I would amend this and say keep your first DECENT guitar, no matter what, lol. My first guitar was an unfathomably terrible Squire/crappy solid state Fender practice amp combo that I got for Christmas when I was 13. The body wasn't even solid wood, it was press board 😂. Tuning stability was horrendous, and the bridge was either off-kilter and/or placed too far forward or back, as it was impossible to intonate. I'm as sentimental as the next guy, but even as a kid I was aware of just how much of a piece of junk it was by the time I had it for a year or so. Saved up lawn mowing money and bought a used Charvel Model 2 as soon as I could... THAT one I still have. But I couldn't get away from that God- awful Strat fast enough.😂😂
@@notonyourlife7939 My first was a Sears acoustic. Piece of crap that warped so bad the action was like a half inch high past the 6th fret or so. It finally literally fell apart (glue failed.) Still wish I had it… maybe I’m a hoarder?
@@notonyourlife7939if it’s really crap, hang it up and keep your first good guitar too. Maybe I’m just to sentimental but I still own my first terrible bass guitar
@flying. I recovered my first "terrible" bass from my parent's attic where it had been for decades. After a lengthy restoration by me to get the orange spray paint off that my 14 year old self thought it needed and a fantastic setup from a really great guitar tech I found out it wasn't the bass but me that was terrible back then. The bass is a 1967 Kay 5919, the very last of the American Kay instruments and it plays and sounds quite nice.
Same here. I have only sold one guitar I ever owned, my first guitar an Electra Tele Thinline copy. I regretted it almost immediately even though it was worth next to nothing.
I've been listening to music since the fifties and I never get over the excitement of hearing new and exciting stuff that being created out there. No matter what style there is, there will be someone who will blow the boundries off the current perimeters. I love it all.
Lol the cut from Keith's nice soothing voice to Rick's rantings and ravings! 😂🤘🔥God bless ya both!! Fellow "upstate" New Yorker (Binghamton) here! So awesome to see and hear the homeboys doin good!
I’m close to 70 & have been playing over 55 years. In the 90’s I heard strange sounds coming from my teenage son’s room. “What is that crap?” I asked. “Nirvana.” He replied. I liked it…it was new to me.
Not gonna lie, Keith. I think that was one of your best videos to date. I don’t know why and I know you have done weeks of work researching videos in the past, so… not to dismiss them, but dang, I just came away feeling good after it was over. Better than normal. And as someone that has come BACK to the hobby and am buying all the guitars I could never of dreamed I could afford in the 80’s, I have indeed come back to all the guitars you mentioned. Strat, Tele, LP… well, and an Explorer. I guess you can’t take the 16y/o kid out of me. Even at 59. Thanks! (Now, back to SG shopping!)
Since the Beatles were the group that introduced me to wanting to be in a band, I always coveted a Gretsch Country Gentleman. My mother worked hard to buy me one and it paid off since I made a lot of money with it. It’s still the guitar that my hands know best.
Like the video: "How many guitars is enough?" I wish I would have seen this one years ago as well. By the time I saw the first one, I had only been playing for 2 years and in that two years I accumulated 20 guitars. I got hooked into thinking the more guitars I bought, and the more I spent, the better I'd be. Like Keith said, when you're buying and shopping, you're not practicing. Practice is the most important thing to do. Thank God I quit over two years ago. I still have the 20 guitars but letting go is not easy. Half the guitars I bought were USA made and the other half were USA custom shop or Murphy lab. If I'm lucky I'll barely get half of what I paid (even though they're in mint condition). To the younger person watching Keith's videos, pay some attention and learn from him. Only buy what you absolutely NEED and take it from there. Listen to keith, he's a good man and he won't steer you wrong.
I always love your videos. I own a cherry sunburst 1976 Deluxe and I love it! The mini humbuckers are fantastic. Gigged all through the 80's with just my Les Paul and my Strat, and that was all I needed to cover anything we were playing.
Some guitars just feel right and sound right seconds after you first play them. Hard to break that bond. But I agree that being open to spend time with strange guitars can lead to unexpected pleasure.
Sums it up for me. I’ve “owned” so many guitars, so many brands/types. At one point I think I had about 13 or so. Mix of Gibson, Fender, Reverend and Rickenbacker. Same goes for amps. So many many amps. Happy to be down to 3 guitars I simply adore and love to play. 2 amps played at the same time. 2 modest pedal boards that never stay the same for long. Never stop playing! 😊
Philosophical video ... nice! The biggest take away for me (that only reinforces out loud what I already knew), is LIVE WITH THE GUITAR long enough to make an educated decision.
I so truly look forward to your posts, they're so nicely polished and narrated. Enlightening too. I have all 3 (+ too many acoustics) in my guitar room - LP Trad, Strat Deluxe and my Tele highway 1. They were all "right place/right time" guitars that worked their way into my heart over the decades. I don't mind getting older, however I do want time to stand still while I play, and play and play....be well.
I don't think you're wrong at all. In fact, I think the entire channel and your inquisitive approach to discovering what makes guitar a special part of life is essential and important. Thanks, Keith!
Strats are my catch and release, I live next to the Corona factory and find them all the time. I set them up or restore them and pass them on to their new homes.
Do you do short vacation rentals? 😂 May be that could be your theme if you run a business like that! I know I would be very interested when my situation swings in favour of that.
It's a pretty dumpy area Corona (love the perimeter old town circular racetrack remnants, the actual "corona" of corona)- where do you find them? Escaping from the factory to Mexico? 🤡
Thanks again - I currently own three acoustic guitars and five electrics. I bought four guitars last year and sold one. My pledge is to sell two more before I buy another! In support of Keith's thoughtful and informative work, I can attest that the quality of the Five Watt World t-shirts is First Class - go for it! 👍
very cool anecdote at the end about younger people and never being able to guess their tastes in music. Yet, we can all appreciate a lot of the same things. Prettttty cool.
fav guitar channel. Great vid! Please continue to make more. Your superpower as a creator is how genuine you are able to make just about every sentence you deliver feel. Great work and keep on going!
When I started playing professionally the sound I wanted in my guitar changed. My Les Paul wasn’t filling that sound I was hearing so I ended up playing a Strat for 20 years. Then a fell in love with a Les Paul Special with P-90,s and that filled the area between the Strat and a Humbucker Les Paul. Now I use a killer Tele that I would never part with. So it’s between those three. I should also mention that I use a Black Panel Deluxe Reverb for all of the guitars. Whatever amp you use it’s 50% of the sound.
