Feelings for guitars coming and going...

[sunking101]

For those of you with more than one guitar, do you find that your feelings are constantly changing towards certain guitars? My number one stays my number one but I can be quite schizo when it comes to the others.

One day I'm unsure about my Tele, the next day I'm so unsure that I'm thinking about selling it and then the day after I'm in love with it again. The same goes for my ES335. The only guitars that my feelings tend to remain consistent for are my LPs and Strat. Is this normal behaviour or should I love all my guitars all of the time?

 

[DunedinDragon]

That was more of a problem when I had a bigger collection of guitars. Once I pared that down to my essentials I have some that are more favorite, but I only rarely have one that just doesn't move me anymore and I replace it with something else. I just did that with a Strat, replacing it with a SG with dual P90s. I think I'll get more use out of that. But I've had that Strat for about six years and used it often.

 

[Spencer11]

I really only love one of my guitars, but I don't sell the others as they have some sentimental value attached to them.

 

[Strummerfan]

I love my #1, I enjoy the others when I am in the mood for them. I never really dislike any of the ones I've kept, just sometimes in the mood for them, other times not.

 

[Vondragonnoggin]

I have a number one that has held that status 25 years.

I have a new number 2 that might move to number one.

The rest I don’t play much. I have 5 guitars total.

 

[cr1961]

Sorta kinda, but not to that degree.

Basically, if I don’t have anything specific in mind, I’m picking up my strat to practice. If I’ve been inspired by something specific I want to work on that calls for a Gibson or Tele, I’ll pick those up instead. And then I usually think “man I should play this more!” Happened with my Tele about an hour ago. I start to think it’s the best guitar I own when I’m in that meditative playing state.

But then I probably won’t touch it for 3 more weeks

…flip side, I don’t usually get the “I should sell it” feeling, though I only own 4.

 

[Chuck Chrome]

For those of you with more than one guitar, do you find that your feelings are constantly changing towards certain guitars? My number one stays my number one but I can be quite schizo when it comes to the others.

One day I'm unsure about my Tele, the next day I'm so unsure that I'm thinking about selling it and then the day after I'm in love with it again. The same goes for my ES335. The only guitars that my feelings tend to remain consistent for are my LPs and Strat. Is this normal behaviour or should I love all my guitars all of the time?

I have three guitars I consider keepers. I normally have a fourth spot reserved for trying something I normally wouldn't consider or otherwise catches my eye. Those tend to get flipped. Aside from my #1, a Les Paul Traditional, the others are all fairly inexpensive, utilitarian guitars. Works for me.

 

[budg]

Yes , kind of. My strat was always my number one guitar. I was always searching for my Les paul. Went through a ton . Finally found a new number one since I bought it, but it appears my number 2 changes constantly. One day I’m considering selling my CS strat , my 335 , my broadcaster or my SG. What I realized is eventually a few of those might get sold ,but my number 2 and 3 ( or 4) will be constantly changing to fill that gap. Doesn’t mean; theyre bad guitars, just not my preference at the moment.

 

[Dr.Twang!]

Never give them names.

 

[Mikhael]

I have a couple I've thought about selling, but then they'll do something to redeem themselves, and I end up keeping the bloody thing. Some for backup, some because they're different, some for sentiment... And apparently that adds up to 13...

 

[devicaster]

So I dont gig much these days but I still write & record my original works. In certain cases I don't bond with all my instruments. I consider some of my guitars as tools that facilitate a specific sound. Then there are other guitars in my collection that aren't serving any practical purpose but I've simply always liked, and enjoy owning.

My Strat is a guitar I consider a tool first. Ive owned this Strat for over 25 years, it plays well, sounds fine for the most part. There's not really an attachment to that Strat like with my 88 Warlock or my 82 Ibanez V, which are absolute joys to play, and always kick my ass when I plug them in. But when I want a Strat tone for a recording, who's getting all the love then?

 

[Riffi]

My number one stays my number one but I can be quite schizo when it comes to the others.

Exactly the same for me.

 

[Soundhog]

I’m pretty much attached to my guitars I have today.I have pretty much traded in or sold the guitars I had that might have been special when i bought them.But I don’t miss them,because the gear I gave today I couldn’t imagine being with out.

 

[Migmakesmusic]

I have 10 guitars right now, I'd love to pare down a few but I'm "stuck" with at least 2 that I'll never get rid of due to sentimental reasons. One of them is an LP copy that I flip flop from liking it to thinking of selling it so I think that is totally normal. I'm actually jealous of the players that only have 1-3 guitars.

 

[Baxter Stockman]

I have three electrics that I like a lot. They cover different musical territory as well. I play them all at different times for different reasons, but the strat wins #1 by default.

Strat
LP
Mustang in Eb

If I need something else, I might pick it up, but it'll have to be different enough to make sense.

 

[The_Slug]

My Strat is a guitar I consider a tool first. Ive owned this Strat for over 25 years, it plays well, sounds fine for the most part. There's not really an attachment to that Strat like with my 88 Warlock or my 82 Ibanez V, which are absolute joys to play, and always kick my ass when I plug them in. But when I want a Strat tone for a recording, who's getting all the love then?

You've perfectly described my own feelings about my Strat. I've never been able to fall in love with it and I rarely take it out of its case if I'm just playing for fun, but it's so dang useful for recording that I can't bring myself to sell it either.

It's a marriage of convenience, I guess.

 

[Benz2112]

Even the ones lower on the pecking order would be really difficult for me to let go of. The last guitar I bought was more of a project, but even there I really liked the way it came out, and it looks great, so it would be hard for me to part with anything I have right now. I've cleared out a number of guitars that I lost my affinity for, and I don't have any regrets.

 

[wraub]

I have my #1 and #2 guitars, and my #1 bass all sorted out, all the others are just ones I like enough to have kept. Although one is for sale locally atm .

 

[Silverback]

I'm actually jealous of the players that only have 1-3 guitars.

That is what I have. 3.

I never let my electric's go past three at a time.

And I have had these three for quite a long time now. Can't think of anything good enough to replace any of them.

Now, I don't even want to even talk about how many guitars it took to get to the trinity I have now. It's actually sick how many guitars I went through.

But I am squarely a player and not a collector.

Too many are actually a distraction to me.

 

[Urobouros]

I completely agree! My painfully short attention span is pretty much why I have such a large collection. I can pull something out of storage & it's like a NGD