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

richardhomer

I could happily live with just my Strat - but for a lot of players the best ‘only one guitar’ option would probably be a Strat-style guitar with a humbucker at the bridge.

interstellar

335 with a p90 in the neck humbucker in the bridge 

Fuengi

I'm a crap bedroom player too.

I found a guitar I love playing - Semi Tele with HB & single which gives me loads of variety - I've also got a decent Strat which doesn't get loads of use and an Ovation acoustic which does.

Have a nice amp - very important - and lots of pedals which I swap in & out. Three guitars, almost endless options. 

But, without the Tele I'd still be actively looking for another guitar (actually I am half looking for a Les Paul Studio anyway).

My advice: Find a guitar you gel with, be it electric or acoustic, and play it to death. 

GoldenEraGuitars

Or you could spec an MJT “style” build within the UK

I say have as many guitars as you want. Nothing wrong with options. I’ve done the whole “sell everything and concentrate on playing” thing before. It didn’t work.. well, for me anyway.

BigLicks67

Of the 2 I'd say the Tele covers more bases. The USA standard Telecaster is also was routed for humbuckers so if you fancy sticking a humbucker in the neck at a later date its all there ready. I prefer vintage style necks so would probably look at a Baja 60's or an MJT build as above.

BigBearKris

Thinline Tele is a good shout. Will deliver some sounds unplugged and would be great for your style of playing. There was a beautiful one for sale here on forum not long ago.

If design/semi hollow body is not your thing then go for Baja. You suggested that already and they are great guitars (I had three - all great players). S1 switching will give you fat, "almost" humbucker style signal too. 

I'd like to have Tele, LP and some superstrat ideally - but all I know is that one decent guitar is far better then 3 low quality ones. 

(Otherwise in guitar world 3>1 always) ;-) 

SteveF

+1 on the Nashville Tele idea.  I have recently got one and I love it.  Lovely flat board and has the great Strat "in between" sounds.  Only thing I would (and will, at some point) change is the switch to a super switch (as CountryDave said above) to do away with the middle pickup only position to enable it to have the neck/bridge Tele combo instead. 

SteveF

And, you know, they look awesome 

munckee

I'm a bedroom only player and I have 3 electrics.  One roadworn tele, one heavily modded strat and a 335 copy.  The 335 is totally different to the other two sound wise and sounds nice unplugged if I play in the middle of the night (I have weird sleep patterns) without waking anyone.

The tele is to me a relatively expensive guitar and is totally stock, kept in a hard case and is my treat guitar when I have proper time to play, set up by pedal board etc.

The strat started off as a squier standard, cost me £100 second hand and I have painted it, refinished the neck, changed pickups and plastics and have just bought aged tuners from Axecaster, this is my experimenting guitar, I wouldn't want to devalue the tele so I can sell it if I ever want to.  If you have an interest in modding I would have a second expendable guitar at least.

If I was pushed and had to have only one guitar I would possibly sell them all and buy an american strat or maybe just keep the tele.  Or get a jazzmaster perhaps... : )

Dan

If it was me, I would sell all and buy something like a baja tele or classic series strat. Best value for money in my opinion.

Eartrumpet

I stopped playing in bands a couple of years ago and sold all my "high end" guitars, amps and pedals. I now own a battered cheapo Yamaha acoustic and a Cort Zenith. The electric is put through a THR 10.
For me as a bedroom player this is all i need.........
BUT i do keep looking at the Chris Robertson PRS and 62 Telecasters, must not give in

darthed1981

Bucket said:

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.

That is an absolute beauty!

darthed1981

I'm another crap bedroom player, well living room mostly.

I own 10 electrics and I'm liable to buy more, because they are lovely things

axisus

Back in the late 90s I bought a superb guitar, more money than I'd ever spent. I told the wife that if I buy this one guitar I'd be happy for ever. Sold it 4 years later and I've had 20 or so since. It's quite hard to actually stick to the 'keeper' idea, what is amazing today can be a bit boring just down the line. 

Phil_aka_Pip

get rid of all 3, then get a 335. job done

DrJazzTap

Having spent a few hours restringing all of my guitars the other day I'm inclined to agree wirh you. I just really begrudge losing money. As somebody said it's a vanity thing to some extent. 

carlos

Les Pauls are trash. 
Single guitar idea is valid only if you always play roughly the same genre of music. If you hop around a lot between genres then I don't think there's a one size fits all instrument.

menamestom

robgilmo said:

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?

I do find several guitars distracting, but necessary due to recording and various band projects. 

However, one of the best guitarists I know, who tours with decent sized bands / artists uses a Squier telecaster which is the thing nowadays, almost every guitar produced is good enough to progress, as long as it is set up well.

The Baja Tele's are very nice, but the necks are pretty chunky, if you prefer a slimmer neck the Squier Classic Vibe Tele's are pretty much as good.

Modulus_Amps

SteveF said:

And, you know, they look awesome 

That is exactly what I was going to say to get, very nice

thegummy

Re: the "bedroom" comments; I find playing at home I can hear and enjoy all the subtleties in tone where as at gigs it's all very noisy and the subtleties are lost so I'd say subtle differences are more suitable for the bedroom player, at gigs it's just a rough direction of tone.

If bedroom is being compared to professional recording then, of course, that's a different story.