@@jasondorsey7110 It’s amazing how the guitars tone changes depending what amp you are using, even between a Fender, Marshall and Vox style circuit. For that matter the difference between Fender models (Champ, Deluxe, Super, Twin and Tweed, Brownface, Blackface).
I have a 1969 Strat. that has rewound 69' pickups in it and the rest is all original. I have been playing it and still playing it for 50 years ,the rest can come and go but that one has become a part of my soul, and if they forget to bury that guitar with me when my time has come I will haunt the ones responsible forever. Thanks Keith
I happened upon a 1971 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe a few years ago. I originally bought it because of its novelty, but I fell in love with the tone. It dispelled everything bad I heard about 70's Les Pauls.
I was a Gretsch man for years until I acquired a 1971 Gibson Les Paul Custom. The Gretsch 6120's, White Falcons, and Silver Jets came and went, but that Les Paul has stayed by my side for the last 15 years. I'll never part with her! 🎸
I was a big Thin Lizzy fan and still am. Gorham is a big influence. I always chalked up those minibuckers on his LP as a big staple of their tone from Nighlife on. He had this very sweet tone that I just loved.
I bought 72 Deluxe for that very reason! omg is it heavy. Got it from Gruhn played lots, with a refret. Is there a better live album than L & D? And the newer box set confirms very few overdubs if any. In high school I lived in Japan(army brat) and some friends and I got backstage after a show in the Chinatown tour in Tokyo. Spent two hours with the band! We were in heaven. They were great and thanked us for being there and being fans. Have a pic with Phil, his arm over my shoulder that is a cherished possession.
I played a '67 D28 since I was 14, I'm 69 now, I was told repeatedly that "you can play That on a Martin". It took me musically wherever I needed to go. THANKS
A Stratocaster has always been like an old friend to me. There have been others - Ibanez Artist, Godin XTSA, Fender Nashville Tele, Gibson ES-335 and Les Paul Deluxe Goldtop, etc., but the minute I pick up a Strat, the old magic returns.
Another great video man. I use to do the catch and release for about 50 years. I now have 11 keepers. Yes 3 I use mostly 2 Teles and one Strat. I guess 3 is a magic number. Have a good one.
I simply do not wish this journey to ever end! I have a demo taylor with 2 mini humbuckers custom to the taylor all prototype. I will get so close to that thing it will be like a blood transfusion. You are right and Rick is right. I'm going through a Stephen Stills demo album... Roll Tape. I will use a 72 Martin D28-12 freshly reset for my saturation into those songs. It just feel like we've so much to be alive for when we share these influences with our friends, peers, audiences. We are lucky boys Keith. Beautiful logic throughout this episode. Dare I say as usual? Yes!!!
Great video (as always). I recently picked up an Epi LP after spending my entire life as a diehard Fender (and all things Fender) fan. To say it has revitalized my interest in playing would be a massive understatement. I have picked this thing up every day for multiple weeks now and stumble onto a different riff every time. I know it's not the "real deal" LP but it's the one that finally impressed me. To think, I went to the store looking for a Tele or Jazzmaster and the Les caught the eye of my beautiful wife, thus with a gentle nudge sending me down a whole new path of tonal discovery. Very enjoyable!
Something mystical re even if it's old, it's new to you- See Emily Play, Tele player Syd Barrett, was something I heard as a little boy that shook me. For years, I never heard it again until one day in a Tex Mex bar & restaurant. I quickly asked the Bar Tender- "Who is this? ". When he told me, I could not believe it! I quickly bought the Relics CD, which opened up my head. Hendrix, Barrett, and Beck all pushed the sound / tone barriers. Pre Dark Side Floyd. Magical. Old, latent, and wonderfully new, See Emily Play! Hear Syd Play!
Keith, many thanks for another fantastic video; always a joy to see a new one come out, sit down with a mug of coffee and glass of wine and hear the magic words “hello and welcome to Five Watt World, helping you get the most music from the least gear”. The only problem is that I loved your Jazzmaster video so much I started exploring them, liked them, bought one, and now I have more gear! 😂 Have a great one 😊👍
The SG is essentially a version of the Les Paul. Its original name was Les Paul after all. But, while the strat is derivative of the telecaster, it has a very distinct tone. I have a Deluxe too and feel the same way about the pickups. They are outstanding
Been loving these assorted topic videos just as much as the short history theme. This is becoming my favorite guitar channel. Low key and down to earth, great work guys ya keep me sane during a work day
I don't watch all of your uploaded content but , now that I've (literally) heard you play guitar, I'll be checking out channel daily. I'm sure its not your first rodeo but you sound really great. Turn it up!
50 years ago I bought my forever guitar, a used 1973 Fender Tele Deluxe in mocha brown. I had a guitarist offer it to me that I roadied for in the Rochester NY band Joshua in the early 70’s. Still have it, no release on this one, unmolested, all original, purchased for under $200! Have a 2008 Gibson 59 reissue that is such a pleasure to play and to look at, XXX flame-top, 8.5 lbs, hard to choose my favorite so I’ll keep them both lol. Great video once again!
Love that you’ve dipped your toes into the gold top Deluxe waters. And even more excited for the upcoming Deluxe short history video. I recently bought a new ‘24 gold top deluxe and I find myself grabbing it more than my various custom shops. Mini humbuckers need to be right up there with P-90s when the “most underrated pickup” discussion inevitably comes up.
Nice description of the different sounds of the big 3, Keith! When I was younger, it was described to me that there was a Fender sound, a Gibson sound , and a Rickenbacher sound. All others were variations on those three. I've been a Tele player since 1967, and alternate with a Santana SE.I do have a 335, a Strat, and a 1939 Gibson Super400 with a Charlie Christian Pickup. I'm still active at 72 and enjoy your channel!
I've owned a '65 Strat since junior high school, bought in 1976. I bought a Japanese 12 string acoustic in 1978 and these were my only guitars until just a few years ago. You forgot Rickenbacker. I recently picked up a used 1980 360/12 to add some color to some demos I plan to make. Your comment about playing it enough to get to know it well hit home. It is nothing like any guitar I've owned, but the sound is priceless. And like all the others, "catch" is easy, "release", not so much.
