JPF Home Page Forums Musician Gear and Techniques Guitars and Guitarist Forum Your Guitar Arsenal???

I listed my guitar arsenal in another thread here. I am curious what you have, Acoustics, electrics? Other stringed instruments? Feel like sharing?

Here are some of my acoustics.



Ventura V12, Gibson SJ Deluxe, Guild D40 - all from the 70s.

Colin

Sounds like fun. I'll play! My arsenal includes:
1 Seagull S+6 acoustic with an L.R. Baggs I-beam pickup
1 Applause acoustic/electric
1 Peavey T-60 electric
1 Jay Turser short scale electric bass
1 violin (I don't play fiddle, but hope to learn soon)
1 banjo (non-playable) that was my grandfather's
2 dulcimers (one built by my wife and myself)
1 Strumstick
plus another arsenal of non-string instruments.

I hope to pick up another banjo in the near future.

A couple no name accoustics given to me. Not very playable, the cases are worth more than the guitars.

the rest
No name Classical that plays OK. not great
1971 Harmony Archtop Acoustic
2004 Samick Dreadnaught cutaway
2005 Samick Orhestra Model Acoustic cutaway

Electric
A Small size Fender Knock off rescued from a dumpster. No Identifying marks or numbers. Probably a child's guitar. Plays but has very noisy pickups.

2004 Epiphone Sheraton 11 Sunburst
2006 Fender Nashville Telecaster
2006 Cort Bass

I have a second 2003 Epiphone Sheraton 11 Natural finish. It was one of the guitars Stolen in 2004 that we recovered in 2006. The Sunburst was it's replacement.

I'd consider trading a few of them for a good Martin, Taylor, or a Guild.

Thanks Kevin and Bill for chiming in. Now that I have read some responses, I realize I would like an editorial comment or two......like, "that Samick is the best acoustic I have ever heard", or "the Nashville Tele really rocks".

In fact, I would like to know if the Nashville Tele is too much like a Strat. I really like the middle position of a 2 pickup Tele which might be missing from the three pup version. Thoughts?

Colin

Colin
The Nashville Tele does really rock.
5-Position Blade switch: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and Middle Pickup, Position 3. Middle Pickup, Position 4. Middle and Neck Pickup, Position 5. Neck Pickup
The bridge and neck pickups are Tex-Mex Tele and the center is Tex-Mex Strat.
It does not have the bridge and neck Tele pickups playing together. I wondered about that, too. But that's not what it was designed for. If you want a pure Tele sound buy a Tele. The Nashville players wanted a Tele/strat hybrid. They were customizing their Telecasters. So Fender started making one.

My Samick acoustics play well for a mid range guitar. Have decent sound. All my acoustic parts on my songs are played by these guitars.
I prefer the Orchestra model over the Dreadnought. It is a bit easier to play. It does not have the same "boom" as the dreadnought though.
But they can't compare to a good Martin or Taylor. I have played both and would have one if I could afford it. But I wouldn't spend the money right now. I would if I was a professional musician but I am an amateur and play at amateur level.

The Epiphone is great. Good sound and great sustain. I believe BB King played one but he used two out jacks and played through two amps. Great Blues Guitar
I think Dwight Yokum used Epi Sheraton's on Blame the Vain for an example of the sound for Country.

