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How many guitars and why?

37K views 189 replies 138 participants last post by  MatiasTolkki 
#1 · (Edited)
Hey everyone,
Just curious to see how many (electric) guitars you guys have, which ones they are, and what you use them for (tunings, styles, tones, etc.).

For example, I have 3 main guitars (as well as a bass and a couple acoustics):
RG2550EX: E standard tuning; I use it for everything from death metal to blues.
RG570: D standard, C standard, drop tunings other than D; as versatile as RG2550EX
RG7621: B standard, drop D, Eb every once in a while; this guitar doesn't see clean channels very often

What are yours?
 
#130 ·
#49 will be here next week. I was above 50, thinned the herd down to about 40, then the 25th anniversary models came, and Ibanez started making more models with maple fret boards. I have two up for sale right now: A PRS SE Custom Semi-hollow in Matteo Blue and a two-tone Squier with rosewood fretboard, ESP single coils, and Sperzels. More will most likely hit the chopping block soon... If I ever get a free moment I'll take pics and post in the classifieds as I also have two 4x12 cabs I'm letting go cheap.
 
#132 ·
I see some nice collections.
I also downsized cause some guitars just didnt have tones I wanted.
I'm down to 3 and a bass, tired of string changes, and upkeep..
I do want 1 more for different tunings, and new tone.

(left to right)
Ibanez SR300 w/ 5-piece Rosewood/maple neck roadster orange. black sr305 gone
Fender Heartfield Talon 5 1991 (Fujigen) [Standard tuning] Dimarzio Super 3 / s / Dimarzio H3
Ibanez RG2550Z Custom EMG 81/60 [Drop D]
Ibanez RG870Z Custom Dimarzio D Activators, and Voltage Pickguard [Drop D]


Source - http://wwguitar.com/
 
#135 · (Edited)
I've got my electrics down to just four:

2006/2011 RG1527/1527M with LR Baggs Piezo Mod (pictured left)
A '06 1527 body with a '11 1527M neck. LR Baggs piezo installed in the EP7 trem, tone knob removed, and installed Crunch Lab/Liquifire pups. Standard tuning, this is my main guitar for everything from clean acoustic sounds to metal.

2006 RG1527RB: (pictured middle)
My backup 7. Standard tuning. Bought it used because I love 1527's and, well, needed a backup for when the other one's in the shop.

2010 APEX II (pictured right)
Bought this used... specifically for alternate tunings and primarily for laying down rhythm tracks. BKP Aftermath 7 calibrated set will be going into this soon. Not totally happy with this guitar--it needs a lot of work due to sloppy workmanship and lax QA. My first Indo-made guitar, and probably my last.

2005 RGT220HSOL (not pictured)
Back when I played 6's, I couldn't resist this model. Still pull it out occasionally because it just looks and sounds so damn gorgeous.

 
#141 ·
2 - My 04 Taylor 310ce with Expression and a huge repaired crack down the face, plays like a dream and sounds even better, can never part with this one. I trade guitars every week, this week I have a sweet Prestige S1520 Bubinga I'm looking to trade. If I had the money to park on guitars I'd have a PRS custom 24, McCarty, A LP Custom and Standard
 
#143 ·
I can't remember if I answered but I only have two.

Main one is ESP/LTD Viper solidbody that I use for everything but it sounds best with rock. My backup which is the Ibanez AS73, which can actually be #1 and only guitar like our band's former engineer/major label signed artist and also my former teacher (Miles Davis' guitarist). They both did one guitar (one guy with strat, other with Ibanez GB10) and did fine for themselves professionally and financially. It's a major reason I had one guitar for a long time and only keep at most to two. Close to 90% percent of amateur guitarists I know, who don't make money and who don't have any chance of getting work all seem to have two or more guitars, some up to 10.

I still like, for personal reasons, the necks on ESPs a little better than anything Ibanez but that Ibanez does all rock really well and is great for jazz which is why I got it in first place. There wasn't a viable ESP/LTD hollowbody at the time so I chanced upon Ibanez again and glad I did. With those inexpensive Artcores being so great on every level, the mid and upper Ibanezes must just be stunning!

I have started to like 7 and 8 string sounds so if I get another, it will be something the two six strings obviously can't do. I like the Ibanez 7 and 8 string guitars I have tried out and the RG8 or maybe higher one seems like a possibility.
 
#145 ·
14.... and why? hm.. let see.

10 ibanez RG.... no reason, I can have 100 RGs and still feel like I need more. it's a bad disease.
3 custom projects...... to satisfy my idea of mix and match wood type, making a model that never exist in real world.
1 ESP... apparently I can't say no to another black guitar.
 
