What guitars have you enjoyed owning? (Not guitar you've wanted!)

SlopeSoarer

I'm relatively new to playing guitars and trying to get my head round the different variations,specification, etc, I wish picked a guitar up years ago! I'd love to hear what guitars you have had owned (genuine experience) and really enjoyed. Maybe you regret selling it or it is something which you'll never let go.

Is it/was it a guitar you always wanted? Or maybe an unexpected bargain? I'd like to read what it is that makes it special to you: )

Currently I have a Faith Saturn Natural acoustic, a Revelation RX62 (think SG) and a Squier Telecaster Affinity.

Of the 3 I always go and pickup the Faith Saturn, its neck feels super lovely, the sound is great to me (wife says it doesn't to her but that's just because I'm pants!) it feels right in my hands.

The Revelation RX62 is lovely to handle and the pickups although completely different from the Squier's do give the impression that they are in a different league to me but I the guitar just doesn't sit right with me. I bought it used as it was a great price and I'd read good things about their guitars rather than wanting an SG type guitar.

The Squier Telecaster Affinity at this stage feels more my type of guitar though I recognise that it is at the lower end of the scale. It seems nicely set up bearing in mind my limited experience.

So all in all my current favourite guitar based on my experience is the Faith acoustic. I suspect I'll be trying plenty more guitars and my favourite may swap and change over time. Tell me about your favourite(s) and hopefully some of your experiences may guide me and others.

Neill

As Peter Green once said, it's all about playability.  

The best guitar I ever had was a 1980 Japanese Squier strat, it was just the right weight, the fretboard was just the right radius, everything was just so, and I felt I could play anything on that guitar.  Problem was it wasn't mine, had it on loan from the drummer in the band I was with and after a couple of years he wanted it back, wouldn't sell it either.  I've tried to find another that feels the same but it's strange how even guitars that have the same spec feel different. 

So if you find the right guitar for you stick with it, even if it sounds crap, you can always fix that.  

To illustrate the point, one of my favourite guitarists ever, Johnny Winter, famously regarded the Stratocaster as the best sounding guitar but you never saw him play one.  Johnny said he just couldn't play a Fender guitar and was always trying to find a strat sounding rig with the feel of a Gibson which is how he ended up with the Erlewine Lazer.   George Thorogood is famously associated with the Gibson ES125 but he says it's the only electric guitar he can play, having spent most of his formative years on a big body accoustic.  I'm sure there are loads of examples like this. 

jellyroll

For many players, preferences change over time (hence "GAS") as we develop technically and experience different genres and types of instrument. Also, as we become more committed we are prepared to spend ever bigger amounts on gear, so budgets get bigger. We also become aware of the limitations of our beginner instruments in terms of their sound quality.

Like millions of others, I started on Yamaha acoustic and electrics - which were fine. But I don't miss them. 

After a few years playing electric, then a brief sojourn into nylon acoustic, I'm very much a steel string acoustic guy these days. I still own quality instruments from those earlier phases but my "save it from a burning house" guitar is my Santa Cruz acoustic which is a beautiful instrument. 

bingefeller

My Suhr Modern that I recently sold on here.  The neck on it was rock solid, it had jumbo stainless steel frets which had very light wear for just over 3 years of use, it was versatile as it had coil taps and it was a lot of fun to play.  

I normally change my guitars after a year or so, but I kept the Suhr for just over 3 years as I liked it that much.

stimpsonslostson

Ever?- My Squier P-bass. 
It was my main instrument for my most fun band. Happy memories of fun gigs & good times. I sadly sold it to buy a "better" bass... The band folded & I no longer had THAT bass. 

Now- My current favourite is my partscaster Esquire. It's cheap & cheerful, but plays brilliantly &, thanks to the Oil City pickup & harness, sounds exactly how I want it to. I play it so much that I've sold almost all my other guitars including several MUCH more expensive Gibsons & Fenders that just didn't have "it". 

JerkMoans

It changes, obviously, but I think my all time favourite has to be my heavily modified Jazzmaster. 

This began life as a Troy van Leeuwen model that I scored at a reasonably bargain price off eBay about two years ago, because the surface was scratched and the electrics were fecked.

