. And I'm also very much an AE guy when it comes to flattops and - yeah, even classical. My string preferences also make it a good idea to have a big flattop with slightly heavier strings than my small flattops with 9-42 for playing AE. That works better in an "old time" music environment. As for my "old" guitars, I have five I acquired in the early-mid '70s. Two Ovation flattop/egg bodies that are among the first AEs, one steel and one nylon. There's my "patent infringement" 175 that's marvelous and plays itself and, IMHO, is as good or better than the Gibsons of that Norlin era. Then there's the Guild S100c "board" that's basically an upgraded SG with carved acorns and oak leaves on the top and that is able to get anything from a marvelous "jazz" sound to playing country. Finally there's the 1950s Harmony single pup archtop (16-inch body as the 175) that plays well regardless of the baseball bat neck I'd love to replace but... it's also a 24-inch scale making neck work very difficult and expensive to the point of more value than the guitar. The others in the "remuda" are nice. Dollar value seems of little importance in terms of playability and sound that works for what they're used for. I say "remuda" rather than brothel as Rev. Dave did because basically it's like a remuda of horses chosen for their specific talents. Unlike Bender, I prefer the shorter necks - Hmmmm.... like the classical guitars I started with. So.... I can't imagine not having at least a 16-inch cutaway archtop with a neck I like, a semi for most electric loud stuff, a large and a small flattop AEs, and an AE classical. Much as I love the sounds I can get from that SG clone, it never quite feels entirely "right." I guess I want a little more body, literally, given my physical geometry. A thin semi feels long-necked even with the 24 3/4 scale, but it can get awfully loud without unintentional feedback. Actually I do have a 16-inch archtop with the longer scale. Don't care much for it although it works for stuff like "San Francisco Bay Blues" sorts of funky 30s material played on the lower frets. A cupla year-old Eastman 175 type is quite nice. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 I used to have GAS. Then I found the guitar that I bonded with, and while I can still appreciate the beauty of other guitars, I don't really want to buy them. I did buy two of the same guitar (with different pickup configurations) because as a pro, I need a backup and I just don't enjoy playing the other guitars anymore. Well, that's a little harsh, let's say that I'd rather play this guitar. Sorry Gibson, for years my favorite guitar was a Gibson, now it's a Parker. Why? Light weight, but still sustains like my 8 pound faux-LP Contoured so well it feels like I'm wearing it instead of holding it Well balanced, take your hands off and it stays where it was - no neck dive or rise Great, thin neck with an ebony fretboard and hardened stainless steel frets 14" radius and 25.5" scale - I've always liked 14" radius fretboards, and when I got the longer scale, it just fit my hands perfectly, when I play high on the Gibson, my fingers feel cramped (I played Fender P bass for a few years so I have a lot of stretch) One volume knob near my picking hand - it makes it so easy to balance or to boost for a solo in any pickup combination I happen to be playing with One tone knob great for fast changes - again doesn't matter if I'm playing either or both pickups The third knob blends the Piezo pickup with the mags which gives me a great variety of sounds (you can play the piezo alone too if you want to) Stays in tune, sometimes from gig to gig - Sperzel locking tuners, Graph Tech nut and bridge and almost straight string path from peg to tailpiece - even when the whammy is in the floating position - it's amazing Great sounding Duncan pickups I bought a DF524NS and it has S-S-S/H pups plus the piezo. The only sound I was missing was P90. This is the guitar I immediately bonded with. So I had them build a custom DF522NN (NN is for Notes Norton) with the piezo plus two Duncan P-Rail pups. The P-Rails allow for P90, Rail, Series Humbucker and Parallel Humbucker sounds on each pickup (with a couple of switch slices), so it can sound like a Strat or Gibson with either Humbucker or P90 options. Mix a little piezo with the P90 and it can sound close enough to a Tele for the average audience listener's ears. Plus in combination there are other tones that don't sound like any other guitar. I gig with the NN, and practice at home with the NS. My Gibson, Epiphone, and LTD guitars just hang around with rusting strings feeling jealous. It's been almost 3 years since I bought the first Parker, and I haven't had GAS since. I took the picture with my cell phone on a cloudy day, the wood is more honey colored than it looks in the picture: Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 I used to have GAS. Then I found the guitar that I bonded with, and while I can still appreciate the beauty of other guitars, I don't really want to buy them. I did buy two of the same guitar (with different pickup configurations) because as a pro, I need a backup and I just don't enjoy playing the other guitars anymore. Well, that's a little harsh, let's say that I'd rather play this guitar. Sorry Gibson, for years my favorite guitar was a Gibson, now it's a Parker. Why? Light weight, but still sustains like my 8 pound faux-LP Contoured so well it feels like I'm wearing it instead of holding it Well balanced, take your hands off and it stays where it was - no neck dive or rise Great, thin neck with an ebony fretboard and hardened stainless steel frets 14" radius and 25.5" scale - I've always liked 14" radius fretboards, and when I got the longer scale, it just fit my hands perfectly, when I play high on the Gibson, my fingers feel cramped (I played Fender P bass for a few years so I have a lot of stretch) One volume knob near my picking hand - it makes it so easy to balance or to boost for a solo in any pickup combination I happen to be playing with One tone knob great for fast changes - again doesn't matter if I'm playing either or both pickups The third knob blends the Piezo pickup with the mags which gives me a great variety of sounds (you can play the piezo alone too if you want to) Stays in tune, sometimes from gig to gig - Sperzel locking tuners, Graph Tech nut and bridge and almost straight string path from peg to tailpiece - even when the whammy is in the floating position - it's amazing Great sounding