What's your favorite guitar that you've ever owned and why?

[turtlejimmy]

These aren't children, so it's ok to pick favorites. I'm new here and all this talk about guitars has really made me stop and think. WHY did I pick it and why do I like it so much? (a 2015 Martin D35).

I wasn't sure at first but now I know, since I've been thinking about it. It happened after a couple of years of singing lessons. My guitar at the time, an Eastman OM-20, was a guitar I loved, but it was loud, just off the charts. I had a hard time singing over it (anyone would!). I needed a guitar to replace it that was as good for singing as I could find. That was my entire focus.

I spent six months looking, old school, by playing everything I could find, new and used, within a 50 mile radius, at least 100 guitars. It's kind of amazing when I think about the guitars I passed up. A 1960's Martin D-28, in nice condition, probably as beautiful a sounding guitar as I've ever heard. It was actually affordable and I worked it out for a long time, getting to play it in a large auditorium room, where it filled it with sound. But, the neck was too skinny and narrow. I hated that aspect of it. I even inquired about getting the neck bound, in order to make it wider. It was a bit loud as well. I still think about that guitar from time to time.

I passed up a 1930's D-28 because it was $18k, but it was fun to try out. Numerous private luthier built guitars were also jaw dropping in sound quality but again, too loud. One of them, the best one I found, was louder than the OM-20. One after another they were all falling short for some reason. Then, an ad on Craigslist for the D35. It was a good price and outside my 50 mile radius, but the guy offered to drive it up here so I could try it out. I met him in the park and after about 5 minutes, it was true love.

WHY is it so good for singing? I think it's for a variety of reasons ..... It's a huge, lush sounding guitar (w/ Martin SP phosphor bronze strings) but a more contained volume. It's extremely even across the strings, which helps, and the tonality is just great for my voice, they blend well. Playing it fully and naturally puts it in a place that pushes my voice a little to get over it, which is just perfect. It was Johnny Cash's guitar (a black one) and Carole King's and many many others (Elvis, Bruce Springsteen, etc). It has a good reputation as a singer's guitar.

So, what's your favorite? What sets it apart from all the others?



Turtle

[L20A]

I started playing guitar seriously in 1970.
By 1982, I had bought and sold about 6 guitars while I was looking for that "ONE" guitar.
In 1983, I found it.

My fantastic Martin D-35.
I have bradded on it here many times.

Still with me and still my best guitar ever!

[turtlejimmy]

Originally Posted by L20A

I started playing guitar seriously in 1970.
By 1982, I had bought and sold about 6 guitars while I was looking for that "ONE" guitar.
In 1983, I found it.

My fantastic Martin D-35.
I have bradded on it here many times.

Still with me and still my best guitar ever!

Turtle

[Arapaho G]

I've not owned a lot of different guitars, not yet anyway. My fav is my HD28ER. I had a Gurian when I was in high school, but I like the Martin better. I have an Epiphone EF500 RCCE and a Washburn D17. Both nice guitars but not in the same league as the Martin or Gurian.

[blacknblues]

My 2019 Gibson J-45 EC Standard.. simply because it gets played the most.

[YamahaGuy]

Right now it's probably my A5M. The action is perfect. The neck is perfect. The unplugged tone is perfect. The plugged in tone is perfect. The size is perfect. Aside from the string spacing being a little tight, there is absolutely nothing bad to say about it.

[Rudy4]

I think most players will relate that the best they ever owned is one of the ones currently in the fold. All of us usually slowly progress up the food chain, sometimes taking two steps forward and one step back.

My favorite is the size 0 all hog slot head 14 fret that came out of my own shop. I couldn't find an exact match for what I wanted that was (1) commercially available, and (2) cheap.

Why is it my favorite? It satisfies all of my requirements. Sounds great, plays easily, and is very comfortable.

Probably the closest I could buy would be a Guild M-20 or a Santa Cruz H series, but both would have compromises and both would exceed $200.

[Rogerblair]

My Gibson J45 Standard and my J45 50s Original are both in the “favorite camp”. A D35 that I had and sold to a buddy is in that category as well, so I know what you mean.

I also have a couple of Guilds now that are fantastic singer style guitars. They’re big, but man, do they sound great.

Rb

[Glennwillow]

My favorite is a 1967 Martin D-35 that my dad bought me when I turned 21. It's still a great guitar, partly because it sounds good and partly because it's such a huge part of my history.