My acoustics:
'62 Gibson LG2 -- a guitar I grew up with but never played till I was 26. It belonged first to my sister, who bought it with her very first pay check and then to my brother. I took it out of my mom's closet years later and taught myself to play.
Hondo classical -- a total cheapo that I bought from a neighborhood kid who needed money.
Ovation Celebrity -- deep bowl model, cheap but my longtime fave for knock-around use. Sounds surprisingly arch top-like with a magnetic pickup. I currently have it strung as a baritone.
Kramer dreadnaught -- cutaway acoustic-electric. Not a bad guitar, solid cedar top, my usual stage acoustic these days.
Alvarez RC20 -- classical acoustic-electric and my new favorite for intimate performing.
My electrics:
Valley Arts Rangercaster -- a Samick-era tele copy, with trem and three pickups
Epiphone Riviera -- a decent archtop and in a coooool turquoise paint job.
Carvin DC120 -- 12 string electric. Went through a flood so I've rewired/rebuilt it some.
Bass:
Valley Arts -- P/J style, and a 'real' VA instrument, pre-Gibson, pre-Samick
Other stuff:
Gold Tone BUB -- baritone banjolele, practically Irish tenor size, actually.
Nechville Banjovie -- little banjo thingy, essentially tenor uke sized.
Aria Banjitar -- kind of a disappointment. I plan to rework it some, one of these days.
Kala 'Watermelon' Soprano Uke -- I admittedly bought this purely to use on one song, aptly named 'Watermelon.' It's cute and doesn't sound bad at all.
--oops, forgot to add my Maestro A-style mandolin.

OK, here's a repost my earlier answer with added editorial comment!

1 Seagull S+6 acoustic with an L.R. Baggs I-beam pickup. My wife bought this guitar for me about ten years ago and I LOVE this guitar. It has a short scale (24.74")which translates to less string tension and easier playability. The neck is a little wider than most acoustic guitars which is great for a player with larger hands like myself. It has a cedar top which gives it a nice warm tone. I added the I-beam pickup last year and to my ears, it sounds every bit as good as using a high quality microphone. I plan on keeping this guitar until I die!

1 Applause acoustic/electric. This is a (very) cheap version of an Ovation, made by the same company. It is a great camping guitar in that humidity doesn't seem to affect it and it can always be used to paddle a canoe. I bought this back around 1985 and it probably kept me from becoming an acoustic musician much earlier. The sound is very compressed, whether plugged in or not. This is NOT, in my opinion, a great guitar.

1 Peavey T-60 electric. I bought this while in college, back in 1983. This model was Peavey's first guitar and they got it right! I have no need to ever buy another electric guitar.

1 Jay Turser short scale electric bass. This may be one of the best bargains ever. I picked it up in a pawn shop for 70 bucks. Because of the short scale, the strings are pretty loose so I can't do any Jaco Pastorius impersonations, but for folk, country, or basic rock, it more than gets the job done!

1 violin (I don't play fiddle, but hope to learn soon)
1 banjo (non-playable) that was my grandfather's
2 dulcimers (one built by my wife and myself)
1 Strumstick
plus another arsenal of non-string instruments.

I hope to pick up another banjo in the near future.

Bill,

Thanks for the feedback on the Tele....that's what I was guessing.

Stephen,

Thanks for chiming in.....you have a nice collection there!

Kevin,

Thanks for expanding...... I like the Seagulls but the neck shape does not work for my hand.

I will add a bit about the acoustics in my photo above. Ventura was a brand of C. Bruno which sourced them in Japan from Matsumoku and others. Mine is very nice, plays and sounds excellent.

The Gibson is from 1974 and is a fine instrument. It sounds great and it has a Fishman Matrix pup for playing out.

The Guild is from 1972 and was a pawn shop find. It needed some TLC but now it sounds the best of all my acoustics. It sounds "alive" and sustains forever. So far it has no pickup - gotta work on that.

This thread is making me sad so many great guitars so little money to buy.
Here's my list

Fender Stratocaster Custom shop ala Andy Kemp. It used to be a Lonestar Start back in the 90's when I bought but over the years I stripped the paint off, fitted all new hardware and it now plays amazing.

Ibanez JS1000BTB This is my Joe Satriani signature axe that I bought new over ten years ago. I've yet to find a guitar that I can do half the technical stuff that this guitar can do. It's in need of a bit of a setup but it will last until after xmas.

Yamaha electric Bass. Not much to say it's a bass.

Takemine electro acoustic - My mate gave me this guitar for my 30th and I love it. I'd still like to have a Collins but this will do for now.

Kala Ukulele - I seem to be playing this more than any of my other instruments. God I love the Uku.

