Show me your #1 and tell me why

[Steinmetzify]

Got this thing back beginning of April; I’d low key jonesed for it for about 5 years. I love KSE, I love 1 pickup/1 knob guitars, I love ebony boards, and the whole thing just fit.

When it showed up it was everything I’d wanted in a guitar for the last 10 years and I’ve played this thing every single day for the last 5 months. It’s disgustingly good, it’s the best guitar I’ve ever touched.

Whatcha got? What totally turns your gears and could never be replaced cause it’s just THAT GOOD?

 

[JiveTurkey]

I LOVE this guitar Stein! No pics on me but I will post the hobbled by a "luthier" V soon-ish

 

[metropolis_4]

Even though I might play others more at times this will forever be my number one:

‘96 MIM… with a few changes it’s picked up over the years

 

[DrewJD82]

Lately it’s the Gilmour Strat. It’s an MJT/Musikraft build and something I’ve wanted since I was 11 years old, but had other ‘priority’ guitars to get first. Initially I got it just to pretend I was Gilmour with and thought I was pigeonholing myself a bit with the EMG’s, so I was really surprised to find that they actually sound like single coils with the boosters off, so I’ve been pretending I can actually play guitar, using mostly clean or edge of breakup classic Strat tones.

And it also does the Gilmour thing really well-

 

[TheTrueZoltan!]

My Fender Japan Modern Strat.

I found an excellent deal a couple of months ago. The price was more than fair, the guitar in mint condition (the young woman who sold it had basically never played it) - the purchase immediately felt as if I'd won the lottery. It sounds quite bright and snappy. I slightly modified it with chrome EMG pickups, graph tech nut and string trees, and it also got a full PLEK service at Thomann. This instrument plays like a dream and is basically all I ever wanted a guitar to be.

(Edit: I just exchanged the EMG 81 in the bridge for an 85 to tame the brightness of the guitar a little bit. It's the first time I tried an 85 in the bridge position and there is only one word for it: glorious. It still has that EMG compression and midrange cut, but is overall a little bit more smooth and chunky. Just what the Strat needed. Oh man, I just love this guitar.)

 

[JiveTurkey]

My Fender Japan Modern Strat.

I found an excellent deal a couple of months ago. The price was more than fair, the guitar in mint condition (the young woman who sold it had basically never played it) - the purchase immediately felt as if I'd won the lottery. It sounds quite bright and the notes have a lot of attack. This is basically all I ever wanted a guitar to be and it's just perfect for Metaaal!

View attachment 92

Dude this is KILLER \m/

 

[DrewJD82]

My Fender Japan Modern Strat.

I found an excellent deal a couple of months ago. The price was more than fair, the guitar in mint condition (the young woman who sold it had basically never played it) - the purchase immediately felt as if I'd won the lottery. It sounds quite bright and the notes have a lot of attack. I slightly modified it with chrome EMG pickups, graph tech nut and string trees, and it also got a full PLEK service at Thomann. This instrument plays like a dream and is basically all I ever wanted a guitar to be.

View attachment 92

I didn’t even know that was a thing. That’s awesome!

 

[la szum]

I am polyamorous to the core---even when it comes to gear and guitars. I have not had
a monogamous relationship to a guitar since my teens and early 20s. I like to believe I
have numerous No. 1s. Some days I like a vintage vibe and a '61 Reisssue SG. Other days
I want to play my 335. But neither will do the metal. Soo I play a PRS or my Charvel when
I am in that mood.

I have yet to find "the one." I prefer to have multiple guitars that cover multiple styles and
moods. I could eat Italian every meal, but why would I? Same with guitars and music.

Viva la difference!!

 

[jellodog]

Bought this Cutlass for cash a few years ago in a Starbuck's car park! Holy crap was I scared of a deal gone horribly wrong with that massive bundle of cash in my pocket.

Charcoal Frost. Unfff. Fantastic colour. Fit and finish is off the charts.

The necks on these seem to get an awful lot of hate on other um... "forums"; but once you get used to it, it's just so ridiculously comfortable. Tuning stability and intonation is perfect, plus the internal dummy pickup "silent circuit" really works well. I tend to use a lot of cowboy chords and appreciate the compensated nut there. The 4 over 2 headstock design works well in terms of break angle and tuning stability after bends and whammy use - no string tree required.

