Guitars you never thought you would love

dazzer22

My guitar journey has been long and hard but finally i have found a guitar I am completely  happy with, I have Had USA Fenders - Gibson les Paul  , Theses guitars where great but i always felt that something was something missing. The  Gibson les Paul never felt that much better than my Epip   and the  Fender Stratocaster i never like the sound maybe that was more to do with the pickups, I have three Electric Guitars now ,  Schecter  -  Epip Les Paul and  Evh 5150 standard. The Evh 5150 gets all the play time but i really never thought i would like it so much ,  

OilCityPickups

I bought a Tele in 1976 because I couldn't afford a Strat ... at age 17 I hated the shape ... turns out that with five Teles on the instrument rack now ... they've grown on me :-) 

Offset

Fender Tele for me.  I considered them the nadir of uncool when I started playing in my teens.  45+ years later finally I bought a knackered 20 year old MIA Tele.  I have (in my view anyway) some quite nice guitars but that Tele fits me like a comfy old pair of well-made shoes, it looks as cool as fuck and it sounds great regardless of what style of music you point it at.

If I had to have just one guitar (heaven forbid!) it would be a Tele.

tony99

A weird sort of offset strat type thing by Stagg.

I can hand on heart say I never thought that I would love it, and I never did.

Was bloody awful.

AK99

Danelectro 59.

Never ever thought I could like such a Gawdawful thing. Boy was I wrong

BillDL

I never liked the look, feel or sound of a Fender Starcaster, so I got rid of the one I bought very early on in my playing years.  More recently I bought a Squier Affinity Starcaster from a member here and I absolutely love the look, feel and sound of it.

I started off playing a Strat and stuck to Strat styled guitars for a very long time.  The chunky body and the very strident and direct sound of a Tele didn't appeal to me.  I preferred the softer and "bouncier" sound of a Strat and always viewed them as being more versatile.  Many years later I discovered the versatility of a Tele and really like the sound and feel of them now.

Winny_Pooh

TTBZ

Teles. Always associated them with landfill indie which I hated at the time. Still a bit undecided on the look but they sound great for heavier music and feel very "right" to play. Don't own one yet though. 

PLOP

Like most people here it seems, I’ll say tele. I wanted something with 25.5” scale, but was more looking at RGs and similar because I’m in a metal band. I tried a tele with a HSS configuration and it just fitted perfectly. I love it now, but a lot of that is due to the modern contours on the body. Old style “square” teles feel like a brick, and they’re the reason why I didn’t like them for so long. I don’t see the appeal of vintage specs on most guitars because modern equivalents are almost always better. That stands especially for the telecaster. 

Philly_Q

I don't think I've ever experienced this.  I guess I've only ever tried, and ultimately bought, guitars I thought I would like.

There are lots of guitars which have never appealed to me - Gretsch, Rickenbacker, Jags and Jazzmasters, and at the other end of the spectrum most things ultra-modern and shreddy.  But I've tried very few of those guitars, so they haven't had the opportunity to surprise me.

Lestratcaster

I don't think I've tried enough guitar shapes and sizes to find something I won't like. I'll pretty much turn my hand to anything, but I know I don't like SG's. Just don't like the way they sit when I'm playing them. But that wasn't the question haha.

Maybe some of the budget cheaper guitars that I didn't much of, and they happen to sound half decent. (Usually learner guitars they bring in).

Voxman

It took me umpteen years before I decided to get an SG, put off by the aesthetics of the sharp horns. My 2006 SG Standard is now one of my favourite guitars. 

ICBM

I still haven't bought an Ibanez JEM or RG, but I do now like them and I wouldn't rule it out. (Even though I don't actually need one.)

blobb

Not a guitar, but an amp. I bought a MESA Express a few years back, I know it's not your typical rectifier type but I never thought I would like MESA.  It's a lovely thing. I stand corrected.   

Funkfingers

I tend to make guitar purchase decisions based on playability and whether I have need/use of the sounds the thing yields.

e.g. I dislike several aspects of the Fender Jaguar but tolerate them because some of its sounds are unique.

blueskunk

Fender Blacktop Strat with Humbuckers!! 

Lovely light body, perfect thin neck and a pair of Ash’s Oil City Humbuckers. Its up there with the best guitars I have ever had. 

Deadman

Music man Axis Super Sport, I only played it briefly but it’s stuck with me. Playability is unbelievable. Looks wise not for me at all, doesn’t fit with my genres but what an instrument.

Heartwood

I'm gonna join in with the anti Tele prejudice. I never liked the look of them, associated them with 'old' music, or too country for me... 

Picked one up in a local store just to compare to a strat I was interested in. Something just caught me off guard. Such a good sound, solid tuning, nice fitting neck. I was sold. Now had like 5 over the last 10 years, and ended up building 2 of my own. Most under rated electric. 

Devil#20

OilCityPickups said:

I bought a Tele in 1976 because I couldn't afford a Strat ... at age 17 I hated the shape ... turns out that with five Teles on the instrument rack now ... they've grown on me :-) 

Offset said:

Fender Tele for me.  I considered them the nadir of uncool when I started playing in my teens.  45+ years later finally I bought a knackered 20 year old MIA Tele.  I have (in my view anyway) some quite nice guitars but that Tele fits me like a comfy old pair of well-made shoes, it looks as cool as fuck and it sounds great regardless of what style of music you point it at.

If I had to have just one guitar (heaven forbid!) it would be a Tele.

Those of us that know, know that the Telecaster is, like the ring to rule all others, the guitar to rule all other guitars. It's basic yes, but it is the most fantastic guitar and very unforgiving no hiding place. If you can play a Tele it is a right of passage and you're time served. If you don't own one you need to have a word with yourself. Get a good one and keep it. 

Deadman

Heartwood said:

I'm gonna join in with the anti Tele prejudice. I never liked the look of them, associated them with 'old' music, or too country for me... 

Picked one up in a local store just to compare to a strat I was interested in. Something just caught me off guard. Such a good sound, solid tuning, nice fitting neck. I was sold. Now had like 5 over the last 10 years, and ended up building 2 of my own. Most under rated electric. 

I’m the other way on. I’ve had to force myself to like them to fit with the genres I do love. A heavy Tele is a big no-no for me. I’d never buy one remotely without confirming the weight. It’s that slab body, nothing like the loveliness of a Strat. Get a 9-10 pounder and they’re just about the most unplayable thing ever.  If they’re slabby and flabby and I don’t care if I think I look like Joe Strummer in the process. Never played one with a belly cut but I’d imagine a light one is a lovely thing.

guitarjack66

I was always a fan of the Tele and never really thought much of the strat to look at or play. I bought one of each and my Strat is the one I'd always pick up first even though it's neck is a bit thin for me as an acoustic player. The Tele hardly gets a look in. A shitty amp doesnt help though.