I've heard it said many times, "if it sounds good, it IS good". For guitars, it's not just the sound, it's the feel. If it inspires you to play, it is good. If it inspires you to play in a different way than another guitar, it's even better. I've released guitars in the past in order to make room for ones that are keepers. I'm not on a constant search for the next one, and I don't need a massive collection, but inspiration can come from anywhere, IF you're open to it.
Hi Kieth, I’m a keeper. However I’ve gifted some of the herd to those players that may have fallen on hard times. I’m 75 and play daily. My first real guitar was in 1967 when I bought a Mosrite that I still have today. I’ve got the usual players, Les Paul, Strat, Tele and the like. Years ago, I found a PRS in 1989 that is incredible. Next was a Parker Fly Deluxe. Lastly a Guild x700 jazz box. Now for the piece d’resistsnce, I have a 12 string pedal steel guitar that I’ve played in many gigs. Not sure that I want to cull the herd at this time. Thanks for the motivation though.
The last five minutes had my full attention. I’m the guy who buys to try, then never sells. I’ve only got 4 guitars and they’re all acoustic. The newest of the lot is a 2019 Texan. They get the H-E double hockey sticks played out of them on a regular basis.
Hagstrom all day. They didn't reinvent shapes, but their H Expander truss rod is such a game changer. Their Viking II 67, even the reissue is one of the coolest guitars ever/right now. The Fantomen they released some years ago with Ghost is such a great guitar, for not only metal but blues and jazz, and of course Ultra Max and Swede pummel both Fender and Gibson. Hagstroms are serious players guitars, and classics. Love the channel!
Nice vid Keith. My two guitars came to me. One, an ES295, sitting in the corner of an auction house, no strings, in a cardboard box. Minimum bid $125 got it for me. 1964. The other is a Ric ,4003 bass. 2005. I had outgrown my old Italian short scale with the plastic pickups, walked into a music store one day and they were all standing around an open bass case. One of two blondies in Canada at the time. They let me try it for two nights…that was all it took. I've used them as an amateur gigging on weekends and weddings. Now, at 77 I'm saying…release? Not yet.😁
Great video as always, Keith. I think you’ve hit upon the essence of what has made particular sounds via the medium of the instrument so vital. It’s hard to beat Leo Fender or Gibson’s early efforts to produce mass-market, well-performing and durable tools. In the acoustic world, Martin is arguably the standard with the D-18 (and maybe Gibson). For us bass players, the Fender Precision is probably the desert island tool most of us would prefer (don’t let my my Rickenbacker know that I said that 😉).
Like that Nashville Tele set up and heartily recommend it for anyone wishing to experiment with the tones you can get from a tele without losing too much of what makes it so much fun in the first place.
Guitar playing has been an endless journey and constantly evolving. I started off playing Gibsons and hated Fenders. Now it’s the opposite after 40 years. Always said I’ll never play a Tele and now I love them. Never say never and be forever open to change.
I walked into Carter Vintage Guitars a few years ago to look at these golden age guitars. I was always enamored by Clapton's '64 ES-335 in cherry red. And lo and behold there was a player grade 335 of that same year. I only got to play it for a few minutes but it was like a out of body experience. Like I'd been launched into a dream. I've never really had an experience like that before or since.
Good topic. I just bought one of the $119 Fender Strats from Amazon and I was all prepared to sort of leave it as is and try to get the best from it. Previous to purchasing it, I had watched many, many video reviews about this guitar with the hosts exclaiming that indeed it was pretty good and also good for as a base for modifying it. And guess what? The bass player who comes to my Sunday acoustic jam, who owns 5 Strats, had both a set of Fender locking tuners and a pick guard with all the pickups and electrics plus the S1 switching knob from the Ventura Stratocaster line - and gave it to me for FREE! What a beautiful gift he laid on me! So soon I will go to the guitar tech he knows and get it all attached to my new (inexpensive) Stratocaster and I will replace the white pick guard with a Fender tortoise shell one for my Start with the two tone sunburst finish. All the knobs and pickup covers are off white which should make this guitar look quite beautiful and sound terrific and stay in tune because of the Fender locking tuners! I also own a Squier Thinline Telecaster with a gold finish - given to me for my 50th year as a musician by a relative. The two Le Pauls which I like best are the Epiphone Classic Strat with the double row of exposed black pickups and nothing looks more beautiful to me than a candy apple red Epiphone Les Paul 100. Just something about that red and that cream pick guard, black pickups and gold knobs - wow. I know an expensive guitar, I don't care I love the look of it!!! Got to get a red one....someday... Of course I am one that thinks the 2003 Ford ZX2 is awesome looking too! That front end treatment of the 2003 - yeah! LOL
I'm down to three, a Strat, a Les Paul and a Martin HD28, the Martin being dearest to me. I grew up obsessed with David Gilmour and Pink Floyd as well as CSN&Y, but as I've grown older I find myself leaning more towards Snowy White, Gary Moore, Warren Haynes, Cream, and early John Mayall (of all iterations, but especially Peter Green) among others, and that is strongly in the Gibson wheelhouse. They just happen to be the two electrics that inspire me to play, and there's definitely no wrong answer. If ANY guitar makes you want to pick it up and brings you joy, you've chosen well. :)
I definitely subscribe the " catch and release " paradigm. My way over the "release " resistance is to give it to a upcoming player, student or school with the only caveat is that it cannot be sold or traded away for any kind of profit. It brightens their day, gives them access to good equipment they probably won't be able to afford in the near future and makes me feel good helping a young musician. Try it !! You'll feel good, I promise.
I’ve played a lot of guitars and out of the big three I became a Tele guy. I like to think that there’s something about the Tele that makes it impossible to hide behind. Meaning all your faults (and successes too) will be amplified for all to hear. There’s a certain magic to that. I’ve been really happy with it over the years, but a humbucker guitar and I never seemed to click. A lot of catching and releasing took place due to not caring for Gibsons, PRS, or feeling called by Ibanez. All of that changed this week when my wife bought me a D’Angelico Excel EXL-1 with the floating mini humbucker. This is a never release guitar and it’s so many of the sounds (and more!) that I’ve always wanted to come out of my amp. It’s a solid, beautiful, and smooth as hell music maker that I’m surprised I set down long enough to type this. I say all of this to say, if I didn’t release so many of the guitars I caught I wouldn’t know what I wanted or was looking for, but in doing so I knew the moment I heard this EXL-1 that it was it. Happy playing to all y’all! ✌🏻
I’m all for catch and release. I finally tried a Les Paul and hated it. Then I plugged it into a different amp and it was night and day. Still only have a Tele and a Strat.