I am not a particularly technically accomplished player, but playing this guitar is as easy as it gets; which means that I seem slightly better than I actually am at playing :-)


I now have a Lollar Dirty Blonde set in there. The photo was taken before the pickup swap. Still can't believe the quality of this guitar and that I was able to find it:

 

[jellodog]

For anybody wondering why the Cutlass isn't my avatar - well the OTM Jazzmaster is a partscaster of sentimental value - I sprayed the nitro myself and put it all together - a labour of love. It's a really good example of an AVRI-inspired Jazzmaster with all the quirks - it's a beast of a guitar with a neck like a baseball bat, and it's got a bit of a fight in it and a lot of mojo.

But the Cutlass is ultimately my number one, much more versatile, balanced tone, super easy to play and quite frankly... superb.

 

[jellodog]

Got this thing back beginning of April; I’d low key jonesed for it for about 5 years. I love KSE, I love 1 pickup/1 knob guitars, I love ebony boards, and the whole thing just fit.

When it showed up it was everything I’d wanted in a guitar for the last 10 years and I’ve played this thing every single day for the last 5 months. It’s disgustingly good, it’s the best guitar I’ve ever touched.

View attachment 72

Whatcha got? What totally turns your gears and could never be replaced cause it’s just THAT GOOD?

So with only one pickup in there, and I would guess less string pull from the pickups, do you notice more sustain and harmonic content than on other guitars?

 

[SwirlyMaple]

My Fender Japan Modern Strat.

I found an excellent deal a couple of months ago. The price was more than fair, the guitar in mint condition (the young woman who sold it had basically never played it) - the purchase immediately felt as if I'd won the lottery. It sounds quite bright and the notes have a lot of attack. I slightly modified it with chrome EMG pickups, graph tech nut and string trees, and it also got a full PLEK service at Thomann. This instrument plays like a dream and is basically all I ever wanted a guitar to be.

View attachment 92

Dude... this thing looks amazing with the chrome, binding, and matching black headstock. Love it.

 

[andergtr]

loved all my tylers, but jim built me this one and named the finish after me.

 

[Los-D]

loved all my tylers, but jim built me this one and named the finish after me.View attachment 106

Wow.

 

[Steinmetzify]

So with only one pickup in there, and I would guess less string pull from the pickups, do you notice more sustain and harmonic content than on other guitars?

Yep. This thing is the most resonant guitar I’ve played for electrics, and it rivals some acoustics I’ve played too.

Caparison really takes the time to build exceptional guitars, and it shows in the final product.

One of my closest friends is a lifelong ESP guy; wouldn’t play anything else and he’s got some seriously heavy hitters in his rack.

I showed up with this and we ran it thru all his amps, I’ve never seen that guy play that well and that fluidly.

He finally got done, set it on his lap and looked at me and sighed. Told me it was the best guitar he’d ever played and now he had to get one. He was actually pretty irked at how much he liked it compared to his top 2 guitars.

 

[Justincase]

I go back in forth between the grey 2000 RG 570 and the flamed maple red 2010 RG1420 10th anniversary prestige. They only made 120 of each color anniversary guitars.

 

[Alex Kenivel]

As soon as I picked it up I had to have it. Told my manager buddy at GC to "put it up high, I'll be back" and came back with cash in the next few days.

PRS S2 Standard 24 Satin in Vintage Cherry (bought in '16), added graph tech saddles. I couldn't put it down for so long. My other guitars were somehow insufficient. The frets are wearing pretty bad now so I mostly play my SS-fret Ibanez AZ Prestige, who is beginning to take the lead spot as #1 guitar.

 

[FAKA!]

This guitar feels amazing, 2015 PRS Holcomb USA. The local shop brought this back from 2015 NAMM and the shop owner gave me first crack at it. I got to open the shipping box, pull out the case and open it up in the store. I plugged it into a BE-100 and it was in perfect tune in drop D. I took it as a sign hahaha. He told me it was some signature model for someone I never heard of... something Holcomb... it is still in drop D.

 

[KingsXJJ]

My four ESP E-II’s are my number ones. My daily beaters are a mix of the LTD versions of them with slight variations.

The Japanese built ESP’s are well built and very consistent quality-wise IMO.
Here’s a few…

 

[supertruper1988]

These are my #1's They are both Warmoth Soloist bodies with Charvel necks. The Satin Burgundy Mist is my "strat" which is the tone in my head for 90% of what I play. The fancy one is the Aquamarine finish and it covers all the other sounds I need. It has a super 5 way and 2 push pulls so it gets a lot of tones out of it.

One day I will also own 7 string versions of these guitars but the 7 string versions wont replace these because I dont need 7 strings all the time.