Your own personal "Number One"

kill your scene

kill your scene

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No matter how many guitars they have in their personal collections, most guitarists (famous or otherwise) have one guitar that they love, use and treasure above all the others. Jimmy Page had his "Number One" Gibson Les Paul Standard.... SRV had his world-renowned Strat.... you might have your own.

What's even funnier than the sentimental attachment guys have for one single guitar is that it doesn't follow any particular logic. Guys can become attached to a weird, no-name beater as soon as they could a 3,000 dollar boutique instrument. I always find it amusing when famous guitarists say that the axe they used on almost all of their recordings... that they toured for years and years with... they bought in a pawn shop for 200 bucks.

I was checking out Steve Vai's website and came across a special section of his guitar collection that is devoted entirely to his main axe, EVO. Call me a dork, but I thought it was kind of touching. A guitar is just wood, metal and some plastic but if you pour your heart and soul into your playing, you have to appreciate the axe that got you there.

Does anyone here have one guitar they dig above all others? If your house was burning, and you only had time to save ONE guitar, which would it be?

Just a hypothetical. Any thoughts?
 
Re: Your own personal "Number One"

well, i only have two, but my strat just does it for me. No matter hhow many times it gets beaten to hell, it just comes back for mroe, in-tune and sounding superb. Everyone thinks im crazy for prefering it over my les paul, but its just the one i connect with really.
 
Re: Your own personal "Number One"

I know how that is. I play bass more often than guitar. My main axe is still my crappy old P/J. I can't get enough of it. It fits like a glove.... I have the electronics set up just the way I like them and the tone is perfect. It stays in tune forever and I just can't quit playing it. It went off to college with me and it's seen a lot of jam sessions, rehearsals, auditions and any number of adventures. I have a real attachment to it, I have to admit. I've owned more expensive, "cooler" basses, but none of them get the love that my Number One does.

Also, I still play the Squier Standard Strat that was my first guitar. I hot-rodded it (Duncan pups. Now it's an HSH) and gave it a cool custom graphic. I don't think I'll ever be able to part with it.
 
Re: Your own personal "Number One"

I don't really have a number one in that sense as I like all of my guitars for different things. However if I'm just playing around the house, it seems I pickup my hot-rodded Charvel model 4 with the Kahler more often than my Les Paul or any of my other guitars (except maybe my acoustic). I think it's funny that I play a $400 guitar more than my $2,000 guitar.
 
Re: Your own personal "Number One"

I have three. Two Strats and a Les Paul.

The one Strat is only really used for alternate tunings, so it doesn't really count.

I almost always go for my Strat. It just plays really well. It's still stock and everything. When I get bored of it, I use the Alt tuning Strat. When I want a different sound, I pick up the LP, but in general, I usually use my Strat.
 
Re: Your own personal "Number One"

My number one is my '54 Tele. All stock except for medium jumbo frets and modern pickups...the old pickups were weaker than I prefer.

Right now it has a set of Fralin Blue Specials replacing the 50 year old original pickups and I love them...but they look to new in a '54 Tele!

MJ is winding me an Antiquity alinico 2 Jerry Donahue Lead and a Custom Shop Antiquity Tele neck pickup with the tone and output of a Strat neck pickup. She's also winding me an alnico 2 Duncan CS Tele Hot lead like Seymour uses and like Curly has. It's an a2 pickup that can be tapped for 6.5K or 9K output.

That'll be awesome as my original 50 year bridge pickup is a 6.5K pickup that I love combining with the neck pickup for chimey chords and rythym...but it's underpowered for soloing.

I'll probably try this new set in my James Burton Tele first and then put whichever combo I like best in my '54.

Then it'll look stock again...like this one, my '53:

Lew
 
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Re: Your own personal "Number One"

i only have an SG which i DID buy for $200, but has grown on me and is now fitted with duncans (for which i did all the routing) and i wouldnt let it go for under $600
 
Re: Your own personal "Number One"

Hey Curly, I didn't know (or I forgot!) you had a '56 Deluxe. How long you had that amp? Looks just like my '58. You have some sharp guitars there! Lew
 
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Re: Your own personal "Number One"

Well now I have 20 guitars. I know I am not the only gluten here so don't say "wow". If I am just playing around the house I will usually pick up an acoustic before an electric, so I would say my favorite acoustic is my Santa Cruz OM. It is the perfect acoustic for me. It can be strummed hard or finger picked and it all sounds great! If I need an acoustic that requires more volume I will play my Santa Cruz Tony Rice. Absolutley the loudest acoustic I have played. When it comes to Electric guitars I would have to say my EC Strat. I have two one metal flake green, and one black. The black one fits my hand like it was made just for me. I love that Guitar!!!!
 
