Poll - If you could only have one electric guitar

The Real MC · Post by **The Real MC** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 9:56 am

The black ones just have that sound...

Black sounds better, huh?

There is no "one guitar" IMO.

I have two custom shop guitars - one from Fender, one from Gibson. Strat set neck and Les Paul 1960 reissue VOS. Both are excellent sounding and playing guitars but neither gets the sound of the other. Both have their place in different styles of music.

arbitropia · Post by **arbitropia** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 10:07 am

fender mustang.........size, looks, sound, and the Dynamic Vibrato (my favorite trem style).

Kindly Killer · Post by **Kindly Killer** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 10:17 am

My fave guitar by far is a homemade one. It is tele shaped body, but it is a chambered (335 shaped, hollow body with solid center stripe) mahog body with 1/4" flat maple top mahog set neck, ebony fingerboard, 24 3/4" scale - basically a gibson style gittar. I suspect that the bridge is what gives it its mojo - it is a one piece LP Junior style bridge, which I think gives you more of the sound of the guitar. This guitar really sounds right for 1960's smoky jazz guitar, and it can rock, too. Never gets quite bright enough to twang your eardrums out tho.

The main reason I like my homemade guitars best is that I can play them. The necks on manufactured guitars just seem soooo small and way too curved.

But yeah, +1 on teles and 335s if the pickups are right. Almost all off-the-shelf 335 types come with pickups that are way too dark to be versatile. The thing about using a tele for everything is that you really have to know how to wrangle pedals, e.g. varitone, the cap trick to lower the peak, boosters and OD's etc. Teles also suck because of the layout of the control plate; you have to make your own to make it a usable stage guitar.

willowhaus · Post by **willowhaus** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 1:56 pm

Well, of the ones that have come & gone through my life over the past three decades

the one I kept the longest was the PRS with Seymour Duncan pups (HSS) and a whammy bar. Damn versatile guitar - the thing has worked in every context I've used it in.

Although, if the genie of the lamp appeared in front of me I'd have to ask for the '69 Goldtop LP Deluxe I used to have. Bought it for $350, sold it for $500 - thought that was a pretty sweet deal back before they were worth more than my car...

mertmo · Post by **mertmo** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 6:23 pm

Telecaster. Deluxe style...

RefD · Post by **RefD** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 6:58 pm

GooberNumber9 wrote:
JASIII wrote:I'm in disbelief that I'm the first to say a strat.
You and me both!

to be fair, i performed with a Strat most of the time between '86 and '01.

but i usually played my Tele for fun.

now the Tele gets to do the lion's share.

Judas Jetski · Post by **Judas Jetski** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 7:38 pm

I just realized that this thread is about only one electric guitar. Since I now have two of the one guitar that I chose, I find myself in conflict of interest and must recuse myself.

RefD · Post by **RefD** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 8:03 pm

Andy Smash wrote:I just realized that this thread is about only one electric guitar. Since I now have two of the one guitar that I chose, I find myself in conflict of interest and must recuse myself.

this thread is about theoretically only having one, so remain at your post, sailor!

comfortstarr · Post by **comfortstarr** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 6:37 am

Someone mentioned the Fender HH Jaguar... I'm really intrigued by that guitar for a "there can be only one" situation.

I think I'd vote strat for now. I just like that strat tone and find it applicable in a lot of situations.

As to one bass, I think there's not contest G&L L2000. It's like having 5 basses in one, none of which are compromised.

In fact, I'm going to log off and go play mine right now--it has that kind of jedi power.

shedshrine · Post by **shedshrine** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 7:00 am

As for Basses:

A plussy plus one for a G&L. Mine's a Tribute L2500, and yeah, that thing does the precision thing, the jazz thing, and a close stingray. Active and passive, tone controls work with both. The B string is not a flabby add on, it handles. That would be my highlander, if there can only be one don't you know.

(Thinks about freinds L2000)I like the five and all, but an L2000 (or any 4 for that matter) is freer to jam on and do a little snap n pop without shredding the back of your fingers...maybe I'll try some ground-wounds...

speaking of slap n pop, check this guy out :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4HnTSYv ... re=related

Sculli · Post by **Sculli** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 8:18 am

+1 on Tele

JohnDavisNYC · Post by **JohnDavisNYC** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 8:29 am

my '77 jazz bass... cream with a black pickguard and maple neck with the block inlays.

john

oh.my · Post by **oh.my** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 8:32 am

Rickenbacker 330

That's my emotional choice, and I think I'd go that route if it actually came up. Practically speaking, a Tele or Strat would make more sense.

CraigS63 · Post by **CraigS63** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 9:36 am

I am probably going to be the only one to answer with "O'Hagan Nightwatch".
It's vaguely Les Paul-ish, with a neck-thru body, 2 humbuckers, a fairly small radius fretboard (maybe 9"), two volume , one tone control. Brass nut/Schaller stop tailpiece. I modified it in 1985 or so with on/off/on switches for all 4 pickups, and series/parallel push/pull switches on the volume knobs. Mostly because some genius at a music store said there was no way to make it sound like a Strat.

In the midwest in the mid-80's, they used to be fairly common, and cheap.
Now of course, they are v*ntage.

http://www.vintageguitar.com/features/b ... p?AID=1098

ladewd · Post by **ladewd** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 3:18 pm

I have 7 various electrics. I won't get into details, but 3 are expensive American instruments and 4 are from various Asian companies.

If I had to keep one of them it would be my Levinson Blade (California Standard). These were sold by MF about 10 years ago. Its like a Strat, has a humbucker (splittable) at the bridge and 2 single coils. It has active electronics which can be defeated to bypass the active circuitry. If the battery dies, the guitar still works as a regular guitar.

The active electronics have trim pots in the rear which can be set to various settings. There is a 3 way toggle that controls the active EQ. In one position it will give me 0-12dB of midrange boost, depending on the rear pot setting. In the center it bypasses the EQ, and In the 3rd position it allows you to adjust lo and hi cut and boost +/-10dB. All these combinations are available on all 5 pickup configurations. After this, you have a normal tone control as well.

It has nice fat Les Paul type frets and a flatter fingerboard and a thinner neck than a Strat. The body is Ash and his has a Wilkenson Tremelo, which I have locked.

This is most flexible guitar I've ever owned, and the sick thing is if I wanted to sell it, I probably wouldn't get more than $200 for it (I paid $600 10 years ago). Its not my best playing guitar, but for my style, it has the best sound and is the most versatile.

CA

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Poll - If you could only have one electric guitar

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