#147 ·
Hi,

I always had a lot of guitars, 10+ at least. But in the end, I discovered, one only plays 2,3 max 4 axes. The rest just sits there. So I started to get rid of what I didn't user and since then I only have 5 or 6 guitars tops.

Right now I have:

Westone Pantera (bought it new in 1988, heavily customized)
Jem BRMR 2006
UV7 '97
Fender Montara steel string
Yamaha Classical guitar (stored)
An old fender precision bass (stored)
2 or 3 fender strats (stored) (I don't know exactly, because I sold a few, I had 6)

Regards,

JP
 
#150 ·
Hi,

I always had a lot of guitars, 10+ at least. But in the end, I discovered, one only plays 2,3 max 4 axes. The rest just sits there. So I started to get rid of what I didn't user and since then I only have 5 or 6 guitars tops.
I have same situation.

when I tried to get rid off the guitar that I rarely play... my mind keep telling me NO!
don't do that... one day you'll regret it.
It's hard to find this kind of guitar nowdays..

for example, I don't play my USA custom RG too much.
I only have it for my collection and I love those cool graphic and finish of the '80.
when I tried to sell them, I always have second thought.
like.... look at the market now, the USA custom is not easy to find. Once you sell it, you can't never get same guitar anymore.
so at the end of the day, they stay and keep growing..

yeah, it's a bad disease.
 
#148 · (Edited)
I have 7 guitars, and 5 of them have a unique purpose.

1) Kona K1E electric-acoustic - ultra-thin-body depth, ideal ergonomically for when using an acoustic at a gig.

2) Washburn electric-acoustic, 1990's dreadnought model, the first guitar I ever bought, in 1994. Nice ornamentation touches for only a $400 guitar, like star-shape fret inlays, and white outer ply binding on the body and the headstock.

3) Gold Artic Frost RGR320EX - this is my #1 electric. I love the weight, the fit, the neck, and the tones. Neck pup is a Humbucker From Hell, and Bridge pup is the stock Designed by EMG which I love (yeah, I said it) - its relatively low output allows me to apply heavy gain from an MXR Fullbore Metal stompbox and achieve the right mix between crunch and definition. Tremol-no installed. Searching for a similar-sounding single-coil sized humbucker pup right now so I can squeeze a Roland GK3 synth pup behind it and the trem for use with a Roland GR-20 unit.

4) Black RGR350DX - I set this up to be able to be "a Strat", but get to have that Wizard neck and Edge tremolo that beats the feel of Fender neck and bridge (to me, at least).
Dimarzio Area 67's in the Neck and Middle, and Seymour Duncan Stag Mag sitting in a Triple Shot mounting ring for ultimate split/full/parallel options on itself plus in combo with the middle pup.

5) Silver Artic Frost RGR320EX - this is tuned down, for doing Pantera/Down/SOAD type stuff. Tuned to C#, but have a Tremol-no installed that lets me go a little further than that. The stock Designed by EMG hums really do just fine - no need to upgrade. Again, I love the weight, the fit, and the neck of these particular RG's.

6) Epiphone Les Paul Classic - my most recent purchase. Being my only guitar with alder and mahogany woods present (and A5 magnet based pickups), it has its own distinct personality when doing hard-rock/metal stuff using the bridge pup, and a very likeable personality at that. But, I did buy it more for sentimental reasons than anything else - looks very Slash-like and he was my first guitar hero. So alwasys wanted an LP, and one that had that amber/blond hue. This one has a yellowish-Amber quilted maple top. Luckily it's weight is not too bad like the real-deal LPs or lead-filled Agiles, but obviously it isn't fit-like-a-glove like the RGs. Neck pup tones very boomy low end. Dimarzio Eric Johnson pup has helped a lot with that, but still hard to dial out.

7) Speedster Traveller guitar - it compacts down small enough to qualify as a carry-on when flying. so you've got a git at hand with u when ur away from home (and helps avoid G.A.S. by now never having a need to wander to into the music stores in that area). and if u search out the local open mics in that area, bang - you're armed and dangerous. people get-off on the look of them, too, so not so bad for stage appeal.
 
#149 ·
Less than a lot of people, an' more than I can play at once :mrgreen:
Jeff Beck Strat
Eric Johnson Strat
Klein(with Trans Trem)
Pedulla(in Fripp Tuning C-G-D-A-E-G)
'87 RG550(desert sun yellow)
'90(?) RG770dx (metallic red) in "Devin Townsend" tuning CGCGCE
'97 UV7 SBK detuned a whole step
re-issue RG565 (blue)
Prestige RG1527(metallic blue)
RGA8
 
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