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

[airborne1]

I’ve had nearly a dozen “forever” guitars which are now forever gone!

I attribute this to modest skill improvement and starting to better understand what I actually hear and what I like.

James Taylor once said “nothing lasts forever”!

[Bob Womack]

No-one knows what the future holds as far as catastrophe is concern, so it can be precipitous to say "never." However circumstances, rather than perfection, may make a guitar hold a special place in your heart.

I've got a 1974 Kalamazoo-built Les Paul Standard, from before the "Standard" model existed in the catalogs. I saved every spare penny for three years to buy it used in 1977. It has decades worth of memories in it. When my young family had financial struggles I repeated offered it up to sell to give the family money but my lovely and brilliant wife refused to allow me to. One of my sons has dibs on it.

In 2000, my lovely wife gave me the guitar of my dreams, a 1999 Taylor K14c, for our twentieth anniversary. It was started on the last day of production of the twentieth century and was one of the two last K14cs built without the "New Technology" neck. A couple of years ago I took it for a refret and due to finish issues it ended up staying away for a year and going back to El Cajon, where the finish issues were fixed.

Around Christmas of 2007, my lovely wife somehow figured out that I admired a particular Gibson ES-335. On Christmas Eve she sat me down at the fireside and had me open a tiny little box. Inside was a note saying she would take me the day after Christmas to buy that guitar. I was walking on clouds for thirty-six hours. it has since become the center of my studio kit. That's it, photo-bombing the Tele below:


Bob

[SalFromChatham]

I’m one of those guys that likes always trying different guitars. I’ve bought and sold over thirty. Sometimes I do it more, sometimes less. I like it, and figure what’s the harm. That said, two points:

I have a 2009 D15 I’ve owned since new from Stan at Mandolin Brothers. I’ll never sell it. It has my kids’ names inlaid on the fretboard.

Although not as comfortable to me anymore, I wish I had my J50, as well as my Sheryl Crow Country Western Reissue back.


And finally, if funds get better, I’d order a guitar I am pretty sure I’d keep for life: a Martin 000-18 standard with an 11/16 nut and wood binding.

[PapaLobo]

Of the 45 instruments I own , I can honestly say they are all loved and will never leave me until I pass.

[raysachs]

If I’d never stopped playing, the 1968 D28 I bought in 1979 would probably have been it. It was my only acoustic for the 25 years or so I owned it and I really loved it. But I pretty much totally stopped playing for 30 years, thought I was done for good, and sold the D28 about 20-ish years ago. When I got back into playing a little over seven years ago, I tried a number of guitars before I really locked in on what I liked. But for the past few years I think I’m locked in. I don’t play dreads anymore - they’re uncomfortably big and I don’t want or need the volume. If I’d kept playing, I’d probably still be fine playing that old D28, but after all that time off, my shoulder likes smaller guitars.

But now I have a CEO-7 (for the past four years) an 000-28 (for three but last year I sold my EC and bought an aged authentic) and a McPherson Sable (had it for a couple years after trying a number of other carbon fiber guitars). I love all three, on any given day one of em is gonna sound just exactly perfect to me - the CEO and Sable sound basically perfect every time I pick em up - I have to be in the mood for the 000-28, but when I am, there’s nothing else that comes close. I’ve played enough guitars to know what I like, and I suspect I’ll have these three for as long as I can play. I don’t really have guitar wanderlust at this point in life. I know what I like, I’m not gonna spend more on guitars than I paid for these, and I don’t want for anything else. I may sell one or two off as I get older and (maybe, but hopefully not) play less. But I think these three are it. I don’t see buying anything else. So its these unless and until I decide to downsize a bit at some point before I time out on this life thing…

Oh, and I’ve always been a strat guy and my AO 50s strat is the best one I’ve ever owned, so I’ll probably always have that too. Although I’ve played less and less electric over the past few years, so that one might go before the acoustics. But when I DO play it, I love it. And I’m still a better electric player than acoustic.

-Ray

[musicman1951]

My Martin is here to stay. This is from a review:

. . . nothing could have prepared me for how absolutely blown away I was by this guitar, one of the best C. F. Martin has come up with since the Second World War. With its first rate Indian rosewood and pearl inlaid, premium grade Adirondack spruce top, supported by light, 1/4″ bracing, forward shifted in the pre-1938 fashion for even more resonance, this relatively small guitar sounds huge and magnificent. “Astonishing” would not do it justice.