Duncan pickups I bought a DF524NS and it has S-S-S/H pups plus the piezo. The only sound I was missing was P90. This is the guitar I immediately bonded with. So I had them build a custom DF522NN (NN is for Notes Norton) with the piezo plus two Duncan P-Rail pups. The P-Rails allow for P90, Rail, Series Humbucker and Parallel Humbucker sounds on each pickup (with a couple of switch slices), so it can sound like a Strat or Gibson with either Humbucker or P90 options. Mix a little piezo with the P90 and it can sound close enough to a Tele for the average audience listener's ears. Plus in combination there are other tones that don't sound like any other guitar. I gig with the NN, and practice at home with the NS. My Gibson, Epiphone, and LTD guitars just hang around with rusting strings feeling jealous. It's been almost 3 years since I bought the first Parker, and I haven't had GAS since. I took the picture with my cell phone on a cloudy day, the wood is more honey colored than it looks in the picture: Notes Bob, do you still use an amp, or are you strictly into a floor processor, into the PA? (Just curious). CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starpeve Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 I smiled at ' brothel' - cos I fondle my guitars a lot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 Bob, do you still use an amp, or are you strictly into a floor processor, into the PA? (Just curious). CB Since I'm in a duo, and I play sax, guitar, flute, wind synth, vocals, and sometimes keyboard synth, I don't carry a separate amp. I use a Digitech RP-355 - it has a decent model of a Twin Reverb and another of an AC30 and I mostly use those. They seem to work best for the audience we choose to play for. It has a switch to send the output to either an amp or the PA, and I use the PA set. There are more amp simulators in the RP-355, and also a lot of FX - much more than I'll ever need. I have about 10 pairs presets that I modded and I use 4 or 5 of them the most. There is an A/B switch, so I can set up two presets and switch between them. More often than not I use the B preset as a volume boost for soloing. There is also a couple of very decent acoustic models in that pedal. Using them with the guitar on either of the sc pickups mixed with the piezo sounds very convincing - close enough for any audience. I see you took mine too. It was available lol. You have found a cure for gas soon as I saw these I didnt want them. That's why there is more than one guitar made! Me? I think they are good looking. But everybody's taste is OK. I prefer an archtop look myself, but not only is the strat-ish shape more balanced, it sustains longer and it's more comfortable to play. Since it's a work tool for me, it's the best tool I found for the job I do. I mostly play for Yacht Clubs, Country Clubs, Private Parties, and Retirement Communities. Lots of Baby-Boomer music from Elvis through the Disco years with some newer stuff that appeals to the mature audience. Another nice thing about what we are doing now is we get to play rock, blues, Latin American, Caribbean, country, folk, jazz, disco, and a number of other different genres, depending on the crowd and the function. Having that many different sounds on one guitar/pedal combo comes in very handy indeed. When I was younger, the old timers told me that once I get into the yacht/country club set, I'll never want to play bars again. I got into my first Yacht Club when I was in my early 40s, and haven't looked back. Better pay, fewer hours, and no 'off nights' when nobody comes into the bar and you know the manager is blaming the band ;) And at the end of the gig, there are usually a few people who come up and thank you for providing them with a wonderful evening. Insights and incites by Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 I do think there is something to be said for the "one instrument" ideology But admit, I clearly have too many guitars, and too many amps. I'm at a place where I can afford it, and, well I just like cool guitars. For years, I gigged heavily (3 weekends a month at least) for a good 12/13 years, with one guitar, one amp for most of that time. (it was neither a gibson, nor a fender .. an Ibanez MC400 that I traded my 73 Deluxe gold top for in 1979) I just really couldn't afford otherwise. Kids were young, the wife was trying to work the hours that allowed her to be around so they didn't have to go to day care places, or become latch key kids. we made it work, but there wasn't any extra cash to play around with. Eventually times got easier, the jobs got better (like WAY better), and I was able to start "collecting" for lack of a better term. I think for me, it's pretty much what guys like Milod and Surfpup (and others) have already said. Different instruments react differently in our hands, that sort of inspires creativity that otherwise, may not have happened. Lets be totally honest, you CAN (for example) write a finger style chord melody piece on anything with 6 strings that holds a tuning and is playable, however I think that personally I am more LIKELY to find that song with a hollow body with flat wounds strings tho. same goes for playing a classical, it's just gonna take you to places a steel string will not -- as well as a strat/tele verses a les paul. I don't take for granted the fact that I'm blessed with the resources financially to have these guitars (the count is 18). as I mentioned for many yeas I couldn't afford it. Am I done buying stuff? I won't kid myself, most likely not. But I'm coming more and more selective on what is pulling me to make a new purchase. the funny thing is, I do play all of them. Some more than others? yes... but they all get taken out of the cases during the course of a month, and I once again will realize I decided to pull the trigger on one of them. they take me places the others do not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riffster Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 To me having a bunch of guitars is cool but it is more of a distraction than the benefit, while some do add to the palate of tones sounds or whatever I seem to end up dialing things similarly. Being a relentless modder is also a distraction with every new guitar I get here comes a new project. I once heard somebody say, be careful that the equipment you own does not end up owning you and that is very true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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