How many guitars can you handle??

[ChuckS]

I won't count the Martin kit guitar I made around 1995; it's still functional but is pretty much just assigned to fishing trips and my son's occasional use.

When I have two really nice acoustics I usually feel that's the right number for me. I don't have a dedicated music room so too many are hard to store. I also don't want to be spending too much time dealing with string changes on guitars that aren't really in a good rotation of use.

However, my mind is always wandering and wondering if I've got the right mix for what I like to play and how I like to hear it. With that said, #3 got delivered yesterday. So, maybe three will be the right number.

[M19]

3...but actually 5.
3 steel string, a nylon and a 12. All out in my Hercules rack. Of the three, play time is 60:20:20 with the McIlroy getting the majority.
I’ve lately been tempted by a 0-28VS, but the rack is full ☹️

[Photojeep]

I was about to type 3 (the ones in my signature) but then I remembered the two living in our vacation home but I never play. Maybe I need to sell those...

Best,
PJ

[Scolaguitar]

I'd say for me personally 2 or 3 but we have more than that because my husband plays also. He picks up "mine" quite often but on his he never changes his strings and they're way past dead sounding so I don't touch his. I keep offering to change them but refuses.

Any of them I think of selling, I have to run it by him first. I told him I thought of selling the D18 and he said with a slight pout "but why???"

[Jeff Mc]

For most of my life, I had 2 guitars - an acoustic 6 string and acoustic 12 string. A Harmony and a Yamaha first, then 2 Ovations and was totally content. Then my kids graduated from college and a monster was unleashed. I currently have 12, 11 acoustics and 1 electric (no 12 string). I realized that I liked to hang out in guitar stores, first the Podium in Minneapolis then Hill Country Guitars - both gone (no fault of mine). There is no good hang-out guitar store in Austin now, but it has not helped all that much. I go into Strait Music and they are handing me guitars and going up in the warehouse to find what the Martin rep has ordered lately. I get to play new Taylors and Martin Custom Shops before they make it to the sales floor.

However, I blame my last acquisition on this forum and the BIG event. I purchased a fairly high-end OM and my wife has not really pressured me into selling others to offset it. I try to play every guitar at least once a week but do not always make it particularly when a new one is taking more time.

I do think that 5 acoustics and one electric is a good number but do not have any plans on trying to reach it. I have been careful about telling my wife when I am going to a guitar store however. We were close today, but it was her birthday and somehow I did not feel that was appropriate.

[Gomers]

A timely thread for me this one. Normally, I would say 2 is plenty for me. I'm not joking, with my actual prowess, 2 is an absolute luxury.

As I type this drivel (hic [emoji485][emoji482][emoji485]) I have my 3 sat in front of me now while I A, B, C demo all of them because one needs to go. Why ? Because my hand slipped on my desk Fri lunchtime and hit the Return key and somehow, I've bought another one [emoji849] 0-18 incoming then !

To be fair, I'd reconciled this in my mind before the key of doom was hit. I've had the Gibson 2 days, that can't go. The 0-15 is like, if I may insert a pet analogy here, a 10 week old Cocker Spaniel puppy; infectiously cute and eager to please. That leaves the Clapton 28 , which is probably 5 times better a guitar than I am a player, so it has to go to someone who can properly extract its full potential. The decision, in all honesty was quite straightforward.

Then I got home from work and played it, with the others for about 3 hours. Oh, hang on, let's not be too hasty about this, I hear my inner monologue begin, it does sound pretty special and is the only rosewood protagonist I own. Oh crap [emoji46]. If it goes and I regret it, it'll cost a fistful of wedge to acquire another one.

So, anyone want to buy a puppy [emoji190]???[emoji53]

[arlum]

Originally Posted by BT55

If you are male you should have as many guitars as your wife has shoes.

I agree although that would be impossible in my case.

That said ......

I currently own 4 acoustics, (Martin HD12-28, Breedlove Stage 12 String, Eastman with Adi top, and a Yamaha AC3R).

I also own 10 electrics branded either Gibson Custom Shop, Gibson, Suhr, Rickenbacker, Ibanez, Fender or Melancon). 2 Tele body shaped boutiques, 1 semi hollow 12 string, 1 semi hollow 6 string, 2 Les Pauls, 1 Stratocaster, 2 super Strats and one solid body double cut.

From my age of 6 until our youngest child married and moved out of the house I owned 1 single guitar at a time for every day of my life. In 2000 the gates were thrown wide open. The gates were pretty wide.

[LadysSolo]

Four steel-string, 3 classical (nylon-string,) and a 12-string. But one steel string and one classical are up for adoption locally to deserving children.

[Shades of Blue]

Originally Posted by Gomers

A timely thread for me this one. Normally, I would say 2 is plenty for me. I'm not joking, with my actual prowess, 2 is an absolute luxury.

