One good guitar........

[Lonn]

I understand the sentiment. I can however afford to own more than 1 and it's fun, so I do.

 

[elihu]

I tell myself I’ll get another as soon as I learn to play this one.

 

[bgmacaw]

The last time I owned only one guitar was 1974 although that one wasn't a particularly good one.

Having just one guitar doesn't work for me. First, I like having a variety of options. Second, I like to tinker with guitars and having many, around 40 or so, on hand allows me to do that. But, if I hadn't gotten into working on guitars, I probably would have a lot fewer and more expensive guitars though, maybe 3 to 6, with a base of a Fender type, a Gibson type, an acoustic and a resonator.

 

[dougstrum]

Nice to have a backup

 

[burntfrijoles]

I could be a one guitar guy but I don’t choose to be. If I had to go with a single guitar it wouldn’t be a Tele. I still love the Tele style but I’m no longer enamored with its tone or limitations. In fact, I’d keep every other guitar I have over my Tele if push came to shove.
That said, I’d probably choose my ‘61 relic Strat.
Then I‘d need an acoustic so I’d keep my Southern Jumbo.

There’s no global answer. Everyone has different tastes and preferences.

 

[kbold]

I've whittled down to one electric, one acoustic, and one bass.
So that's three.
Each one has abilities that the others can't do.
Couldn't get by with just an acoustic (repeat, replacing acoustic with bass or electric).

 

[blowtorch]

while a tele with a 4-way switch is indeed the most versatile guitar tone-wise this side of the variax, I get bored a lot and like to switch things up.

having said that, this one is really hard to beat, and it's been my #1 for some time now-
Reverend Bayonet:

The combination of the Railhammer Hypervintage bucker in the bridge and the Nueveo 90 in the neck, along with the bass countour circuit mean I can handily cover absolutely any sound.

The Wilkinson trem is my favorite design of all time

 

[unixfish]

while a tele with a 4-way switch is indeed the most versatile guitar tone-wise this side of the variax, I get bored a lot and like to switch things up.

having said that, this one is really hard to beat, and it's been my #1 for some time now-
Reverend Bayonet:
View attachment 1058425
View attachment 1058426
The combination of the Railhammer Hypervintage bucker in the bridge and the Nueveo 90 in the neck, along with the bass countour circuit mean I can handily cover absolutely any sound.

The Wilkinson trem is my favorite design of all time

Ooh! A Reverend! Very nice!

 

[gimmeatele]

That worked fine for my years of playing bass, only ever had one, doesn't seem to apply as well playing six string

 

[P Thought]

I have my "herd" pared down as far as I'm willing to pare it, nine or ten now, and I work on my willingness. To my eyes, ears, heart, and hands, each of my guitars--all are homebuilt electrics or Takamine acoustics--is "lifer" class. I keep one acoustic and one electric within reach all the time, in slow and erratic rotation.

My favorite guitar, at all times, is the one in front of me.

 

[Chiogtr4x]

I really like my 4 electrics ( all different/ no duplicate models), and have very few issues with any of them.

- it took years of trial and error
( buying/selling I mean, here) to get these 'just right' Strat, Tele, 'Gibson' ( in my case, an Epi SG), and well, a Dano is a Dano!

Feel the same about 2 different, acoustics-fantastic instruments.

I have all cheap guitars, but feel regardless of the budget price, that they are exceptional 'examples of themselves' - if that make sense.
So no 'just one' for me!

 

[bottlenecker]

I play a few different instruments that all happen to share the name "guitar". I think only my classical is really a guitar.

 

[Happy Enchilada]

I dunno ...
Some guitars do certain things better than others, so for me, it depends on what type of music I'm playing.
Went for 12 years playing worship music vigorously 4 services a weekend every other weekend, and had only one guitar that covered all the bases:

Wish I still had it.

Nowadays, I play mostly blues & rock & country, and that requires a couple different instruments.
Linda Lou, my beloved partscaster, has Bootstraps in it (Pretzel bridge, P90 neck).
Two Indonesian Hamers, a Special with 2 P90s and a Junior with a Lollar P90.
The Special rocks hard and handles blues as well.
And the Junior in open G with the right amp is a screamin' slide weapon.

If I had a steady gig such as a band that played out a lot or another church band, I might go with just one. Would make load in and load out easier and be less to watch over for fear of thievery.
And once I figured out exactly what the groove was, then I'd find the guitar that did it best.

 

[Recce]

I sold everything and got one of my grails. Not the first time I did this though. First time I did it was around 2 years ago, when I wanted to get an ES-330.. sold that again and got a:

CS Gibson Nashville ES-335 ‘61 Reissue

Untitled by D Y, on Flickr

Whenever I sell my one guitar, I know it’s hell a lot better than my current one. I always go up. This way, I keep the quality of my gears at the highest, and I dont buy unnecessary. It may take me 4-6 years saving, but all my gear will be top notch.

Give me one great guitar and I’ll be okay. Give me more amps instead. If I ever sell this, the next one is gonna be even better than this.

