Do you still own the best guitar you ever had? Or was it the one that got away?

[Len]

Gotta say this one ... Like Tommy, this would be the last one to go. Its so perfect for me in every way. My fav ... '79 Tobacco Standard

[Travis]

28 minutes ago, Len said:

Gotta say this one ... Like Tommy, this would be the last one to go. Its so perfect for me in every way. My fav ... '79 Tobacco Standard

Oh god…. I love everything about that one. Love, love, love tobacco burst…

[cmatthes]

It would be a tough call between these two…

[veatch]

I was going to say pretty much the same. I've had a lot of great guitars,  but these three are in the top. The green one gets the most time, so I guess that makes it the fave...

[ARM OF HAMER]

               I have been blessed to have owned some real beauties through the years and there are several I wished I had back but who doesn't have a story like that. Plus there are many guitars out there I have never owned, and I have never had a "CUSTOM" guitar built just for me so there is that. I have owned more than one of these Yamaha Weddington Custom guitars through the years. They were all different in how they played and sounded and looked, Yamaha did quite a bit of shop engineering on these guitars so that neck profiles all were different, least on the guitars I owned. I lusted after this one since back in 2010 which was back when the owner I bought it from got it. I tried to buy it but it was NFS at that point and after a while I let it go off my radar and bought others. All the other Weddingtons I owned were stock, this one isn't as it has 2010 Gibson 4 wire 57 Classic and Classic Plus Humbuckers. [I do have the original DiMarzios that were included in the sale when I bought it] I was uncertain if I would like these pickups but they really fit the guitar well in terms of sound. I would say this is my "BEST" guitar, it certainly has been the last guitar I have bought and there will be no others. I play it every day with few exceptions, and it has really every thing  I would want in a guitar.......... 1990 Yamaha Weddington Custom. 

[BruceM]

My baby is 40 years old.  This is a recent photo, taken a couple years ago after BadgerDave spiffed up my Sunburst.  It's gotten played recently as well.  Although it sounds amazing, I'd be hard pressed to say it's my best.  It has recently come to my attention that my collection of Hamer guitars have never all been out of their cases at the same time.  That will happen soon.  I've also been trying to make decisions about which guitars to sell, as I've got way too many cases lying around, but each time I get one out for evaluation, it's my new "best" and I can't make the decision to pass it along.  One of these days...

Other guitars in contention for me include my Talladega, Junior, Shiskov Ultimate and Gretsch Champagne Sparklejet.  I'm also very fond of my T-51f (screaming yellow meanie, as it's been dubbed) and my Vanguard.  And how could I forget  the burningyen custom order Newport.  Damn.

[hamerhead]

Maybe not my best but definitely part of my DNA. I'll die with that one.

[rugby1970]

My indigo blue flamed Talladega - like a jackass I sold it.

[butcher]

Stripped 1953 goldtop I used to call the monster. I decided to make it a blacktop, so now it's the road. Still sounds incredible.

 

[duncans]

This is a list of the guitars I remember owning so far during my 50 years of playing. I know there’s a few I’d like to have back.

[BoogieMKIIA]

73 Les Paul Deluxe I got new, traded in my alto sax for it. It plays better than my Studio Custom. Current pickups by @JGravelin, took out the mini humbuckers years ago like many did.

[Armitage]

I hate to be That Guy, but I don't really have a Best Guitar though I have a few worst guitars... and they're pretty nice too.

If I had to save only one guitar in a fire... it'd probably be the most valuable, but that wouldn't be my Best.

[django49]

18 hours ago, woodpile said:

My first real guitar was a '69 LP Deluxe that will always be my favorite. Had it for 10 years and traded it for something pointy that I can't even remember now.

Here it is in use with my first band circa 1975 doing a Sadie Hawkins dance in a Jr. High School cafeteria.

Me too. Ours was at my former high school, but in 1968. Funny stories outta that I will not bore you with here. But it does make me recollect the original black Jazzmaster I had a the time. Who knew from vintage back then? The saving grace is that it got traded into the '56 Goldtop, giving me cash back......

