Calling all guitar players, what is your axe of choice?

[Shake n Blake]

(03-04-2019, 09:51 PM)BengalsRocker Wrote: Strats are the most versatile guitar especially if configured hss.

I've got two American Deluxes of that configuration with coil splits that can get even more sounds.

I've had all ends of the spectrum of Fenders in price point and really the only difference is the quality of electronics/hardware.

I play lead and bend the strings quite a bit so I need the tuners, nut, and bridge to be really stable.

The ones I own have a roller nut and locking tuners which work well for me.

Right now I'm playing covers that range from Rock, Pop, Country to soft stuff like Al Green.


Les Pauls/Epis can just sing when played in a rock lead.  That is one thing they really, really, excel at in my opinion.

Nothing beats the singing quality of a great Les Paul/Epi it just cuts the air.

Like Shake, I have a lot of guitars.

My favorite Hard Rock/Metal guitar is the LTD/ESP.  I have one with Duncans and Evertune bridge and the other with EMGs and a Floyd.

Those are beasts!  I also have my eye on a neck-thru Schecter which fits that bill too.


I have a Paul Reed Smith that I love playing Hard Rock with that cleans up with the volume knob better than any other guitar I've ever known.

I basically can roll it back, and cut gain, without sacrificing tone and clarity.  It's great!


I started playing piano at a young age and quit.

Started playing acoustic guitar later.  I quit.

My brother and me talked my parents into buying a Flying V knock-off(Harmony)to learn how to play electric.

That thing sat around my house for years and I had quit beginner lessons(my old school teacher hated my guitar).

It wasn't until my Mom heard of a rock guitarist in town who was teaching that my interest was piqued again.

I started lessons with him and quit.  LOL  Again.  All of this time just picking up bits and pieces along the way.

Met a few other people that wanted to form a rock band and we started playing covers and writing originals in High School.

After High School I moved to Seattle and met a lot of other guitarists and picked up on things quite rapidly.

Between those times and learning later from my Brother-In-Law who was a great guitarist I really increased my playing abilities.

I play with a pick and use my fingers too in a hybrid way.  It just depends on what I'm playing.

I'm not very good at just multiple finger-picking.  I completely suck at slide guitar.  It's just not natural to me and my guitars aren't set up for it either.

I have a question?  Do any of you guys play in alternate or open tunings?  I play mostly in standard/Eb/and drop D for heavier stuff.

Lower than drop D is not really my thing.  Neither are guitars with more than 6 strings.

Totally agree on the versatility of the strat with the humbucker at the bridge. I've owned probably at least a half dozen strats in my life. Some knock offs, but never better than a MiM. I've never really had the scratch for an American one. At least not without my wife wanting to kill me. 

I wrote probably 75% of my songs on a red Synsonics "Pro Series" (lol) strat. It was all beat up and duct taped. I carved band names on it and put every cool sticker I could find on it. Unfortunately, it was stolen in 2005. Not sure why they took it, because it wasn't worth a penny to anyone but me.

As for the tunings, I'd say my songs are 50/50 between standard and drop D. I play so much drop D that my old bandmate used to call me that (my name is Deric). Sometimes I'll drop it down half a step if I want a darker/muddier sound. When I was in my early 20's, I used to experiment with some exotic tunings, but I eventually figured it would be better to just work within the confines of the more traditional tunings.

It didn't help that I broke some strings trying to tune to some Goo Goo Dolls stuff.

(03-04-2019, 09:58 PM)BengalsRocker Wrote: Sarah is very talented.

I'm completely amazed by any musician that can play piano well and sing at the same time.

My brain can barely handle playing rhythm guitar and singing simultaneously.

To be able to play a lead line, bass line, and sing all at once.  Woah!!

Yeah, her voice is amazing and goes perfectly with the piano.

Honestly, I can barely play guitar and chew bubble gum. To write songs, I always had to record the guitar first, then come up with lyrics and melody by playing the track back on repeat. I guess that's why I can't play drums, either. I can do 2 things (say hi-hat and snare), but as soon as I try to do that 3rd thing, it's over.