Your "full house" of guitars?

AlanRatcliffe · 2012-10-05T11:16:11+00:00

So what do you consider having a "full house" of guitars? I'm not talking filling your house with guitars (Joe!), but rather what you consider your essential collection to cover all the sounds/styles you will use/play. For some this might be one of everything, for others it might be a couple of subtly different flavours of Strat. For others it may be just an electric guitar, an acoustic guitar and a bass. I'm interested in what For me it's a wide variety with some notable omissions and with the electrics more based on pickup type than other considerations. When I look at the holes in my collection, I don't think "I need a Tele", but rather "I need something with Filtertrons". So for me it boils down to eight instruments: Fender style electric with single-coils Nylon string Gibson style humbucker electric Rickenbacker style electric Electric with Filtertrons 12-string electric Fretted bass Fretless bass Anything more than this is either unneeded or duplication in my mind - If I have a Strat and a Tele, one always gets played to the exclusion of the other. The obvious omissions are anything with P90s, acoustic steels and hollow jazz guitars - none of which I'd ever play.

singemonkey

Which Epi? An early or a recent one?

Which violin - the Hofner, or the Gibson?

Shouldn't be a problem with hum semi-hollow basses if they have a tighter humbucker.

studmissile

You only need a tele, what other guitars are there? 8)

AlanRatcliffe

singemonkey wrote Which Epi? An early or a recent one?

A Kalamazoo one. As far as I can remember it was a two pickup Rivoli, something like this:

vic

singemonkey wrote Which Epi? An early or a recent one?

Which violin - the Hofner, or the Gibson?

Shouldn't be a problem with hum semi-hollow basses if they have a tighter humbucker.

Hofner violin bass...there are still a few around

Epi....the one in Alan's post

Bob-Dubery

X-rated Bob wrote For what I do currently I'd need a couple of good acoustics. Spruce top with rosewood back and sides would be my first choice of woods, but other wood combinations do offer usefully different tones. I wouldn't want any dreadnoughts. I think that in most maker's lines the dreadnoughts are the least sonically interesting guitars.

I'm actually pretty well set at the moment with my Morgan (OM body shape, spruce top, rosewood back and sides) and my Larrivee (Larrivee "L" shape body, spruce top, mahogany back and sides).

But good as the Morgan is, I'd trade it for a Lowden O-Series with the same woods. I played one in the UK a while back and it was the best acoustic guitar I've ever played full stop.

Then a cedar/rosewood guitar would come in handy for a darker, earthier tone.

And you have to have a spare in case you break a string, right?

So I'd keep my current two and add two, which would give me:

Morgan OMR - Spruce and rosewood

Larrivee LV-05 - Spruce and mahogany

Lowden O-35 - Spruce and rosewood

Webber 00 with cedar top and rosewood back and sides

Alll with Baggs dual-source pick up systems installed.

Which is still a vanity list, really. I've seen Richard Thompson, Martin Carthy and Martin Simpson on the road. Thompson (solo) tours with one guitar (and a very good quality case). Carthy has two, but that's to accommodate two different tunings. Simpson had two (guitars, I'm not a banjo player) when I saw him with the band and just one on the solo gig.

In each case they were using very good quality instruments, variously Lowden, Martin, Fylde, Sobell and PRS.

So, for the worth it offers to the musical world, I can get by quite nicely with what I already have.

arjunmenon

My full house of guitars:

1. My current workhorse - Sterling Ball JP50 - P/ups ugraded, frets upgraded to stainless steel frets...a piezo upgrade left tp do, then i'm all sorted.
2. My current acoustic - Breedlove Atlas - mahogany sides & back + cedar top
3. A sienna burst MIA strat - Much like what fellow forumite Rikus has
4. Suhr chambered Classic T in natural gloss
5. Breedlove Master Class Celtic Classic

Rowen-M

Mine would be:

Fender Custom Shop Master-Built Strat
'52 re-issue Tele
PRS P22
Duesenberg Starplayer TV
Les Paul Custom
Martin 00028-EC
Guild 12 String

AlanRatcliffe

I'm surprised we haven't seen more multiples for alternate tunings, y'know - five acoustics: one regular; one baritone; one dropped D; one DADGAD; one slide tuned; etc...

Big-G

Alan Ratcliffe wrote I'm surprised we haven't seen more multiples for alternate tunings, y'know - five acoustics: one regular; one baritone; one dropped D; one DADGAD; one slide tuned; etc...

Its funny you should say that Alan, as I was also thinking that I could do with adding another acoustic for tuning to G (DGDGBD). I've been messing around in my studio with some G tunings, and love it! So a Lowden O35 for G tuning, and perhaps a Takamine Santa Fe for 'normal' tuning?

Cheers
G!

Bob-Dubery

Alan Ratcliffe wrote I'm surprised we haven't seen more multiples for alternate tunings, y'know - five acoustics: one regular; one baritone; one dropped D; one DADGAD; one slide tuned; etc...

Re-tuning and capos take care of most things. Going between standard and dropped D is no biggy. I also have a sort of pseudo drop D by means of a partial capo.

