guitarboy2828
andrewjbryson wrote:
Forget what I just said...
Get yourself a Ibanez JS1000 / JS1200 / JS1600
Very very versatile guitar... great humbuckers / great splitting options
You can dial into many different tonal options, plus the compound radius neck rocks
JS 1000 is one of, if not THE nicest guitars i've ever played.. I have to agree, it's up there with the most versatile..
Hmm.. H-S-S.. Never thought of that.. Why not H-S-H with splitting coils.. I'd be interested to know how versatile Alan's modded guitar is, that thing has so many buttons and who knows what in it, alan? What say you? ?
MikeM
I personally believe that the stratty neck sound is one of those insanely iconic tones that anyone should have when it comes to a "versatile" repetoire.. Just one of those amazing tones.. Same as a nice hot bridge Paf. Sounds awesome.
http://www.ratcliffe.co.za/gear/sanox/index.shtml
AlanRatcliffe
The most versatile guitar you can walk into a shop and buy is the Ernie Ball Musicman Steve Morse signature. A bit complex on the switching side, but it lets you go from single to humbucker to Teleish tones and control the amount of amp distortion by switching pickups. Not to everyone's taste though.
Otherwise a Strat with a Humbucker at the bridge (HSS) would be my first choice. That covers the most ground really well. A good Tele is surprisingly versatile for a two pickup guitar, but doesn't cover the heavier end of the spectrum very well.
HSH is good on paper, but you trade off the all-important (to me anyway) neck single-coil. Yes, you can coil-cut a neck humbucker, but it's not the same as most humbuckers tapped are lower powered than a single-coil. HSH guitars also tend to have longer fretboards, which pushes back the neck pickup towards the bridge, making it brighter. Also, most stock wiring coil-cuts the pickups to the inner coils, so it's even closer to the bridge.
In trying to get my Sanox as versatile as possible, I went through 14 different pickups, mostly neck models, trying to get a Stratlike neck position sound and ended up with the DiMarzio Multibucker (a Fasttrack 1 and a Chopper in one humbucker size pickup). Still a bit of a trade-off though. Eventually I went back to having a Strat too and dropped a Lollar Imperial (PAF-alike) in the neck of the Sanox. It's still got a lot of sounds (12 sounds from two Humbuckers, most very good), but doesn't do the Strat thing anymore.
Piezos extend the versatility of an electric quite a bit, but it's not quite the same as an acoustic guitar.
Renesongs
My 2c worth. My Fender Strat does everything for me from mellow Jazz to Squealing metal. If I had the money for a 2nd guitar it would be a Gibson ES335, and a third would be another Strat
arjunmenon
If you've got the cash, the Parker Adrian Belew Fly is worth looking at...
Dang it, any parker fly is worth looking at ?
Heath
Imo the most versatile guitar , is having 2 or 3 guitars . A hh guitar for rock and metal , a fender sss guitar for the more mellow bluesy stuff and a accoustic .
DonovanB
This is like the eternal debate.
I'm going to say a Nylon string. Sure you can't overdrive it, it has not trem bridge or pickups but you can get more sounds out of that than anything.
You can play classical music, blues, jazz and if you whack the power chords hard enough you get the meanest growl out of any guitar I've heard.
Plus, any solo you do will drop jaws just for sheer attitude and the timbre from a good nylon string is juts amazing.
Keira-WitherKay
yeah +1 Donovan...nylons are great in the acoustic scene... and more versatile than a steel string......
however i think the original post was for an electric to help him get the most sounds outa one guitar..........
and yes i used to be a lead guitarist in many cover bands (yuk now my skin crawls when i admit to it) all over the world. on hotel circuit..`where we had to play everything from gary moore .... to black eyed pea's in same set ...
and yeah i agree 100% with alan a strat type guitar with a humbucker is the most versatile.or else an ibanez or in fact any other make with the same pup arrangement of 2 single coils and a humbucker in bridge for the fat sounds.........
and i always found a bolt on neck to give more twang on the clean sounds........... and yeah i and many other muso's doing the same circuit all used similar guitars .... for the job of multitasking and since we ussually traveled as in flew to gigs in hotels worldwide only one guitar was allowed...... so yeah thats my 2c worth on the topic.......