@@Last_one_before_I_go Initially plugged it into my Tweed Champ, hated the Les Paul through that. Plugged it into a friend's Plexi-style amp, sounded amazing. Still didn't keep it though. :)
52 Tele. 65 Gibson 335. Vintage American Std Strat. Les Paul Std Premium Plus. My four essentials. After months of playing one guitar, when I pull out one of the others, It's like rediscovering an old friend.
I have a long list of release guitars LOL and a short list of catch and keep. Catch: - My first guitar and affinity squier they have modded inside and out as well as refinished. - My 1979 tokai springy sound st60 - My first Built from scratch guitar from a telecaster kit. Release: - two Stone logo Fernandes guitars - mid-70s spaghetti logo Fernandes Guitar - two mid-80s made in Japan squiers - One mid '80s Fender Strat made in Japan - two mid-90s made in Japan Fender Strats one being a refinished foto flame I did because the original coating was all peeling off of it. - A 1978 Non-catalog Greco with a violin finish I think the ones i keep are for sentimental value 😂
My ONLY catch and NEVER release guitar...my 59 Les Paul Junior that was "damaged" by the late great Doc Kauffman. See Doc did guitar repairs before he passed and this was before the vintage thing really took off. Doc looked at guitars as a working tool. So when I went to him for a fret job he said "Well son I can do a full fret job for XXX dollars or I can sell you this device and you and I can fix it together for 30 bucks." I took option "B" and he sold me this Rube Goldberg "gouge" type device that ran on the south and north of each fret, and depending on force or number of passes -- it would lower the fingerboard by literally removing the wood - raising the fret a bit and then the frets could be lightly sanded to do a quick "fret job". Yes he gouged that old Brazilian rosewood. Guitar plays great to this day. I am NEVER "releasing" this guitar -- how many folks have a Doc Kauffman repaired axe???
I can't help to love all these guitars: LP, Strat, Tele, ES335...and a PRS. There is something about each that stretches my creativity. No person inspired me to get the PRS, but the neck and playability on it is fantastic. The day's mood helps determine what I want to play. But I've always been intrigued with the pro player who only plays "that one" guitar.
I do the catch and release thing. I find I need to get past the ether phase before I know if I genuinely bonded with an instrument. In my case catch and release is also a function of how I shop in the post Covid world. There are fewer shops where I can hang out and try out higher end guitars. So, I accept the risk of online shopping, look for discounts through frequent flier relationships, and sell on consignment with a local shop.
Thanks for the great content and insights as always. I bought a Vox Ultrasonic 7 years ago (prices are crazy high now) ...after owning most of the guitars discussed in this vid. This was based on my love of the Brian Jonestown Massacre. Its different and unique... but I love this guitar and the old school sounds that come from it ...and it stays in tune forever :-)
This video got me thinking about my guitars because I’m definitely a “catch and release” guy. So I thought about every guitar that has passed through my hands since I started playing 5 years ago! It turned I’ve have had 28 guitars! I couldn’t believe it was that many in such a short time and really has me stunned 😳! To top it all most of the electric guitars got upgraded with new pickups. Needless to say I’ve learned a lot about my what I want in a guitar, electric or acoustic. Now I’m sitting at 10 guitars and 2 that I made myself. I will say that I do still have my first electric guitar, a Squire Tele that’s been modified multiple times that now sports a Fender soft V neck and some Planet Tone pickups setup like Joanne Shaw Taylor Tele. I think I’m done with my guitar quest and I’m very pleased with the dozen of guitars I have now.
You know Keith, given a couple mins, I can make most guitars sound so close to others It'd make you second guess. Amp is everything to do with it, IMO. Some pedal support, not much. To me, it always comes down to the neck, period. That's where the love of a guitar lives. Another good one, Bob.
Great SH video. I definitely fall into the LP, Tele and Strat camp. I’m lucky enough to have all three. To my ear they each have a different wonderful sound. Which one I pick up to play depends on my mood and the sound I need at the moment.
I love the way you ended this video. ❤ I agree with that point. I love my 2 squier guitars and I will play them the rest of my life. I don't want to ever give them up. I want to become like you said. I have a CV jaguar and a CV thinline tele with the WRH.
I have owned a lot of instruments, Les Paul Customs, Strats, Parker Flys, Yamaha SG and SA, and I finally found in my only keeper.. its a EBMM L3 BFR in blueberry burst. Its stunning p[lays like a dream and weights the right amount. Everything else has been sold and Im finally in no need to change, although I keep eyeing a Strandberg. Thanks Keith really enjoyed that video!
Keith! I always enjoy all of your videos. I REALLY love the brand/Model specific histories. and I always come away with a different perspective when I watch your "What if?" or "How About?" vids. Keep up the great work!
I collected all of the basic guitars as they are different from each other. Then added ones that stood out like my 65 firebird. Hard to imagine letting them go!
You are 100% correct sir (or I should say Rick and John are). I'm a drummer but I still like to strum on my Yamaha acoustic. For ambiance in the family room I keep an '82 Fender Bullet H2 (Strat style, US made) and a '14, dual humbucker LP Jr. Not exactly correct to an expert’s eye but oh so familiar to everyone else. The only outlier is a Cort bass. I also keep a few "classic look" solid state amps for my buddies to play when we jam ... a Fender Champ 40, a Marshal MG30FX and a Ampeg BA-112. Their guts may not be thoroughbred, but the look is spot on and a very pleasing connection to the pro musicians I admire.
I think the reason ive been stuck in the catch and release phase for the past ten years is that my first guitar hero was tom morello and his "arm the homeless" guitar he put together himself. It was HIS guitar and ive yet to find what makes mine, mine. Until then, the search continues.
Man do I LOVE that first album cover you showed: Layla and Other Love Songs by Derek and the Dominoes (Eric Clapton with Duane Allman). FANTASTIC album, every song's a gem.
