[EllenGtrGrl]

I've had a few:

Acoustics

1. Gibson J-35 Reissue - both of them, and especially the 2017 (the last one I had). The only reason I got rid of that guitar, is because I started playing in a local church band early this year (I NEEDED my band fix - I MISS playing in bands). The music director is fast and loose with the keys songs are played in (being a pianist, she often bases keys around what she likes to play on the piano [which is a Steinway that was donated by a well-to-do couple]), so I often have to resort to cheater/bar chords to get the job done musically. My lovely J-35, just didn't cut it with bar chords - it sounded to me like an oversized ukelele. I decided to go the 12-string route (I used to play 12-strings extensively until several years ago) to fill out the guitar sound a bit. I got a lower cost Seagull Excursion 12-string, as a musical experiment, and when that worked, took a deep breath, and traded it, and my J-35 for a Taylor 150e, AND the cost of getting the Taylor 150e refretted. Why did I get the 150e refretted? Well, back in 2014, I was diagnosed with having a severe allergy to nickel (along with a major allergy to chromium [which is used in stainless steel]), so much so, that I get mega skin breakouts, when I have any extended exposure to nickel. This meant no more nickel strings on my electrics, and refretting any guitars I do serious playing on, with hypoallergenic fretwire (Jescar EVO Gold), since virtually all guitars use nickel alloy frets. The Taylor 150e has been a musical success for me (it sounds and plays great), but I still miss my J-35 (but I couldn't afford to get the Taylor any other way at the time).

P.S. - Refretting a guitar isn't cheap (depending upon the guitar, it costs $350-$450), and thanks to the cost of refretting my guitars, cheap guitars are a no go nowadays. I can't justify (unless it's a very special guitar) spending as much or more than the cost of the guitar, to have it refretted.

2. Taylor GS Mini Koa - why did I get rid of mine? Everybody liked the way it looked, and the way it sounded. In retrospect, so did I. I should get another one, though if the Breedlove Pursuit Exotic Concertina that FedEx dropped off 30 minutes ago sounds and plays well (as in the neck ISN'T TOO THIN), that may be a moot point. I will spend some time playing the Breedlove (but not enough, that it's nickel frets cause my dermatitis to flare up), before I decide if I want to proceed with getting another GS Mini.

Electrics

1. 1970s Gibson Les Paul Signature - this was my main electric guitar in the 1980s, when I was a student at the University of Wisconsin. For those who don't know, a Les Paul Signatures is basically an ES-335, with a Les Paul-style lower cutaway, low impedance humbuckers, a phase switch, and a Varitone switch. When I graduated in 1987, I decided that I needed a guitar that better looked the part for playing the heavy rock I was playing at the time - an Explorer. Well, I discovered when I tried one out, that me and Explorers don't mix ergonomically, due to me slinging guitars up high like jazz guitarists do. I was on the verge of calling it quits with getting rid of my Les Paul Signature, when I was offered a straight up trade deal for a superstrat. I ended up realizing a few years later, that superstrats bore me, and I also ended up realizing that I prefer more traditional electric guitars (even for the loud and heavy stuff - a Gibson Howard Roberts Fusion was my main gigging guitar for most of the 90s). To add insult to injury, I found out a few years ago, that Gibson only made 64, Les Paul Signatures with a tobacco sunburst finish, and they are worth at least $20,000. Guess what color mine was - tobacco sunburst!!! Saying I wasn't a happy camper, is an understatement.

2. 2008 Fender Japan, '66 Reissue Jaguar - I miss this one, and I haven't found a Jaguar since then that I liked as much as it. But hey, I was flat broke, and needed the money.

3. Gretsch Country Club - I have a love/hate relationship with Country Clubs. I've had several over the years, and every time I've gotten rid of them, I end up wanting one (again) a few years later. Maybe down the road I'll get another one, or maybe not, since the Heritage H-535 I have nowadays, has left me in a happy place when it comes to hollow and semi-hollow electrics.