I need help finding "MY" guitar (nothing is lost)

[Aceman]

Re: I need help finding "MY" guitar (nothing is lost)

To the OP. There is NOT any one way it happens. For some it may never happen. But at the end of the day, it is never really about the guitar. It's the music inside of you.

My #1 came to me on a KISS poster. Frehley's Cherry Sunburst, which when bought ended up being a Standard. It was my first electric (lucky kid!). Is it REALLY my number 1 or did it just become that after years of playing. Who knows? Doesn't matter.

At some point I realized I was a Les Paul guy. I have three LP's and two Dean Cadillacs. But anymore, I don't really care. I probably play The Chops Builder more than anything. (Do a search on that). For $60, and some effort, I made something, and it is uniquely mine. I totally get that the "new thing" inspires you. But the bottom line is the music that comes out is all you. The guitar does not make it happen. And if it's not possible on any guitar, it's just not possible.

Just like women though, I really think the wrong way to find the right guitar is by looking for it. Let it happen. At some point one will trip across you that you just can't even think about anything else. Or it will just end up always being there.

You are 15. Go play whatever. If you don't dig it, move on. But keep playing.

 

[Shadow1psc]

Re: I need help finding "MY" guitar (nothing is lost)

well yea lol but I am pretty much asking how people found there #1? since I might be able to try and use the same method

Play as many guitars as you can. Get to your nearest Guitar Center, try every shape, every style, every wood combination (body, neck, fretboard), every neck shape. You'll eventually find what's most comfortable. Sound can be worked on after the fact. Don't discount a guitar based on looks - try a strat, superstrat, tele, les paul, explorer, v, firebird, iceman, axis, signature series guitars. I've owned or played just about any style you can think of, and so far the most comfortable guitar I own and have played is my 7 string John Petrucci sig model, and I never would have thought that was the case just by looking at it.

It's important to know that once you find the combination of things you like, you don't even have to stick with the guitar you find it on - improvements can be found/had, and even guitars of the same make/model can differ greatly.

 

[uOpt]

Re: I need help finding "MY" guitar (nothing is lost)

Took me about 30 years to come back nearly full circle to find my "go to" type guitar style.. I wasted tens of thousands of dollars on a multitude of different guitars and just never figured it out...i do not know if it was a mental hangup about the aesthetic,or what. But I simply never bothered to buy one. I grew up playing one,.and borrowed another for a year when I was younger, but....stupid me.

I take it the Tele came out on top of that circle?

 

[aleclee]

Re: I need help finding "MY" guitar (nothing is lost)

Don't get suckered into online forums.

Ironic advice given your post count. The rest of your post (that I didn't bother quoting) was pretty much on the mark, though. Maybe there is good advice to be found in online forums!

I don't have a 'go to' guitar, nor do I feel like I should. To me that concept is highly overrated. I have guitars that fit my moods, I absolutely do not want to play the same one all the time. I play a little differently on each guitar, and switching them helps keep me from getting in a rut. I love the differences in feel and tone between LP's, SG's, 335's, V's, and hollowbodies. They inspire me when I pick them up.

I can definitely relate on the "go to" issue. Some folks find a guitar for life. Others are gear sluts. I'm somewhere in-between, kind of like a "serial monogamist". While one guitar seems to dominate my playing time at any particular point, I seem to move on after 1-3 years. I've been through the cycle enough times to have an idea of what might come around again vs. what I can let go.

As for how to find an inspiring guitar, a lot of it is in understanding what you like and don't like. The advice on checking out a ton of guitars is right on. Unfortunately, the "good stuff" that doesn't have Gibson, Fender, or PRS on the headstock is getting harder to find as GC has a stranglehold on the industry. There are still some awesome indie shops out there but they're relatively few and far between. As for what to look for, I'd suggest:

• Scale length
• Fretboard radius
• Neck thickness, width, and shape
• Fret size
• Pickup configuration
• Control layout
• Flat vs. carved top
• Bound vs. unbound neck
• Body shape / size / weight
• Bridge type
• Wood selection

Also, learn to set up a guitar (action, relief, intonation). Not only will it save you $$$ and make your players more enjoyable, it'll help you understand the difference in feel between an uncomfortable guitar and a guitar that's just not well set up.

Finally (and this will probably be my most controversial statement), don't get too hung up about how a guitar sounds. Pickups are relatively inexpensive to replace and you can generally compensate for guitar tone inadequacies more easily than guitar feel inadequacies. Don't just plug in the guitar and start playing, dial it in with the rig. More than likely you'll come up with something that works, particularly once you hit the sonic chaos that is a bass & drum kit.

 

[blueman335]

Re: I need help finding "MY" guitar (nothing is lost)

Also, learn to set up a guitar (action, relief, intonation). Not only will it save you $$$ and make your players more enjoyable, it'll help you understand the difference in feel between an uncomfortable guitar and a guitar that's just not well set up.

