Guitars to me are like children, how can you pick your favorite . I have a Baby Taylor that I have liked but never really got to know. I’ve had it for 3 years now but never got friendly with it as Mark Knofler says.
I am spending the summer in Colorado and because of the extreme dryness here did not want to bring any expensive guitars. After six weeks with my Baby we have really bonded! I put away the pick and have been doing some gentle strumming and finger picking sitting on the couch or wherever. I’ve read that you can’t strum them hard but I found a jam group on Thursday nights and brought the Baby. At first I was embarrassed because it felt like I was playing a Uekele , but now I attend and bang on it hard! She likes it and holds her own!
Again as Mark says. they’re only steel and wood but they have a soul. This may cure my GAS for a while, my new goal is to get friendly with all my guitars.
That’s a great goal! You’ve inspired me to do the same. I have an acoustic and an electric that I should get reacquainted with… pretty sure I have favourites
no need to be embarrassed about playing a uke. and if the jam group exudes that attitude, it’s time to go somewhere else. interestingly enough, I’ve noticed a LOT of cross-pollination between the guitar group I play with and one of the uke groups in town. quite a few people play both instruments. the guitar folks are totally cool with folks bringing other instruments to the guitar jams. and I occasionally jam with a uke group that’s cool with folks bringing other instruments.
also no need to be embarrassed about playing a small guitar. I get the impression that people cared a lot more about guitar body shape/size in the past, but it seems to me like there’s a lot more openness to different guitar body sizes these days. My Enya travel guitar is tiny, even compared to my GS Mini.
The Enya doesn’t sound as nice, but it comes out when I want to play in conditions that would be abusive to a guitar made of wood. I’ve backpacked with it in the rain before.
fwiw,
My guitars are not like my child. They’re more like tools to me.
One good thing about not having a gob of guitars is that you can play all of them with ease since there’s not that many to start with.
I’m acquainted with all my guitars.
My 12 string, which I don’t play so much these days is fine. It was my only guitar for years and years (like decades). It has had it’s time of play.
My 1st elec. is similar. It was my only electric for years so it was the one I played, over and over and over. It’s now broken and needs new electronics. I’ll get around to it when I get GAS.
My other three guitars get the rotation mostly. I play this one today, that one tomorrow for my electrics. The third one is my only acoustic 6 string. It gets rotated in when I feel like wooden music. Which is often. It also is my go to when I play on the back stoop.
So in the end. My few guitars all get played. I like them all.
Lastly, I don’t bother to name my guitars as they are not my pets nor my children. They are my tools. So, they get called what they are. I call them my DR500, my reverend (since I only have one no need to call it my double agent w). And lastly, my casino. I have no duplicates of any guitar.
This is what they are and I know ea. one by factory designation…
This works for me, ymmv
Interesting thread!
fwiw, I do the same with my amps, 3 of them. Play this one today, that one tomorrow, etc. This works well for me too.
For me, this method seems to keep me interested and the tones varied.
Agree with a lot of what you say, specifically around guitars being tools and therefore I don’t give them names or genders. This isn’t specific to guitars either as I’ve never named my cars or motorcycles which are other things that people commonly name.
It’s not that I don’t have favourites though. If my house was on fire there’s 2 guitars I’d grab, not a difficult decision based on what I currently nearly always reach to play (1 is acoustic, other is electric). That said there’s no emotional attachment to either, they both could easily be replaced and I’d just get on with it
First off, I apologize about the Uekele comment, I realize it was inappropriate after I sent it. What I meant to say is that it feels like a toy. In our little jam group at the senior citizen center we have a lady that plays a harp, her husband plays violin and mike plays the banjo. We’re all at different levels and it all blends and sounds great. We’re there for a good time and enjoy music together.
Matt, yes if the house were on fire there are a few guitars I would want over others but they’re not tools for me, I’m not at that level.
Oddly the guitars I play the most are the cheapest of the stable. It’s a mind game but I don’t feel worthy to play my expensive guitars until I get to a level where I can do them justice. I have a Taylor Urban Ash Builders edition that sits in the case. I pull it out every now and then and strum it a bit waiting for the day my level of play equals the quality of the guitar. Like I said, mind games we play
You can’t do that to yourself. It was made for playing. I got a Taylor American Dream acoustic barely 6 months after starting to play and have played it almost every day since. The way I see it is I’ve worked hard for a lot of years to be able to afford some nice things, I am worthy of it even if my playing is only that of just above beginner. I’m careful with it, treat it with respect, but have no qualms about playing it
You do realize your guitar doesn’t care how good you are and if you think it has feeling how sad do you think it feels being left alone in it’s case while you play your other guitars.
A decade or so ago I owned 7 guitars. I retired a few years ago and whittled that down to 3. I regularly play 2 on the same day and even all 3 on others.
Matt/Stitch, funny you guys said what you said. I’ve had this underlying sense of guilt not playing some of my guitars more often. They are meant to be played, definitely pulling them out when I get back home.
I’m really pleased to hear you say that Maybe this sounds a bit pessimistic but none of us know what’s around the corner so there’s a lot to be said for enjoying today
To my point about my expensive Taylor, I’ve had it 18 months now, played it loads and it’s still showroom condition. It lives on a rack in my front room but crucially it’s never left the house so it’s not all beaten up. It sounds so much better than my first acoustic (which sounds fine) and inspires me to play every day.
. I have a Baby Taylor that I have liked but never really got to know. I’ve had it for 3 years now but never got friendly with it as Mark Knofler says.
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Maybe this sounds a bit pessimistic but none of us know what’s around the corner so there’s a lot to be said for enjoying today