Re: another forum priority question!?!?!
Me, I have 46 guitars. My brother also thinks I should sell some. But,....my brother is an idiot. LOL!
You need a Number ONE guitar. That's the guitar that you play most of the time--the one that feels and sounds right.
Now the next most important guitar to have is your NUMBER ONE-A guitar. It is a guitar that is IDENTICAL to your NUMBER ONE. Now me, I'm not real picky as to whether my Number ONE G&L Legacy has a RW or Maple board. I have both, and use them interchangeably. Some guys are picky about that kind of thing, some aren't. If you NEED your Number ONE strat to have Duncan xyz pickups, an ASH body, maple neck, and a left-handed vintage vibrato--than NUMBER ONE-A should be an exact match.
Stuff happens--you might wind up with a gig and the other guitar would be in the shop. Having a bunch of different guitars, like a Gretsch, Ric, Strat, Tele and a Paul is nice--but if your NUMBER ONE-A is a (INSERT BRAND HERE), you'd better have a backup for that guitar. If you're making you're living in a recording studio backing other artists, you probably have a genuine need for a diverse collection of guitars. (But you still need ONE-A.)
Once you have ONE and ONE-A, you can think about broadening your tones. I also use 2HB guitar like a LP or 335--I have several to choose from. They might have different pickups, or even different construction; but for the most part these are intechangeable for me. I don't need a Gretsch for rockabilly, or a deep-bodied archtop for jazz--though you might. I have an inexpensive twelve string electric that I use quite a bit, so I bought a second one as a backup. And I think every player should have a decent acoustic.
If you only like Strats, and have no need for Teles, Gretsches, Pauls, Jazz boxes, etc., then you can start putting a collection of Strats together. You might want some in different colors or with a bridge humbucker or a hardtail. You might find a 2HB Big Apple Strat fits your needs better than a Paul would; or you build a custom Partscaster with the features you like most.
If you decide to sell stuff, factor in your costs and profits. Sometimes, a cheap guitar is worth hanging onto. You might not make any profit on its sale, yet it's a decent guitar. I have a set-neck Hondo 335 from the late 70's like that. It's not worth anything because of the name on the headstock, but it really is a great guitar and totally blows away newer Epi Dots and Sheratons. Mine needs new pots and a new jack--so I'll NEVER get that money out of it--but I'm keeping it because it is such a cool guitar.
You are the only one that can figure it out. You have to figure out what you like and what kind of collection you want or need to have.
Good luck!
Bill
