How many of you have truly found "the one?"
 

How many of you guys out there have truly found "the one?" How does that guitar make you feel? I'm not talking infatuation, honey moon syndrome, or short term love affairs (and yes I am talking about guitars lol). I'm talking true long lasting love, would never sell, and nothing else could make you as happy as the one?

First of all, I envy you. I think the closest I've come to true lasting love in a guitar is with my Strat. That isn't going anywhere. I'd say my next closest thing to true love is my 717, but she was more love at first sight. Not sure how the long term relationship will be yet. I'm really working on our relationship and I am putting in the work? Is this getting weird yet? lol

The reason I ask is because I feel that I am at a bit of a crossroads. I am contemplating selling off quite a bit of gear because I'm tired of the rat race. I'm tired of the gear carousel and I feel like unloading over $5000 worth of gear and calling myself a one guitar man.

Only issue I have is how do you know when you've found the one?

I finally found “the one” when I bought my D-41. Has it all...tone, playability and looks. It’s become like an old friend. So comfortable, easy to play...and the TONE. Just gorgeous whatever style I’m playing.

I may have found a second “one.” Recently bought back a Gibson Songwriter Deluxe Studio that I stupidly sold a couple years ago. Never bought a guitar twice before. It, too, plays easy and looks and sounds sweet. Can’t imagine selling it...again. :D

https://i.postimg.cc/8kKTd943/542-E9...-ED350-EB1.jpg

I found "the one" by accident.

I bought a Larrivee D03R on eBay because the price was reasonable, and I already had a mahogany D03. Well, it sounded wonderful! I have owned many other rosewood dreads, but none sound as good.

I've horse traded way more than most - I don't think I could say that any one of the guitars in my signature would be "the one", but they all do things that I really like on their own....

The Charis is more lush/overtone laden, Mcknight/Poling is more fundamental. Because of the way these instruments were acquired (Charis gifted from the forum members, M/P was won in a contest) they won't be going anywhere.

The Lakewood has a huge voice and sounds like I've wanted all the dreads I've owned to sound, and the Solista project guitar sounds better than any other classical I've owned.

So, maybe I've found "the four";)

If I can't make lots of music with what I've got, I'm a pretty sad player!;)

I totally agree with your philosophy of having fewer/better instruments.

I always like this topic. I want "the one." I really do.

But several times now, I've discovered that the one wasn't "the one."

My fantasy "the one" can play many different genres of music (jazz chord melody, jingle-jangly Beatles strumming, Celtic finger style, and country blues) equally well, brilliantly, with a magic something-something shining through in every case.

AND "the one" not only sounds amazing with every kind of music, but is also eminently comfortable and playable, never causes me pain or discomfort. The neck loves my hand, and my hand loves the neck of "the one." The lower bout fits perfectly against my body. All is well with "the one."

I MAY have found "the one" very recently. My latest acquisition. But...this is what I always think.

Based on my past experience, I won't know if this latest guitar is "the one" for quite some time.

I hope you will "know" immediately, and find T h e O n e forever :0)

I have found The Three.

A custom built John How Ladder Braced Concert, a Martin 00-15m custom and a Waterloo WL-12.

For me, there's no such thing. No matter how wonderful any particular guitar is, no one guitar can do everything. My taste and playing styles are too varied. I'd be more like stephenT with "The Three". Or maybe even "The Five or Six". ;)

If you have to ask...

If I had to go down to one for some unforseen reason I know which one it would be. But deliberately getting rid of what I have in search for the grail...? I'd have to be rather daft to do that. I have a killer guitar collection that took me years to hand pick and I'm not giving them up willfully to chase something I might not ever find. Love the one you're with as they say...

I have found the several.:)

I have definately found the one in my 00-28vs. Being a self declared 'mahogany guy' I took a huge gamble on it and for the first year although I like it a lot I was struggling to justify keeping it when I had another excellent guitar in my furch OM32.

But the plentiful string spacing and general playability of the martin just drew me in and as I played it more and more the tone continued to get sweeter, warmer and woodier.

Now after two years of ownership its the perfect guitar, it has single handedly changed my entire perception of what a rosewood guitar could sound like.
Add to that the wonderful v neck, generous string spacing, beautiful aesthetics and its hard to imagine ever letting it go.

It does everything I need it to and doesn't complain one bit, fingerpicking, hybrid picking, carter style, strumming.

I sold the Furch last week and don't miss it one bit, for me it just couldn't match the martin in the end.



I sold the Furch OM last week, the tone and playability just couldn't match the martin in the end

There is no way I could ever slim down to one guitar. And GAS has been particularly bad with me this year.

I found the TWELVE. Does that count?

sm

I've found 'the two'. I can't see it getting less

Strumming:
It's very early as I've only had it a few weeks so still very much in that honeymoon period but my hummingbird might be it. I really love how it sounds and plays. It's got some cosmetic niggles, but thats Gibson for you and I keep telling myself that it's just what makes it unique. They're bothering me less as time goes on.