My three most used guitars. Fender Strat 1986 Japan 57 re issue bought new in 87. MIM Baja 60s Telecaster. My LP is an ESP LTD ec256p gold top with .... Gibson minihumbuckers put together a few years ago and inspired by Scott Gorham and Pete Townsend . This one I use the most currently. I also own other brands but these 3 are my favourites.
I love Strats so much that I will never part with my first guitar … a Squier Bullet Strat HSS with a rosewood neck. Still play it. Still love it. Thanks for another great video. ✌️
Great discussion! My first guitar was a 1968 LP Custom that I bought in 1974. Obviously I was influenced by Harrison, Clapton, Page, P. Green et al but the Black Custom seemed cool - Robert Fripp, Steve Hackett et al. Then in 1980 I grabbed the FGN Roland Strat that came with the GR300 Guitar Synth I was demonstrating for Roland NZ. So 'guilty as charged' - a Les Paul & a Strat! I have picked up a few others since then but these were pretty much my essential Coke & Pepsi of guitars 😅
I play everything with my one and only guitar : Ibanez GB10 (2002) which is very versatile. I don't say I won't buy another one (probably a PRS SE) but I have been searching , catching and releasing gears for 20 years. It was wonderful, and probably it helped me to live because I was not alone. I have learnt a lot and I know what I love the most.
When I first saw Randy Rhoads when I was a kid playing his white Norlin era Les Paul custom, it was all I ever wanted. I’m got a slamming 1980 custom. Black with nickel hardware. My one and only guitar.
my catch and never release guitar is my first guitar. an ibanez LP copy from 1978. i decided to refinish it and discovered when previous owner had refinished it they painted over the binding. discovered it was double bound like a custom. got to work painting and then scraping the binding like they do in the Gibson factory. i'll never part with it both because its my first guitar and the amount of hours of work i put into it.
This video could not be more timely for me. I’ve decided that I don’t like the Firebird I bought a year ago as much as I love my Strat and 335. I’ve been thinking about getting something different. Thank you for saving me from going down the road of catch and release guitar buying. Maybe what I have is everything I need.
Like you, I have had a PRS and Collings phase. I’m enjoying Frank Brothers and Josh Williams guitars currently, but I always go back to my trusty Strat and Les Paul. There’s an element of kudos in making the old styles work live - the new stuff is a given and will never let you down. Maybe that’s why?
I kind of fell in love with the Telecaster. I was always someone who preferred humbucking guitars so I would never consider a Fender. However one Black Friday, I found a low end Squier on sale, I bought it, and OMG, I get it now, not only is it simple to dial in good tones, but you can play it like an acoustic guitar, in that you can use the same picking and fingering techniques, and yes it sounds different to an acoustic guitar, but now I get why country guys play them, it's not the sound as much as how easy it is to play out of the box. I do like the old school neck, but I am partial to the six saddle bridge as I find it easier to intonate. I also like the way that it can still sound somewhat in tune, at least playable for a while if left alone for weeks on end. I'm sure that means it stands up to the demands of hard gigging.
Chris Buck finally getting some recognition. 👏👏👏 My Top 3 "Professional" Guitars: 1. 1962 Stratocaster - all day long... 2. Gibson Les Paul with P90s instead of humbuckers. 3. The venerable Telecaster of the 1950's. I don't actually own any of these. It's just my personal opinion and what I love.
Chris Buck definitely needs more recognition. I saw his band, Cardinal Black, Monday night (July 15) in Nashville. It was incredible. The best concert I’ve seen this year.
I have 5 guitars: '95 Jackson Reverse Dinky(the everyday) , 05 Epiphone Les Paul Custom(the heavy beast), 96 Ibanez Jem 777 DY(the investment), 2022 Squire Tele Thinline(the tele to tinker with), 90s Ovation acoustic(the finger hurter). I NEEDED each of these guitars at a different point of my life for different reasons. They all get played when the mood, or inspiration; strikes. Some more than others, and they all sound very different.
When i was a kid, I took apart my first electric guitar, and pretty much every one after that. My "holy grail" guitar is the one that inspired me to make my own, the Red Special. I played home built guitars and basses for a good portion of my musical life, partially for the fun of experimenting with sounds in a musical context, and partially because of the elimination of cultural cache from a familiar brand name or body shape. Nowadays, I'm older and lazier, but having been a "tele player" and a "les paul player" and a *relentless* tinkerer, I'm less concerned with the name and the shape, it's a stick with strings- find a way to make it work musically, and somehow, enjoy the process!
Interesting vid, being a bass player, I’ve always gravitated toward a jazz, since 1986. As for guitars, it has always been Frakenstrats as I can never find one off the wall with the right specifications for my feel and taste in music, keep up the great vids
I get this, in the past 5 years I have sold a Gibson ES135, Gibson ES335, '97 Tele Plus and a 1970s Contreras classical guitar. I just wasn't using them enough and had other guitars that covered these spaces more successfully. No regrets at all.
I've had them all!!! From standards to custom shops in Gibson and Fender. Just picked up a 62 re issue Fender Strat made in Japan from 2013 in the "dragon" finish. I have never played anything even close to this in quality, playability and sound! This one will never be a "catch and release" sacrifice!!
Only three guitars matter; Your first one (keep it no matter what!), your best one, and your next one…
I would amend this and say keep your first DECENT guitar, no matter what, lol. My first guitar was an unfathomably terrible Squire/crappy solid state Fender practice amp combo that I got for Christmas when I was 13. The body wasn't even solid wood, it was press board 😂. Tuning stability was horrendous, and the bridge was either off-kilter and/or placed too far forward or back, as it was impossible to intonate. I'm as sentimental as the next guy, but even as a kid I was aware of just how much of a piece of junk it was by the time I had it for a year or so. Saved up lawn mowing money and bought a used Charvel Model 2 as soon as I could... THAT one I still have. But I couldn't get away from that God- awful Strat fast enough.😂😂
My first guitar was a jc penny catalog guitar. I sold it for 50 bucks in a yard sale. Don’t miss it one bit
@@notonyourlife7939 My first was a Sears acoustic. Piece of crap that warped so bad the action was like a half inch high past the 6th fret or so. It finally literally fell apart (glue failed.) Still wish I had it… maybe I’m a hoarder?
