Guitarists, what's your favorite guitar?

When I was first learning how to play, I only knew of three brands of acoustics on the market which were the overpriced and hard to find Martin, mid-level Gibson, and affordable Takamine. Today, there are so many great guitars available to the new player. What floats your boat?

(As for the "other" category it could be anything: ukelele, Fender Jaguar/Jazzmaster, Gretsch, 7/8/12 string guitar, Mosrite, Gibson Melody Maker, Epiphone Firebird, Schechter Corsair hollowbody, Yamaha Pacifica, Godin acoustic-electric, Breedlove, double necked guitar, Ibanez Artcore/Artstar, Silvertone, Danelectro, Charvel or Jackson Surfcaster, Paul Reed Smith, Rickenbacker, etc.) Also, put Epiphone LP/SG with Gibson and Squier strat/tele with Fender.

Over many years, I started with a Takamine D-18 style copy, moved onto Gibson and Ovation, and finally got that Martin. They were all really pretty much the same for the most part but the sound was only as good as how good or bad I was.

As for electrics, I have had all on the list but these days I use the affordable, but good Ibanez AS-73 hollowbody and mid-level ESP/LTD Viper 301 solidbody with aftermarket Bigsby tremolo of which both would be considered in the "other" category of guitars. My all time favorite guitar I have ever owned was an old, beat to heck Fender Telecaster. I currently don't have an acoustic, but if I did, I would sell one electric and get something like a Taylor Big Baby or Takamine solid spruce top cutaway steel string with EQ.

Huntn said:

When I went to purchase my first guitar above starter level, I could not make up my mind if I wanted Fender or Gibson, so I went with PRS...happy with it.

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When I first tried a PRS, I didn't like the squarish neck joint and it bothered me on higher note access. But where the Fender Stratocaster lacked sustain but had a great two horn body balance with strap, and the Les Paul suffered from muddy note separation at certain settings but had that legendary sustain, the PRS had that great two horn body balance that made a legend out of the Stratocaster AND the great sustain of the Les Paul by sporting two really good humbuckers which PRS upped in gain but somehow kept clearer in note separation.

In later years when I started focusing more on composition more than soloing, I didn't feel as much a need to shred on the higher frets as much so the PRS neck joint didn't bother me at all. If PRS made a neck joint with more access and no sharp edges (see Aria Les Paul copy example), they may win over those who don't like the current square neck joint. For many years a lot of makers tried to fuse the strengths of the Stratocaster and Les Paul into one guitar but with no success until PRS got it right. The PRS is one heck of a sexy guitar (and the girl it comes with ain't so bad, either http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0lkaqQBjg0 ).

4JNA said:

if i buy another, it would be a PRS for sure. amazing sound, build quality.

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Nice voicing for sure, with velvety soft frets, twin humbuckers, and a overall sleek build! OK, I gotta stop.

jessica. said:

How does Taylor not even make the list?

I long for this:
http://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/acoustic/710ce

or this:
http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Aco...umbo/Gibson-Acoustic/SJ-200-True-Vintage.aspx
But in vintage sunburst.

I've played the SJ200, never touched the 710ce.

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SJ-200 is amazing, as is also the SJ-100. Another great jumbo with that big tone is the great Martin J-40M.

jessica. said:

The Martin is comparable to the SJ-200? I'll have to check that out. I really like the idea of having an Indian Rosewood guitar. I don't like a lot of jangle in my jingle if you get my drift. Rosewood is said to provide a nice deep tone. While I can tell a slight difference between that and say a spruce top, I admit it is not exactly blaring. I really love the Gibson vintage, it's probably the one I've lusted after for the longest. For now, I have an Ibanez a/e, which is not at all terrible.