I'm definitely in love at the moment. I can barely go an hour without picking it up for a quick strum

Fingerpicking
My GS mini is an AMAZING fingerpicking guitar. It's pretty good for strumming but nothing like the hummingbird. It is however a great travel guitar with it's small size, light weight and soft case.

I cannot see myself taking the hummingbird camping.


If I had to keep one it'd be the hummingbird, but the GS mini does things it can't.

I have approximately 47 of the "ones"

Just really lucky I guess.

I had the one for about 25 years, but after not playing for a looooong time, I sold it. My acoustic "the one" was a 68 BRW D28 and my electric "the one" was a mid-70's strat. Now that I'm back into playing again, I feel pretty settled that I have another electric "the one" (a Robert Cray hardtail strat with a Roadworn 50's neck bolted on) and I may or may not be there with acoustics. I have two acoustics I love, a Martin and an Emerald, but I'm probably not done trying stuff, so it's possible something will emerge that I don't know of yet. Or not. I could easily get through life with these two acoustics (or either one of them) and never want for anything else. But since I haven't played a few guitars I'm still curious about, I'm not ready to commit...

-Ray

Don't worry too much about it. Fortunately it's an illusory concept, like "perfect". The implication would be that your life is static/unchanging.

What fun would it be if you actually found "the one". The quest would be over. Bummer.

As already said, my "one" is spread out over several guitars, with the bias changing daily.

I have found true lifetime guitars that I will never willingly get rid of. That being said, I can't imagine myself finding one guitar that will make me want to shun all other guitars and play just that one forever. Maybe if I was a better musician I might be able to get there but I don't know. I think I'll always want to have different voices available. I think the only people I've ever known that are happy with one instrument forever are bass players. They're born with a bass and they'll die with that same bass. LOL

That's about it. I'm still looking for a little one that sounds as big as the big one. That'll be the one.

Thus far, you are the one who is definitely with The One! The vast majority is in the camp of The Stridently Unapologetic Many And There's Nothing Wrong with That, Dammit.

Honestly, being a "one" guitar man, in the past, was a matter of necessity. And, I didn't have any feelings of jealousy, or envy, of others with higher end instruments. Why envy what you cannot afford? In fact, I've made it a habit not to play instruments I cannot afford, test drive cars I cannot afford, or tour houses I cannot afford. However, now that I can afford several nice instruments, I'm unlikely to be a one guitar person unless this CS Martin blooms into the same tonal quality of my Marquis. But, that's unlikely. And, even then, I still play 12-string. I think having a few (2-3) nice guitars is the way for me to go. Having more than I can play in a given month is probably excessive. I'm in the process of selling my 4th guitar.

I like my Martin OM-1GT more than any guitar I've owned. I've chopped and changed guitars frequently over the last few years (and I've never felt the need for more than two at a time), but this is my only guitar and I now feel completely satisfied and contented, so I guess this is 'the one'. I even like the stratabond neck... so it must be love.

I think there should be a 'the one' in each category. Parlor guitars, dreds, OM's and so on ;)

A while back I accidentally came across a dred right on this forum which I think I can consider the one, so I'm getting there.

I found the one about 6 years ago, long enough to be certain it's THE one.

It's the only acoustic guitar I'll ever own and I couldn't be happier. It possesses the sound I sought for over 40 years. Playing another guitar would take away time that I could be spending playing the one, and that's not something I will give up.

Interestingly, and perhaps instructive is the fact that the neck width at the nut is narrower than I would prefer. This becomes meaningless for me when I strum a chord and I hear that sound. Additionally, a smaller bodied guitar would less painful on my shoulder, but again, that body style doesn't produce the sound in my head and that's all that matters to me. Apparently, not everything has to be perfect when it's tone you're seeking and you actually find the one.

Very good. Sums it up well for me.

Pretty much this.
I’m at a stage where I don’t really care to add to the guitarsenal. And I don’t really want to get rid of anything.

My collection has nothing really expensive in it.
My “keeper” is actually an all laminate Alvarez.
And My #1 is an old Alvarez Yairi that found me just before I lost my mom.
Turns out it is also a stellar guitar.
If the house were to burn down, or someone was to steal all my guitars, I really only need three.
I’d buy a great six string. Probably an Alvarez Yairi DYM.
I’d buy a great 12-string, probably something in a Jumbo Guild.
And I replace my Journey Instruments OF660.

Currently I enjoy having lots of guitars to play. And I enjoy having them to fuss over.

Wait. You have 47 guitars? 47? Did I hear that right? 47?

I don't believe in "the one."

Having said that, if my "the one" is out there, and I find it, and it makes me want to get rid of all others and never buy again, then that would be convenient.

I don't know if I've found the "one." I think I have found that with the collection we have, I'm pretty satisfied and just want to get better at playing.

I do find lately, with going to guitar stores nowadays, nothing really makes me want to trade in what we already have.

I'm not the poster, but when I hear about large collections of guitars I always think of a guy who bought a bicycle from me.

He had 57 bikes (I saw pics of his garage) and claimed to ride them all.

Needless to say he was single, and worked at night.

Changing strings is nothing compared to maintaining a bike!