How many of you actually truly believe you have a "for life" guitar? Not possible?

[hifivic]

My Santa Cruz 000-12 fret

[LFL Steve]

My Forever guitar has been gone for 33 years now.

[koko61]

When I got my Dread Loef Sloped Shoulder I thought it was so good that I knew I would never sell that guitar, and it has taken me a long time to get another guitar from this maker. At 62 years old, I think these guitars will accompany me for the rest of my days, and although I have some others, for the level I have, these two would be more than enough.

[Twang Banger]

My Martin CEO-7 and Breedlove Concert Oregon series will never be for sale.

I also have a few guitars given to me by my father that will never be sold: a Rickenbacher 1940s lap steel, Martin D12-20 from about 1969, a Gibson ES-125 from the 60s ... not for sale.

[iparkforfree]

No, the honeymoon phase always wears off eventually. Some infatuations last longer than others, but none feel like a life bond after playing the instrument for a few years. I like to try new things. My mom and wife seem disappointed when I suggest selling a nice guitar and try to convince me it's a lifer.

[Pickcity]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

The 2013 Gretsch G6136DC double-cut White Falcon I bought in 2018 was the realization of a 55-year dream for me, ever since I saw my first one in the '63 catalog as a kid...

My 2016 3-PU cat's eye Gretsch G5622T-CB is a production version of a design I bounced off a then up-and-coming (and now world-renowned) luthier about 40 years ago: cost about one-third what he quoted (in 1983 dollars - probably about 5-6 times that now), felt/sounded immediately familiar from day one, and I can live with the minor differences from my original conception...

Learned my lesson when I sold my "for life" '73 D-45 for all the wrong reasons...

Neither one is going anywhere while I walk this earth - anything else is negotiable...

I have always wanted a White Falcon. I’m a Gretsch man through and through, and the White Falcon is one of those bucket listers I must have someday.

I have a 5420T and a Corvette. Both have the Bgsby. I really like them.

[slimey]

I have an Alvarez that my Dad bought me for my 18th birthday, a total surprise.
It's a laminate J200 copy, sounds awful, but it ain't going anywhere.

[Coler]

My Dread and my OM are keepers. I could see myself changing the 12er out for something.

My Lowden is too new to say. I like it a lot so far.

My 000-28 was supposed to leave when the Lowden arrived but yeah it’s still here so maybe that’s saying something.

[ssstewart]

i have many guitars but the only guitar I would never ever part with is my telecaster that my son bought me.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by Pickcity

I have always wanted a White Falcon. I’m a Gretsch man through and through, and the White Falcon is one of those bucket listers I must have someday...

Difference is mine's a double-cutaway - nearly all of the ones you'll see out there are single-cuts - and FWIW Gretsch has wisely made the basic design available at various price points: Gretsch Electromatic G5422TG if you're on a budget (or just need to scratch the itch now) - under $1K street, and with the right readily-available aftermarket parts it can be customized to look enough like a White Falcon to fool most of the pickers in the audience:



Here's the current $3500 Professional Series double-cut center-block version for comparison (or if you have the bucks right now and want to go all-out on a lifetime guitar):



If you're lucky enough to find one, a Gretsch G6136DC "1962 Tribute" White Falcon (a short-lived RPO model produced circa 2010) like mine ran around $3K last time I saw one for sale, an unbeatable deal for a true flagship instrument: build quality is impeccable, there aren't too many around to begin with, and most players who prefer the original 17" body width (the above instruments are both 16" like an ES-335) go for the single-cut '55 and '59 versions:



Most players - even hardcore Gretsch guys like us - aren't aware, but several years ago Street Sounds in Brooklyn, NY (a little hole-in-the-wall-looking place in a neighborhood shopping area, that you'd walk right by if you weren't specifically looking for it) - BTW the world's largest authorized Gretsch dealer, believe it or not - had an exclusive run of a dozen pieces made to exact late-1963 specs: correct subtle blue-white finish, long neck joint (at the 14th fret, like a '62 Country Gent), double mutes with small "flip" knobs and red felt bushings (again, like the '62 Gent), et al.; although I'm perfectly happy with mine as a player (the 18th fret neck joint is more ergonomic and natural-feeling in my hands), having only recently bought it at the time I wouldn't have been able to justify another $3K+ purchase with the domestic accounting department manager - but if the prospect intrigues you, it might be worth contacting Rocky @ Street Sounds (who IME knows more about Gretsch than anyone who isn't a member of the family) to find out if he's either considering another short run, or would source one for you through the Custom Shop:

https://www.streetsoundsnyc.com/search#q=Gretsch

[Chipotle]

In general I'm not attached to instruments, but I also don't tend to sell them... in fact, I've only ever sold one of the dozen or so I bought. I buy ones that fill an empty niche in my collection. However, if I had to pick one to keep, it would be the Beau Hannam 00 I had built. Not just because it was commissioned to exactly my specs, but I also designed the inlays. Not only is it the most "me" guitar I own, I'm not sure anyone else would be that interested in it, as beautiful looking and sounding as it is.

