JPF Home Page Forums Musician Gear and Techniques Guitars and Guitarist Forum Favorite AX in your quiver?

I suffer from what my friend Roger calls "GAS" - "Gear Acquisition Syndrome." The truth is, I bought all of my axes for specific reasons at different points in my career, and all of them have paid for themselves more than once. But I do have an arsenal of sorts. Photos are on my website but I honestly don't remember the URLs so if you wanna see pics, please just click on "My Web" in my signature.

-Paul Reed Smith custom 24fret, quilted "10-top" aqua-marine with birds inlay (the original style not the new 2008 hollow birds). I was in a recording studio in Atlanta, doing some lead tracks for a Pop-Rock band, and the studio was owned by Will Turpin of Collective Soul. CS had all of their gear in the storage closet, because they too were working on a project. I was laying down a solo on my modded Peavey (see below) and next thing I know, the engineer walks in with a custom PRS. He says "don't tell anyone I let you use this" and I literally did two takes on that guitar. I insisted on using the second take in entirety, but the engineer and bandleader (who was producing the album) insisted on cut/pasting the first and second take. Ever since I touched that axe I knew I had to get one. The craftsmanship is supreme, in my opinion, and I love the tone palette.

-Peavey Detonator modded, purchased used and slightly modded in 1996 from Bargain Music Store (R.I.P. Atlanta's coolest mom-&-pop shop). This guitar has amazing tone, definitely supreme to the axe that its name advertises. Every time I play a Santana tune, someone comes up to me and says "how did you get that tone out of that guitar." I can't explain. This has been my main workhorse for 12 years. I'm not certain, but I believe the nut had been replaced, and the pickups rewound, before I bought it. Since buying, I've had the stock bridge replaced with a Wilkinson system (BTW they were bought out by Gotoh, so technically it's a Gotoh bridge, but it's the Wilkinson design / brand name). I changed the nut to Graphite, replaced the crappy stock knife selector switch with a noiseless Switchmaster, replaced the input jack, replaced the strap hooks with Straplocks (don't recall the exact brand but my guess is Dunlop).

-Carvin electric 12-string, custom! I freakin love this thing, and I only wish I got to use it more often. I was in an Eagles cover band during 10th-11th grade, and I used this axe all the time. Honestly, if I had known what great craftsmanship I was going to get from Carvin, I would have ordered a 6-string model. The lemon-rub heel and neck-through-body construction, and the electronics, rival that of my PRS. It is the best-sounding electric 12-string I've ever played, mainly because I can tweak the active Bass and Treble boost/cut nobs to sound like any other 12-string. Or I can go passive, or flip the phase switch. it's incredibly versatile. I got locking tuners too, so it never goes out of tune (unlike many 12-strings). Double-action truss rod, the works. It's incredible.

-Fender American Super Strat, lace sensor pickups, Wilkinson tremolo bridge and stock hardware. This guitar is not technically mine, however it is on permanent loan from my Aunt's boyfriend of +15 years (basically the dude is my Uncle). I love this guitar. I agree with Moker that it does not bite as much as some other axes, HOWEVER it does have that super-Stevie Ray Vaughan tone. It's the closest any of my guitars get to sounding like SRV. Maybe it's the way I play it, but that's my experience. I use it on tunes like "Pride and Joy" and "Texas Flood" all the time and it's the real deal. The gigs where I leave it at home, are the gigs where I miss it.

-Harmony Flying V modded, brown and beat-up. I bought this used because the brand has sentimental value to me. I immediately filed down the first and second nut under the high E and B strings, because they were buzzing horribly. They were not set right in respect to the neck. Ever since then, the neck plays like a dream. I also replaced the bridge pickup with a Gibson '57 Classic and - I swear - it sounds just like a Tom Petty song. I know it's a Flying V, but I switch that Pickup on and we're "Runnin' Down A Dream." The neck pickup has an incredible Blues tone, and that's half of the music I perform, so I intend to leave it alone. The body is pretty beat up but I sort of like it, I think it adds character. Harmony went out of business and then reopened under a foreign company - I think Japanese - so this guitar (circa 1980s) was definitely made overseas but that's about all I know.

-Alvarez acoustic-electric, I don't know the model number off the top of my head, but it is a recent (if not current) acoustic-electric line of guitars (I bought it July '07). I paid $150 instead of the sticker $345 because of a tiny crack in the laquer, in the back of the guitar. It does not go through to the wood and nobody will ever see it, and it's smaller than a dime, but such is the power of negotiation I suppose! Good for me The guitar has AMAZING acoustic tone both plugged and unplugged. It is my main acoustic axe and I dream of someday being endorsed by Alvarez (currently I am endorsed by First Act Guitars, but I don't own any! hahaha!)

-Harmony acoustic archtop, circa 1960's, this is my oldest axe and used to belong to my father. So it's been in my family for 40 years and in my custody for 26. Over time it aquired a couple cracks, lost its pickguard and some tuning pegs, and got some minor dents and scratches. I had it glued, fixed and restored - except for the pickguard - in 1995. Same luthier who installed the Wilkinson trem. and graphite nut on my Peavey. David Abner, does great work here in Atlanta (at least I think so). Anyway this was my first guitar and I think it has a lovely Jazz tone, very round and warm. The archtop is true, with F-holes and beautiful tobacco sunburst.

-Indiana acoustic-electric, and a Classical piece of crap. My combined cost of these guitars was $100 and neither is worthy of describing. I bought/used the Classical when I was studying music at UGA, and haven't touched it since. I was raised on classical Piano, and I love classical Music, I just don't get much work as a classical guitarist. The only exception is a wedding I did last November, where they specified which type of guitar I had to use. The Indiana I bought/use to teach lessons. I take it to my students' homes, and they don't care, and if their dog licks it or nocks it over or the kids step on it, I don't care either.

-Washburn neck-through-body bass, very beautiful, I know nothing about it because I bought it for my fiance and haven't seen it since ... but I remember it looks/sounds beautiful