Re: Your own personal "Number One"

Lewguitar said:
Hey Curly, I didn't know (or I forgot!) you had a '56 Deluxe. How long you had that amp? Looks just like my '58. You have some sharp guitars there! Lew
Click to expand...

haha, thanks, Lew!

you thought you were the only guy with a nice ol' tweed Deluxe around here? :D
of course, you've probably got a few! :)

I got that about 10 years ago when I had a dealer's license .. my main supplier asked me if I wanted it, and I said no at first, and offered it to someone else. When he passed, I reconsidered, and got it, and I'm so glad I did, because I don't think I'd get one at today's prices. The output tranny was replaced with a Deluxe Reverb tranny, but it still has nice crunch and harmonics, as heard here:
http://www.bluestheater.net/orange.html
 
Re: Your own personal "Number One"

I've got a J.Reynolds knockoff strat body, a old small headstock Squire neck. Its my #1. I relic'd it to make it look something like a custom shop gone overboard, I learned to refret on the guitar. Right now its got two old fenders in there w/ a ceramic bridge pup. I've got 7 other guitars, but everytime I go somewhere, this is the one I take, and I catch alot of crap for it. "You've got that cool Gibson, play it" "You've got that brand new black one for Christmas, play it", I just dont like 'em. I love my strat.
 
Re: Your own personal "Number One"

Well, I hate to say it, but I seemed to have sold or traded my Number one and haven't replaced it yet, but my Washburn is becoming my number one as I have replaced the pickups with EMG's and it rocks now.. It's a custom washburn with a Gibson scale, but has a body shape sorta like a Strat or maybe more like the Peavey EVH guitar.. and it's more comfortable than an LP.. It just has the sound of a really heavy LP guitar.. which I love.. I just love the tone.. It's only 8lbs too! which I like.. That said, I'm looking at the Music Man guitars.. and they have a couple that I'm having some real bad Gas for as well as a couple strats and or a EVH Special.. So I'll have awhile before I can say which guitar is going to be my number one.. but I will guess it will always be a leightweight guitar that is easy to play with good pups, etc.. Tone is something I seem to milk out of the guitar I think..hehe..

Tim
 
Re: Your own personal "Number One"

My number one is my LP Studio. I bought it new in 2000, and it's always the one I reach for first. Of my 4 electrics, it's definatly the one I'd save from from a fire (although, I may go back to retrieve as many as possible, like my irreplaceable 12 string).
 
Re: Your own personal "Number One"

Mine is my rosie... a 70's No-name Japanese built Strat knock-off with a Dimarzio Super Distortion in it.... drooolll....
 
Re: Your own personal "Number One"

Don't laugh at me.

My number one is a modified epiphone.
Ever since I first played it in store (love at first sight).
I was looking at standard models, then he said "then you can move up to something like this (points to custom)".
I said "how much?"
He said " ... (400 bucks more than I had)"
I said "can i have a go?"
He said "sure"
Then, after falling in love with the looks, i fell in love with the playability.
I found a way to get it, and within two weeks, she was in my hands.
12 months on, duncans and dimazio pots later I'm still lovin' her.

\m/ !DIG IN BOYS! \m/

I've played PRS cu22's, Fender Strats, they all have something good about them, but other things just lack.
ie - PRS look good, I hated playing them.
ie - Strat's play really good but you can't do heavy style playing cause of the humming! (id get actives if i got one)
Gibson les pauls have always had most areas better than the epiphone - But they didnt connect with me like the epiphone.

So ROCK ON!!! :headbang:

My next guitar will either be a peavey wolfgang, or a strat, or an ESP viper.
But I'd still keep the epiphone around. It's never leaving.
 
Re: Your own personal "Number One"

My ´96 (Jackson) Custom Shop Dinky Reverse has been my main squeeze ever since I got her, and will always be :cool:
 
Re: Your own personal "Number One"

I've owned in my life the following guitars:

'83 Fender Lead III
'90 Kramer Baretta
'95 Squier Strat
'02 Ibanez AW100CE A/E
'02 Epiphone Special II (Wine Red)
'01 Epiphone Special II (Ebony)
'02 Fender Stratacoustic
'02 Epiphone Les Paul Classic Plus (quilted maple in wine red)

The LPCP is my number one, simply because I've never played a better sounding, playing or looking guitar. Nuff said :)
 
Re: Your own personal "Number One"

Between my three, the Parker comes first. It has everything I need: tone, playability, and looks. When I bought it, it was already beaten up and I'm sure it's gotten worse as I've used it, but it's still marvelous and it's still my favorite stage guitar.
 
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