My favorite guitar...

[Mincer]

Funny, we both have the same goals but do it very different ways. You tweak your gear to easily get the sounds you want to play, I tweak my playing to match the gear I'm using. There's merit to both ideas of course and I feel most people are somewhat in the middle.

Actually, what you and I do are pretty rare. Most people just buy another guitar to get the sound they want. I just hate switching guitars for a different sound.

[Texsunburst59]

I own North of 40 guitars which include Fender Strats,Teles, Gibson Lp’s ,Explorer, 335,330,RD Custom, Jr.,Tom Anderson, Suhr, and Core PRS.

My favorite at the moment is a ‘94 PRS Goldtop Standard 24 loaded with a set of PRS 57/08’s.

[Aceman]

I don't have a favorite.

Maybe my #1 Les Paul, but only for sentimental reasons. I love them all different ways.

[GuitarDoc]

Like Orpheo, I have a lot of guitars (not quite 100, but a lot...over 3 dozen customs and 2 dozen store-bought) and my favorite is one I made about 10 years ago. It's definitely not as pretty as the ones I've been making for the past 10 years but it just does everything perfectly. It's light (only about 5 pounds 9 ounces), the neck fits my hand perfectly so it's easy for me to play, the pickups (GFS Dream 180s) have a really great tone and just work together perfectly with the woods used in the guitar, the guitar is versatile (Dave's Do-It-All wiring) and it can play Beach Boys, Clapton, Hendrix, and Knopfler Strat tones, CCR, Bad Company/Free, and Eagles LP tones, AC/DC and Iomi SG tones, overdriven and distortion tones, and even metal.

An interesting story...A couple months ago a guy was at my house auditioning for the band I was with and he played 15-20 of my guitars and kept coming back to this particular guitar. He wanted to buy it on the spot for $7500 (my custom guitars are priced between $3500 and $7500 depending on extra options chosen) but I told him that it was my personal guitar and it wasn't for sale. He then played several more guitars and still kept coming back to this one and he offered me $10,000...$7500 down and $2500 in a week after he got a loan from his dad. Again I turned him down..."not for sale at any price". (When you have the perfect guitar, how can you put a price on it? How can you ever replace it?). It's the perfect storm guitar for me.

Something funny...I have an old Les Paul DC Goldtop with P-90s that I haven't even touched for over 10 years because the last time I played it I didn't like the tone (it was very thin sounding). Well some of you know that I really love P-90s and over the past several years I have learned how to set them to get the most out of them. Well, earlier this week when I was testing an amp I repaired, I was trying 10-15 guitar through it and I tried this LP...OMG!!! The tone and playability were absolutely gorgeous! I was totally shocked by how good it sounded. I could never have it as my #1 though, because it is not very versatile and it is way too heavy (about 10 lbs).

[eclecticsynergy]

After spending nearly five decades as a pro musician I have a fairly large fleet too. Well under 75 total, though, even counting the basses and acoustics.
Still, I couldn't possibly pick just a single favorite. Maybe one each, in a handful of categories.

Favorite Les Paul, a 'pre-Historic' I bought through Guitar Trader in '83.
Favorite Strat, the refinished/refretted '63 I've owned and loved for decades.
Favorite bass, a '72 Ibanez Jazz Bass, 12-pound beast I used on numerous records back in the days of vinyl.
Favorite acoustic, a yellowed & lacquer-checked old Martin HD28.
Favorite semihollow, an '05 Johnny A Custom.
Favorite slab guitar, the korina Moderne I bought brand new in '82.
Favorite boutique build, an amazing '04 McNaught VDC.

Favorite PRS? Now, that'd be a harder choice. I have quite a few and have become very attached to several of them.
A 20th Anni Custom22, a DGT, a korina/Brazilian McCarty, another McCarty with 57/08s. Even a Starla, though that's hardly in the same class.
But if the house were on fire and I could only grab one on my way out the door, it'd be my '87 Standard. Just magical.

[Seashore]

But if the house were on fire and I could only grab one on my way out the door, it'd be my '87 Standard. Just magical.

That's the 7 string Paul for me. With apologies to my other fine instruments.

[GuitarDoc]

I just weighed that LP Goldtop and it's only about 8 lbs. Pretty light for a LP. Still 2-3 lbs heavier than my favorite.

[Aceman]

One of these. Depends on day of the week...

[jeremy]

I just weighed that LP Goldtop and it's only about 8 lbs. Pretty light for a LP. Still 2-3 lbs heavier than my favorite.

8lbs is about my perfect weight for a lp

[donaldr]

My Godin Exit 22, I have fun playing any still of music on any amp available.


Now with this pickup config (EMG 60/S/S with 3-way switch and stacked tone controls).

[ErikH]

I just weighed that LP Goldtop and it's only about 8 lbs. Pretty light for a LP. Still 2-3 lbs heavier than my favorite.

My Goldtop is 10lbs, verified on the scale. I have a strap that helps it not feel like 10lbs though.

My favorite will always be my 30+ year-old frankenstrat. It's been thru a lot and has never let me know at a gig. Still plays great, sounds great. And it's 7.5lbs.

[Mincer]

I know some of the Smart Wood LPs of the late 90s were about 7.5lbs. They had thinner bodies and tummy cuts...and I liked them better than normal LPs.

[Butch Snyder]

OK I have some nice guitars. My bad but I like guitars. I like mandolins, violins, keyboards and mouth harps as well (I don't own a mouth harp) but that's off topic. My current guitar list is as follows.

2024 American Pro ll Stratocaster
2024 American Pro ll Telecaster
2024 Gibson Les Paul Std
2024 USA Epiphone Casino
2024 Ibanez PIA3761ch

The problem is that whichever guitar I pick up, in 5 minutes, that one is my favorite! Now realize that I am biased. I have owned Fenders, Gibsons, Ibanez and Conklins over the years but I am Les Paul spoilled to my core. I avoided playing my LP in preference to the others but to no avail. I m a Les Paul guy to my core. The PIA is a tough *****, hands down. The Epi has so much chime and class ( hollow body P90 loaded) and a a Strat is a Strat, a Tele a Tele...

I have Gods Harom of guitars but I am drawn to that fricken Les Paul. It's simply lovely but seriously, aqll my guitars are.

what's your favorite git-fiddle? Do share!

Robert, what ever happened to the Les Paul you had that you brought to my house, way back when? I remember it had all gold hardware, double cream Duncans and you even had gold studs and screws in the pickups. I think it was either honeyburst, vintageburst, tobaccoburst, or something similar.

[Butch Snyder]

I have a Fender 70th Anniversary Broadcaster that I bought used when I stumbled on it on Facebook Marketplace. I grabbed it and through some finishing mods (I sanded down the back on the neck because the nitro was too sticky). Was really surprised to find it locally.