Jump to content
Gibson Brands Forums

Which guitar when


uncle fester

Recommended Posts

Folks,

 

For curiosities sake only - for the people out there with a bunch (4+) acoustics in your stable... how do you choose which to play? For the person who gigs out frequently, is there a main work horse, then one for song writing etc... then others for specific songs / occasions? For the person who's more the home musician - what draws you to which guitar.

 

Just wondering the different roles guitars play for people, thanks for any input.

 

Rgds - br

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have five acoustics now. I have no system for deciding which one I pick up. Whatever impulse to pick up whichever guitar rules. Generally for recording though... Gibsons mahogany slopes record better than rosewood Martin dreads, when I had them.

 

Also, If I am gigging in a small venue that is very cramped and loud, where I am more likely to encounter feedback issues, I will use a guitar without the K&K.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use three guitars for giigging. The main ones are the maple J-150 and Dove, as i find the sound of maple works really well plugged in with my pickups (Fishman Matrix Infinity) and they are the only guitars which sound good with Elixer strings, which are ideal for gigging due to their long life.

I also use use the mahogany Furch OM in one venue because it sounds the best through that PA.

At home i normally noodle with smaller guitas on the sofa, so either the LG-2 or Furch OM. If i play fingerpicking or fingerstyle tunes i normally go for the AJ or rosewood Martin J-40 as the tone is clear and deep.

 

So yes, i tend to have different guitars for differnet uses.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use three guitars for giigging. The main ones are the maple J-150 and Dove, as i find the sound of maple works really well plugged in with my pickups (Fishman Matrix Infinity) and they are the only guitars which sound good with Elixer strings, which are ideal for gigging due to their long life.

I also use use the mahogany Furch OM in one venue because it sounds the best through that PA.

At home i normally noodle with smaller guitas on the sofa, so either the LG-2 or Furch OM. If i play fingerpicking or fingerstyle tunes i normally go for the AJ or rosewood Martin J-40 as the tone is clear and deep.

 

So yes, i tend to have different guitars for differnet uses.

 

Checked out your band-site. Nice music. Well done.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Folks,

 

For curiosities sake only - for the people out there with a bunch (4+) acoustics in your stable... how do you choose which to play? For the person who gigs out frequently, is there a main work horse, then one for song writing etc... then others for specific songs / occasions? For the person who's more the home musician - what draws you to which guitar.

 

Just wondering the different roles guitars play for people, thanks for any input.

 

Rgds - br

 

Great topicmsp_thumbup.gif In my case, the tunings I use combined with the acoustics overall tone(decided by trial and error with different string set-ups over time) For example...my 0-15 is my favorite recording acoustic used with voice. My Alvarez Delta-00 is used outside, and so forth. Having various wood combinations is also a great pleasure. I also keep most of them on hangers or stands to grab when inspiration grabs me. Living in this Golden Age of acoustics is fantastic!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great topic!

I have approximately twenty guitars (don't know the exact #...)

For several years I gig with a group and I play fingerpickin' and strummin'

I'd prefer to take tree guitars with me on stage - 1) My MR GIBS SJ200 for strummin' (or the J180 Billie Joe for the same purpose) 2) One of my custom made

guitars for fingerpickin' (or the Martin HD28 or the Guild D55 or the J45 Cobra burst or the Zemaitis CAJ-200 HS for the same purpose) and 3) My Guild F412 twelve string.

As I can not afford a guitar tech to help me on stage I take only one instrument.

Now that I think about this is more often MR GIBS SJ200 Custom Elite that comes with me on stage.

All the above mentioned instruments I equipped with K&K Triniti Mini systems (except the Guild F-412 which is originally equipped with a D-tar system inside).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have seven guitars and gig 13 to 15 times a month (it's all I do). I love to rotate them out in no particular sequence. The arch top doesn't have a pick up yet, so that one just gets played at home.

 

The J-50 gets the most use since I'm in three duos and it sits well in the mix. All of the others I use for solo gigs. Fun topic! Keep the replies coming!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For gigs, I go with whatever the musical muse is telling me to take. Whatever, I am playing well with. Then, I also bring along another guitar in case the musical muse changes on me. Or, a string breaks. Except, sometimes, since gigging is also a show, sometimes I just go with whatever guitar looks the coolest for the gig, plus, a back up guitar.

 

QM aka Jazzman Jeff

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We live in a sea of vintage guitars -- each one with its own voice (and setup, because we do four different setups to cover the types of music we do -- bluegrass to bare finger folk, and a lot in between.)

 

We do gig, but that is not our only focus at all. Our focus is playing music with other people (often on stage) -- the tonality of the old guitars adds tremendous spice to the mix. We are always part of the listening audience, even when we are totally involved in playing.

 

When we go to play -- generally several times a week -- we choose what to take depending the kind of music, the people we are playing with, where we are playing, and for a gig, the sound environment.

 

We try to totally be acoustic musicians -- we consider bluegrass as more-or-less our home genre. Of the 100+ ready to go guitars (as well a standup basses, open back banjos, resonator banjos, etc.), the only ones that have pickups are two CA Legacies, a 12-fret Cuban Adirondack Randy Wood custom fingerpicker, and a 1944 00-17 Martin. These all came with pickups -- the 00-17 we have never plugged in. We use these guitars for places our other guitars just won't work -- the beach, small noisy bars, etc.

 

We group the instruments by value into players, collector condition, and iconic instruments. We always bought for sound, so we always have choices in all three categories.

 

Our bluegrass players include 44 D-28, 39 D-28, 38 D-18, 35 D-18, two 54 D-18s, 35 Jumbo, and a 65 D-21. Higher end include 35 D-28, 48 D-28, 35 D-18, 36 AJ, 35 RSRG, and 43 SJ RW.