Dearing goodtime 2 Banjo - Great banjo and sounds amazing when it's mic'd up.

A very nice no name Mandolin that I bought from an antics shop. Plays very nice.

I think that's it.

oh and Yamaha semi acoustic classical!! That's another great player that seems to get better as the years go by.

Rgds
Andy

Basically, just a few cheap guitars. But, they all serve me very well.
• 1988 Squire Stratocaster (w/Chandler Hot Rails pickup in the bridge pos. w/ coil-splitter switch)
• 1993 Epiphone EO acoustic
• 2009 Regal resonator guitar

(Also, my son has a 2009 Danelectro reissue that's a lot of fun to play.)

Andy,

Thanks for jumping in.....there is never enough money for your passions! I have thought about buying a cheap ukele to mess around with. There is a guy here who can play classical music on a soprano uke. Pretty amazing.

Pop,

That Epi is the one with the decal by the bridge? Interesting look. Is your resonator set up for slide or standard play?

Colin

Wow, you've got some amazing guitars, Colin. I can only dream of a park like that! I trade on ebay from time to time, and look for upgrade bargains, but here's what I have right now:

Electrics:

Fender Tele (Mex)
I love my tele. I've upgraded the PU's to Nashville studio's, and they give me just that little extra gain.

Washburn Wi66 pro
I got this in stead of a Les Paul. Still would like one, but this baby is so versatile, and really rocks! Also good for jazz stuff. Stock Seymour Duncan PU's on. Could use a PU upgrade.

Godin Freeway SA
A stratocaster model from Canadians Godin, with synth access (a "Ghost" system). Works and plays like a breeze. Seymour Duncan stock PU's on this too, and they sound pretty good on this one. I use it all the time with my softsynths (with an Axon AX50 interface).

Asher Hawaiian Jr. (lapsteel)
A project guitar. I have installed a Duesenberg Multibender on it, and TV Jones PU's to nail that pedal steel sound. I play it a bit too little, but someday soon I'll find the killer sound with it.. :-)

Warwick Rock Bass
Almost forgot.. but I find myself playing bass a lot, and it's fun. This is a really playable bass, great for getting those deep long sustained notes, but quite versatile. I also use software for bass, but Warwick makes great electric basses, and I'd like to upgrade to one of their higher end ones, or maybe a Sandberg. Just played a fretless Sandbeg at the store, and whoo was that a beut!

Accoustic:
Deering Goodtime banjo
I wanted to have a full park of instruments for country projects, and got this open back banjo from Americans Deering. I love the sound of it. Need to play more, though.. only so much time.

Levin Mandolin (1955)
This is an old Swedish brand, that's compared with Gibson's in expert forums. It sounds really good. I'm working on a couple mandolin pieces for TV.

Eagle acoustic guitar
A "weak" point in my instrument collection. It sounds good and is really playable, but my next upgrade will be a new acoustic guitar, as I play that quite a bit. It needs a bit more "body" sound.. I really would like a Gibson, but a Taylor with the good PU system could also do :-)

Santana classical guitar (w/thin body)
This is a cheap model, I wanted to try it because of the thin body. A studio guitar, that enables me to get the right sound for the projects that needs it, but not a players guitar. I'd like to upgrade it to one of them Godin's..

Rouge Dobro
I got this from my wife as a birthday present, and it's a cheap Eastern made guitar, but I read somewhere that the cone in a Dobro is 80% of the sound, so I ordered a National "Hot Rod" cone for it at Elderly in the US, and got my luthier to implement it, and I must say, it sounds way sweeter. It won't ever be anything but a recording guitar, but with a little processing I can now get a really good sound from it. And hands down, that's what counts when recording. A high end Dobro IS on my wishlist, though. It's an instrument I play quite a lot.

I hope I can afford high end guitars sometime, as the feel of playing is really eally important, but I need to have a variety for different sounds for now. They are all in playing shape, so there's a LOT of string changing going on.. it's actually pretty costly to keep a studio running in good shape. Most of my instruments are set up by a local guitar technician also, so I have low action and great intonation, despite it's low-mid range gear.

