Chatting in another thread got me to thinking. I looked over my various guitars, good ones all of them, and thought :which of these guitars would I be happy with as an only guitar? And there was really only one. Two at a pinch. All the others have different strengths but lack the versatility to be a one-and-only instrument.
So for those of us who have two or more instruments, which of them would you be happy with as a one-and-only? Which ones do you love playing but wouldn't want to have to play everything on?
(Let's not count one electric and one acoustic. If you like it both ways, you can count both instruments as "only guitars".)
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It has just one fault (though I'm not sure if this counts as an actual "fault" in the true sense). It demands my full attention. I can't explain why or how, it just does. if I concentrate properly and give it a good solid pay-attention effort, the May responds beautifully. Lovely guitar. But you can't fake it. If you are a bit distracted, or just having a relaxed play on the couch, it plays like crap. (It's not just me. My brother, who is the real musician in the family, says the same.) It needs a firm hand. It was like that in the shop before I bought it and 12 happy months later, it's still the same. I love it, but it couldn't be my only guitar.
EDIT: JUST TO BE CLEAR, this one could NOT be an only guitar.
if it all came down to it, this is the one I could turn up and play and be very happy doing so.
I’ve played country gigs, pop, rock, very metal & rock & roll gigs with it and it’s never let me down.
For electrics I don't think it's quite possible but I'd pick my Danocaster 54-style Strat all day long and be happy 95% of the time.
For basses, it's easy - anything that can't be done on a 60s style P bass isn't worth doing.
I remember you saying that about your Maton.
For me, probably my original and now well-aged OM-02 as an all rounder.
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(Hell, I did just that for a year. And then I thought it would be nice to have another one, just for something different. And then the rot set in. )
But for many years now I've had just one at a time, so which one doesn't come into it for me. But I sympathise, it must be a terrible thing.
Job done.
*An Official Foo-Approved guitarist since Sept 2023.
Best all rounder is probably my Martin dread or Collings dread. But the one I would choose to keep if rationing came in would be my Gibson Southern Jumbo 1942 Banner. Its the guitar I pick up most often, with a very distinctive voice. Its probably not very versatile....but then neither am I. My range of playing begins and ends with heavy handed strumming.
just because you do, doesn't mean you should.
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All really highly rated and not many seem to come up on sale second hand. They seem to be some of their recent 'modern classics'.
Electric - PRS Swamp Ash Special
All the others are nice to have but I don’t actually need them, I can play anything and everything I do on those.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
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I think my Brook Taw (spruce top, bubinga back/sides) would be fine as an "only" guitar. It doesn't take hard strumming (the top flubs out) but everything else is a joy. It fills a domestic room with piano-like loveliness and is easy to play. If I want loud, I have a K&K under the bridge just waiting for a cable.
Since buying it in October, I've mainly played my Strandberg Boden NX6 for everything electric - but that was the idea - to get a single electric that met all of my band needs. But, at heart, I'd probably go for the MusicMan Silhouette (SSS) that I've owned for the past 33 years. It's got history and limitations (pickup choice, mainly, I'd like to try a HB/S/HB Steve Morse to see how that went).