Am I mad?

[Slartibartfarst42]

Last year I bought a brand new Jackson SL3 Soloist and it's beautiful. I'd say it's the best guitar I've ever owned and a couple of months ago I loaded it with a Holydiver and Trilogy Suites. I have also bought a Yamaha Pacifica as a backup guitar and put the Seymour Duncan pickups in there. All good so far. However, I'd been toying with also getting a mahogany guitar and a few weeks ago I stumbled on a mint condition PRS SE Custom 24 so bought it. Like the Jackson, it's a beautiful guitar and is the wood and pickup layout that I prefer. The Jackson feels slightly better built, is a little more comfortable to play, has the pickup selector in a far better position and will do divebombs but in all honesty there's not much in it and as I'm not a shredder by any means, I feel under less pressure to be a guitar god playing the PRS. What's more, the upper fret access on the PRS isn't far off as good as the Jackson and even with Bareknuckles in the Jackson, I think the PRS sounds better overall, especially in the neck position. I imagine the Holydiver in the PRS would be incredible.

As a result of all of this, I've been starting to think that I might as well just sell the Jackson and use the money for something else as it should generate close to £600 and with that kind of money I could just buy a Digitech Whammy for the rare times I feel the need to divebomb. I could always put the Trilogy Suites in the Yamaha, the Holydiver into the PRS and the HFS into the Yamaha. I play in a pub covers band, not a pro band so why do I need two such great guitars as well as a backup? Is this making sense or am I going insane?

[Denim n Leather]

It sounds to me like you're trying to say you have too many guitars.

That does not compute.

[Slartibartfarst42]

Three doesn't sound like too many and when I bought the PRS I envisaged them being very different guitars but damn that PRS is versatile! There's precious little the Jackson can do that the PRS can't so it's not the fact that I have too many, it's more a question of simply, what's the point in keeping both when I'm poor enough that I could use the money elsewhere? What does having them both actually gain me? The Jackson is a very 'Metal' guitar so the PRS does give me access to a warmer and richer tone, especially in the neck . When I play Blues for instance on the Jackson, it's good but I do have a hankering for something else and the PRS delivers that but when I use the PRS for Metal, I don't experience an overwhelming desire to go back to the Jackson.

[Philly Q]

You're not at all mad.  Three guitars is nothing, but if you genuinely think you don't "need" the Jackson and can make better use of the money, go for it.

I wish I had that kind of restraint, I'm forever buying guitars on nothing more than a whim.... and I don't "even" play in a pub covers band.  

[Shag101]

I had somewhat the same problem a while back, so what i did was put p90s in one of the guitars.  Years ago I had the same dilemma and sold the guitar.  I still regret it...

[dave_mc]

It sounds to me like you're trying to say you have too many guitars.

That does not compute.

+1

You're not at all mad.  Three guitars is nothing, but if you genuinely think you don't "need" the Jackson and can make better use of the money, go for it.

I wish I had that kind of restraint, I'm forever buying guitars on nothing more than a whim.... and I don't "even" play in a pub covers band. 

+1

however i'd be very wary of letting cod psychology make you dump the jackson. if you think you can use the money better elsewhere, that's fair enough, but there's no reason why having the jackson means you have to suddenly start sweep-picking any more than any other guitar. people with strats who don't want to be malmsteen just don't, for example.

[Slartibartfarst42]

It's a fair point Dave. I thinks it's perhaps just not a situation I'm used to. For most of the time I've played guitar I've only owned one and I've never had an overwhelming desire to own loads. I used to play with a guy who owned 38 and I simply can't see the point unless you can afford a lot of ornaments. Another guitarist I used to play with had a really fantastic Ibanez that cost £1500 but I only ever saw him play it once as he preferred a £300 BC Rich so I couldn't see the point in keeping it. . Furthermore, I'm not one to keep changing my guitar through a set to access slightly different sounds so it seems reasonable that only one guitar will get regular use. The original plan was to set up the PRS as more of a Blues guitar but two things have made me rethink. Firstly, it's really good at Rock music as well as Blues and more importantly, it's reminded me how much I prefer a humbucker in the neck. I got the Jackson because I wanted a thru-neck with passive pups and the SL3 was pretty much all there was and I do like the Trilogy Suites I've installed a lot but a neck humbucker is just so much more warm and creamy so I can't help thinking that even though the HFS is really good, the Holydiver in the bridge and VB in the neck will make this guitar into a dream and my first choice. It won't be quite as comfortable to play, the pickup selector would be more awkward and I'd need to buy a Digitech Whammy for a couple of our songs but against that, Electro Music tell me they'd sell it for me and give me £550 and in these austere times, that's tempting for a guitar I could live without even though in an ideal world I'd keep it.

I think I'll ponder for another month or so and if I still feel the same I'll go ahead and sell it.