Untitled by D Y, on Flickr

Well I have more than one guitar, I have five and a Bass, but I got this about a year ago and it’s one of my favorites.

 

[Wallaby]

I act like I only have one guitar, playing one guitar exclusively for months at a stretch.

But I have a few in my small collection that all have their special qualities, and when I switch over it's like a NGD - fresh strings, tweak the setup, and carry on and enjoy the different sounds and feels.

And then I'm playing my next one and only guitar for the next few months.

It's nice to have some variety IMO and helps me improve my touch and tone in my playing. Well, I certainly think so LOL

 

[Cheap Trills]

For me, every guitar's been the one... until the next one.

 

[arlum]

I'm a sad case. I can't think of any guitar I own that could do everything at the level I desire. Split humbuckers never sound as good at single coil tone as real single coils built for that sole purpose. Right there I would need one of each. No effect pedal designed to make your electric guitar sound like an acoustic guitar delivers anything close. So ..... I would definitely need an acoustic guitar to go along with the two electrics. I write 90% of my best songs on a 12 string guitar. I currently have both acoustic and electric versions of a 12 string but in a pinch I could cut back to one single 12 string guitar. So now I'm up to two electrics, one acoustic plus a 12 string model yet to be determined. If the 12 string were an electric it would be my semi-hollow Rickenbacker 1993Plus. If acoustic it would be my Martin HD12-28.

So out of 16 or 17 current guitars in the stable I guess I'd end up with my Giffin Standard electric with Wolftone Dr. Vintage humbuckers, my Fender Eric Johnson Stratocster with Klein pickups, my Furch 6 string acoustic guitar with cedar top and cocobolo back and sides and one of the two 12 strings mentioned above. Four guitars would be my absolute minimum and that doesn't even allow me to keep my Gibson CS-336, Gibson Quilt top Les Paul Traditional or either of my Melancon T Style electric guitars.

So I just can't do it. Looking at what I just wrote I've decided that eight guitars would be my minimum because I really really need those two Gibsons and two Melacons.

It's a sad sad day. Exposing my weaknesses on a public forum. A crowd begins to develop on my lawn. A woman with a child in the crook of one arm and a poor example of an electric guitar gripped in the other shaking it in the air while sending words in my direction that would make moderators blush. A war veteran holding high the brass guitar side he'd carried in his shirt pocket during battle that deflected the slug that would have found his heart. A grouping of heathen children circling an Epiphone centered on the grass as they sing an off key version of "Ring around the Rosie" in an attempt to raise the devil to take his due. A taxi cab driver with a sign saying the fare's already been paid. One way to Potters Field ......... and a Sweetwater representative wanting to know if this means the deal is off .....

 

[JPKmusicman]

For me it's a Tele, Strat, and a Paul. I need only those three. Anything else is GAS.

 

[Dismalhead]

I've got a friend who has just used one guitar for 40 years - an Aria Pro Cardinal Series that he bought new around '84. He just never went down the gear rabbit hole.

 

[nojazzhere]

To play guitar, one needs but one. A design that appeals, function without fault and sound that suits the style. Over the last 18 months or so I have bought a Gibson R0 Les Paul, a Collings Statesman, a Collings 290DC-S, a Fender CS 1970 Journeyman Stratocaster, a CS LTD '57 Stratocaster and a CS '55 Telecaster white guard........all fine instruments, but only the '55 white guard remains. All the while I just wanted to find one guitar that checked all the boxes. The Les Paul was too heavy and wore, of course, humbuckers (which I knew I didn't like going in!). The Statesman was good but the hollow body thing didn't work for me. The 290 was a lot of fun to play but with a single pickup was tonally limited. Both of the Strats were excellent and the '57 might well have survived the cut had the '55 Tele not shown up. The Tele delivers everything I want from a guitar.....I don't care to play anything else and never have to ask myself which guitar should I play today. Guitar-wise, it's settled. I do have three low-power tube amps which provide more than enough tonal variety for what I do (small tube amps are a weakness of mine......this I know). Indeed, searching for The One is not an inexpensive quest, but I did get some short-term enjoyment and did recover much of what was spent on those that are now gone.

I've been wondering if there are any other 'one guitar' players here about. I see many posts that seem to indicate most enjoy multiple instruments, and that's a good thing if it works for them. Any other one-and-done players out there?

Would you ask a group of mechanics if they own just one wrench......or surgeons if they only have one scalpel? ....someone who loves to read if they have only one book.....or a fine cuisine chef if they only have one knife?
Heck, I've known several concert pianists who had several pianos in their homes.
In my view, guitars are tools, and no one tool can cover all the bases. With the exception of two Telecasters, all of my guitars (12-15, I'm not sure at the moment) are all different. For years, my only "gigging" guitar was a Tele, but this year all I've played is a Godin Multiac Encore nylon, which is as different from a Tele as can be, and still have six strings. So, while I'm not Joe Bonamassa, on a quest to acquire every guitar ever made, I still require a variety of instruments to cover any situation.