Re: Every been tempted to just settle for one high-end guitar?
There's certainly no 'one right answer' to the question, so much of it comes down to what it is you want or need to accomplish by playing guitar. For every gig where I see a rack of different guitars side stage and a very busy guitar tech, there will then be an example like Jeff Beck. One guitar, all night. Go back and see him the next night. Same guitar, all night. Go see him three years later...same guitar, all night. The three times I've seen him, the show was completely different, even on two consecutive nights. Different tones, different musical approaches, all brilliant. Granted, we can't all emulate Jeff Beck, but it does show what is possible when musicality is the focus, rather than what often amounts to tonal minutiae once it hits the line array. I can relate to Mr Beck in this regard, because I have used one guitar for most of my professional career. In all that time (33 years), not a single artist I have worked for, nor producer, have insisted that I must use a range of different guitars. Flick a pickup selector, change amps, drop the gain, add a pedal...I've done all of those when a producer has asked for a double track with a different colour. More than anything, the most important aspect has always been the performance, the execution.
Conversely, there are great guitarists who are constantly changing things up, and doing it well. Appropriate tones for particular styles or parts, serving the song with a broad ranging palette. But still the most important aspect will be the performance. The loveliest guitar with the most amazing amp, played with a tentative approach and a lack of conviction, will always suck. Always. A lack of skill or creativity will always be exposed, no matter how many guitars are in the rack. Armed with this knowledge and a commitment to applying it, the question of how many different guitars and what type of pickups becomes secondary, at best. Have as many, or as few, as you want. Certainly aim for the best examples you can find or afford, because they will best serve the performance. But I think we must avoid the delusion that a wide array of different instruments can ever compensate for inadequacies in the performance. There will be no prizes for being incompetent or mediocre on a wide variety of instruments. Once the focus has been squarely set on musicality, the number of guitars you need will make itself apparent. It could be one, it could be twenty. Take your pick.
Cheers...................................... wahwah