 

Our ragtime folk instruments include 44 J-45, 30s Belltone, 26 L-1, 31 L-2, 38 L-Century and a couple of early SJs.

 

For fingerstyle without picks, we have far too many to list. My wife's two favorites are here 67 D-35S and her 1930 Larson.

 

If performing was our primary goal, life would be much different. Playing is the joy of our lives, and sounding different every time is what makes it fascinating and compelling. Admittedly if we played the same stuff over and over on the same instruments, we could perform better but that just seems dull to us.

 

Let's pick,

 

-Tom

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I base the decision on what songs I’m planning to perform (open mic situation). If I’m planning on doing some Neil Young, I’ll take a good strumming guitar. If I’m doing Paul Simon, I’ll take an OM for fingerstyle. Also factor in what the odds are that some damage may occur during the night due to flying beer bottles, etc. (kidding about the beer bottles thing). But I usually carry my guitar in a gig bag, so I am always conscious of where the guitars are stored/stacked/kept between performances, since it’s not always possible to keep mine right with me at all times.

 

If I’m attending or hosting a jam, I’ll pick one that will hold its own in a sea of guitars, mandos, fiddles, etc, so that I’m not playing hard just to be heard during a lead break.

 

Roger

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am not much of a collector but am an accumulator so have a bunch hanging around. My guitars were all built between the early 1930s and mid-1950s. Like others here I am fickle and little thinking goes into which one I choose to play or walk out the door with, Often it will come down to which guitar has fresh strings on it. But no matter what guitar I am playing I just sound like me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was an electric gigger for nearly 4 decades and always gigged my best guitars. A '72 Les Paul Recording for about a forth of that. A Custom Shop ES-339 for the end.

 

When I went all acoustic, the only acoustic I owned was a 2003 J-45 Rosewood. Granted I didn't bar gig it as much, but it was used for gigs, noodling, writing, recording, jams, hunting cabin use, everything.

 

Now that I'm doing more live acoustic work, I've noticed some fretwear and such, so I recently swapped the ES-339 for a J-15 because the values were about equal, the deal was right, and the J-15 I found has some awesome tone and harmonics happening.

 

The J-15 in now getting all of the work, the J-45 is tuned to open G for slide use. However the J-45 is not retired, it will get considerable use as time goes by because it's still got a lot of life left in it. I just didn't want to continue wearing it down with the grunt work.

 

The J-15 is impressing me a lot and at it's price point I imagine it will eventually become the modern day "workhorse". Also because of it's use of American tonewoods that treehuggers won't be concerned with. I think it's a win/win for Gibson.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I mainly play electric guitar but do have four acoustics to get by with.

 

Taylor 514ce - it's a good all around guitar, well balanced and has a good pickup system. This is my main gigging guitar.

Gibson Songwriter custom - Stays in open D

Martin D-35 Brazillian - my studio strummer or home strummer. No pickup in this one

Martin 000-28 for finger style playing

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wonderful topic. I'm more a guitar buyer then collector , I just never sell....so far. I have 13 guitars 3 electric and 10 acoustic. Now a days I mostly play only at Mass every week and at "house parties" the electrics are hardly used anymore.

I take which ever one captures me during the week of practicing for Sunday. Also which ever is my latest acquisition tends to get more attention.

I stumbled upon a new Guild M-20 at a shop that was getting my new DIF for a setup and I couldn't leave that place without it. I wasn't thinking about a new guitar it just jumped into my hands and it belonged there. Guitars are funny that way.........at least to me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I was gigging I usually had multiple instruments along - 6 and 12-string guitars, banjo, often a dulcimer and/or autoharp - and at the time I had just my HD-28. I rarely gig anymore, but when I do the guitar choice is purely whim. I've become enamored with the sound of my big ol' J-200 so that's the one I've grabbed the last few times out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have some great Gibson and Martin acoustics, as well as two electrics. Even though I have played for a long time, I still consider myself a beginner. So, finer tone nuances between the guitars are often lost when I play them [biggrin]

 

I tend to rotate on a sort of weekly basis, deciding when I put the current one back in the case which one to pick up next. There is no method in use, just whichever one speaks to me.

 

Should I for some reason only be able to keep two, it would be a 1942 J-45 and a Martin D-28 Marquis. Scary thought, but if there could be only one (name that movie...) it would be the J-45.

 

Lars

Link to comment
Share on other sites

All - great stuff, thanks again for the replies. I love the gigging reasons, i.e. meshing with other guitars, wanting something to stand out in a sea of others etc... (I aspire to have gigging reasons) but the best has to be either eenie, meenie, miney moe, or maybe as stated above 'it's calling me...'

 

Love to hear any more stories anyone else has... or maybe a story of a long sedentary guitar re-discovered as a result of this thread - and what it lead to you play?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not ‘undiscovered’, so to speak, but a couple of my guitars live in a cupboard and their cases are a bit dusty......and there is a giant spider guarding them! :huh:

 

 

There is also the ‘electrified’ guitars, the ones with various pickups - versus the higher end ones that I don’t want to alter with pickups....unless they already had them when I bought them. I do have some (removable) soundhole pickups I can put in them if needed.

 

So if Jerry Seinfeld rang to see if I wanted a coffee and a ride in a car, won’t happen but for example - his way of interviewing...and he asked me to bring a guitar and casually play a tune or two, I would take my best ‘unplugged’ with the newest strings. But if I was going on a ‘Tonight’ type of show, also won’t happen but for example, I would take my best electronika and suitable guitars. None of these above will ever see the blues club :blink:

 

Now if I was going to this bar I used to play at.......I would borrow my friend’s guitar... :mellow:

 

 

BluesKing777.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...