The Epiphone has no decal by the bridge. It has a pretty unique crescent moon and star inlay on the oddly shaped headstock, though. Is that what you meant?
This is it:


And, my resonator is set up for standard play. I've tried slide and I'm pretty hopeless there!

OK, I'll play


My first guitar, bought in 1976, is a beauty. It's a Yamaki Folk Deluxe, which, if you google them, are being recognized by some as being as good as the Martin D28 it is an imitation of. They were apparently hand made in Japan and "spec'd" like the Martin. Mine has a solid western Canada cedar top, mahogany back and sides, and a rosewood fingerboard. You can imagine how well this has aged for about 35 or so years. Apparently they gave Martin some issues and they had to stop doing so. Lots of pictures if you google Yamaki Guitars in "images"


I also have a number of SX guitars I have bought over the last few years. These are made in China and of superb quality, with awesome value for money. I paid no more than $150 for each of 2 acoustic guitars, a Gibson Les Paul knockoff and an acoustic bass.


The two 6 string acoustics have solid tops, one of spruce with mahogany sides and back (its a Taylor knock off), while the other is all curly ash and stained dark brown.


The acoustic bass is, like the one acoustic, solid spruce with mahogany.


Both six strings and the bass came with P7Shadow pickups. Not top end, but adequate and, of all things, worth more "at retail" than what I paid for the entire guitar. Of course "msrp" is never the selling price, but heh, it's a yardstick.


The Les Paul knock off is solid mahogany with humbucker pickups...and weighs a ton I might add. Play it through a Fender Blues jr amp. Great action, well built, a neck that's easy to work..


SX is made by Team International. You can check out their current product line here http://www.teamintlco.com/Sx/ I came across these guitars a year or three ago and "the buzz" was that they were great value for money. As I'd had such a good experience with my Yamaki (now 35 years old and such a wonderful sound), I thought I had to have one. I was not disappointed and I'm still a huge fan..obvious since I have 4 of them now. Each one looked good, felt good, and plays well. Even the electric required minimal set up. They all stay in tune very well, and I believe they will last and age like my Yamaki has.


And I'm waiting for an entirely hand made Mackenzie Marr Dionisio http://www.macmarr.com/store/dionisio
It's a cedar top cutaway acoustic guitar with a Fishman Ellipse under-saddle pickup and pre-amp. There's a nice picture of it if you follow the link. It has been delayed twice but I'm expecting an April 2011 delivery

Colin, check out the "cheap" ukeleles here.

http://www.teamintlco.com/Mahalo/

Made by those who make SX guitars. I checked Rondo Music, which is a Team Intl distrubutor, but they show none on their web site. Does not mean though they don't carry them or can't get one.

You might email Kurt at Rondo to see if he can http://www.rondomusic.com/index.html

Magne,

That is a great collection. I started checking out your guitars on line and came to the Duesenberg bender. That is neat. I watched some videos by the inventor and they sounded great. I think you should record some songs for us to hear!!!!!

I also have a Mexican Tele - mine has the stock pickups. I think about upgrading, but it sounds really good as it is. Always looking for better though.

The Washburn looks really good too.

Colin

Pop,

I saw one like that with a design between the bridge and soundhole - A decal I think.

John,

You have also got a cool fleet of guitars, eh?

The Japanese manufacturers made some really good guitars n the 70s - unlike the weird stuff they made in the 60s. I bet your Yamaki sounds good. My Ventura is a good guitar from the Matsumoku factory and I have had others in the past.

I have been tempted by SX guitars before. There was one in a shop here that was very nice but it had a crazy price on it. I found one Uke on the Rondo site but it is vivid pink which is not my style!

I'll be looking for a report on the Dionisio.

Love the photo Colin..... I'll have to do that sometime......

just recharged all the humidifiers !!!! 'cause of your post !! here's my list ..............



all my guitars were bought used -- but very well taken care of.....