As I type this drivel (hic [emoji485][emoji482][emoji485]) I have my 3 sat in front of me now while I A, B, C demo all of them because one needs to go. Why ? Because my hand slipped on my desk Fri lunchtime and hit the Return key and somehow, I've bought another one [emoji849] 0-18 incoming then !

To be fair, I'd reconciled this in my mind before the key of doom was hit. I've had the Gibson 2 days, that can't go. The 0-15 is like, if I may insert a pet analogy here, a 10 week old Cocker Spaniel puppy; infectiously cute and eager to please. That leaves the Clapton 28 , which is probably 5 times better a guitar than I am a player, so it has to go to someone who can properly extract its full potential. The decision, in all honesty was quite straightforward.

Then I got home from work and played it, with the others for about 3 hours. Oh, hang on, let's not be too hasty about this, I hear my inner monologue begin, it does sound pretty special and is the only rosewood protagonist I own. Oh crap [emoji46]. If it goes and I regret it, it'll cost a fistful of wedge to acquire another one.

So, anyone want to buy a puppy [emoji190]???[emoji53]

Love this post!

First let me say, if a 0-18 is coming in, the 0-15 has to go in my mind.

But, half of the fun to me is the journey, not the destination. I just bought a D-18 and 000-18 and feel like I need to sell one just to be financially responsible, but I don’t want to. My J-45 is staring at me right now saying “why you giving me the stink eye bro??” I’m like “settle down brah, I ain’t selling you...yet...”

In all seriousness, I feel like the J-45 and D-18 cover the same ground and this particular D-18 is a beast. I had a D-18 once but it wasn’t this resonant. The 000-18 has THE Martin sound I hear in my head. It’s comfy and I just love it.

I’m mildly claustrophobic, but not in the sense of small spaces, but rather with clutter. I hate clutter. My guitar room feels cluttered right now with guitars, and my closet doesn’t have space for one of my cases. That’s driving me insane alone.

So I too have a decision to make. My head says to sell the 000-18 before I fall in love, but then there’s the overlap in sound and purpose of the J-45/D-18.

Here’s the deal. Some people like having multiple sounds at their disposal and like having different choices and just go with which guitar they want to play that day. I just wanna play the better sounding guitar!

[GKing34]

I have 2 acoustics. My D-18 gets all the flatpicking action, and I use it when leading worship or jamming with friends. I bought a used, worn looking Art & Lutherie a couple years ago to take camping, and I fell in love with fingerpicking this guitar. So this one gets a lot more playtime than I thought it ever would.

2 acoustics and 1 electric work fine for me.

[Axelorox]

I see myself with no more than 5 acoustics in the future. That is because I plan on recording my own music. If I didn't, then that number would be less.

Electrics on the other hand... the ultimate goal is a higher count than 5. For some reason I have an easier time distinguishing tonal differences between different electric guitar models compard to acoustic guitars.

[Shades of Blue]

Originally Posted by Axelorox

I see myself with no more than 5 acoustics in the future. That is because I plan on recording my own music. If I didn't, then that number would be less.



Electrics on the other hand... the ultimate goal is a higher count than 5. For some reason I have an easier time distinguishing tonal differences between different electric guitar models compard to acoustic guitars.

The electric rabbit hole is deep my friend. I’d even venture to say that the amplifier is the single most important aspect to electric tone....no, I definitely think it is haha. I have to steer clear of that hole!

[rsfanforever]

I have 3 acoustics and 3 electrics that I play but I feel that I could get by easily with just 2 acoustics( HD-28 and FG730) and 2 electrics ( tele and a Les Paul) but they all are excellent guitars so I just can’t part with any at this time. I also have another acoustic my Dad left me which will never leave.

[therbulus]

Originally Posted by Shades of Blue

One at a time right? lol ....let's get that one out of the way lol. The idea for this thread came from another thread on owning multiple guitars.

How many guitars can you own before your head starts to spin? For me, that number is very low...I'm talking no more than 2 or 3 acoustics. I'm at 3 acoustics now (4 with the Seagull, but I don't count it because it is more of an heirloom), and I have a difficult time balancing the time between them.

I usually keep two guitars out in stands. I then will keep one in standard tuning and one in DADGAD, but I just really don't have a lot of room to keep another guitar out in a stand. I don't like to keep my guitars in their cases in the closet because I tend to rarely go in after them. They tend to sit unplayed.

Maybe rotation is the best way, case and humidify one per week or something like that. What do you guys do?

I never thought about the rotation thing, and I really like it. I just added #3 because it had a pickup and cutaway, but I actually thought previously that TWO was too many. This should help.

[Shades of Blue]

Originally Posted by therbulus

I never thought about the rotation thing, and I really like it. I just added #3 because it had a pickup and cutaway, but I actually thought previously that TWO was too many. This should help.

Yeah rotating is a good way to humidify and not have too much out at once.

I think I found a nice balance in my guitar room though...

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