Settling for 9/10 guitars or chasing down those elusive 10/10s? What do you lean towards doing?

CoffeeAndTV

I don’t even know what a 10/10 guitar means to me and I don’t know if I’d notice until I got rid of it.  I have guitars that I like to play and some I need to sell.  In fact I’m going to sort these out at the weekend.  

KevS

Any guitar is a compromise,some can be tweaked to a higher level,that for me is to make them either more versatile,or a really good one trick pony..My lightest 7 lb 8 oz Strat doesn't sound quite as good as my 8 lb Strat..The first one is good for out of the house..The second one for recording etc..My 10lb Les Paul has a real Play me vibe,it also is trans amber with flame going on,although not bookmatched,it has real character....My 9lb 8 oz one is a plain top Tone Monster that is very played in by me..It is only a Classic,,but better than my 10lb Standard,which is still better than any I could find over a few months of searching....My Old Style 1960 Classic,mentioned above originally had Ceramic Pickups,now has Lollar Imperials..I'm getting a Guild Bluesbird for out of the house though,that is chambered and weighs under 7 lbs ..I don't expect it to be a tone monster,it's better for my heart though,I have problems there.Plus it is easier to carry....Guitars have a role for me..

I have too many guitars,but have decided not to do anything about it,I intend to live my life in depraved decadence..
We don't know how long we are going to be here..Every one of them is inspiring..They make me happy..
I don't have any custom shop instruments..I have a nice choice of tools that are all useful and fulfil definite purposes..

snowblind

How do you know a guitar is a 10/10? There is always another one in the next shop or at the next gig that edges the previous one. Plus it depends on the day, the weather, what mood you are in, what happens as you play.

My Gibson LP standard is probably as close as it gets for me. May not be the same for the rest of the world.

However the first guitar I ever bought - a 1970s Japanese LP copy with the microphonic single-coil humbuckers and plywood body still has its place. Most people, quite rightly, would probably rate it a 1/10 but it is very playable, it has its own sound and every once in a while it just works. Plus is will always have that nostalgia factor of being "my first". 

A perfectly good instrument can have its appeal ruined by association. If every time you gig a guitar that is perfect at home or in practice things go to hell, through no fault of the instrument itself, then the attachment will fade. Should be a 10 but somehow it is only a 6 or a 7 because every time it leaves the house the drummer gets wasted or the singer has a bad day. Every time the amp blew up that was what I was playing.

Equally that borrowed Squier bullet is the greatest guitar ever because that is what you were playing when the prospective love of your life snags you during the gig and says you looked really cool playing it and do you fancy a drink after?

Comparison can lead to envy and bitterness. It even says so in the 10 commandments. "Thou shalt not covet thy brother's strat". Like a thing for what it is and enjoy it.

Here endeth the lesson.

Sporky

snowblind said:

How do you know a guitar is a 10/10? There is always another one in the next shop or at the next gig that edges the previous one. 

I think it's a bit like a game of rock-paper-scissors (possibly lizard spock whatever).

Guitar X is spot on.
Oh, but Guitar Y has a teeeeeeny bit more blah which really suits this new death-polka thing I'm into.
Hmm. Guitar Z has less of that obnoxious meh so it's really a lot more versatile.
Hang on, Guitar X splits the difference and is perfect for everything.

Rinse and repeat (with a key change for the last chorus, obvs)

snowblind

If death-polka isn't a thing already then it should be. Anyone ever run an accordion through a metal zone?

HAL9000

snowblind said:

If death-polka isn't a thing already then it should be. Anyone ever run an accordion through a metal zone?

That sounds so much like something Tom Waits would actually do.

BillDL

You will never see a "previously owned" or "shop demo" guitar being advertised by GuitarGuitar as a "5 out of 5" for body and neck condition, even if it truly is in "mint" condition.  I queried this out of curiosity once after receiving what was advertised as a previously owned guitar but seemed to be absolutely pristine and never played.  I was told that they always rate "mint" guitars as "4 out of 5" as a safeguard against the most finicky nitpicking of people that will always be able to find something they perceive as a flaw.  For me this is in much the same vein as the quest for a 10/10 guitar.  I've owned a lot of guitars over the years and absolutely loved some of them that felt perfect, but they all have had one or other little idiosyncrasy that is noticeable.  That's what makes all guitars unique though.  I don't think I would ever find a 10/10 so I don't look for one that ranks as a 10/10

Tenebrous

snowblind said:

How do you know a guitar is a 10/10?

