Could you live with only one (edit:electric) guitar ?

2550 Views 96 Replies 61 Participants Last post by nnieman, Sep 4, 2017

BGood

Discussion Starter · Aug 10, 2017 (Edited)

I don't have that many, 6 to be precise. 2 I could let go, but the other 4 ... would be hard, real hard.

But when I go to the cottage for a month or so, I only bring one. This past July it was the new to me Epi LP Ultra 1, that I wanted to get to know better. No pure tube amp over there, but a VOX Ad30VT, a hybrid.

I am going back for another month in a few weeks and I might bring a P90 this time. The PRS Soapbar SE with Sanford Magnetics ... or the SG with the new Tyson Tone PAFs in it ? Hmmm ...

Thing is, whatever guitar I bring, I am really happy to play it for all that time. Here in the studio, I switch every 15 minutes, and love it. So I am wondering IF I sold 3 out of 4, if I'd regret it or would I just get to know THE ONE better and get to play more.

I have NO intention of selling any, but just wondering if I could live with ... a unique guitar ?

Probably.

Would you ?

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1 - 20 of 97 Posts

NoTalentHack

· #2 · Aug 10, 2017

I agree, every design offers something special. If I had to choose just one guitar, I'd probably choose a nice archtop, maybe an L-4 or L-5. That way I could play some unplugged stuff and get the vibe of an acoustic, and play some electric. It wouldn't be easy regardless.

And I'd have 40 amps.

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Budda

· #3 · Aug 10, 2017

I dont know that having just one guitar would really be living.

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sulphur

· #4 · Aug 10, 2017

For a short time at the cabin, I'd be happy picking on an acoustic.
Permanently though, no. I like the varitey in the guitars I have.

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Fox Rox

· #5 · Aug 10, 2017

I couldn't even have just one electric guitar, one acoustic guitar and one bass.

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High/Deaf

· #6 · Aug 10, 2017

When I had no guitars, I could live with only 1 guitar. But that was a long time ago.

Once I had 1, I had to have 2 - and then there was no going back. Maybe temporarily I could get by with 1, like on a trip or something, but at home, nope!

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double_a

· #7 · Aug 10, 2017

I use different guitars for the different styles that I like to play/explore so my answer is no . . . I could not live with only one guitar

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DavidP

· #8 · Aug 11, 2017

double_a said:
I use different guitars for the different styles that I like to play/explore so my answer is no . . . I could not live with only one guitar

+1 on this -- I play a variety of genres fitting loosely under the 'alt country' umbrella, so use a range from Tele to Les Paul. Gotta throw in a baritone as well!

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Adcandour

· #9 · Aug 11, 2017

I made a point of getting down to one guitar.

It works just fine for me - until it's in the shop. I'm having one made now that will fill the hole as well as offer some variation. If you watch Joe B's video on how to get lots of different tone out of an LP, you'll be able to get rid of most of your guitars.

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greco

· #10 · Aug 11, 2017

I have 3 acoustics that are all virtually the same.
Does that count as one guitar?

Dorian2

· #11 · Aug 11, 2017

Nope. No way. 20 years ago yes. Not now though.

Scottone

· #12 · Aug 11, 2017

adcandour said:
I made a point of getting down to one guitar.

It works just fine for me - until it's in the shop. I'm having one made now that will fill the hole as well as offer some variation. If you watch Joe B's video on how to get lots of different tone out of an LP, you'll be able to get rid of most of your guitars.

If I had to go down to one, it would be a Les Paul or high quality clone thereof with vintage PAF type pickups.

Actually, for a few years I made do with a 70's SG. Shouldn't have sold that one.

Davidian

· #13 · Aug 11, 2017

In terms of owning only one electric, as a home basement/very casual player like myself I have thought about it. My Kotzen tele pretty much has everything I look for. Cutting down the present herd to just one will likely make me bond and appreciate my instrument more. That being said, for the guitar players in the bands and/or actually make a living out of playing owning only one is likely not an option.

Wardo

· #14 · Aug 11, 2017

BGood said:
...... just get to know THE ONE better and get to play more.

This.

I could be OK with just one. Been playing for about 50 years and usually just had one guitar or maybe an acoustic and an electric for awhile.

Up till about six years ago I just had one main and a cheap spare that I bought in 2000 when I went to get strings - for $300 that cheapass Norman was too good to leave behind and I figured it would take some load of my main which was 25 years old at that time.

Most important thing is the music.

What I play could be done with one half decent acoustic guitar and I would be happy.

Everything after that is just trying things because I can.

I now have 8 guitars and a mandolin - all but 3 of those were acquired in the last 6 years and the others had just accumulated over a life time. ( my wife's classical guitar and my two old acoustics that I no longer use but can't be bothered getting rid of )

The ones bought in the last 6 years are the only ones I play now and 2 of those ain't gettin much airtime anymore because the HD28V kinda took over although the Sigma DR28V, which is an HD28V copy that cost about as much as the tax on the HD28V, is getting used a lot because that's the one I take out so I don't have to worry about anything happening to it.

The acoustic guitars are all different so if you intend to play out with one of them all or most of the time then you need to keep up on that one. I can transition between them no problem but if you are playing the same one all the time then it feels like part of you. So if I'm going to be using a particular guitar somewhere in a couple of weeks then I'll start playing that one all the time beforehand.

So yeah, I could get by with one acoustic if I had to but I'm also playing a lot more electric now so I would also want to keep the telecaster.

But if it came to keeping one then probably HD28V and it would have to live with the battle damage that the DR28V was supposed to take instead.

If you just have one guitar then you really get to know that one although if you have others then you can still work them up as needed.

I think after a certain number though there just isn't time to get the most out of them all so I wonder what people do if they have 40 or 50 guitars - most of the guitars probably stay in their cases for years on end - and their owner's probably don't get out of their cases all that much either.

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Reactions: 1

amagras

· #15 · Aug 11, 2017

For most of my life and and until I moved to Canada I've only had one guitar. Now I have 3, one made in Quebec.

greco

· #16 · Aug 11, 2017

amagras said:
For most of my life and and until I moved to Canada I've only had one guitar.

And you learned to play it VERY, VERY well!

SaucyJack

· #17 · Aug 11, 2017

I've gone years with only one guitar, then I had dozens....now I have one guitar. lol....so yeah it can be done.

Reactions: 2

JethroTech

· #18 · Aug 11, 2017

I was recently travelling for a couple of weeks and only had one guitar with me, a Washburn Rover travel guitar. It's an okay guitar but I'd never play it at home. But for those 2 weeks it was the perfect guitar because I didn't have a choice. I looked forward to getting back to my room at night so I could pick and strum. If I could bond with something that is awkward to play, oddly-shaped and thin-sounding, I'm convinced I could live with just one really good guitar.

I think I'm drowning in a sea of choice. Whether it's individual customization of my fast food combo, having 20,000 movies to stream any time of day or night, or a dozen guitars to choose from; sometimes it's nice when the choice is made for me.

Reactions: 2

GTmaker

· #19 · Aug 11, 2017

I can see having one only of a particular type of guitar, but that still leaves plenty of room for many different types.
I never really saw the point of having 3 strats or teles etc....
G.

Robert1950

· #20 · Aug 11, 2017 (Edited)

If I really had to,... two,... one electric and one acoustic (with electronics).

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