Taylor 710 six string acoustic dreadnought w pick up --- my main instrument -- love it mostly -- though the neck has always been challenging !


Guild F212 twelve string jumbo w pick up -- I added the pick up and I have been on an off playing it -- but again --- nothing beats the BiG sound

Takamine eg53 cut away dreadnought w pick up -- my back up when Taylor is in the shop

Global (old montgomryward ? ) semi hollow body electric -- the electrics were replaced and other damages repaired with tlc from a guy that tinkers -- he never played it anymore and sold it to me for 100 bucks because he wanted someone to play it --- my first electric ; )



Washburn 5 string resonator banjo - new aquirement --- hope to find time

Valencia violin - beginner -- I want to learn to use a bow

Rogue mandolin-- love the sound for the money

Rougue bass-- same just fo adding bass to my recordings....

Matador -Conga Tumba Bongos
hand percussion and hand drums & djembe --- big percussion fan

Flute, Picolo -- harmonicas......

Nice, guys. I do not have a "fleet" myself. It's not even a Costa Rican police force:

J-200 clone (not a Gibson, but looks just like one--no identifying marks at all, but it's got the mother-of-pearl logo on the headstock), bought in 1973. It and I have been inseparable ever since. Has an almost as ancient soundhole D'Armand pickup I acquired while playing with the Dodson Drifters, 25-plus years ago, that gives it a really electric sound--ideal for playing lead.

A Strat (cheap, and non-American made) I picked out for my daughter 6 years ago, when she had visions of being a rock guitarist--and the local music store decided to stop carrying Fender stuff, and sold off everything they had at deep discounts. I bought it from daughter 2 years later for what she'd paid for it. Doesn't leave the studio because it doesn't have a case.

A 5-string banjo, maybe 20 years old now, made by Global (Korean). All I know about it is it's built like the expensive ones, and sounds good (or as good as a banjo can). I have it tuned to a guitar (no learning curve) and had an electric guitar pickup installed a couple years ago--didn't make it sound better, just louder.

Joe

Joice,

Nice collection. Can't beat the Taylor and the Guild. I too have a banjo and mandolin that I should spend more time with. I learn enough to add a lick to a song then put them away and forget everything I learned! I have a new music room on the way which will help keep things more readily to hand.

Joe,

Thanks for joining in. I bet your J-200 is one of the good Japanese copies. There were a lot made in that time frame and many were really nice.

If your Strat says Fender on it (even Squier) it is probably a nice guitar the plays and sounds well.

The sound of a banjo is best used in moderation!

Colin, it probably is Japanese. It doesn’t say anything about that anywhere on it, either, but the music store said it showed up in a crate of “other Japanese c**p.” I maintain it sounds better than the real thing.

The Strat is funny, too—it doesn’t say where it was made, either. I gave the serial number to a couple of Fender freaks I know, and they couldn’t find it in any Fender database. I don’t care; it plays easy, and sounds good. Good general-purpose electric guitar—which is why I recommended it to my daughter.

The banjo is primarily good for shock value—I can play electric guitar leads on it. It has enabled me to learn a lot of banjo player jokes (bluegrass musicians always tell banjo player jokes in front of the banjo player, because they’re pretty sure he won’t get it). For example: You know the difference between a banjo player and a municipal bond? The bond will eventually mature and make money…

Joe

I have a Nashville Tele. In actual fact it didn't start life as a Nashville, but shortly after I added the extra pickup and a B-Bender, Fender came out with the Nashville Tele!!! Anyway, I also installed a toggle switch which allows me to add in the neck pickup. That gives me the option of the two outside pickups (ala Tele)and all three together which is a really fat out of phase sound which even the Strat won`t do unless you add the switch to your Strat. (So..I did!)

Steve

Hi Steve welcome to the site. we're a friendly bunch of guitar geeks in this part of site so you're in good company
You seem to know your stuff and with a name like Steve Vaughan what else would I expect lol Tell me your middle name starta with an R? as that would just be to cool.