[darkbluemurder]

Before you sell the Jackson which you went through a bit of agony to find the right pickups for it, I would simply try the Holydiver in the PRS first to hear how it works there. In mine it worked great and blew the stock HFS out of the water but in yours it may not be all that great - or you may simply not like it as much. However, if the PRS/Holydiver combination does what you expect it to do then keep it that way, sell the Jackson with confidence and don't look back. If it doesn't work you can keep the Jackson for now and maybe think of something else to do with the PRS.

And by the way: if you put in the Holydiver ín the PRS and like it I can almost guarantee that you will no longer be satisfied with the Vintage Bass. I have a good recommendation for a replacement (hint, hint ...) :)

Cheers Stephan

[Slartibartfarst42]

I hadn't got as far as thinking of a BKP for the neck as the VB does sound good. It would have to be somethi.g that retained that warm, rich creaminess. Holydiver neck? Emerald neck? VHII maybe? I really don't know. One problem at a time I suppose.

[Jonny]

Like Philly, if you have no use and you need money. Sell it. If you have a use, or can find a use then don't sell it. You could also upgrade the PRS pickups.

And frankly, SL3, Pacifica, PRS SE Custom 24, if you've got 'such great guitars' out of all those, they'd all be keepsies for me.

[dave_mc]

It's a fair point Dave. I thinks it's perhaps just not a situation I'm used to. For most of the time I've played guitar I've only owned one and I've never had an overwhelming desire to own loads. I used to play with a guy who owned 38 and I simply can't see the point unless you can afford a lot of ornaments. Another guitarist I used to play with had a really fantastic Ibanez that cost £1500 but I only ever saw him play it once as he preferred a £300 BC Rich so I couldn't see the point in keeping it. . Furthermore, I'm not one to keep changing my guitar through a set to access slightly different sounds so it seems reasonable that only one guitar will get regular use. The original plan was to set up the PRS as more of a Blues guitar but two things have made me rethink. Firstly, it's really good at Rock music as well as Blues and more importantly, it's reminded me how much I prefer a humbucker in the neck. I got the Jackson because I wanted a thru-neck with passive pups and the SL3 was pretty much all there was and I do like the Trilogy Suites I've installed a lot but a neck humbucker is just so much more warm and creamy so I can't help thinking that even though the HFS is really good, the Holydiver in the bridge and VB in the neck will make this guitar into a dream and my first choice. It won't be quite as comfortable to play, the pickup selector would be more awkward and I'd need to buy a Digitech Whammy for a couple of our songs but against that, Electro Music tell me they'd sell it for me and give me £550 and in these austere times, that's tempting for a guitar I could live without even though in an ideal world I'd keep it.

I think I'll ponder for another month or so and if I still feel the same I'll go ahead and sell it.

It's up to you- only you know your financial situation, and if you'd rather sell it, then by all means sell it.

Just I'm saying not to sell it because of some vague feeling that you shouldn't have guitars you're not using the optimum amount, or that more than a couple is a waste, or whatever. Do what you want, not what other people make you feel you should do (even if it's just a vague feeling that society doesn't like it).

I mean I used to only have one or two guitars, too. I got over that pretty quickly when i started buying more. :lol: I'd take a pretty dim view if anyone tried to tell me i had too many guitars.

As I said, though, if you need the money or really would rather sell it, then that's fair enough. Thinking about it for a month is a good idea, just to be sure. Swapping over the pickups before you sell it would be another good idea- might as well have as much info as possible before making a decision.

[darkbluemurder]

Holydiver neck? Emerald neck? VHII maybe? I really don't know. One problem at a time I suppose.

No, I was thinking Cold Sweat neck as I have raved so much about being such a good match for the Holydiver in my PRS. But try the bridge pup change first.

Cheers Stephan

[Philly Q]

Just I'm saying not to sell it because of some vague feeling that you shouldn't have guitars you're not using the optimum amount, or that more than a couple is a waste, or whatever. Do what you want, not what other people make you feel you should do (even if it's just a vague feeling that society doesn't like it).

I mean I used to only have one or two guitars, too. I got over that pretty quickly when i started buying more. :lol: I'd take a pretty dim view if anyone tried to tell me i had too many guitars.

Me too, but deep down I know they're right!  :lol:

[HTH AMPS]

Our lass always tells me that I can only play one guitar at a time, so why do I need more than one guitar.

She does have a point since I tend to play my LP 99% of the time - anything else is just a backup.

[dave_mc]

^ ^ they probably are in my case too :lol: , but at the same time when i see how many *insert other expensive item they happen to like* they have (or even just one if it's expensive), it seems a bit hypocritical. Most people in the west have stuff they don't "need". :)

^ tell her she can only wear one pair of shoes at a time...