Finally (and this will probably be my most controversial statement), don't get too hung up about how a guitar sounds. Pickups are relatively inexpensive to replace and you can generally compensate for guitar tone inadequacies more easily than guitar feel inadequacies. Don't just plug in the guitar and start playing, dial it in with the rig. More than likely you'll come up with something that works, particularly once you hit the sonic chaos that is a bass & drum kit.

Good advice actually. Having a guitar set up to your preferences makes a big difference. I also don't worry about how a guitar sounds at first, as there's no reason to assume that the stock PU's are the best possible fit for that guitar's design and individual woods. Changing PU's, pots, or magnets may get it sounding exactly the way you want (many testimonials here about that). If you expect to find a guitar that's perfect in every way for you (including set up and tone), then you're going to pass over many others that would be ideal with a tweak or two. Guys do this all the time when they go into a music store, play dozens of guitars, and boast they walked out with 'the best one in the store.' Not likely. Any that need an adjustment for intonation, truss rod, string height, PU height, or new strings were probably eliminated from consideration, and those things take only minutes to do. Unfortunately guitars in music stores are rarely kept in the condition they should be to encourage sales. A pot or magnet swap (another cheap, quick fix) may transform the tone into perfection. Odds are your dream 'go to' guitar probably needs a few minutes of basic tweaks before you realize it's the gem it is. Don't hold your breath expecting love at first sight.

 

[Dr. Vegetable]

Re: I need help finding "MY" guitar (nothing is lost)

Keep playing a variety of different instruments until you do. A guitar is like a Women..... You'll know when you have the right one

Fortunately for me, guitars are different from women in at least one important aspect - they don't get jealous if you have more than one!

I do not have "a number one" guitar. I probably have a dozen "number ones" that each work well for me depending on what I'm playing. There are things I love about each of them that could never be combined into an all-in-one guitar. There are just too many variations in construction, hardware, scale length, bridge type, pickups, ... that I have no interest in choosing just one. But I do spend a lot of time looking for special guitars that speak to me, and when I find one, I buy it.

So I guess the advice I would give to you is not to over-think things. Don't sit on the sidelines waiting for "The One" to walk into your life; play the field and develop your style and preferences. Don't expect any one guitar/girl to do everything for you, but do search for the one(s) that look like angels but turn into demons when you hold them. Then add it to your little black book and keep on prowling for more.

 

[JeffB]

Re: I need help finding "MY" guitar (nothing is lost)

I take it the Tele came out on top of that circle?

I sold Captain Crunch a couple weeks ago to Laughing Kookabura. Great guitar, and got me much closer to what I was hearing in my head once I put in the handwounds, but still was not there.

335s et al. I was looking for that air, bark, and extra clarity, but with that Gibson thickness.i just never figured it out. The tele with the hand wounds got me the clarity and bark, but not that gibson punch/thickness. I started going back all the way to when I was a child, and realized it was all those rockabilly guys,.especially chuck berry who was my hero as alittle kid, had that tone, but I wanted that sound through a blized Marshall.

I learned how to play on my Dads 54 es125, and I am sure that affected my ears too.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: I need help finding "MY" guitar (nothing is lost)

Lots of good advice here. Finding "the one" isnt always easy. It has taken me years and many times I thought I had it, only to find something else. Many of the guys here can attest to giving me advice for this same issue and also reading my "Found the one" threads only to have me starting another months later.. (sorry guys) It took along time of trying diff things, learning what I like and didnt from them and looking at guitars other than what I figured Id like. I still fluctuate from time to time as I get tempted by others.. But, I finally found one that I seem to find myself thinking about most, and most anxious to go back to. So, allow yourself an open mind, try everything you can, try to determine what it is about your guitars you like or dont like and look for something that has the likes and doesnt have the dislikes. Then, once you get a feel of what features work for you, try as many of those type guitars as you can, even if its a bunch of the same model. 1 of My 2 fav guitars has a pickguard (I never really liked guitars with a pickguard) and the other is red. ( and guess what? I never really liked red guitars) First, what is it you dont like about your current guits? You have some nice ones. But as someone pointed out, they are all the same scale and such. If the guitar feels right but isnt there tonally, you can mod pups. If you prefer the longer scale, look at guitars with the 25.5 scale.
Thru all the guitars Ive gone thru, I could find a few that could be "the one" if I would just let myself be content with it and play it exclusively and allow myself to bond with it. So dont drive yourself crazy thinking you are missing something if you cant pinpoint what you dont like about the guitar. And, as some have said, dont get caught up in internet chatter and feel what you have isnt good enough or this or that isnt good because of what others say. Only you can determine whats right for you and regardless of what brand it is, rock it like there is no tommorrow.
Good luck in your search!