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Probably:
- Archtop
- Flat top jumbo
- 12 string acoustic
- Nylon string
- Electric with a humbucker
- Electric with a single coil
... isnt everything else just a luxury?
Please keep this post confidential to this forum - we dont need spouses to know the answer to this question!
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02-13-2026 08:15 AM
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You mean from each category?
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Nah man, I just need one. But... I have 5 because I like them.
Acoustic Archtop
Tele
Parlor tuned to open d-
bass guitar
lap steel
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Have:
Ibanez AF105F-NT
Yamaha PAC112VMX
Want:
Yamaha PAC120H (Black)
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I always opine that a guitarist only needs two guitars, an electric and an acoustic and that anything more than that is just an art collection.
We all have our own lists of what kind of acoustic guitars and electric guitars that we feel we need.
At present my list (and I have multiples of most of these) is this:
Electric guitars:
Solid body
Semi Hollow body
Hollow Body laminated
Hollow body carved
Acoustic guitars:
Archtop
Classical
SelMac
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I think a bass should be in every guitarist's arsenal, if nothing else to help w timing and vibe/groove.
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Everyone's answer is going to be different because everyone's needs are different. I know people that only play straight ahead jazz and therefore only need an electric archtop (and I would suppose one backup would be wise). I play a lot of different styles with different groups, so I would estimate my actual needs at around 4 or 5 guitars. Really and truly, I can't imagine anyone's NEEDS getting into double digits. Wants, on the other hand, are a different story...
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I'm quite content with 4: my 1990 Bob built Benedetto Cremona which I gig with on every performance it's appropriate for (if it's too hot or cold on a outdoor venue, or chance of rain). Then my 05 Eastman Pisano 880 gets the call. 53 Epi Triumph Regent acoustic for intimate venues no amp.
I had a Dupont MC-30 14 up until last fall when a family emergency came up and I needed to sell. I bought a Gitane DG 500 to keep my hand in the gypsy game and it's actually great for practice and occasional campfire jams.
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O, reason not the need: our basest beggars
Are in the poorest thing superfluous:
Allow not nature more than nature needs,
Man's life's as cheap as beast's. . . .
--King Lear, II.iv
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N+1
where N is the number you currently have.
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I only need one. But I have more.
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How many do I actually need? One electric plus one acoustic.
How many does someone else need? Depends on what styles of music they play (e.g., some people need both a nylon string and as
steel string acoustic of some kind + an electric, some may only need one guitar, etc.)
How many do I convince myself I "need"? One more than I have.
How many do I tell my wife I need? Two more than I have, and claim I've made a compromise. She doesn't buy it.Last edited by John A.; 02-13-2026 at 03:15 PM.
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It takes very little gear to gig, make music or even make a living. Very little.
The instruments themselves, the gear, the builds, the design, tech etc., is a completely separate subject, parallel but not synonymous with playing or making music or managing needs.
For myself three: Tele, 335 and Acoustic if it were simply to be functional for living.
But being as the gear industry has been my primary skill-set for nearly three decades as well as a personal passion - I opt for 25-30 instruments at any given time mostly long-time keepers with 2-3 at any time in transit as I didn't bond with them. That includes bucket list guitars. And 30+ sets of pickups, parts and tools etc. But that is just guitars - the amps and pro audio studio have their own set of interests.
But functionally 3. But if I had to choose only one, it would be a 335 as I can do country gigs on it as well. And my wife is my biggest supporter - she frequently encourages purchases if she sees it is a real interest.
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Sold a guitar last week but still have an extra electric beyond what I NEED to make sure I can accomplish paying gigs. What I need is two 335's and a decent acoustic. I like to have a third electric to keep in standard tuning for gigs so I have a nice LP copy for that but it's for sale too cause now that my property taxes are due I NEED money more than a guitar for blues jams, lol.
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I got an AF105F-NT recently and love it. Have you done any modifications to yours?
Originally Posted by brent.h
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One sunburst, one natural and it's done !
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Sometime want and need are very close together.
the axiom..your eyes are bigger than your stomach..holds true for many
my past accumulation of equipment could fill a small shop..
but time has mellowed the beast .. now
Modest count of 3
want one more..Martin D-28
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Five
A steel string acoustic
A nylon string acoustic
A. 12-string acoustic
A telecaster
A bass guitar
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A lot fewer than I have!
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Q: How many guitars do you need?
A: One more should do it. (For now.)
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The guy I bought my last guitar from has 169 guitars, almost all of them Strats.
What do you say to him?
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No love for fretless 12 string electric?
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I'd rather have frets Originally Posted by pauln
No love for fretless 12 string electric?
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For a start:
Acoustic archtop (Bronze/brass strings)
Acoustic archtop with floater (steel strings)
Archtop with one set-in humbucker
Archtop with two of them
When I was bored one day in high school I started thinking about how many different Gibson L-5s one could have:
Acoustics in sunburst, red, blonde
Thinline versions of same
Full depth versions with one humbucker
Thinline versions of same
Full depth with two humbuckers
Thinline versions of same
Florentine versions of all the above
We're up to 36 with no duplicates
When I was older I made a serious effort to acquire all of them!
Danny W.
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It's my first archtop! Originally Posted by trailmixer
Got it second-hand with a different tailpiece (the original must have been damaged and discarded). No other mods. Strings are d'addario 11 flats. I eventually stopped practising extensively on this guitar because I realise I didn't like how the neck and the flats would tire out my fretting hand. I now use it acoustically to try out ideas, that's it.
I mostly play and practise on my PAC112VMX cos the neck is smaller, radius flatter, and strings lighter. I love this guitar so much, and I don't care what anyone says about it's tone.
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