Why do you play the guitar you play?

[formula73]

Re: Why do you play the guitar you play?

My uncle got me heavy into playing and he had a V and Explorer, thus I have a V and Explorer. I got used to the great upper fret access they both afford so most other guitars feel clunky to me.

I love Les Pauls for sitting and, well, nothing is as rock and roll as a LP. Nothing.

I also ended up figuring out that 335 styles also afford great upper fret access even if it's a little cramped in the cutaways, are super comfortable to play standing or sitting, and do have a little bit of added resonance over most solidbodies. I'd love to have more of them but my 2630 with all it's bling fits the bill well enough that more would be unnecessary.

I also see butt-heaviness was also mentioned. Yes. I can handle a Tele but the way the tummy and arm cut make Strats want to sit perpendicularly to the player makes them uncomfortable to me. I play classical position while sitting, anyway, so butt heavy doesn't matter.

 

[FrankyBoy]

Re: Why do you play the guitar you play?

I jumped into music in 2000'ish as a little kid and my favorite band was Linkin Park all the way, so when I got bored of my crappy wal-mart acoustic guitar I went to the store and tried a few Epiphone and Fender's (typical kid looking for a guitar you know), but it all felt a little wrong to me.

I loved the shape and feeling of the Strat a lot, but prefered the heavy tone from the Les Paul with humbuckers. This is when I spotted my PRS SE Custom and remembered Brad Delson from Linkin Park playing his main red "Hybrid Soldier" Custom 24. I totally fell in love with it!

So now I am a fan of thick double cut guitars with dual humbuckers like Carvins, PRS, Schecter, etc etc This guitar concept and configuration just seems dead perfect to me.

 

[TheLivingDead]

Re: Why do you play the guitar you play?

I mainly play superstrats because they really allow me to be me, ya know?

They don't get in my way and they give me all the tools necessary to play the way I want.

 

[crusty philtrum]

Re: Why do you play the guitar you play?

Because I like it.

 

[Myaccount876]

Re: Why do you play the guitar you play?

I always wanted a Les Paul because of the famous guys who played them, and got an Epi. I liked it, but I continued to try different guitars. The day I got my Epi LP, I was deciding between that or a MIM strat. I was very close to picking the strat, so obviously I don't mind strats at all.

Later that year, I tried a telecaster for the first time because I wanted to try everything with an open mind. I HATED the telecaster I tried. I hated it so much, I refused to even consider trying out another telecaster. About 2 years later, I was curious if I just got a lemon. I picked up another telecaster, and I LOVED it. I was curious and tried every telecaster in the shop, and it was official. I loved telecasters all along. I loved the sound, feel, look, weight, mechanics, everything about it. I still use them today and I have more telecaster style guitars than anything else.

My 2nd favorite type of guitar is the SG. I hadn't really ever thought of trying them, but then I got into Sabbath and Tony Iommi, and heard the GNR track My Michelle (which was the only song on the album where Slash used an SG). I tried one, and fell in love all over again. I love the upper fret access, dark and evil look, thick sound, light weight, mids and treble, everything just like the telecaster.

So instead of strat and LP, I'm tele and SG.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Why do you play the guitar you play?

I will mention, of the however many guitars I have owned, after playing all sorts of things, I finally decided that I love the Les Paul. Nothing else does it for me quite the way a Les Paul does.

Fortunately, Ace had good taste in guitars!

 

[blueman335]

Re: Why do you play the guitar you play?

II finally decided that I love the Les Paul. Nothing else does it for me quite the way a Les Paul does.

Finally! :friday:

 

[Kam]

Re: Why do you play the guitar you play?

I'm tele and SG.

If I could only have two guitars, those are the two that I would pick as well. :beerchug:

 

[aleclee]

Re: Why do you play the guitar you play?

I thought this may be interesting. Why do you play what you play? Price? Your hero play one?

I play an EBMM Axis because the asymmetrical neck fits my hand like nothing else.

I'm a big EVH fan but that actually made me avoid the Axis because of the wannabe factor. While my EBMMs weren't budget-priced, they actually cost less than my other "nice" guitars (mostly PRS).

Part of my guitar choice is driven by guitars I won't play. I have some biases against LPs because of the POS LP copy that was my first guitar. I won't play Strats because their tone doesn't work for me, even though some of my favorite players used Strats.

It's kind of interesting picking a guitar when you eliminate Strats and LPs and tend to shy away from Floyds.

 

[Andrew Lamprecht]

Re: Why do you play the guitar you play?

If I had to pick 2 classic designs I would choose the strat and SG.

My guitar I am playing now is a Squier CV 50s strat that I modded to basically everything I wanted. Replaced everything.... It has 59s in it and it sounds really good. It sounds really big through the right set up. I like having the trem in the guitar. I don't use it but I like the hint of "reverb" strats have because of them. The humbuckers add some fullness to my style of playing which is mostly clean.

