Choosing ONE electric guitar for the studio

[jster]

Suppose you had all the software, amp simulators, and what not, and you had to play all styles of music (except music played exclusively on acoustic guitars), but you could only have one electric guitar for your studio. Which guitar would you choose?

(If your answer is a Tele, then say so but also give your second choice.)

I usually just play nylon strings, but I now find I need something electric for recording. Good chance I'll buy what you guys tell me.

[medblues]

Line 6 JYV-59 ? There is a cheaper import model of these too:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/deta...S1ACS/sn120817

[SamBooka]

Es175 styled guitar with a p90 in the neck.. (tele is my second choice.. or a solidbody with a tele neck pickup)

[steves3972]

an ES-335 type guitar with coil tap so you can get single coil sounds too. That'd be the most versatile.

[Alder Statesman]

an ES-335 type guitar with coil tap so you can get single coil sounds too. That'd be the most versatile.

+1

[docbop]

Back in my working days a 335 was my main guitar very versatile.

[Doctor Jeff]

A 335 is a great choice, and of course can't nix the Tele.

I'm gonna throw this in the mix...a guitar I recently tried for the first time...the Godin Premiere. Similar dimensions to the ES-339, great neck, double humbuckers, a center block which has cutaways to allow for more resonance.

I had no trouble getting a mellow jazz tone, but this would rock out just as well.

[feet]

i'd also do a 335 of some kind, but a tele works well for a lot of people. 335-alikes come in lots of flavors and you could do p90s or minis or ebony boards or whatever. even a spruce top, if you're lucky (guild/hofner). the new 60s 335 block reissues sound really great. my guitar for this scenario is a mij sheraton with mini humbuckers, but that is a little esoteric.

while not a popular answer, a les paul is much more versatile than people give it credit for. and if money wasn't an object, i'd certainly investigate a collings- maybe the soco. if you get it new you can have a little leeway with the specs and tailor it to your needs. the new center block gretsches are a cheaper spin on a similar concept, and look neat, too. especially the single cut center block falcons.

[RyanM]

Not one, two: a tele and a 335.

[orri]

some semi-hollow with two humbuckers (like 335) or an SG was the first that came in mind.


I am though not sure how to tackle the "and you had to play all styles of music" part.
I don't think I am capable of that, and don't know what guitar would be suitable.
A good guitar is no different than a bad guitar in the hands of a bad guitarist (or something like that, just trying to say something (that sounds) intelligent).

[jster]

I like the idea of a 335 type guitar with a coil tap. I buy it, then have the shop modify it? I want something on the cheap side and I'm in Europe. Any ideas where to buy (online)?

[orri]

washburn HB35 might be worth considering.
(and replace the pickup sooner or later, the stock ones are ok and usable, but you can get better ones)

thomann.de are quite nice in my experience.

[Tom Karol]

A 335 is a great choice, and of course can't nix the Tele.

I'm gonna throw this in the mix...a guitar I recently tried for the first time...the Godin Premiere. Similar dimensions to the ES-339, great neck, double humbuckers, a center block which has cutaways to allow for more resonance.

I had no trouble getting a mellow jazz tone, but this would rock out just as well.

I would have said a Tele and/or a 335, but just last week I got a Godin Montreal Premiere - see Poor man's Sadowsky Semi-Hollow? - and I set it up with roundwound 11's just yesterday. It gets my vote!

[fws6]

Damn when I read the title I was going to say Tele but now you blocked that easy escape. Can the answer for the #2 guitar still be, another Tele ?

seriously take a look at somthing like Brent Mason's tricked out Tele. Neck HB, middle PU, and switched so that he can mix and control all. (plus as a country guy he has the stringbender). To me, Brent would be the embodiment of the situation you describe, playing everything from country and jazz to hardrock and pop on one single instrument.

I personally would prefer to have several distinct guitars each with a good and unique sound, rather than getting one instrument that can do it all. The risk is, that one instrument can do it all but at 95%. And like Orris says I would immediately admit that I don't think I am capable of doing that anyways. Good point. Better stick to the licks I do know.

[jster]

The risk is, that one instrument can do it all but at 95%. And like Orris says I would immediately admit that I don't think I am capable of doing that anyways. Good point. Better stick to the licks I do know.

I know the licks since I wrote the songs! Hehe. This is mostly for guide tracks. I am smart enough to hire pros to do the heavy lifting. But I don't own an electric guitar at the moment, so I need something.

