What is the best guitar you have ever played?

mgaw

Nacho tele
Novo
Collings OM1 AJL

markj

My Custom shop R9 and my Custom shop 335.
I’ve had at least 30+ guitars over the years but these two are the tops.
The only guitar that came close was a PRS DGT.

CountryDave

mikeyrob73 said:

This one 

https://i.imgur.com/1L8PLLT.jpeg

everything a tele should be but lighter than air 

tremendous guitar 

Funny you should say that, for me it’s my BP Esquire and my 52ri. Had the BP going on 2 years now. Comes to most gigs with me and gets played all night. It’s up there with my old 52ri as my no1.
Owned a few 52ri teles before this one, but this is head and shoulders above the others.
The BP is just superb. I honestly can’t think of another guitar I’d swap either for.

TTBZ

I guess my answer is the same as back in 2018, my old LP I shouldn't have sold More recently I think the Strandberg Boden has to be up there too. I'd quite like to find something that feels similar with a more traditional look, not sure if that exists.

Grangousier

Someone's vintage Gretsch, that I think he'd spent his share of a record company advance on (so it was his savings as much as anything else). I was doing some recording at his place, and a guitar take needed to be done and it was the only guitar in the house. I didn't realise at the time that it was the best guitar I was (ever?) going to play, but it was so easy and pleasurable to play that I was actually freaked out. 

roberty

I don't really trust the judgement of my past self, but two there stood out in my younger years are

1/ a Rickenbacker I played in a shop as a student. Every pickup and control setting seemed to be a different Beatles sound and 

2/ a 50s junior

For now I'd probably say my R7 Custom is perfect for me but it is bloody heavy. That's my fault though, I need to get back in the gym. I can get the action really low for some reason without it being awkward to play, I don't know what it is. It took a long time to get the pickups right. I have a partial split on the neck and phase invert on the bridge on push/pulls. It isn't very 1957 now. The bigsby is my own addition. The gold is more tarnished these days. It suffered a headstock break in the past. I like that it started off as a flagship model and is now a bit of a basket case. It kind of mirrors my own life trajectory 

merlin

My tastes have changed over time. Probably at the moment it's my Creme de Marine Falcon.

There was a 56 Junior that I sold and I still have pangs for. 

richman6100

To date, the following...

1. My Feline Lion.
2. My Novo Serus J.
3. My 50th anniversary Strat.
4. My custom Suhr Alt T Pro.
5. My PJE Macon Junior.
6. A Gibson Custom Shop ES-335 I tried in Denmark Street. The only 335 I've experienced that was better than my Ibanez SA80.
7. A Custom Shop blackguard Tele I tried at Coda Music.
8. A Winyard Stealthcaster I tried at the London Guitar Show last year (albeit in the noisy environment of the show).

57Deluxe

My answer won't colour anyone's judgement or decision process as it can only really be based upon the guitars I have owned/own. BUT surprisingly, it is often the CHEAPEST guitars I have that offer more than the top branded or even vintage models.

Perhaps I have just been lucky as not all cheap guitars follow suit and many of my students' over time have not delivered similarly.

Cheapest new guitar £15 vrs most paid £2200 bought at same time - the £15 Tele beats the 335 hands down and shows the fretboard scars to prove it.

downbytheriver

Fender custom shop 1988 40th Anniversary Telecaster #40 of 300. Incredibly comfortable to play, superb sound. I unboxed it at Sound Control Dunfermline when it arrived new from Fender, played it to death for about 4 years and sold it when life got a bit tight. I still dream it’ll be mine again one day. 

bloodandtears

Any of my 4 Charvel model series guitars...

Everythingon10

My red Strat (it's a 50s Hot Rod but that's not what makes it great, it's just a great example of a Stratocaster)

The best guitar I've played but not bought is a friend's custom shop Les Paul. I'm not sure what model it is actually, it's a custom shop with a flametop but I don't think it's an R8 or R9—from a year they were doing a different model naming system, I think. Anyway, it's amber, light as a feather but apparently not weight relieved, and the most lively unplugged electric I've ever strummed. Sounds amazing plugged in too. He's changed the pickups since I played it, but I seriously doubt whatever's in there now would be an improvement.

I have an amber Les Paul too which is also a pretty great example, but it's a lot heavier. I prefer the neck on mine by a long way, but if my friend ever puts that one up for sale I'm going to be in a lot of trouble.

Grumpyrocker

I think might actually be my Schecter PT Hellraiser Hybrid. It feels the most perfect together guitar I've played. It makes my RG1121 Premium and LTD EC1000 feel cheap in comparison despite being in similar price ranges.

It's a guitar that feels really premium and special. With the satin treatment on the neck it feels gorgeous to play. It doesn't have that "encased in a layer of plastic" feel that many guitars in this price range have. 

All the hardware is excellent, beautifully put together.

I wish my Les Paul felt this well made and perfect. 

Grampa

A recently acquired 2000 McCarty with solid rosewood neck. Can't describe why, it just feels right for me.
https://i.imgur.com/B9ioYil.jpg

the.godfather

A James Tyler USA Studio Elite HD. To this day it's still the greatest guitar I've ever touched. That Tyler Standard '59 neck profile with the rolled edges is pure magic. I stupidly sold it a few years back now as I needed the money at the time and got offered a silly high amount for it. I can honestly say that it's the only guitar I've truly regretted selling almost every day since. The price of the US ones has of course gone through the roof since as well!

MikeC

Sound wise, my 82 jv strat. But I prefer a chunky Gibson neck, so feel wise is probably my 57 tv yellow lp special. 

Blueingreen

Trying to be as objective as possible, my PRS SC 594 Semi Hollow.  I actually avoid playing it too much because I don't want to get too used to a guitar that's so easy to play that any guitar I pick up afterwards it will suffer by comparison.  It's a great looking instrument, fit and finish are impeccable as you'd expect, and it's incredibly versatile sonically.

But - and it's a big but - your best guitar isn't necessarily your favourite.  For my only current gig it's not a great visual fit and I prefer something that looks a bit more old school.  So I tend to take other guitars to gigs and rehearsals.

equalsql

A late 1980s Gordon Smith SG1.
Honestly, it was insanely good. The action and neck were incredible and the pup was smoking hot. I couldn't believe that such a seemingly simple guitar could be such a monster instrument. It just begged you to play fast and loud.
It was a revelation to me.

Nightswan

Probably the 3 below. In order: Ibanez J Custom RG8670-TB, Ibanez J Custom RG5-VV and Daemoness Cimmerian.

Rob1742

1965 Fender Strat. The flat frets and light strings make it an absolute dream to play.