For me, it's mostly just a case of loving the sound, & not wanting to change a single thing about it. In the case of my telecaster, it just feels absolutely perfect in my hands, sounds fantastic, holds tune as good as anything I've ever owned, & weighs very little while being very resonant.

I know what you're saying in the rest of your post though - I might go into a shop one day & pick up a tele that makes mine feel less special in comparison, but as someone who isn't exposed to a huge amount of guitars & never go out of my way to try things I already have, I'm perhaps blissfully ignorant when it comes to what could be out there.

Really though, I'd not change a single thing about it, and that's why it's a 10/10 for me.

Sporky

snowblind said:

If death-polka isn't a thing already then it should be. Anyone ever run an accordion through a metal zone?

Needs more nose flute. 

Roundwound

BillDL said:

You will never see a "previously owned" or "shop demo" guitar being advertised by GuitarGuitar as a "5 out of 5" for body and neck condition, even if it truly is in "mint" condition.  I queried this out of curiosity once after receiving what was advertised as a previously owned guitar but seemed to be absolutely pristine and never played.  I was told that they always rate "mint" guitars as "4 out of 5" as a safeguard against the most finicky nitpicking of people that will always be able to find something they perceive as a flaw.  For me this is in much the same vein as the quest for a 10/10 guitar.  I've owned a lot of guitars over the years and absolutely loved some of them that felt perfect, but they all have had one or other little idiosyncrasy that is noticeable.  That's what makes all guitars unique though.  I don't think I would ever find a 10/10 so I don't look for one that ranks as a 10/10

Probably the definitive post on this thread!

Tall_martin

Surely for some on here it should be easy to rate a guitar as 10/10.

Play 10 guitars.

One ranks 1/10
One ranks 2/10
The best ranks 10/10

Simple!

I have owned 15 or so over 15 years. So the 6 that I have currently are 15/15 down to 8/15.

One ibanez js100 with upgraded pickups was 12/15 and should have stayed. 

Currently 
15/15 PRS McCarthy
14/15 PRS Mira 
13/15 PRS se silver sky
11      Vintage v100 midge ure gold top
10.      Squire silver series strat
9.        Vintage v300 acoustic
8.        Harley benton telecaster

Gone
12 ibanez Js 100
7. Washburn idol. All black
8. Court super strat of some sort
7. Harley benton PRS copy. 
6. Vintage Joe doe stray
5. Fender tele acoustic 
4. Vester strat copy
3. Vintage v100 cherry burst 
2. Kay Stella string acoustic
1. Blue nylon strung abomination.

strtdv

I've got 3 electric guitars, all play and sound perfectly "good", and one (a 2008 Fender American Vintage Hot Rod '52 Tele) is very close to perfect.

All have minor gripes:

-I should have specified a modern rather than vintage magnet stagger when I had my bareknuckle pickups wound for the Strat, and the body could be more resonant and have an SSS route rather than a swimming pool.

-The Les Paul special doublecut could intonate a little better and have a fractionally narrower neck profile

-My Tele has a tiny bit of "flub" on the low E.

Perfection would be that my Tele with a rosewood fretboard, a modern compound radius and compensated nut, a titanium or aluminium E/A saddle, and some sort of switching/clever pickup wizardry to give it alternately more snarl and girth when I want it.

For what that guitar would cost to have made (around £3k+ I'd imagine) the improvement over what I've got wouldn't be worth it as hobbyist player, so isn't worth even entertaining.

I'd be better off spending the time improving my technique rather than worrying about diminishing returns in feel or tone.

UnclePsychosis

I'm not even convinced a 10/10 guitar exists.

I do know that 100% of guitarists would be better off with a 7/10 guitar and then spending their time practicing rather than a 9/10 guitar and spending their time chasing the 10/10. 

tone1

Everything in life is a compromise..

Kurtis

I think you have to adapt to the guitar a bit too.

I've had mine for years and I've got totally used to it. 

It might not have been perfect for me when I got it (is anything?). It is now though. 

Roundwound

What if the guitar is 10/10 but the paint comes off with gaffa tape? 

Kurtis

I wonder where the idea of the ideal guitar comes from.
When you start playing all guitars feel awkward, so is it based on the guitar you learn on?

Then there's acoustics/bass/whatever (assuming you learn on electric only), should they be the same feel or different to your electric? 

noisepolluter

Kurtis said:

I think you have to adapt to the guitar a bit too.

I've had mine for years and I've got totally used to it. 

It might not have been perfect for me when I got it (is anything?). It is now thought. 

I think this is very nicely put. Gear churn can be self feeding