@@notonyourlife7939if it’s really crap, hang it up and keep your first good guitar too. Maybe I’m just to sentimental but I still own my first terrible bass guitar
@flying. I recovered my first "terrible" bass from my parent's attic where it had been for decades. After a lengthy restoration by me to get the orange spray paint off that my 14 year old self thought it needed and a fantastic setup from a really great guitar tech I found out it wasn't the bass but me that was terrible back then. The bass is a 1967 Kay 5919, the very last of the American Kay instruments and it plays and sounds quite nice.
“If it’s new to you, it’s new.” That sums it up right there! Perfect!
As others have said... catch is no problem, it's the release that is
the sticking point.
Same here. I have only sold one guitar I ever owned, my first guitar an Electra Tele Thinline copy. I regretted it almost immediately even though it was worth next to nothing.
It's more of an itch and scratch thing..😅
I've been listening to music since the fifties and I never get over the excitement of hearing new and exciting stuff that being created out there. No matter what style there is, there will be someone who will blow the boundries off the current perimeters. I love it all.
Lol the cut from Keith's nice soothing voice to Rick's rantings and ravings! 😂🤘🔥God bless ya both!! Fellow "upstate" New Yorker (Binghamton) here! So awesome to see and hear the homeboys doin good!
I’m close to 70 & have been playing over 55 years. In the 90’s I heard strange sounds coming from my teenage son’s room.
“What is that crap?” I asked. “Nirvana.” He replied. I liked it…it was new to me.
Not gonna lie, Keith. I think that was one of your best videos to date. I don’t know why and I know you have done weeks of work researching videos in the past, so… not to dismiss them, but dang, I just came away feeling good after it was over. Better than normal. And as someone that has come BACK to the hobby and am buying all the guitars I could never of dreamed I could afford in the 80’s, I have indeed come back to all the guitars you mentioned. Strat, Tele, LP… well, and an Explorer. I guess you can’t take the 16y/o kid out of me. Even at 59. Thanks! (Now, back to SG shopping!)
Since the Beatles were the group that introduced me to wanting to be in a band, I always coveted a Gretsch Country Gentleman. My mother worked hard to buy me one and it paid off since I made a lot of money with it. It’s still the guitar that my hands know best.
Like the video: "How many guitars is enough?" I wish I would have seen this one years ago as well.
By the time I saw the first one, I had only been playing for 2 years and in that two years I accumulated 20 guitars.
I got hooked into thinking the more guitars I bought, and the more I spent, the better I'd be.
Like Keith said, when you're buying and shopping, you're not practicing. Practice is the most important thing to do.
Thank God I quit over two years ago. I still have the 20 guitars but letting go is not easy.
Half the guitars I bought were USA made and the other half were USA custom shop or Murphy lab.
If I'm lucky I'll barely get half of what I paid (even though they're in mint condition).
To the younger person watching Keith's videos, pay some attention and learn from him.
Only buy what you absolutely NEED and take it from there.
Listen to keith, he's a good man and he won't steer you wrong.
I always love your videos. I own a cherry sunburst 1976 Deluxe and I love it! The mini humbuckers are fantastic. Gigged all through the 80's with just my Les Paul and my Strat, and that was all I needed to cover anything we were playing.
Some guitars just feel right and sound right seconds after you first play them. Hard to break that bond. But I agree that being open to spend time with strange guitars can lead to unexpected pleasure.
Sums it up for me. I’ve “owned” so many guitars, so many brands/types. At one point I think I had about 13 or so. Mix of Gibson, Fender, Reverend and Rickenbacker. Same goes for amps. So many many amps. Happy to be down to 3 guitars I simply adore and love to play. 2 amps played at the same time. 2 modest pedal boards that never stay the same for long. Never stop playing! 😊
Philosophical video ... nice! The biggest take away for me (that only reinforces out loud what I already knew), is LIVE WITH THE GUITAR long enough to make an educated decision.
I so truly look forward to your posts, they're so nicely polished and narrated. Enlightening too. I have all 3 (+ too many acoustics) in my guitar room - LP Trad, Strat Deluxe and my Tele highway 1. They were all "right place/right time" guitars that worked their way into my heart over the decades. I don't mind getting older, however I do want time to stand still while I play, and play and play....be well.
Getting Old Sucks, and Time is Cruel. It would be so nice if they weren't.
Evolving your playing and musical knowledge into a state of "being" is always the goal. Much easier said than done.
"What I loved about it was I never guessed correctly." Great comment/insight! (And another terrific episode. Thank you.)
We all have to release everything at some point, in the mean time I have to run a dehumidifier anyway. I’m gonna keep collecting.
THIS
I don't think you're wrong at all. In fact, I think the entire channel and your inquisitive approach to discovering what makes guitar a special part of life is essential and important. Thanks, Keith!
Strats are my catch and release, I live next to the Corona factory and find them all the time. I set them up or restore them and pass them on to their new homes.
Do you do short vacation rentals? 😂 May be that could be your theme if you run a business like that! I know I would be very interested when my situation swings in favour of that.
It's a pretty dumpy area Corona (love the perimeter old town circular racetrack remnants, the actual "corona" of corona)- where do you find them? Escaping from the factory to Mexico? 🤡
In your case ... you are improving a product for better use down the line. Sir. I highly approve.
Love your podcasts or whatever it’s called Always learn a lot from ya thanks
Thanks again - I currently own three acoustic guitars and five electrics. I bought four guitars last year and sold one. My pledge is to sell two more before I buy another! In support of Keith's thoughtful and informative work, I can attest that the quality of the Five Watt World t-shirts is First Class - go for it! 👍
very cool anecdote at the end about younger people and never being able to guess their tastes in music.
Yet, we can all appreciate a lot of the same things. Prettttty cool.
fav guitar channel. Great vid! Please continue to make more. Your superpower as a creator is how genuine you are able to make just about every sentence you deliver feel. Great work and keep on going!
When I started playing professionally the sound I wanted in my guitar changed. My Les Paul wasn’t filling that sound I was hearing so I ended up playing a Strat for 20 years. Then a fell in love with a Les Paul Special with P-90,s and that filled the area between the Strat and a Humbucker Les Paul. Now I use a killer Tele that I would never part with. So it’s between those three. I should also mention that I use a Black Panel Deluxe Reverb for all of the guitars. Whatever amp you use it’s 50% of the sound.
