Guitarists who use two main instruments, differently, for shows (see first post for what I mean)

[hekawi]

 

[VintageSG]

The late, great Paul Raymond would switch between guitar and keyboards mid song.
Wayne Findlay performed a similar role for his tenure with MSG.

 

[VintageSG]

Steve Winwood.
Keyboards, guitar and mandolin during shows, to go along with his excellent voice.

 

[Bob Womack]

There's a video up of a rig rundown with Pat Simmons of the Doobie Brothers showing his stable. He has four Strats: Regular tuning, down a step (their voices are changing as they go through their '70s), Valley Arts Strat with Floyd for bendy stuff, and backup. I think Tom Johnston has three PRSs - regular, downtuned, and backup. John McFee has his one Variax and with Helix does a whole bunch of different sounds and instruments including banjo.

Bob

 

[posttoastie]

Well, how about playing organ and flute.

 

[Grandfunkfan]

I switch between my pro 2 tele and my open tuned Squier with fat sounding pickups. Most of the night I use the pro 2. About halfway through we do a Stones set with the Squier. I used to bring a strat too , but the pro 2 tele has such a good neck pickup I don't need the strat.

 

[Highway 49]

Yeah, I was really thinking about guitarists who alternate between two guitars (rather than flutes and stuff)… here’s Jimmy James who switches between a Strat and a Silvertone - I seem to remember reading that the Strat is his teenage guitar and he found the Silvertone in a dumpster*…

*’It’s a 1964 Silverstone, and I got it at Georgetown Music, in Seattle – big shout-out to Chris Lomba and Mike Hitt. Those guys saved that guitar from the garbage. They rescued it and put it back the way it was.’

 

[mycroftxxx]

Joe Vitale takes a break from the drums to play a flute solo on “Turn To Stone”, and some keys during the lead in:

 

[Dave Hicks]

Richard Thompson

 

[mycroftxxx]

^^^Richard Thompson definitely plays acoustic and electric guitar, but you reminded me of Thompson’s late sideman, Pete Zorn, who in addition to playing rhythm guitar, also could and did take on just about any instrument you blow through, from pennywhistle to all varieties of sax to the obscure bass flute. When a particular song called for something like the bass flute, RT would often remark “we keep throwing ’em at Pete and he keeps playing them!” A very talented instrumentalist.

 

[bottlenecker]

I used to play guitar, banjo, bajo sexto, and piano in a band. I was only dumb enough to haul the piano out a few times, but when I did, I'd play a kind of honky tonk piano thing on a song, and do a guitar solo in the middle, and then go back to the piano part. I practiced it so I could pick up the pick with my right hand while still holding ths last piano note with my left, then when ending the guitar solo on an open string, walk up the bass line on the piano while rolling off the guitar volume. I'm not much of a piano player, but I was proud of that transition. I don't think I ever fumbled that one live.

Now I just switch between standard tuned tele and open D hollowbody. I'd like to add a baritone to the set, but I don't really want to manage three.

 

[AAT65]

IIRC Joey Santiago of the Pixies used to use 3 guitars: one tuned up a semitone to F standard, one with the top e tuned down to B (which is really nice, gives a 12-string-ish feel to things) and I can’t remember what the third one was…! Drop D maybe??

 

[dlew919]

Springsteen, Brian May and Eric Clapton swap between acoustic and electric.

 

[ZackyDog]

Beatles Paris '65 Concert

John: Rickenbacker 325, Harmonica, Gibson J160E
George: Gretsch Tennessean (broke a string?), Gretsch Country Gentleman, Rickenbacker 360/12

 

[misterdontmove]

I'm primarily a saxophone player and extra guitarist, so I always bring guitars to compliment the other players sounds, and I will switch when they do. If I'm not sure, my Nashville or my Sorrento P90 hollow body is a pretty safe bet. Because there's no "I" in "BAND".

 

[Fiesta Red]

I play guitar, slide guitar (mostly Open G and Open D, but occasionally others as well), harp/harmonica and vocals.

I mostly play electric guitar, but occasionally acoustic—including an acoustic/electric resonator.

In studio, I’ll very rarely play bass.

 

[knockeduptele]

so i was using a tele to start, then a strat for the quck, then onto a LP for the heavier stuff folwoed by the 5 string open G tele and then an acoustic for the going home song - 5 guitars - totally un manageable.

So stick an strat pickup nashville style with a phase switch on the tele in the middle position, get a double guitar bag and im in business for two guitars for the set. Yay

Cepts then i carry a spare std tuning and a spare 5 string, so down to 4 - little steps.......................

 

[teletina]

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/V3TRAAmYUJbsQHjrLPQmkL-1200-80.jpg

 

[Beachbum]

Lately it's been a Tele and a ES-335

View attachment 1393031View attachment 1393033

That's where I've always been. A Tele for Country and a bucker for Blues. Of course not mutually exclusive.

 

[Hallo Spencer]

To be honest, I don't think anymore it matters all that much. When I was younger, I carried three or four, sometimes even more guitars to a gig and used specific guitars for specific songs. Later I learned to know the benefits of just using one guitar and having a similar backup. Lately I discovered I can just use any of my guitars and I can choose depending on my mood and it will maybe have a bit of a different vibe but that's actually quite enjoyable. I have four electric guitars in standard tuning and they all work equally well, despite being pretty different beasts.
However: I've used a lot of unusual guitars like lap steels, baritones, 12-strings or kind of experimental guitars for recordings and really enjoy to widen the sonic palette, still I would not really want to incorporate those in a live show. I use a synthesizer along with my guitar, though.