The guitar is really high quality for a Squier. I liked it more than a lot of other strats in the shop and i am still very happy with it. I don't see myself replacing it anytime soon. I found that I like experiences rather than things. I like nice equipment but I like long road trips and traveling and vacations so much more. I have a hard time hanging onto nice equipment. Like when I had my Gibson/Bassman set up with my "11 pedals" board. I enjoyed playing it but then I would just walk in the room and say, thats over $3000 right there. I could get rid of half that stuff and stay in paris for a week if I wanted. It sounds bad but thats the way my mind works.

Also,

1. I have a lot of debt from school
2. Trying to visit my girlfriend in Ukraine again
3. Trying to move out in the next 6 months or so

I won't have money for a while and I doubt I will be able to find as good a guitar as this for this little amount of money I spent on all the parts and everything (around $400 for the guitar, bridge and block, pickguard, pickups, replaced all electronics with CTS, Switchcraft parts, etc).

I like my strat.

 

[Myaccount876]

Re: Why do you play the guitar you play?

If I could only have two guitars, those are the two that I would pick as well. :beerchug:

Same reasons? :friday:

 

[Mincer]

Re: Why do you play the guitar you play?

For me, its about weight, ergonomics and balance. And a guitar that can get many sounds, since I hate switching guitars. I like 2 HB guitars, and the volume control has to be close to my pinky. 22 frets, since the neck pickup sounds better on them. Smaller necks and bodies, since I am not very big. Also, I the more iconic models have the 'ghosts of guitarists past' haunting them.

 

[TheTranslator]

Re: Why do you play the guitar you play?

I play the Ibanez RG line for its thin necks, super-flat fingerboards, extreme playability and versatile pickup configurations. Appearance is secondary, and as far as tone goes, the pickups and tone wood make a difference, but the amp and speaker selection is a more attributing factor, IMO.

Accessible frets (rules out LP's) - 24 preferably, relatively light weight, and a contoured shape (Super Strat bodystyle) that molds to your body ergonomically while sitting, as well as standing, are important as well.

 

[Brow]

Re: Why do you play the guitar you play?

Ace Frehley played a Cherry Sunburst Les Paul. The end.

That's the same reason for me too

My 1st 'Less than total crap' guitar was a Tobacco Sunburst LP copy with dual cream humbuckers, also due in part to the Ace Freley connection.

Slash and Gary Moore were also big early influences and LP players, so I guess that helped.

 

[9unslin9er]

Re: Why do you play the guitar you play?

The first good electric guitar I bought was a 2000 Cherry Sunburst Gibson Les Paul Classic w/ Burstbucker Pros. I was getting into classic rock and realized everyone I liked from Jimmy Page, Randy Rhoads, Neal Schon, to Slash was using one. After 3-12 hour days working as a Manhattan bar-back at 3-Guns N' Roses concerts (Axl showed up late of course, and we ran out of beer). I literally spent every dime on the guitar.

Over the years, the Les Paul has always been a baseline. I've had 2 Classics, 2 Juniors, 1 BFG, 1 Gothic, 1 Melody Maker, 1 R8 VOS.

I've really tried to get out of the shadow of some of those artists and play music unique to me. While the the Les Paul is certainly a universal instrument, you can't help but give a certain vibe playing one with that style of music.

Nowadays, my favorite guitar is my Ibanez ART100 w/ an A2P neck/Air Norton bridge. It has the same balance of a Les Paul, a wider fretboard, faster pickup toggle, and most importantly, a Gibraltar bridge, I can actually rest my palm on for heavy palm muting (always worried about shifting those saddles on the vintage TOMs).

 

[CTN]

Re: Why do you play the guitar you play?

no real mystery. strat shapes are comfy.

My next guitar will probably be an SG though. Been lusting after one for a while now.

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: Why do you play the guitar you play?

My recent favorite is my cheapo 335.

I bought it because I saw Dave Grohl with his Trini Lopez and DG-335, and, I won't front, I worship at the altar of Dave Grohl.

It sounds juicy and chewy, has a FOO-MONGOUS neck, like a telephone pole, which I love, and the body shape just works for me.

TL'DR - hero worship

 

[Bludave]

Re: Why do you play the guitar you play?

I own 32 guitars. I use what is appropriate for the music, or at least what I feel the music needs. I use 3 humbucker guitars, a Guild bluesbird, a Gibson 335&359. If I had to pick just one it would be my. 335. My single coil guitar are normally. Strats but I have 2. Teles I really like for certain things. I really prefer the longer scale of Fenders but there are tunes that the Gibson scale just works better

 

[ToneScavenger]

Re: Why do you play the guitar you play?

Because as crazy as this guitar is design... I have drawings from when I was 15 and 16 depicting my dream guitar which looked just like this one and almost as it was magic, she showed up (in a very rough and abandoned condition) but I knew right away I had to get it... It was the one!

Before pictures:

After restoration:

 

[astrozombie]

Re: Why do you play the guitar you play?

Because as crazy as this guitar is design... I have drawings from when I was 15 and 16 depicting my dream guitar which looked just like this one and almost as it was magic, she showed up (in a very rough and abandoned condition) but I knew right away I had to get it... It was the one!

whats the story with that kind of cutaway?