Richard Thompson regularly tours with just one acoustic guitar. As far as I can tell he's got four tunings that he uses and he just retunes - playing groups of songs that require the same tuning. When I saw Martin Simpson recently he had just one guitar that he used for slide and for "non slide" and which he retuned as necessary. The lowest strings seemed to stay tuned to C & G with the rest being retuned as necessary. Both players make extensive use of a capo.

singemonkey

Hence my dedicated slide guitar. It's very useful to have a guitar that I can leave in D for practising and is always ready for playing at gigs. G is not a problem. I use my main guitar for that because I only really need to retune the E and the A string for that so it's super quick.

Tuning from standard to E or D changes the tension on the neck so radically that you have to tune 2 or 3 times. As you change the tuning on one string, a string that you tuned previously goes out. It needs to stabilise. Hence it's way better to have a pretuned guitar in those tunings.

Kraai

I own a Gibson Les Paul,Luke Musicman, Steve Morse Musicman, Tele, Strat, SE Santana PRS , Gibson EDS 275, Custom Shop Epiphone G175, Acoustic Yamaha APX900NT. Nice to have spares to d-tune . My favorites must be my Luke and Les Paul , but boy does it cost to keep me in strings.

flatfourfan

VellaJ wrote
I'm assessing the relevance of the Ibanez in my collection, while the pickups are awesome for metal, I just don't play that much in that style at the moment. (Flatfourfan, if you're reading this, you're first in line, I know ? )

FFF misses nothing.

Waits........

=

Banditman

Hmm, good exercise in considering what you're actually wanting tonally. For me it'd be:

Solid bodies:

My Les Paul Classic but given an RS Guitarworks rewire to '59 RI spec, Tonepros AVR-II bridge & tailpiece, Graph Tec nut and a set of Bare Knuckle Mules. Or a '59 RI.
Tokai or Gibson Goldtop LP with P90s OR the Gretch Billy-Bo Jupiter Thunderbird (really gelled with it when I gave one a whirl).
Fender Strat - A good standard model, though I find the Eric Johnson seems to tick my boxes nicely. But any good standard Strat with mojo will do.
Fender Tele - Again, a good, straightforward honest Tele. (Preferrably natural or butterscotch with black pickguard)

Hollowbodies / semi-hollowbodies:

Gibson or Tokai ES335
Gretsch 6120RHH
Yamaha SA503 TVL.

Acoustics:

I've got a soft spot for the J-200, but any good 6-string dreadnought that speaks to me will do.

Wildcard itch-scratch choices would include:

Fender Jaguar - A bit pointless if you've got a Strat or Tele, but I just like 'em.
Tyler Studio Elite HD in candy cherry red shmear - shear indulgence.

arjunmenon

Kraai wrote I own a Gibson Les Paul,Luke Musicman, Steve Morse Musicman, Tele, Strat, SE Santana PRS , Gibson EDS 275, Custom Shop Epiphone G175, Acoustic Yamaha APX900NT. Nice to have spares to d-tune . My favorites must be my Luke and Les Paul , but boy does it cost to keep me in strings.

Just out of curiosity...is your EBMM Luke a purple one?

[deleted]

Lentz HSL maple neck with a bigsby
Lentz DL-90 rosewood neck
Ratcliffe Strat
Cornerstone Zion (Fan Fret)
Larrivee OM-10
Morgan OMR

Doesnt get much better than that for me

arjunmenon

Brentcgp wrote Lentz HSL maple neck with a bigsby
Lentz DL-90 rosewood neck
Ratcliffe Strat
Cornerstone Zion (Fan Fret)
Larrivee OM-10
Morgan OMR

Doesnt get much better than that for me

Brent, you're Strat is a pretty good workhorse..surprised to see it missing from your list

Gearhead

Different approach: start from how many guits you can have.
One guitar: needs to be a Strat. But must be proper Strat with handwound pups and all the custom hardware, one piece body etc.
Two guitars: a Strat and a Les Paul. The Les Paul must preferrably be an R9 in lemon burst.
Three guitars: add a semi-hollow with P90s or a Tele. But proper stuff.
Four guitars: add a Tele or a semi-hollow with P90s. Proper stuff, like I said
Five guitars: add a steel string acoustic, but then something that makes the hair on your arms and neck stand up when played.
Six guitars: add a Danelectro Pro and set it up for slide. Get the neck replaced with a square one, re-do bridge.
Seven guitars: add a Les Paul Special. But: a proper cherry red single cut with wraparound bridge like Bob Marley had.
Eight guitars: add a 12 string acoustic or electric-with-piezo. I'm thinking Guild.
Nine guitars: must also get me one of those Rickenbackers, or a Gretsch Billy-Bo or some other excentric thingie
Ten guitars: time to trim the herd. Must not have ten...

StefStoep

My wish list:

1) Gibson SG - currently own one! ?
2) Fender Strat MIA - currently own a MIM, would love to upgrade.
3) Gibson LP - was more than happy just to have the SG but played recently on a LP and now "I needs it my precious"
3.1) + Piezo and maybe coil tapping but have never heard a LP being coil tapped so would like to hear it first.
4) A decent steel string acoustic, currently own a Epiphone PR6E but would a Takamine Santa Fe

There would probably much more that i want but if i look at the question it is more about what is "needed" to do what you do.

Wants:

5) Gibson ES335
6) Gibson LP / SG P90

Highway-Chile

Alan Ratcliffe wrote
singemonkey wrote Which Epi? An early or a recent one?
A Kalamazoo one. As far as I can remember it was a two pickup Rivoli, something like this:

Ratcliffe did you use Analog to process/edit that image?

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