What have you guys done after you’ve found “the one”?

[curbucci]

Trying out a bunch of strings trying to get "the sound" and end up back at Phosphor bronze.

[6L6]

In acoustic guitars I found "the one" in the form of a then-new 1997 Martin D-45V. I bought it and it has sat out on a stand in my living room ever since. It gets lots of play there and also goes out to Open Mics in non-virus times. Incredible guitar!

In electric guitar terms, I found "the one" in the form of a 1960 Harmony Meteor w/Bigsby. After 50 years of playing Pre CBS Fenders, ES-335's, Gretsches, and Guilds I found my Harmony and it blows everything else away. It is my GO TO electric for any event requiring an electric guitar.

[Goodallboy]

Originally Posted by 6L6

In acoustic guitars I found "the one" in the form of a then-new 1997 Martin D-45V. I bought it and it has sat out on a stand in my living room ever since. It gets lots of play there and also goes out to Open Mics in non-virus times. Incredible guitar!

In electric guitar terms, I found "the one" in the form of a 1960 Harmony Meteor w/Bigsby. After 50 years of playing Pre CBS Fenders, ES-335's, Gretsches, and Guilds I found my Harmony and it blows everything else away. It is my GO TO electric for any event requiring an electric guitar.

6L6, congrats on the “one” electric!

Can’t seem to find that “one” yet! But I’ll keep trying!

[bufflehead]

I found "the one" more than ten years ago. Since then I've managed to find a few "others."

[BluesBelly]

Originally Posted by Matts67

As long as different tonewood combinations exist, there is no such thing as the "one" - more like the "ten."

Agree! Ten is the perfect number!
Ten guitars of different tone woods and body sizes all with different voices.
Sounds reasonable to me.
I will say It is helpful if one enjoys changing strings.

Blues.

[pattste]

If you don't believe in "the one", it's because you haven't found it.

Four years ago, I played a wonderful OM by Montreal luthier Vincent Latulippe. At the time, I wrote about it here.

I could not and did not buy it at the time but eventually the stars aligned and I bought it two years ago.

What happened after is that I purchased a Mainstage flight case for it so I could take it anywhere I wanted, sold every other acoustic guitar that I owned and never regretted it for a moment. I still go to guitar shows and luthier showcases, I still enjoy looking and playing guitars from the best luthiers in the world and I still haven't played another that I like as much as Latulippe OM #17.

Soon after buying the OM, I commissioned Vincent to build me an electric. It was delivered last summer and it receives virtually 100% of my electric play time.

I realize that one guitar cannot be all things to everyone. I play fingerstyle (or more specifically hybrid) arrangements. If I also played bluegrass or manouche jazz I would likely want another guitar, but I don't play those genres. Similarly, my Foxtrot covers the genres I play (jam bands, fusion, prog rock) as best as anything out there. If I played other styles I would probably want another instrument.

[brencat]

Originally Posted by musicman1951

"The ONE" is probably either:

1. Your current favorite; or
2. The favorite you end up with because you stop purchasing new guitars.

It feels like I might be in the second category, but the idea that there is one holy grail guitar that will satisfy me more than every other guitar in the world seems ludicrous. I'm not quite that one dimensional.

In any case, the only thing to do with a fine instrument is make the best music you can. That's your obligation if it's your first guitar or your final purchase.

Absolutely nailed it. Could have been written by me, word for word.

[TBman]

All you members that think there is "the one," do a recording of it and post it in Show and Tell or here and along with it, post a recording of the same song/tune with a different guitar so we can hear the difference. Just don't do a $3,000 vs $100 comparison,

Let's hear you play "the one."

For me there isn't one, but there's a tone and feel that I like that I can find in several guitars.

My Martin:


My Avalon:


My Larrivee:


My Guild D-120c:

[GeneralDreedle]

My "one" out of the four I have (I've stopped I swear!), varies from day to day. I do find that having a number increases my practice time because after trying to learn a song on one guitar I say "I wonder what it sounds like on guitar ___"

[Goodallboy]

Originally Posted by TBman

All you members that think there is "the one," do a recording of it and post it in Show and Tell or here and along with it, post a recording of the same song/tune with a different guitar so we can hear the difference. Just don't do a $3,000 vs $100 comparison,

Let's hear you play "the one."

For me there isn't one, but there's a tone and feel that I like that I can find in several guitars.

My Martin:


My Avalon:


My Larrivee:


My Guild D-120c:

No one has to satisfy you that they have the “one”. They only have to be personally satisfied.

I don’t understand the affront taken because someone has found their “one”. Why is that intimidating? What am I missing, it would please me if someone reported finding that.

[TBman]

Originally Posted by Goodallboy

I’m amused at the opinion that the “one” is a myth. What they’re actually saying is that there’s no “one” for them. Why they respond to questions about the “one” and what you do after finding it is part of the amusement factor.

Originally Posted by Goodallboy

No one has to satisfy you that they have the “one”. They only have to be personally satisfied.

I don’t understand the affront taken because someone has found their “one”. Why is that intimidating? What am I missing, it would please me if someone reported finding that.

Why would you be amused at others opinions? It's not like we're talking about flying saucers,

No affront taken at all though. Some people (like me) like a range of tone, not just one.

I would still like to hear what others love though. I might discover something new to gas over.

[stephenT]

I sold it. “It” was a Merrill OM-18k. Along the way I owned a dozen plus boutique acoustics. I guess I found I have a taste for moderately priced guitars. And frankly I found the tone quest to be the antithesis of what I love about music.

[MickZ]

Got another one.

[DukeX]

After I found the one, I gradually expanded my guitar horizons and found three additional ones.

[Br1ck]

I haven't yet and I'm not going to. I have three in rotation and three more pinch hitters. Of the big three I've been playing them roughly equally. I only keep one out on a stand at a time, and often it is pure laziness that has me playing the same one for a week or two. I could, if I had to, live with any of them as the only one.

My 65 Texan might be the choice, but my D 35s, Guild and Martin would do too.