But what really makes the 000-42 Marquis extraordinary is found in its top wood and the braces underneath it. Where the modern 42s are made with premium grade Sitka spruce, which accentuates the warm, lush and powerful aspects of Indian rosewood, the Marquis guitars get premium grade Adirondack spruce, which accentuates high harmonics and brings a bell-like clarity to all registers of the guitar’s voice. When you put that spruce on serious rosewood and inlay the edges of the top with pearl you skyrocket into the stratosphere of complex, sophisticated tone.

It is that special. Only 151 were made and this one has no dings, dents, scratches, etc. I'm the third owner and you would have a hard time distinguishing it from a new guitar. The string spacing is 2 5/16 at the bridge. When not being played it stays in one of those StarWars storm trooper white Calton cases.

[Lillis]

I don't see ever selling my 00015SM,J185 or Larrivee parlor.

[stephenT]

Yes, a John How Ladder Braced Concert, custom built. Fabulous guitar.

[Slothead56]

Originally Posted by cip

Keeper because it's a exceptional guitar or because it was a gift from your wife?

Yes to both.

[Pickcity]

I have a Taylor my Dad gave me that I will never part with.

I don’t see myself ever getting rid of my Gibson SJ200 either. Not unless I pass it down to my son, which is very possible, even probable, but I don’t consider that parting with it.

[EZYPIKINS]

I have the first guitar I ever bought. A 1963 Fender Musicmaster. No parts right now. I have all the parts to put it together. Have case, needs interior done. I never thought I'd get rid of my first acoustic. A 1979 Guild D-25M. It went bye bye last year.

[Methos1979]

No "for life" guitars here. I came to the game late (early 50's) and spent a decade buying/selling/trading guitars to find out what I want, need, and like in acoustic guitars. I've owned probably 50 at this point. There were a few that at first seemed like they might be 'forever' guitars but in the end they all got rotated out. I gig regularly now and guitars are just tools for me. I always have a primary gigging (amplified) guitar and a backup. Then I usually have a primary pure acoustic guitar but I also like that to have a pickup system in it as well.

But I love acoustic guitars so much that I always eventually see something new I want to try and since I'm a one-in, one-out guy (three is my limit) something is always getting sold to purchase something new and so the stable rotates. I've definitely slowed down from the early years but I've come to realize that I'll never be a guy that owns one guitar forever. I just haven't come across that particular guitar yet and I've owned some pretty nice guitars up to Froggy Bottom level. I think at some point I'll stop gigging and I could then see going down to just one guitar but even then I doubt it will remain 'the one'.

But I'll never say never. These days I've been favoring just one of the three I have, the newest one (Emerald X7), which is not uncommon. But it's when guitars sit unused that I start to think it's time for them to move along for something new and different. Truth be told, I'd love to find one or two guitars that I absolutely love to the point that I would never sell them and to get off this crazy carousel of buying and selling. Who knows? Maybe this Emerald X7 is the first salvo in just that.

While I don't regret selling all that came before, I can say that there are at least a few from the 50 that have come and gone that I wouldn't mind having back.

[Jamolay]

I have one, because it is a very nice player, but all beat up looking. No one will ever buy it and it is more than good enough to keep.

Otherwise, “forever” seems to be 2 years, so far…

[Mr. Jelly]

I have been faced with the prospect of never being able to play guitar again. I was never going to sell my Waterloo WL-S Deluxe. Even if it just sat there forever. It's like a friend or pet. It was going to stay. I've since been able to play in a limited fashion again.

[YamahaGuy]

I've got a few. 1) LLX6A was dropped cracked and repaired. Could never get my money into it back out of it. And it sounds too good plugged in. And it's got Gotoh tuners on it. 2) FGX730SCA my first "good guitar" some special thing about it the tone from it cannot be explained. 3) CPX900 had a broken neck when I got it. I've got $300 in a new preamp in it. Again, will never get my money back if I sell it. It's a very formidable "beater" and it looks pretty cool too. Flamed maple b/s in ultramarine blue. 4) LLX26 don't need to say more