- Glenn

[turtlejimmy]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

My favorite is a 1967 Martin D-35 that my dad bought me when I turned 21. It's still a great guitar, partly because it sounds good and partly because it's such a huge part of my history.

- Glenn

Nice! That's an early one, they only started production in 1965.

My favorite D-35 story (Johnny Cash): " ....the first black Martin ever produced was built at Johnny's request behind the back of Martin's president C. F. Martin III, as he didn't want a black Martin to be built. C. F. Martin III actually didn't find out that the guitar had been built until he saw Johnny Cash play the black Martin on "Columbo." "



Turtle

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by turtlejimmy

These aren't children, so it's ok to pick favorites. I'm new here and all this talk about guitars has really made me stop and think. WHY did I pick it and why do I like it so much?...

So, what's your favorite? What sets it apart from all the others?

'16 Gretsch G5622T-CB: A Korean-made double-cut semi with cats'-eye soundholes, three Super Hi-lo'Tron PU's, the obligatory Bigsby, and a Rosa Red finish that hearkens back to the rare cats'-eye 6117 of 1964 - my "Swiss Army" gigmeister, I was quoted $2300 back in 1983 by a then up-and-coming (and now world-famous) luthier for a virtually identical instrument (this cost me all of $900 brand-new w/HSC); FYI if you've never played a MIK 5400/5600-Series Gretsch Electromatic they're fully professional-quality guitars at intermediate/step-up prices, often exceeding the quality of the Brooklyn originals (of which I've played several hundred over the last six decades so I don't say this lightly) - gets every iconic Gretsch tone you've ever heard, a few you won't get from any other guitar (including Gretsch) at any price, and the admiration of every guitarist in the house whenever I've taken it out on a gig...



Does it do hard rock like my P-90 LP - no, but when necessary that bridge Super Hi-lo'Tron will goose my Bugera V22 into a nice "medium-brown" crunch and snarl...

Does it do jazz like my Godin CW II - no, but it delivers some sweet-and-clear neck-pickup tones that set it apart in a sea of thud-&-mud ES-175 style jazzboxes, great for comping and single-string vocal backup...

Does it do the position #2 & 4 "Knopfler quack" like my Strat (or Yamaha SSC-500) - no, but it produces a fatter, fuller version that is indistinguishable for most audience members (and a real ear-opener to the fellow guitarists in the house)...

Does it "chicken-pick" like my former late-CBS '52 Tele reissue - um, yeah, and with a lower-mid response that gives it a more-rounded tonality (where a Tele can get kinda thin-sounding, especially with skinny strings) that I personally prefer...

Does it do acoustic fingerstyle like my Rainsong JM1000 or (miked) Avalon mini-jumbo - no, but there's an old NYC studio players' trick that allows a three-pickup guitar to fill the same niche in a band mix, and behind our last band's vocalist's rendition of Linda Ronstadt's "Long Long Time" there wasn't a dry eye in the house...

I think you get the idea...

[Wellington]

My 2020 Guild D-40 Traditional which was a surprise and partly crowded funded 30th birthday gift from my wife. It's sentimental but also a joy to play, I'm in love with it, sounds amazing.

[Methos1979]

I've owned a lot of guitars in the last decade. Many of them were great. I tend to rotate the small herd I keep on a semi-regular basis although that is slowing down these days for a few reasons. It's hard to pick out a favorite but if I had to really pick it was probably a Martin Custom 000-18GE with Ambertone finish that just ticked a lot of boxes for me. It is one of the few that I wish I could get back.

[rstaight]

My favorite electric is my 63 Gibson SG. It was purchased for me by my grandmother and parents around 1970. I have a picture of me with it taken in May of 72.

My favorite acoustic has to be my Takamine GD93. It have recently been asked why it sounds so good.

I told him it was the operator. His response was, I doubt it but it is so balanced.

[jaymarsch]

My favorite guitar is the first custom guitar that I ordered back in 2003 after attending my first Healdsburg Guitar Festival (RIP). A Wingert 12 fret deep body grand concert (Kathy’s model E) cutaway, German spruce/cocobolo. It has aged so beautifully and fits me like a glove. I love the tone and never tire of the look on other folks faces when they play it for the first time. Two other things that make this guitar special is the inlay on the headstock done by Jimmi Wingert - a great egret. And, over the years, Kathy has become a dear friend of mine.
Best,
Jayne