I took the plunge and had my first 'go' at soldering, applied large quantities of Mer car polish to the scratches, and bit by bit learned how to dis-assemble and re-assemble a guitar, how to wire in new pickups, jack socket and selector switch and how to set it up.  It's had a series of new bridges until I settled on a Mastery and a vibrato system from the same outfit, which is a game changer.  It now has a Creamery Wide Range pickup at the bridge and a Curtis Novak Gold Foil at the neck.  With those and the Jazzmaster's rhythm circuit it's incredibly versatile, comfortable to hold and to play, and I think it looks badass.  Best of all, with all the work I've done to it it really does feel like it's 'mine'.

Finally topped it off by spending a stupid amount of money purchasing and importing a Spitfire celluloid pickguard, which I then had to take my drill to, to fit round the top toggle switch.  I think my work here is done.  For now.

See what you think:

axisus

I bought a superb 20th anniversary PRS. Faultless and lovely to play but I sold it in the end. A very good guitar

Lestratcaster

I had a Gibson J45 which I got in 2007, don't know why I went for it to be honest, it did sound ok but it was a lot of money to spend on an acoustic guitar so I sold it 4 years later, and picked up a Takamine EG321c. I found the J45 a bit too boomy and not enough crisp-ness on the highs.

Schnozz

Basses
Cort A4 Ltd
Marleaux Consat Custom
Kubicki Key Factor
Bravewood '55 Precision

Guitars
ESP Ltd PC-2V
G&L Invader
Yamaha SG2000
G&L George Fullerton Signature

I'm really enjoying my LAG RR2000s, as they're even more versatile than the G&L Invader.

Ashamed to admit that I've owned over 50 instruments, but I now know exactly what I like...So...Yeah.

Jonathanthomas83

I agree with the playability thing, it’s key to becoming a better guitarist IMO.

I have a PRS, a Tele, Suhr Strat and a Gibson Les Paul...out of them all, the PRS is leagues ahead and is my absolute favourite. They’re expensive though and the look isn’t for everyone, but they’re stunning to play.

Teacherphil

Gibson SG Classic with p90s
Blueridge BR163 000 acoustic

bingefeller

I also have an old ESP LTD M-50 guitar, that I bought in Dundalk circa 2001.  I got a good exchange rate on my Sterling for Punts (this was pre-Euro) back then and I picked it up for what I felt was a reasonable price.  

I still have that guitar to this day and I took it out last week and it played pretty well considering it had been in a soft case in my attic for a number of years.  The neck seems pretty stable and if I gave it a good set up I would have a very nice playing guitar.

ellwood

Nash Tele
Raygun Relic strat
R7
R8

cpcompany

My Eric Clapton strat was an amazing guitar and had the most playable neck I've ever had. I was young and daft when I had it and sold it as I was constantly wanting to try new guitars. Never had a guitar like it since. 

Bridgehouse

Love my CS Strat. It's a pleasure to play.



But it I think in terms of ownership, the 64 Precision has been one of the most pleasurable to own:



Funny thing is, as a gigging tool and as a just far-too-much-fun-for-the-outlay, well the 52P Snot Bass has been a pleasure..

Schnozz

Bridgehouse said:

But it I think in terms of ownership, the 64 Precision has been one of the most pleasurable to own:

Dayum!!

adamm82

Many years ago I for some reason bought an Epiphone explorer and loved it. It caught my eye on a shop and played for ages 

Bridgehouse

Schnozz said:

Bridgehouse said:

But it I think in terms of ownership, the 64 Precision has been one of the most pleasurable to own:

Dayum!!

I've had quite a few really talented bass players play it - without exception they all go a bit weak at the knees and say it plays better than it looks (!) 

HAL9000

The one that I always enjoyed playing, and regret selling, was an Affinity Tele.  Superb neck, and had that Tele 'spank'. Unfortunately at the time I was of the belief that not having through-body stringing, or the skunk stripe meant it wasn't a 'proper' Tele, and I moved it on.

At the moment I own three guitars (a US Tele, a G&L Tribute Thinline, and an MIM Strat). Very pleased with all of them, but I (probably) enjoy the Strat the most.

JerkMoans

Some interesting tales on this thread, particularly the nostaligic 'one that got away' types.  It's SO about subjective 'feel', isn't it?  Could be a £3k Custom Shop job, could be a Squier, but there's always one that - at least for a time - is almost just so.  But then we trade 'em and lust for the next thing in the ceaseless quest for perfect tone...

1979

Same thing @HAL9000 , I had a Squier Tele Custom with P90’s about 30 guitars ago. The same issues plagued me, ‘but it’s not a fender ‘
and until I bought the Edwards 335 out of the classifieds lately, I’ve not been happy. Really regretting that one going