From Now to Then! Decided on building my own Guitar Collection. Ideas??

[Attica!]

Well this idea came to me about 5minutes ago in the bath, but I'm actually going to do it.

Basically, I've always seen people's guitar collections and I've always wanted my own gigantic collection of mixtured guitars. So I've decided that every year for the rest of my life until I die, I'm going to buy myself a new guitar to add to my collection. Possibly 2 Guitars in some years, depending upon finances.

I want to hear what people's suggestions are of which I should get this time. I only have a few rules though which I'll list below:

1) I want to keep the price £1000 and below, give or take. I may branch out more if I get a good job in Physics someday :P

2) I'm not interested in Collectors' Guitars (weird to say that's what I'm doing), or Vintage Guitars that cost thousands.

3) Regarding shape and colours, I'm a simpleton and I really like my beautiful looking guitars(with the exception of a Badd-Ass looking guitar ;)), and I'm not into any really weird shapes or graphic design finishes.

4) Regarding the style of music each guitar will play, I'm very open. I already own guitars which are suited to each genre I play, so I'm open to everything from Death Metal to Country.

5) Each 6-12 months, I want to get something completely different in terms of tone and style. And if the pickups are cr@p, I'd like to upgrade them with a nice set of BKP pickups. Hey!!!I could even try and collect the entire BKP range, now that would be a feat :)

6) I know there's loadsa guitars with price ranges around £2000, but I'd like to restrict these as I obviously have other financial commitments at the present time, but I'm still open to suggestions should I treat myself to something really special :) But I guess for the £2000 range, I could probably get a custom guitar made the same, so I'd probably just replica it



I'll be getting my next guitar on the 23rd March, so I've got a couple weeks to decide this one. I'm really excited about this, so all help for guitar suggestions would be awesome. Even if I don't pick some you suggest, I can always shortlist them for maybe a later date. Also, as I said my limit is £1000 give or take per 6-12 months, so I could even get 2 guitars at £500 per time. The options are endless as long as I stick to the price range :)

Cheers, Mike

[Matt77]

You're going to need a big house

[Frank]

First thing you should buy is about 5 stratocasters, then start thinking about a telecaster.

[Attica!]

Yeah don't worry, we split the upstairs massive bedroom into 2, so plenty of space. Plus this is a lifelong thing, so I'm sure I'll adapt haha.

And regarding Strats/Teles, I'd love to own a few, but I'd rather mixture it up at first as to buying 5 of the same in a row. And I'm more interested in certain models as to the style, so which Teles/Strats would you recommend?

[tekbow]

any jap strat or tele ;) well, certainly the ones with traditional woods like alder and ash. Get a kotzen tele though, they're the ultimate tele, do just about anything and still can be a "tele"

[Attica!]

Well for the start, I want to try and collect the basics like: Tele, Strat, Les Paul, PRS, etc. The basic shapes with all the different pickup configs and wood choices. I kind of want to build a base which to build upon within the next five years. ButI want to try and keep within the original tone's, but with BKP, and then maybe add onto that with strange and wonderful combos. I really want to keep the looks to beautiful finishes if you get me?

It's just which make and model i should get in a couple of weeks to start off the collection. I want a really spectacular guitar to kick it all off.

[Alex]

Which ones do you already have?

Otherwise I'd start with iconic guitars, as they are the basics; like an Angus Young or Toni Iommi SG, Slash style LP, Eric Claption Strat, Kurt Cobain Mustang (Jagstang?)...

Word of caution, 1000 quid is not gonna get you too far for a decent collection; yes, there are many great guitars for less than a grand, but for some of the classics (a Black LesPaul custom for example you'll need to shell out a lot more). Better a 2000+ quid guitar every 18-24 months if you ask me.

[Attica!]

Which ones do you already have?

Otherwise I'd start with iconic guitars, as they are the basics; like an Angus Young or Toni Iommi SG, Slash style LP, Eric Claption Strat, Kurt Cobain Mustang (Jagstang?)...

Word of caution, 1000 quid is not gonna get you too far for a decent collection; yes, there are many great guitars for less than a grand, but for some of the classics (a Black LesPaul custom for example you'll need to shell out a lot more). Better a 2000+ quid guitar every 18-24 months if you ask me.

Well like I said, I'm not going for the "collection/classic" type guitars. It's more basically random guitars that can serve different purposes. I'm more of a person who likes to get a standard guitar and make it my own, as to it being a signature.  

Regarding price, £1000 is an average amount depending on that years income. I just want to find something that's a great guitar, plays great, and looks gorgeous. When it comes to signature guitars that I like, there's usually always a model which is similar, but slightly less.