Your tele sounds amazing by the way!

Rgds
Andy

So Steve,

If you play just the Strat bridge and neck pups together, do they sound like a regular Tele in the middle position?

It doesn't sound exactly like a tele Colin, but it's a good approximation. (Big word for a guitarist. Hope I spelled it right!!) In actual fact you can hear the sound on "Johnny Cash" by Vicarn. Vic and I played together in the "Lorne Gibson Trio" many years ago. (Too many!!)

Steve

Sorry Andy. My middle name begins with "D" for Douglas. (It should really stand for "D"umbass, "D"on't got no "D"ough!)
It is a really nice guitar which I don't play often enough as I have six or seven other guitars in my arsenal, mostly Fender or Fender style which I have assembled myself. I also have a Gibson 330TD which I got in 1962. (My first "good" guitar.)
Steve
P.S. There is a picture of the tele somewhere on my website
www.classactonline.com

OK, I'll play....

My main guitar is a 90s Gibson Sheryl Crow signature based on her 62 Country and Western. Sounds great - looks great.

I also have a nice 70s MIJ Epiphone 570 Sheraton Blonde Jumbo (not to be confused with the 335 Sheraton - why they used almost the same name is beyond me). Nice backup guitar with an aftermarket Fishman pickup and EQ added.

And although I don't play electric a lot, I have a Gibson Faded Worn SG - really comfortable.

I just added a Gretsch 5120 which I will be looking to play more live. Just enough twang for my style.

I have an older 70s Yamaha 12 string 420 that has had a bit of neck separation for years, but hasn't move and it has a great 12 string sound. That's an acoustic/electric and sounds good plugged in and not. And to add to that, I have a 12 string Dean Boca - a cool little 335 body and sounds nice and jangly.

Other stringed things include a Jay Turser resonator, a Dean Backwoods Banjo, a Rogue mandolin, a vintage Silvertone Lap Steel and an old and pretty much unplayable Playtime, part of the early Silvertone/Harmony line.

Steve V

Hi Colin,

I have a Mainland Tenor Uke that I absolutely LOVE. Great sound.

I have a handful of guitars, a travel classical with no name

A great classical by Michael Menkevich from Philadelphia PA Great full, balanced tone. Plenty loud enough and the thing just fits my hand perfectly.

20+ years ago I got a Taylor 410RW when it first came out. The neck is too narrow for me, but I have been getting by on it with a fishman blender mic and pickup for a long time. I do very much like the sound, though. I just recorded my first instrumental piece which I think came out quite good as far as sound.

Taylor 555 12 string. Great guitar, needs a little work to make it more playable up the neck--action is a little high.

National Resophonic wood body. I made a mistake there and went with the less biting tone than the metal body, but I do like it very much. Action is set high for slide, and too high for comfort, but you have to make a tradeoff...

Electrics are a Mexi Fender strat--gave away to one of my good friends a real one cause I never played it...If I keep that one, I will definitely upgrade to texas special pickups. Neck and setup are good.

And an epiphone korean made Joe pass which only needs real pickups to be awesome.

Fender mustang bass--short scale which I have found very useful being a guitar player.

I think thats not too many guitars for having been at it for 35 years.

Oh. One of these days I'm going to set the neck and install frets in a beautiful guitar I am building that I got as a kit of sorts from Martin guitar. I'm told by a luthier that it's going to sound great based upon his tapping, for what that's worth, but I really need to get to work on it.

I also have a mando that has no name and needs a ton of neck / fret work to really be playable.

John

guys this'd be a way funner drool-over thread if there were more pics
LOL

ok.... my baby




Squier CV 60's neck and pick guard on a Squier CV 50's body. Callaham bridge, Klein S6 p/ups, CTS/Switchcraft parts

Tony,

That's beautiful.

I have done a lot of horse trading of guitars. This was my collection a few years ago, but I only have the red Strat left from this group of mostly Japanese guitars.