[Steve Haynie]

1 hour ago, butcher said:

Stripped 1953 goldtop I used to call the monster. I decided to make it a blacktop, so now it's the road. Still sounds incredible.

 

Thank you for letting me play that guitar.  It helped me understand part of the appeal of 50s Les Pauls.

[topekatj]

21 hours ago, woodpile said:

My first real guitar was a '69 LP Deluxe that will always be my favorite. Had it for 10 years and traded it for something pointy that I can't even remember now.

Here it is in use with my first band circa 1975 doing a Sadie Hawkins dance in a Jr. High School cafeteria.

Great shots! It appears that you guys endorsed Peavey, and possibly Acoustic. Band name?

[The Shark]

17 hours ago, RobB said:

You've instructed your family to put this in your casket for your burial? Is this to make sure no one else will be able to play this wonderful guitar, or maybe to have something for you to play in the afterlife? Or, did you mean you'll play it until you die?

Maybe you could have the undertaker stage your fingers on the neck in your favorite chord shape?  Better still, why not go full-bore and have a Viking funeral on Puget Sound? That would RULE!

I have a buddy that has my '63 Fiesta Red Strat.  He says he's going to be buried with it.  I have a fucking shovel and a hat with LED's on the brim.  So, we'll see who winds up with the Strat.

 

[kizanski]

2 hours ago, The Shark said:

I have a buddy that has my '63 Fiesta Red Strat.  He says he's going to be buried with it.  I have a fucking shovel and a hat with LED's on the brim.  So, we'll see who winds up with the Strat.

Yeah, how do YOU like it!

[Steve Haynie]

Why not just ask to be cremated with your guitar?  You can be known for ruining a great instrument as your final act.

[beezerboy]

I got my orange Newport back after foolishly selling it in order to thin the herd. thats prolly the best of the lot, though I also have a red Newport with Phat Cats thats close... and an Ovation VXT (which is really a Hamer). the most expensive guitars I ever owned were dirt cheap when I got them but gone now.. sold them to my brothers. '57 Strat and a '53 Tele. purchased late '60's ... under 200 for both. the 53 is still in the family

[The Shark]

4 hours ago, kizanski said:

Yeah, how do YOU like it!

You're a bitter man.  That's one of your most endearing qualities.

[mudshark]

Still got all three of my untouchables. I've had the 1942 reissue Gibson J-45 for 20 years, the Larrivee D-05 for 21 years, and the Hamer T-51 for 26 years.

[Steve Haynie]

@mudshark, have you compared your Gibson J-45 reissue to the Martin Golden Era/Authentic series?  On another message board someone said he found the Gibson reissues to sound better than the Martin reissues. 

[mudshark]

8 hours ago, Steve Haynie said:

@mudshark, have you compared your Gibson J-45 reissue to the Martin Golden Era/Authentic series?  On another message board someone said he found the Gibson reissues to sound better than the Martin reissues. 

I haven't, but I'd certainly welcome the chance to play one of those Martins.

[holLoWskull]

In a nutshell...yes.  Since all my electric guitars (outside one Korean Tyler Variax) are USA Hamers I can say my best (electric) guitar is a Hamer.  Because I'm not an ambitious seller I can say I actually still have a few "best" guitars that rotate into the best spot depending on what mood I'm in and what music I'm playing (all my Hamers are nice, but I have a special affinity with a 94' Mirage I, 95' Studio wrap-tail, 96' Daytona, 96' T-51, 97' Mirage II, 00' Newport, and 01' Special FM).  An interesting observation I just made is that all these have been modified from stock in some way (typically pickup swaps, but some more radical departures from stock), and all have chunky medium to chunky neck profiles (even though I'm fine with a medium profile neck I think I have convinced myself that a fatter neck seems to resonate a bit better...whether it's actually true or just a figment of my imagination lol)

[Brooks]

I am lucky that I don't regret selling any of my guitars, and still own the best sounding (and one of the best playing).