Bingo, we focus so much on the guitars, but without a "keeper" amp we might be chasing a tone that no guitar will give us no matter how good it is
@@jasondorsey7110 It’s amazing how the guitars tone changes depending what amp you are using, even between a Fender, Marshall and Vox style circuit. For that matter the difference between Fender models (Champ, Deluxe, Super, Twin and Tweed, Brownface, Blackface).
Check out Tory Slusher. A real musician, and the best guitar player in the world.
I have a 1969 Strat. that has rewound 69' pickups in it and the rest is all original. I have been playing it and still playing it for 50 years ,the rest can come and go but that one has become a part of my soul, and if they forget to bury that guitar with me when my time has come I will haunt the ones responsible forever. Thanks Keith
I happened upon a 1971 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe a few years ago. I originally bought it because of its novelty, but I fell in love with the tone. It dispelled everything bad I heard about 70's Les Pauls.
I was a Gretsch man for years until I acquired a 1971 Gibson Les Paul Custom. The Gretsch 6120's, White Falcons, and Silver Jets came and went, but that Les Paul has stayed by my side for the last 15 years. I'll never part with her! 🎸
I was a big Thin Lizzy fan and still am. Gorham is a big influence. I always chalked up those minibuckers on his LP as a big staple of their tone from Nighlife on. He had this very sweet tone that I just loved.
I bought 72 Deluxe for that very reason! omg is it heavy. Got it from Gruhn played lots, with a refret. Is there a better live album than L & D? And the newer box set confirms very few overdubs if any. In high school I lived in Japan(army brat) and some friends and I got backstage after a show in the Chinatown tour in Tokyo. Spent two hours with the band! We were in heaven. They were great and thanked us for being there and being fans. Have a pic with Phil, his arm over my shoulder that is a cherished possession.
I played a '67 D28 since I was 14, I'm 69 now, I was told repeatedly that "you can play That on a Martin". It took me musically wherever I needed to go. THANKS
A Stratocaster has always been like an old friend to me. There have been others - Ibanez Artist, Godin XTSA, Fender Nashville Tele, Gibson ES-335 and Les Paul Deluxe Goldtop, etc., but the minute I pick up a Strat, the old magic returns.
Another great video man. I use to do the catch and release for about 50 years. I now have 11 keepers. Yes 3 I use mostly 2 Teles and one Strat. I guess 3 is a magic number. Have a good one.
I simply do not wish this journey to ever end! I have a demo taylor with 2 mini humbuckers custom to the taylor all prototype. I will get so close to that thing it will be like a blood transfusion. You are right and Rick is right. I'm going through a Stephen Stills demo album... Roll Tape. I will use a 72 Martin D28-12 freshly reset for my saturation into those songs. It just feel like we've so much to be alive for when we share these influences with our friends, peers, audiences. We are lucky boys Keith. Beautiful logic throughout this episode. Dare I say as usual? Yes!!!
Enjoyed this! I am in agreement with the big three and very fortunate to have each for keeps.
Great video (as always). I recently picked up an Epi LP after spending my entire life as a diehard Fender (and all things Fender) fan. To say it has revitalized my interest in playing would be a massive understatement. I have picked this thing up every day for multiple weeks now and stumble onto a different riff every time. I know it's not the "real deal" LP but it's the one that finally impressed me. To think, I went to the store looking for a Tele or Jazzmaster and the Les caught the eye of my beautiful wife, thus with a gentle nudge sending me down a whole new path of tonal discovery. Very enjoyable!
Something mystical re even if it's old, it's new to you-
See Emily Play, Tele player Syd Barrett, was something I heard as a little boy that shook me. For years, I never heard it again until one day in a Tex Mex bar & restaurant. I quickly asked the Bar Tender- "Who is this? ".
When he told me, I could not believe it! I quickly bought the Relics CD, which opened up my head. Hendrix, Barrett, and Beck all pushed the sound / tone barriers. Pre Dark Side Floyd.
Magical. Old, latent, and wonderfully new, See Emily Play! Hear Syd Play!
Keith, many thanks for another fantastic video; always a joy to see a new one come out, sit down with a mug of coffee and glass of wine and hear the magic words “hello and welcome to Five Watt World, helping you get the most music from the least gear”.
The only problem is that I loved your Jazzmaster video so much I started exploring them, liked them, bought one, and now I have more gear! 😂
Have a great one 😊👍
The SG is essentially a version of the Les Paul. Its original name was Les Paul after all. But, while the strat is derivative of the telecaster, it has a very distinct tone. I have a Deluxe too and feel the same way about the pickups. They are outstanding
Been loving these assorted topic videos just as much as the short history theme. This is becoming my favorite guitar channel. Low key and down to earth, great work guys ya keep me sane during a work day
I don't watch all of your uploaded content but , now that I've (literally) heard you play guitar, I'll be checking out channel daily. I'm sure its not your first rodeo but you sound really great. Turn it up!
50 years ago I bought my forever guitar, a used 1973 Fender Tele Deluxe in mocha brown. I had a guitarist offer it to me that I roadied for in the Rochester NY band Joshua in the early 70’s. Still have it, no release on this one, unmolested, all original, purchased for under $200! Have a 2008 Gibson 59 reissue that is such a pleasure to play and to look at, XXX flame-top, 8.5 lbs, hard to choose my favorite so I’ll keep them both lol. Great video once again!
Love that you’ve dipped your toes into the gold top Deluxe waters. And even more excited for the upcoming Deluxe short history video.
I recently bought a new ‘24 gold top deluxe and I find myself grabbing it more than my various custom shops.
Mini humbuckers need to be right up there with P-90s when the “most underrated pickup” discussion inevitably comes up.
Nice description of the different sounds of the big 3, Keith! When I was younger, it was described to me that there was a Fender sound, a Gibson sound , and a Rickenbacher sound. All others were variations on those three. I've been a Tele player since 1967, and alternate with a Santana SE.I do have a 335, a Strat, and a 1939 Gibson Super400 with a Charlie Christian Pickup. I'm still active at 72 and enjoy your channel!
I have a 67 Ric 365, and it was my first real guitar. It is still the guitar I am most comfortable with because I got to know it. Great Video!
I've owned a '65 Strat since junior high school, bought in 1976. I bought a Japanese 12 string acoustic in 1978 and these were my only guitars until just a few years ago. You forgot Rickenbacker. I recently picked up a used 1980 360/12 to add some color to some demos I plan to make. Your comment about playing it enough to get to know it well hit home. It is nothing like any guitar I've owned, but the sound is priceless. And like all the others, "catch" is easy, "release", not so much.
