So I have tried a Strat, a Tele and an LP?

robgilmo

And I have more or less decided that I only need one guitar, not 3, the LP is sold and gone on Friday, the Tele and Strat remain, I am thinking maybe sell both (Mim Strat and Squier standard Tele) and with the money from all three just buying one guitar and sticking to it. I am not a great guitarist, not sure what I want to play but seem to sway towards clean sounds, finger picking , country type riffs, that sort of thing.
The best I caould afford all being well is either a Mia standard Tele or Strat or a Baja or something along those lines, it will have to be a bit special because I want it to be a keeper and in 20 years time still enjoy it, is this a wise decision do you think or would I be better off with both a Tele and a Strat?
I do find having more than one guitar a little distracting and I think I might progress more if I only concentrate on one? 
What do you guys think? Am I making sense?

thegummy

Was it the feel of the LP you disliked or the tone?

If I only had 2 guitars it would be either a Strat or Tele and the other one would be a humbucker guitar.

Unless it's the humbucker sound you disliked of course.

Bucket

Get an MJT Strat or Tele made to your specs. Can't help you with which to go for though... I couldn't have just one.

Plectrum

If you only want to play clean stuff my advice is to get rid of all the electrics and but a decent acoustic.

robgilmo

I loved the feel of the LP, I just wasn't getting the tone I wanted from it, I probably could have with a bit of persistence but it just wasn't for me.
Whats an MJT?

HAL9000

I know it's not what most people on a guitar forum want to hear but if you're only a bedroom player then one guitar is sufficient. That said, I don't think of more than one as a distraction - actually quite the opposite - since different guitars can inspire you in different ways.

If you gig - even rarely - then you definitely need, as a minimum, your main instrument plus a backup.

If you're into clean sounds and country-style music then personally I'd be leaning towards the Telecaster (possibly a Thinline).

PhibTreMor

Here you go
http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/122995/fs-ft-g-l-telecaster-price-dropped#latest
This should be a lovely budget guitar and cover all the bases except a trem.

Owning and playing just one perfectly matched guitar seems sensible at the time, but when you arrive there you'll need to practice restraint. Best spend some time hands-on at your local guitar shops and see what you like.  The Tele Custom 72 style (like the ASAT) is a great platform, I had one for years and it was my "one" guitar.  I loved it, but guess what? It's gone.

Since then I've found I can get just about everything out of a certain 335 style guitar.  You'd have to try plenty to find the right one for you, the neck profiles vary massively.  Go hands-on window shopping.

Have fun!

robgilmo

HAL9000 said:

I know it's not what most people on a guitar forum want to hear but if you're only a bedroom player then one guitar is sufficient. That said, I don't think of more than one as a distraction - actually quite the opposite - since different guitars can inspire you in different ways.

If you gig - even rarely - then you definitely need, as a minimum, your main instrument plus a backup.

If you're into clean sounds and country-style music then personally I'd be leaning towards the Telecaster (possibly a Thinline).

See that's what I am thinking , one guitar and focus on that rather than chalk and cheese, when I am playing chalk I am thinking about cheese!

DrBob

There's a lot to be said for it, I've got 5 or 6 guitars but if I'm being it's just a vanity thing, they're all lovely. quality pieces but 98% of the time I reach for the GSPBASSES Strat

Voxman

I don't know your budget but I recommend you also try some guitars that give you greater versatility and the best of both worlds with humbucker & single-coil tones.  Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

PRS Cu24, Cu22, Mira etc - if you like them then look for a used one that will be a lot cheaper than buying new.  Or (cheaper) a PRS SE. 

Other options include an HSS Strat, Telecaster Custom (single coil bridge, humbucker neck) or a Yamaha Pacifica 611FM (hardtail) or VFM (trem version) that combines a humbucker with a P90 with 5 p/up positions. 

