To me I ususally notice quickly if I like a guitar or not. There are bad guitars, good guitars and those few special guitars which in a way can be both. Good guitars are the ones you pick up, notice good sustain, clear sound, generally well crafted but they are missing that thing.
That thing can be found in both good and bad guitars, maybe you come around something shoddy and half fallen apart but when you strum it it just clicks.
So what I do is I find those guitars where I notice that there is something there. Then I need to find out what it is that is there, which is where the bonding sets in. I got my Ibby S series and I saw something in it. I bought it as a metal axe, but when I played it I over time noticed that to me it was not a metal axe, that thing that was there drove me towards general rock things. Bit poppy, bit old school.
Therefore I went and got the according PUs and bäm, it was there. Now it is my dear Rose.
This is generally the bonding process with all my guitars. I see something, let it show me what that is and then make according adjustments to bring that thing out even more and use it. The guitar dictates to the most part what I play with it too. I automaticaly play differently on all my axes, though my general preferences always shine through of course. It is that back and forth, giving and taking which you develop during bonding.
Now Rose, Kezia, Yuna, Dawn, Jana and Kayla form a beautiful bunch. Some more I have in mind (tone and feel and all) and gotta find them / have them build like Wendy (a Tele), Deedra a LP and the newest vision is a Cosi, plus I will certainly meet new ones along the way I cannot even forsee. The friends you make along the way, am I right?
To non guitarists or generally instrument players I tend to seem strange, but hey, what I can not say I can play thanks to them. That sharing and expression of emotions makes for a strong and deep bond.