a bolt on neck with a single/single/humbucker and of course NOT FORGETTING THE SKILL TO PLAY IN DIFFERENT STYLES... HOW YOU PLAY SOMETIMES MAKES MORE DIFFERENCE TO WHAT GUITAR YOU USE.... SO LEARN TO FIND THE TRADEMARK TECHNIQUES/TONES IN EACH STYLE AND USE EM...AND HOW YOU HOLD YOUR PICK..... A SLIGHT SHIFT CAN CHANGE YOUR TONE....
btw in all my years on the hotel circuit no one ever played a les paul for multi tasking it's way too a one voice guitar .... and yeah i love that tone but thats all you have you can make a strat sound close to a les paul with a humbucker and dual overdrive.... but never have i heard a les paul get anything lclose to a strat sound....
peace and light
Keira
guitarboy2828
ROFL at Don..
I like what Alan said... Makes sense.. I have seen a couple musicman's, never played one, never seen the steve morse signature.. ☹
I'll probably end up getting a strat... I just love the sound it can make through a fender clean channel.. Just to beautiful not to have one.. My second guitar will probably be a JS 1000 or Jackson soloist.. But, i'll have to sell my car and house to buy those.. ?
SharpDressedMan
Ibanez SAS 32 or 36, set neck, from jazz to metal
DonovanB
guitarboy2828 wrote:
ROFL at Don..
Lol, why is that funny? 8)
Like someone said, its not what you play, but how you play it. I have 5 electric guitars and 2 nylons strings and I feel more like a guitarist when I play the nylon. not matter what I play.
but my wife thinks I'm just looking for an excuse to use her nail file. :-\
TomCat
My thoughts migrate towards a Music Man "Luke" Steve Lukather H-S-S with EMG Active PUPs.
In the more budget range the Ibanez SA260FM (Also H-S-S)
[deleted]
I have to go with a HSS Strat
guitarboy2828
DonovanB wrote:
guitarboy2828 wrote:
ROFL at Don..
Lol, why is that funny? 8)
Like someone said, its not what you play, but how you play it. I have 5 electric guitars and 2 nylons strings and I feel more like a guitarist when I play the nylon. not matter what I play.
but my wife thinks I'm just looking for an excuse to use her nail file. :-\
As long as you don't play your nylon string in a dress while using the nail file you're doing okay Don.. ?
nick_D01
my recommendations would be a prs , prs se, cort m series or similar prs style axe man. jonny hiland needed a "versatile" guitar that could handle a myriad of styles from tele twang, to vai style wammy madness and far as i can tell he seems pretty stoked with his signature prs's. heck if you got the bank balance i'd say just get his signature prs ?
singemonkey
The best looking guitars tend not to be the most versatile ?
Superstrats - ESPs, Ibanez, Yamaha, Jackson, Charvel. These guitars often max out the options.
The Parker Fly - it deserves some respect. It's a really good design. All it needs is someone to be a guitar hero using one and it'll get a lot more attention.
For personality with versatility, you can't go wrong with a Strat with a coil splitting humbucker in the bridge (my Yamaha Pacifica 904 is the same setup) or a Les Paul with coil splitting on both pickups and a kahler bridge - that would kick ass for Me and Bobby McGee, Highway to Hell or Amazing Grace.
Bob-Dubery
I recall that back in the early 80s guys like Tommy Tedesco and (IIRC) Tim May (top, very busy LA session players) always packed a 335 because they felt that was the most versatile instrument.
Guy-Onraet
TomCat wrote:
My thoughts migrate towards a Music Man "Luke" Steve Lukather H-S-S with EMG Active PUPs.
Lovely guitar that. And of course very versatile.
aubs1
guitarboy2828 wrote:
andrewjbryson wrote:
Forget what I just said...
Get yourself a Ibanez JS1000 / JS1200 / JS1600
Very very versatile guitar... great humbuckers / great splitting options
You can dial into many different tonal options, plus the compound radius neck rocks
JS 1000 is one of, if not THE nicest guitars i've ever played.. I have to agree, it's up there with the most versatile..
There's your answer right there.......... ?
However, check this out: PRS Custom 24 demo....