[jster]

Isn't there some online site where I can tell them to customize, for example, that Washburn with whatever pick ups you guys tell me and just have them mail it to me?

[jster]

seriously take a look at somthing like Brent Mason's tricked out Tele. Neck HB, middle PU, and switched so that he can mix and control all. (plus as a country guy he has the stringbender). To me, Brent would be the embodiment of the situation you describe, playing everything from country and jazz to hardrock and pop on one single instrument.

Looks good. But I don't want to put much time into getting the guitar. I'm a busy guy! (Of course my wife smirks when I say that.) I like that he has a different neck. I don't like Tele necks. I like the biggest fatest widest necks available. I think Teles have the smallest thinest narrowest ones available.

Looks like a different neck here anyway:
http://www.guitarsandeffects.com/gui...gibson_003.jpg

[Chito]

One option would be the Epiphone ES339 which has coil-tapping that gives you the option to have that single coil sound if you need to have that. You still get that semi-hollowbody sound although not as woody as the bigger 335s. Or you can get the Gibson 339 (without the coil tap) but really an excellent guitar. The Gibson 339 comes in either the big 50's type neck or the slim 60's.

[Chimera1to1]

I'm feeling disenfranchised. You said you don't like tele necks.

[jster]

One option would be the Epiphone ES339 which has coil-tapping that gives you the option to have that single coil sound if you need to have that. You still get that semi-hollowbody sound although not as woody as the bigger 335s. Or you can get the Gibson 339 (without the coil tap) but really an excellent guitar. The Gibson 339 comes in either the big 50's type neck or the slim 60's.

They say the PRO but not the ULTRA has the coil tap in the comments here:

http://www.epiphone.com/News/Feature...Ultra-339.aspx

Is there a switch to throw to get single coil? If so, where is it?

[fws6]

even if a guitar doesnt have a coil tap; most modern humbucker usually have the possibility to split. And you dont even have to mod the guitar for adding a switch, simply use a push pull pot http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electron...pull_Pots.html


How about a Gibson ES347 ; basically an 335 with ebony board, gold upgraded hardware and coil taps. These were never popular as most players dont like upgrades rather have the standard issue. But for versality it is a good guitar, and you see them often in the second hand market for relatively low amounts

[jster]

I think Gibsons are too expensive. I'd rather save the cash for my eight string nylon cutaway custom.

[rpguitar]

So you're being a bit of a tough nut on this one, if I might be honest. It's your prerogative to be so, but still...

You want a single, extremely versatile electric guitar, but want it cheap and don't want to invest much time to customize it. And you don't like stock Tele necks. That would be easy to rectify if you'd order something from one of the partscaster companies like Warmoth, who will build a neck to spec. But that's neither cheap nor easy, so it's probably out.

So get an Epiphone DOT, swap the pickups for 4 conductor Duncans, replace the pots with push/pull for splitting, and you'll be good to go. Or a Gibson ES-333 which has the removable back plate on the body, making the job far easier.

[jster]

So you're being a bit of a tough nut on this one, if I might be honest. It's your prerogative to be so, but still...

You want a single, extremely versatile electric guitar, but want it cheap and don't want to invest much time to customize it. And you don't like stock Tele necks. That would be easy to rectify if you'd order something from one of the partscaster companies like Warmoth, who will build a neck to spec. But that's neither cheap nor easy, so it's probably out.

So get an Epiphone DOT, swap the pickups for 4 conductor Duncans, replace the pots with push/pull for splitting, and you'll be good to go. Or a Gibson ES-333 which has the removable back plate on the body, making the job far easier.

I just don't have a good shop around. There is one guy nearby. I asked him how much to change strings. He said strings+25 EUR. I said, "Life is pretty good for you isn't it." And he said, "If you are lazy, you have to pay." Lol. So not exactly somebody I am going to have switch pick ups. He'd probably charge 200EUR for that. And I can't do it myself. So I would like the vendor to customize it before sending it to me. As for price, I just mean in the less than 1k range rather than the more than 1k range.

[steves3972]

i really think this ibanez is the best option.
the as153-ays.

http://www.thomann.de/gb/ibanez_as153_ays.htm

Semi hollow with ebony fretboard, has humbuckers and the neck pickup has coil tap.

I really want one of these too, reviews that I have read all seem to be great.