Re: Things you disliked, but are OK with now.
One, humbucker Les Pauls. I started on Fenders, and I have owned a Leo Fender-designed guitar of one brand or another for my entire career. In my younger days, I could never get a sound I liked from a 2HB carved top Paul. Just too muddy, and that held for most all 2HB Gibsons. I had a P-90 LP '55 Special Reissue, and that worked great. It wasn't until I started playing with a band again in the '90s that I began to explore HB pickups, and finally got my first carved-top LP 1960 Classics in 2003. And those were greatly improved with Seth Lovers and Antiquitys. I have eleven Pauls now, and though I sometimes struggle with ergonomics, the 2HB is a valuable tool for my music.
The other thing is that I've always preferred sunburst and natural wood finished guitars. But since 2002, I've acquired several opaque color guitars and I'm really digging them. I have G&Ls in black, gold metallic, silver metallic, Lake Placid Blue, Fullerton (Fiesta) red, Baby Blue and Bel-Air Green. My Takamine 12-string acoustics are ALL black, not natural! I've even got a Martin D-18GE in Sunburst, which is blasphemous! LOL! I blame my girlfriend, but the reality is that every time I open up a case around here, it's "WOW!" I am truly blessed with a lot of really nice guitars.
Maybe this old dog CAN learn a new trick or two!
Bill