What is the best guitar you have ever played?

Teyeplayer

richardhomer said:

Teyeplayer said:

A ‘64 es335 that was neither mine nor perfect and only briefly borrowed, there was something in the imperfection though that made it work perfectly for me. 

it got sold in a hurry as the owner went bankrupt and I believe I saw it surface in the usual second hand vintage circles soon after, before it going for what I (having played and bonded with it) believe to be a steal. 

That guitar remains both my holy grail and my albatross.

Mine is for sale

Precisely why I describe it as my albatross; it’d take the sale of my entire collection and the harvesting of several organs to have the funds to acquire it. One of life’s quirks that are there to frustrate us.

pintspiller

I was on holiday in Edinburgh about five or tens years ago, and played anything I fancied in guitar shops there and Glasgow. What I wanted to buy was a new Gibson 175. Unable to say if it was the best I ever played, but it was the biggest "I want I want".

markr76

My favourite I've ever played is my very own fender cs 62' relic in sonic blue. When I first played it. It felt like fender had personally made the neck for my hands!
A close 2nd would be a Patrick James eggle 96 that belongs to a friend. Which has ended up with me ordering one for myself. 

Limehouse_Blues

Objectively, a very flamey original 59 played through a 1x15 Dumble.

Certainly the most rare and valuable rig I’ve plugged into.

But for sheer playability and versatility my 2009 CS Tele is without doubt the best. I’ve not played another Tele that sounds or feels half as good, including several 50s and 60s examples.

boogieman

A mongrel bitsacaster that I got in a trade on here. Jap neck, stripped US body complete with a crack in the back, two point trem, Fender CS pickups. Looks a pile of shite but is seriously the nicest playing (and Stratiest-sounding Strat) guitar I’ve ever tried. 

TTBZ

Despite being a cheapy it was probably my old Pearl LP which I was quite silly for selling on a whim and only really because it was a heavy old unit. I've since played a few "nice" Gibsons that didn't feel half as good. Something about that guitar just worked for me though it did need a setup and fret dress before it played nicely. So effortless to play and the neck was really comfy. Sounded massive with some BKP Black Dogs in it. It was certainly better than my Gibson SG.

Other than that maybe the PRS with VHII pickups I tried on the BKP stand at Music Live many years ago. Don't know what the specs of that one are but was one of those guitars that just felt right straight away.

CHRISB50

Best electric was my 93 Ebony LP Custom. 

Best acoustic was my Lowden O22C. 

Both sold. Regret both. You live and learn. 

AlexHunter

Nik Huber Orca Super Hollow.
This exact one here: https://worldguitars.co.uk/shop/nik-huber-orca-59-super-hollow-tiger-eye-burst-brazilian-fingerboard-62265/

AuldReekie

Best electric - a '58 Telecaster I tried in Mannys in NYC in 1999 - so resonant, great bite and as a contrast, a hollow honk when both p/ups selected and a truly wonderful neck.  It just sang.  It was $6K (about£3K) and several times I wonder why I just didnt put it on the credit card
Best acoustic - my Forster Model C; a truly great instrument, responsive, great overtones, responds superbly and looks absolutely stunning.  Expensiver, yes, but there is a reason why Forsters are expensive and also worht every penny.

Jalapeno

Tom Anderson Hollow Body Drop Top, and Sadowskky Jim Hall model.

The feel, the fit, the tone - all perfect.

In a fire etc ....

Also rans - PRS CU24 Artist, and Yamaha Mike Stern.

Alnico

 The Pewter Grey RG @FelineGuitars last year.

Perfect precision.

Phil_aka_Pip

Pleez define 'best'

CHRISB50

Phil_aka_Pip said:

Pleez define 'best'

That which is most excellent, outstanding or desirable. 

musicman100

Acoustic is my Collings 
Electric is my jim english esquire 

Phil_aka_Pip

CHRISB50 said:

Phil_aka_Pip said:

Pleez define 'best'

That which is most excellent, outstanding or desirable. 

according to which criteria?

Jalapeno

Phil_aka_Pip said:

CHRISB50 said:

Phil_aka_Pip said:

Pleez define 'best'

That which is most excellent, outstanding or desirable. 

according to which criteria?

your own

Matt_McG

Best to play? Various super-strat types, probably.

Two that spring to mind:

a friend's Gibson M3, the unfancied late 80s blingy wood and tortoiseshell super-strat. Like this one. It played so nicely. 



Also, a Framus Diablo Supreme that I played in Toronto. I found myself almost giggling as a peeled off Yngwie licks at full speed (something I find much more of an effort on my own main guitar).

Neither really grabbed me tonally, though.

Probably the best sounding guitar, of all things, was an early 60s Fender Musicmaster I tried in a shop in Denmark Street. The nitro was worn to perfection on the neck, and the single single coil pickup sounded utterly amazing. Completely impractical for me, with a single pickup, and the bottom of the pre-CBS Fender range.

Like this:



But it had a really special sound. It was affordable, too. I could easily have bought it.

The closest I've come to both playability and sound was a Custom Shop 60s Strat, I tried in Peter Cook's in Hanwell. I've played others that were just OK, but this particular one sounded extraordinary, and played so easily.

Gassage

For sheer ease, a Rick Turner LB-1 Lindsey Buckingham. Heavy, but incredible.

DrBob

Best playing was my old Tyler Studio Elite Hollow HD that I had to sell due to a period of unemployment, it went to Rockmonster and then briefly Monkey42 before ending up in Coda and now that Tyler prices have gone through the roof I can’t play that game anymore .

Hick81

I think I’m prone to mythologising guitars I’ve played in the past that I either didn’t buy or have let go so they probably weren’t as good in reality. That said, One of the best was a 60s fiesta red tele some chap brought to a gig I played in Sheffield a few years ago. It might’ve been a Classic Vibe for all I knew, but I wasn’t about to start having the neck off to check the authenticity of his claims. It played and felt real nice and a lot nicer than my AVRI. After the gig, we were sat drinking with the guy talking music, then he goes for a leak and never comes back, with me left holding the tele. 10 minutes later I decide to go find him, he was about 50 yards down the road on his way home, completely forgot he’d left his guitar.