How many guitars is enough?

[islandguitar]

I really need to come down to five. A 12 string and four six string acoustics. I'm at the point where I'm trying to decide what to let go.....It could take me a LONG time to decide!!

[FoxHound4690]

I think as a standard, One acoustic guitar that you will always play and One electric that you will always play.

I have three Maton's and there's only one that I play regularly. all my other acoustics have become case queens as i just don't get the time for them due to my work schedule.

And my electrics its the same deal, I have a Strat and an LP. Strat is the only electric I play atm. LP has become a case queen.

One of each I think is ideal for a starting point. Having too many guitars can be a burden, because they can take up space alot of of space and you can't play them all at once... I have one wardrobe in my house just dedicated to storing my guitars because I have nowhere else to put them -_-

[jaan]

I'm still figuring this out. I've sold 3 this month, still have another on consignment. I'm not sure I'm going to try something else yet as initially planned ; it's kind of liberating only having to care for a few (I'm kind of obsessive on upkeep / monitoring my guitars in dry Colorado).

[Black Squirrel]

Need? Just 1 but today I am enjoying 23 Yesterday it was 22. I play them all 2 or 3 are for sale but I would not be bummed if they stay.

[hairpuller]

I can easily get by with the Collings and the Yamaha (My beater for classroom and camping).

[PetesaHut]

I have about 6 electrics and 2 acoustics, I am 67y old and retired.

I love my guitars and they give me joy. I don't think I'll buy anymore, I have what I want and am more than happy.

My point is if you can afford to have more than one guitar and they give you joy, why not?

[Zissou Intern]

I have two from different builders - a 12 fret, short scale dread and a 14 fret, long scale dread. Both are red spruce and mahogany. I am happy with them and, and for the first time in decades, I neither need nor want any others.

[KalamazooGuy]

I have posted this reply before.

Once you realize you are not playing the one you own and want to play as you are playing the new one.

I will say personally, I do align with Brencat who posted near the top as well.

[sinistral]

How many eggs is a guitar?

[docwatsonfan]

OP I like your way of thinking

I wish I could think like that, perhaps I wouldn't spend so much time looking to buy the next one

I think I'll call it good for now, I just bought my third long scale square shouldered dread, to go with my 2 short scale slope shoulder dreads

That should do it, I think I am good to go

Now I need to spend time playing and getting better.... I just learned another chord after 40 something years....so now I know 4 chords

ps....would love to see pics of the Hahn 228 and the Sands!

[Steve DeRosa]

TMK one of the magazines (don't remember if it was Guitar Player, Frets, Acoustic Guitar, or Guitar World) published an interview with some studio guys about this very subject back around the late-70's - as I recall the basic list read something like this:

• 6-string dreadnought/17" jumbo/Ovation deep-body (choose one)
• 12-string dreadnought or jumbo
• 12-fret 0/00 (choose one)
• Nylon-string classical or flamenco
• 17" carved acoustic archtop w/floating pickup(s)
• Resonator
• Tele/Strat-style solid w/single coils in all positions
• Thinline hollow/semi-hollow with either mini-buckers or P-90's
• 335-style semi-hollow w/full-size humbuckers
• Short scale (30") bass
• A minimum of three acoustic specialty instruments (5-string banjo, 4-string banjo, mandolin, concert/tenor uke, ethnic strings, etc.)
• A minimum of two electric specialty instruments (5-string bass, Fender Bass VI, electric 12-string, lap steel, etc.)
• Bass and guitar combo amps (one of each)

Anything else is just GAS...

[FingahPickah]

I love a variety of body styles, tone wood pairings, different manufacturers, I avoid redundancy - no two are alike - especially in sound. I also have several mandolin family instruments. Each has it's own voice.

I've never been asked by a hunter and /or shooting sportsman with several firearms why I have several guitars.

[The Bard Rocks]

I admire the way the OPP has made his choices. well done. I find the "do-it-all 6 string gets the most attention. However I have more than one of these. So all but two of these should find another home, only it's hard for me to let them go.

Also I would not want to be without a 12 string,CF one for bad conditons, a wood-bodied and a steel-bodied resonators. that's 5. But I have more than that, plus one in the oven. That one i will mention; it is being build specifically for my old age with Manzer wedge, slightly smaller body (not too small), 1 13'16" nut for arthritic hands and body appointments which will stand out to potentially dimmer eyes.

Now to address the others. I have a baritone and a folding guitar - both are not played regularly and i need to get them consigned. Both are stunning instruments and deserve more play than they are getting. And I have a great 12 fretter whose bond with me is less than it should be. And an L00 which I find too small. If I could sell some of these, I would feel less guilty about the coming one.

But, by God, it is fun to plan a guitar with a luthier and see it come to be.

[TBman]

I have to admit that I think I have too many. I never play my Alvarez anymore or my Washburn. The Washburn was the guitar I bought back in 2002ish when I got back into playing again.

The Alvarez I bought back in the beginning of 2015 when I just "had" to have a 12 fret slot head and I don't know what the big deal was, just a strange case of GAS.

The Seagull was a 2007ish purchase for a decent sized "travel" guitar and it filled that role pretty well. I also use it occasionally when my fingers need extra room while learning something as it has a 1.8" nut. Other than that it rarely gets played although its tone has greatly improved over the years.

The Martin rarely gets played, but it has the killer Martin tone that I need to hear once in a while and it was a gift from my wife, so its going nowhere.

The Guild D-120 is a nice guitar, especially for the money. It doesn't have the tone of my other guitars, but it does pretty good for itself. Before I bought the Furch it was in the weekly playing cycle.

My Gibson doesn't get played near as much as it should because I lean towards Celtic and other related types of music. I should play it more.

Other than my classical, I'm left with my Avalon, Furch and Larrivee as my main players and I'm usually playing either the Avalon or Furch and maybe once every two weeks or so I play the Larrivee.

The reality is that out of my 10 guitars I only really need 3 (Alvarez, Furch and Larrivee), want 4 (Gibson) and have to have 5 (Martin). I enjoy the classical from time to time so I'm at 6 guitars instead of 10.

So I could lose the Alvarez, Guild, Seagull and Washburn and never miss them.

[Shuksan]

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