[cip]

Originally Posted by LFL Steve

My Forever guitar has been gone for 33 years now.

That's sad. What happened

[NeptuneBlue]

I have one that won't ever leave me. It's a weird mixture of pride and shame, more than any other factor, that has determined its status. I found an old all-mahogany single 0 practically rotting in the back of a Music Go Round and decided to do what I could to bring it back to life. It actually went pretty well, but I messed up the clamp on the largest crack on the front. It's closed and stable, but not flush, so there's a small lip on it now. I used Titebond II so it is fixable, but... it's also a great excuse to hold on to the thing and not keep up the endless cycle of buying used, playing it a few months/years, and selling when I either get bored or decide it isn't what I want and could use the funds for something else.

It initially sounded thin but has really opened back up (relatively) now that it gets played daily. I couldn't ask for a better instrument to sit in a couch or armchair with to practice fingerstyle in horrible postures. Well... I could, but not for the price I paid or the sentimentality of the work I put into it. Nor am I likely to run into anything quite like it again. It's not worth selling and does not work for half the stuff I'm trying to learn to play, but it makes me smile every time I pick it up anyway

[Pickcity]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Difference is mine's a double-cutaway - nearly all of the ones you'll see out there are single-cuts - and FWIW Gretsch has wisely made the basic design available at various price points: Gretsch Electromatic G5422TG if you're on a budget (or just need to scratch the itch now) - under $1K street, and with the right readily-available aftermarket parts it can be customized to look enough like a White Falcon to fool most of the pickers in the audience:



Here's the current $3500 Professional Series double-cut center-block version for comparison (or if you have the bucks right now and want to go all-out on a lifetime guitar):



If you're lucky enough to find one, a Gretsch G6136DC "1962 Tribute" White Falcon (a short-lived RPO model produced circa 2010) like mine ran around $3K last time I saw one for sale, an unbeatable deal for a true flagship instrument: build quality is impeccable, there aren't too many around to begin with, and most players who prefer the original 17" body width (the above instruments are both 16" like an ES-335) go for the single-cut '55 and '59 versions:



Most players - even hardcore Gretsch guys like us - aren't aware, but several years ago Street Sounds in Brooklyn, NY (a little hole-in-the-wall-looking place in a neighborhood shopping area, that you'd walk right by if you weren't specifically looking for it) - BTW the world's largest authorized Gretsch dealer, believe it or not - had an exclusive run of a dozen pieces made to exact late-1963 specs: correct subtle blue-white finish, long neck joint (at the 14th fret, like a '62 Country Gent), double mutes with small "flip" knobs and red felt bushings (again, like the '62 Gent), et al.; although I'm perfectly happy with mine as a player (the 18th fret neck joint is more ergonomic and natural-feeling in my hands), having only recently bought it at the time I wouldn't have been able to justify another $3K+ purchase with the domestic accounting department manager - but if the prospect intrigues you, it might be worth contacting Rocky @ Street Sounds (who IME knows more about Gretsch than anyone who isn't a member of the family) to find out if he's either considering another short run, or would source one for you through the Custom Shop:

https://www.streetsoundsnyc.com/search#q=Gretsch

Thank you. That’s a lot of great information.

I’m digging the double cut! That’s really cool.

My 5420t is a beautiful Arctic white. Korean made. It scratches the itch for now. I’ve had it for 5 years and it is all Gretsch. I still want a real Falcon one of these days. I need the white headstock in my life! I want one with the Bigsby wiggle stick. I just love those things.

My wanna be Falcon:

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by Pickcity

...My 5420t is a beautiful Arctic white. Korean made. It scratches the itch for now. I’ve had it for 5 years and it is all Gretsch. I still want a real Falcon one of these days. I need the white headstock in my life! I want one with the Bigsby wiggle stick. I just love those things.

My wanna be Falcon:

In the meantime you might find these of interest:



https://quickguards.com/products/gre...lcon-pickguard



https://quickguards.com/products/gre...ss-rod-cover-1



https://guitaraudio.com/gretsch-g-ar...d-922-1025-000



https://angelainstruments.com/produc...ece-0060136100



https://www.streetsoundsnyc.com/gret...nut-new-ss1316

Don't know what kind of case you're using, but this one's a virtual dead-ringer for the $600 Custom Shop item (FYI it's what I use for my G5622T-CB) - install all the Falcon parts, put it in this case (the Gator logo is removeable), and watch 'em drool at the next gig :



https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...dy-guitar-case