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For just playing around the house, I love any guitar with a mahogany top, back and sides. The tone is so warm. I had an old Martin 00-17 parlor guitar I loved. If you have a spruce top, as on a 00-18, then that adds some high end clarity found from the spruce. When added with a rosewood back and sides on yet a higher end model, then there's more projection so it's great for small venues to carry the tone further into an audience. But if you like a nice treble to cut through then maple back and sides is also great, even a maple top, too.

Then you get bigger bodies like a dreadnaught which is perfect for increased volume and great balance on treble, mids, and low end which has proven most popular with mahogany sides and back being warmer and rosewood projecting more. On rosewood, some say Brazilian rosewood sounds better than Indian rosewood but I've noticed more difference in appearance than anything else.

And finally the really large bodied guitars with most pronounced low end like the J-40M and even more the SJ-100 and 200s just have so much sound. The high end doesn't cut through on lead guitar lines as on a smaller guitar like the 00/000/dreadaughts but for strumming and singing I can't think of a better instrument. I haven't actually tried the Epiphone J-200 but it has a very nice price. On a mid-priced level, some nice jumbos made by Lowden are pretty good. Takamine anniversary models are also really good in the sub-$2500 dollar range. Of course, on the ultra high end, beyond Gibson and Martin, are the SGCC dreadnaughts and jumbos.

http://www.mapleleafmusic.com/guitar-acoustic/vintage-jumbo

I still love the idea of affordable and good like the Epiphones, some of the more affordable Ibanezes, and the ESP/LTD acoustics.

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Epiphon...99806-i1150088.gc?source=4WWRWXGP&cagpspn=pla

With some serious saving for my budget and for not being all that serious about steel string acoustics, I could still picture this:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...ampaign=none&gclid=CKT-7tLcgbQCFSXZQgodgRQAJA

Anyway, I should have also put Taylor in the poll options. If I get an acoustic again, it would either be a Taylor Big Baby or similarly priced Takamine. I do like Ovation, too. It seems like the polls here put the common strat and tele head to head with the equally common Gibson/Epiphone Les Pauls and SGs. While I know that strat is probably the most versatile piece of wood and metal called an electric guitar and offers a value second to none, I do love the tele and then a Gibson hollowbody for feel as new amps with DSP technology can pretty much dial in strat like tones from any signal. Though I never have the money, a carbon fiber and balsa wood, sub five pound Parkey Fly seems to be the best of both words, acoustic and electric in sounds generated from just one instrument.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guit...src=3WWRWXGP&gclid=CJ6vuMnthrQCFal_QgodvykANw

Other poll options

After looking at reviews and blogs about guitars, I apologize for leaving Taylor out. With moderate price offerings like the Baby and Big Baby that I lust after, they probably have sales much bigger than I had originally thought.

Anyway, something like this may have captured the market more accurately:

Acoustics (steel string or nylon):

Martin
Gibson
Takamine
Ovation
Taylor
Yamaha
Guild
ukelele, or other

Electrics:

Fender/Squier Telecaster or Stratocaster
other Fender/Squier
Gibson/Epiphone Les Paul or SG
other Gibson/Epiphone
Gretsch
Rickenbacker
Danelectro
Yamaha
Ibanez
G & L
PRS
hollowbody or semi-hollowbody (any brand)
ESP, Jackson, Charvel, or Schechter (or other brand) shredder guitar
electric or acoustic bass guitar
other, specify

This guitar, of course, doesn't exactly fit the criteria of a traditional electric guitar from what I have known for a long time, but I tried it out at a nearby store and found it endlessly fascinating. I have always loved Schechter but in many guitars used live or in recording, never pulled the trigger on that albeit great brand.

It has a sleek satin finished neck, amazing action for so much string tension and streets for about $400 dollars which is hard to beat. But like any other guitar, fancier pickups, electronics, and appointments lets such an instrument have higher models costing anywhere from a little bit more to a ton of money from both that brand and many other makers.

Also a bassier concept on acoustics has been done by Taylor, too tuning B to B on this example in below link:

http://www.zzounds.com/item--TAYBAR8GS

double post