The guitars I own are mainly a few Warmoth Strats/Teles, Les Pauls and Ibanez RG/S series. I now want to build a sort of tonal museum of beautiful looking guitars. But at the same time, explore areas which I haven't explored before. Originally I've stuck to the safe side and bought what I know works for me. But I'm now interested in adding guitars that provide me with unfariiar terrotories like P90 in the bridge an Humbckers in the neck. Or SingleCoil Bridge & Humbucker Necks, but whilst regaining that WOW! factor in looks.

Oh, and with the £2000 mark guitars. If I was to spend that much, I'd get it made by a Luthier so I can tweak the original design to my liking. So if I ever find a guitar I love in that range, then I'd treat myself to it being custom :)

[shobet]

Buy an acoustic.

[Philly Q]

It would be quite easy to do something like this for myself, but it's really difficult to suggest guitars for someone else to buy.  :?

What I would say is, don't over-think this or plan it too much - your tastes will change over the years and you'll probably end up selling as well as buying.  Just get whatever takes your fancy now and see where you are in six months or a year when you're ready for the next one.

Sorry if that doesn't help much....

[Kiichi]

Buy an acoustic.

Yeah, like for example the Joe Satriani Signature (don´t run just cause it is a signature, no one noticed on mine without me telling them). I got the cheaper version and I love it. Rather unique tone for an acoustic (very balanced, full and not too bright....just love it so much, better than most of 3k axes to me, at least tone character whise).
Concerning playability: It the electric players acoustic.
The cutaway is nice and high, etc.
Generally an acoustic for electric guys.
Looks nice too!
All in all a little different and great.

Or get a resonator guitar. Or a ukulele. Or a resonator ukulele.
Or an electric sitar.
Or a baritone.
Or a twelve string electric.
Or a harp guitar.
Or one with mini humbuckers.
Or one with a piezo bridge too.

I could go on and on.

[Telerocker]

On my gas-list are a few in/around this pricerange, maybe some are interesting.
- old Hamer Special
- a good vintage Yamaha SG
- a thinline tele with p90's
- Fender Eric Johnson strat
- PRS SE (preferable with P90's)
- Duesenberg Starplayer TV
- Tokai Les Paul (Japan)
- Yamaha 1500B
- Gibson Les Paul Special or Junior P90
- Squier JV
- Heritage H150 Les Paul

[Attica!]

I'm just going to write a main post here as to quote everyone haha.

Shobet: Regarding Acoustics, that would be a cool idea :)

Kiichi: With the Satriani models, that's one of the sigs Iv'e always liked that seems different to other sig models. I just hate the sigs like the Slash Model where you can get the same guitar for cheaper without the sig on it lol. And I've also been looking at all the different sorts of functions - It's mind boggling, haha. I'd like to have a collection of all varieties, but I also don't want to go down that road where it leads to a guitar room I have that end's up like Dexter's Laboratory :P

Philly: I agree with you totally, but it's never too late (or in guitar terms too early haha) to start learning about your options. As much as my tastes will change, I doubt I'll ever lose my taste for sexy looking guitars. But I still agree with what you say as i have days where I love the Jackson RR, and other days I hate it lol.But regarding tone, i'm not looking for something I may like now; I'm after something that will be right there in my collection should I ever suddenly have that desire. But I don't mean it in terms of just having a random tone, or a guitar I just get and stick it on the wall. I need to know what it's capable of so when I may have a sudden desire for a certain tone, I can immediatly identify that guitar. I want to know all of my guitars, if you get what I mean? ;)

Telerocker: I've really been considering a PRS with P90s. I've never ever used P90s, and wouldn't know what woods they work best in, nevermind the guitar to start with. I'd really love a history lesson into the P90 phenomenon. I am really clueless come to that haha. But I do see a lot of PRS's with them.

[Kiichi]

And to cover even more ground without going completly nuts (I like thinking up crazy shitee) get the Satriani (or an acoustic with piezo system in general) and have magnetic soundhole PU installed, plus a knob to blend the magnetic and the piezo together.
One step up from that: Get the Fishman Rare Earth Blend PU. Magnetic soundhole with a microphone.
Blend the magnet with the micro and then with the piezo. Mind blown.

Would love to try that stuff. It´s so crazy it has to work xD

[tomjackson]

I get GAS in the bath too :P

I think we all have more or less the same plan, but start to sell the start of our collections to fund the onward progress, ending up with small collections and bigger debt  :?