It's not always your most expensive guitar..

[torgeot]

Let me start out with I usually play Les Pauls. I have 2 a new (2006) and an older one (1977)

I have tried a lot of guitars and yeah my strat feels great I love it, just not much of a single coil guy.

I play covers so I do need aguitar that I can dive bomb with and stay in tune, so I have 2 beat to crap Ibanez RG550's and a really nice Ibanez Jem 7VWH which cost a pretty penny. The Jem is a flawless guitar.

So why is it when I need to use my trem guitar I feel so much better with my beat up left handed RG550 (strung righty) that had the neck snapped and repaired, the finish stripped off of it, cigarette burns on it, one volume knowb only and who know what crappy pickup was put in when one stopped working.

Is it just like that old pair of sneakers? It just feels good? Is it that maybe I don't like to play fancy guitars? I love my LP's.... Honestly the neck is chunkier on the Jem than the 550 (I like a chunkier neck, I really love my LP's best).. am I just insane?

Who else prefers playing a beat up piece of crap to something you paid a lot of money for?

Do I just give up and sell the Jem?

[semi-hollowbody]

guitars are like jeans...sometimes the old beat up pair feels better than the newer stiffer pairs!

[rustneversleeps]

Do I just give up and sell the Jem?

Since you say you paid a pretty penny for it, I would hang on to it. That is unless you know someone who wants that exact guitar, then I'd bargain with them. Resale values on guitars are pretty low now, and you never know, maybe 6 months from now you'll want to play the Jem more.

A friend of mine has a really high end Fender Telecaster. Great guitar to play when I'm over there, but it's not me nor is it something I'd want to own. I prefer my own guitars.

[dumbell78]

I have a EVH Tokai copy from 1981 that I picked up for $500. The guitar still amazes me to this day! Just a perfect feel to it, and tone to die for.

Im not gonna sell my Suhrs though:)

[guitarboy]

I have some expensive stuff, but, one of my most reliable guitars is a '80's made in Japan Fender Strat that my cousin bought for me from a guy he knew. I have changed the bridge, had it rewired with new pickups and refretted. The guitar plays great, sounds good and stays in tune. I always carry it as a backup, no matter what other guitar I'm playing.

[eddie101]

Other than their somewhat convincing appearance, peeps buy relic guitars for that reason. At least I did...

$$, OTOH, is a difference issue. :)

[emperor_black]

Back on the Jackson Charvel forums, there are guys who own tons of expensive guitars and yet say their beat-up $300 charvels are their favs. So, I guess you're not alone. My $1600 Jackson sits in its case while my $300 Jackson gets the most playtime. :)

I guess at some sub-conscious level, we're too aware (at least I am ) that we might damage the expensive guitars that our playing is inhibited to some degree.

[tjmicsak]

http://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr239/castermaster/100_0669.jpgI had a cheap MIJ strat copy back in 1981. Threw on a Fender strat neck, routed the neck and bridge for '59 and JB split to get LP tones, routed for Floyd original, scalloped the neck, and put a Kinman Hx in the middle. I recently replaced a bad fret myself, put HB covers on, and angle routed the neck pocket to remove a masonite shim I had used since the Floyd was installed as well as added a tremsetter to allow double stop bends in tune. The body is a beat up scratched sunburst ply-but solidly laminated. The only thing lacking is a single coil tone at the neck. To me, this IS my relic.
The guitar feels solid, has a warm vintage tone from the age of the wood and neck, can mimic a strat, LP, or Tele, and intonation/action is stupendous. I think that rather than me getting used to the guitar, the guitar has gotten used to me. That might be what it is. I made it fit me rather than the other way around. The guitar has playability, feel and tone/soul. I couldn't ask for more. I prefer my own "signature" axe to anyone's any day.

[torgeot]

Wow you have a lot of switches on that.... are the upper frets scalloped? (EDIT- I should learn to read again... you mentioned this) I think I should take a photo of the afore mentioned butchered but feels great guitar, here's a bad pic of her in action - by the way her name is "Red" not because of the color but because she was the guitar used for writing one of my songs called Red a few (15) years back

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z39/torgeot/GIGs/jhwredcopped.jpg

[torgeot]

Since you say you paid a pretty penny for it, I would hang on to it. That is unless you know someone who wants that exact guitar, then I'd bargain with them. Resale values on guitars are pretty low now, and you never know, maybe 6 months from now you'll want to play the Jem more.

A friend of mine has a really high end Fender Telecaster. Great guitar to play when I'm over there, but it's not me nor is it something I'd want to own. I prefer my own guitars.

good thing is this Jem is the last of the Ebony fretboards so it has retained the value I got into it and then some. BUt I'm leaning to just keeping it. How many guitars can you really play at one time? nevermind don't answer that - I know too well that there's never enough, but I think I will follow this advice and hold on to it.

[Strat335]

I have a Tele partscaster that my best buddy sent over as "filler" in the same box as the Strat he sent me....said everyone needed a Tele.
It has SERIOUS mojo.

[shane88]

my MIJ 20 yo charvel is as good as any plank out there > the bod is partially stripped and it has 1 dimarzio pro track, 1 vol pot with a strat tone knob (of course) and a lot of holes in the "strat" guard :)

[stratotonedude]

I've played alot of gigs with these Silvertones.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h54/roybrooks/IMG_0002-3.jpg

[mad dog]

Guitars are like dogs or cats ... they impose their personalities on you, and you are much the better for it. When a guitar works its magic on me, dollar value or condition is meaningless. The cheaper ones (chief among them, my beautiful Dipinto Galaxie) are getting as much or more play time as my "better" guitars these days. If it feels and sounds right, that's the one you play.