If you like Strats and prefer a more traditional 3-single-coil pick-up layout but with more versatility, a US Stratocaster Deluxe with noiseless pickups and S1 switching will give you 10 tonal options, and all without that annoying 60 cycle hum.  

So if you haven't fully decided on exactly what type of music you want to play, tonal versatility might be the thing to think about.  It's very important to be open minded and play lots of different guitars to help you find one that feels and sounds right for you. 

Alternatively if you loved the feel of a LP, then consider trying some different versions.  An Epiphone LP Pro with push-pull coil tapping, or a different type of LP to the one you had - for example a Gibson LP Studio or LP Tribute. 

amarok1971

Prs DGT or 513. End of dilemma 

Bucket

robgilmo said:

I loved the feel of the LP, I just wasn't getting the tone I wanted from it, I probably could have with a bit of persistence but it just wasn't for me.
Whats an MJT?

MJT are a company based in the US who do Fender-style kits using good quality components, using nitro finishes etc. You can spec up a custom USA-made Strat or Tele for around £1k rather than the £4k it'd cost from the Fender Custom Shop, and it's all done to order... my Strat is fantastic, so good that I've decided I'll also build a Tele with them in due course.

All in, this cost me about £850-900 a few years ago:

https://i.imgur.com/5KHLGTs.jpg

It has the kind of neck profile you can't get on a Fender without spending twice as much, and in a finish not normally available outside the Custom Shop, plus some stonking Oil City pickups and big frets. I wouldn't be without it.

Pigknows

I'm with you. I find having multiple things a distraction (though I still have multiple things). I'd improve quicker if I only had one. Maple neck Tele for me. Pure sounding, you can always add a fatter sound, tuning very stable. Everything else is a niche instrument. Don't know your budget, but there are some very good copies or little known custom built tales that you pick up pretty cheaply.

thegummy

While noodling away tonight I started thinking about sticking to one main guitar.

It's only after coming back on this forum I realised I must have been subconsciously influenced by your thread!

I do think it's an interesting concept to stick to one, could definitely provide less distractions in practising. Could also make maintenance so much easier, would save a lot of money on strings!

TTBZ

I consolidated down to one decent guitar and I dont regret it. Before I was constantly thinking about the other guitars when I was playing and wondering if they'd be better etc - just a constant a/b cycle where I hardly got any playing done. Still get the gas for other guitars but never act on it. One day I would love to trade my SG in for a nice Les Paul Custom but that's a while off yet! My first half decent electric was an Epi LPC and always wanted a "proper" version of that.

Now I do have another guitar (my first cheapie guitar) but it's so terrible that I never bother to play it! Just there as an absolute last resort backup and it's not really worth anything to sell it.

Freebird

Having lived with a single guitar for many years, I must say I prefer to have more than one! Recording multiple parts with the same guitar sounds crap to my ears, I much prefer to use single coil and humbuckers for texture. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the bass, everybody needs a bass! And a beater guitar too, the one you leave out all the time with the worn frets that you're not too fussed about, and you don't give a damn if it gets knocked over. So yeah, the only time you will see me with one guitar again, is if I'm a little down on my luck 

chrisj1602

If you're not sure whether to get a Strat or Tele, how about a Nashville Tele?  Also, it will have a 12" board like the LP.

Freebird

.

CountryDave

+1 on the Nashville tele idea. I've just converted an American Std with a superswitch so I have all 3 tele sounds that I love plus the 2 sounds (2 & 4 positions) of a strat I like. 
Sounds great and does everything I want of it. 

ICBM

I would get one good guitar. It doesn’t even matter if you gig occasionally - i don’t gig often, but when I do I’ve never taken a spare guitar, just spare strings and tools.

Whether a Strat or a Tele - or something else - really comes down to whether you want a trem, and whether you get on with an un-contoured body. (Although Bigsby Teles do exist...)

mr-mac

From sound you describe... Country, finger licking etc.  I'd be looking at Tele, 335 or Gretch