I've heard it said many times, "if it sounds good, it IS good". For guitars, it's not just the sound, it's the feel. If it inspires you to play, it is good. If it inspires you to play in a different way than another guitar, it's even better. I've released guitars in the past in order to make room for ones that are keepers. I'm not on a constant search for the next one, and I don't need a massive collection, but inspiration can come from anywhere, IF you're open to it.
Hi Kieth, I’m a keeper. However I’ve gifted some of the herd to those players that may have fallen on hard times. I’m 75 and play daily. My first real guitar was in 1967 when I bought a Mosrite that I still have today. I’ve got the usual players, Les Paul, Strat, Tele and the like. Years ago, I found a PRS in 1989 that is incredible. Next was a Parker Fly Deluxe. Lastly a Guild x700 jazz box. Now for the piece d’resistsnce, I have a 12 string pedal steel guitar that I’ve played in many gigs. Not sure that I want to cull the herd at this time. Thanks for the motivation though.
My favorite Telecaster is a Squier Paranormal Nashville Strat. It provides me with my favorite Strat and Tele sounds-and feel.
The last five minutes had my full attention. I’m the guy who buys to try, then never sells. I’ve only got 4 guitars and they’re all acoustic. The newest of the lot is a 2019 Texan. They get the H-E double hockey sticks played out of them on a regular basis.
Hagstrom all day. They didn't reinvent shapes, but their H Expander truss rod is such a game changer. Their Viking II 67, even the reissue is one of the coolest guitars ever/right now. The Fantomen they released some years ago with Ghost is such a great guitar, for not only metal but blues and jazz, and of course Ultra Max and Swede pummel both Fender and Gibson. Hagstroms are serious players guitars, and classics. Love the channel!
Nice vid Keith. My two guitars came to me. One, an ES295, sitting in the corner of an auction house, no strings, in a cardboard box. Minimum bid $125 got it for me. 1964. The other is a Ric ,4003 bass. 2005. I had outgrown my old Italian short scale with the plastic pickups, walked into a music store one day and they were all standing around an open bass case. One of two blondies in Canada at the time.
They let me try it for two nights…that was all it took. I've used them as an amateur gigging on weekends and weddings. Now, at 77 I'm saying…release? Not yet.😁
Great video as always, Keith. I think you’ve hit upon the essence of what has made particular sounds via the medium of the instrument so vital. It’s hard to beat Leo Fender or Gibson’s early efforts to produce mass-market, well-performing and durable tools. In the acoustic world, Martin is arguably the standard with the D-18 (and maybe Gibson).
For us bass players, the Fender Precision is probably the desert island tool most of us would prefer (don’t let my my Rickenbacker know that I said that 😉).
Like that Nashville Tele set up and heartily recommend it for anyone wishing to experiment with the tones you can get from a tele without losing too much of what makes it so much fun in the first place.
Guitar playing has been an endless journey and constantly evolving. I started off playing Gibsons and hated Fenders. Now it’s the opposite after 40 years. Always said I’ll never play a Tele and now I love them. Never say never and be forever open to change.
I walked into Carter Vintage Guitars a few years ago to look at these golden age guitars. I was always enamored by Clapton's '64 ES-335 in cherry red. And lo and behold there was a player grade 335 of that same year. I only got to play it for a few minutes but it was like a out of body experience. Like I'd been launched into a dream. I've never really had an experience like that before or since.
Good topic. I just bought one of the $119 Fender Strats from Amazon and I was all prepared to sort of leave it as is and try to get the best from it. Previous to purchasing it, I had watched many, many video reviews about this guitar with the hosts exclaiming that indeed it was pretty good and also good for as a base for modifying it. And guess what? The bass player who comes to my Sunday acoustic jam, who owns 5 Strats, had both a set of Fender locking tuners and a pick guard with all the pickups and electrics plus the S1 switching knob from the Ventura Stratocaster line - and gave it to me for FREE! What a beautiful gift he laid on me! So soon I will go to the guitar tech he knows and get it all attached to my new (inexpensive) Stratocaster and I will replace the white pick guard with a Fender tortoise shell one for my Start with the two tone sunburst finish. All the knobs and pickup covers are off white which should make this guitar look quite beautiful and sound terrific and stay in tune because of the Fender locking tuners! I also own a Squier Thinline Telecaster with a gold finish - given to me for my 50th year as a musician by a relative. The two Le Pauls which I like best are the Epiphone Classic Strat with the double row of exposed black pickups and nothing looks more beautiful to me than a candy apple red Epiphone Les Paul 100. Just something about that red and that cream pick guard, black pickups and gold knobs - wow. I know an expensive guitar, I don't care I love the look of it!!! Got to get a red one....someday... Of course I am one that thinks the 2003 Ford ZX2 is awesome looking too! That front end treatment of the 2003 - yeah! LOL
I'm down to three, a Strat, a Les Paul and a Martin HD28, the Martin being dearest to me. I grew up obsessed with David Gilmour and Pink Floyd as well as CSN&Y, but as I've grown older I find myself leaning more towards Snowy White, Gary Moore, Warren Haynes, Cream, and early John Mayall (of all iterations, but especially Peter Green) among others, and that is strongly in the Gibson wheelhouse. They just happen to be the two electrics that inspire me to play, and there's definitely no wrong answer. If ANY guitar makes you want to pick it up and brings you joy, you've chosen well. :)
I definitely subscribe the " catch and release " paradigm.
My way over the "release " resistance is to give it to a upcoming player, student or school with the only caveat is that it cannot be sold or traded away for any kind of profit.
It brightens their day, gives them access to good equipment they probably won't be able to afford in the near future and makes me feel good helping a young musician.
Try it !! You'll feel good, I promise.
I’ve played a lot of guitars and out of the big three I became a Tele guy. I like to think that there’s something about the Tele that makes it impossible to hide behind. Meaning all your faults (and successes too) will be amplified for all to hear. There’s a certain magic to that.
I’ve been really happy with it over the years, but a humbucker guitar and I never seemed to click. A lot of catching and releasing took place due to not caring for Gibsons, PRS, or feeling called by Ibanez. All of that changed this week when my wife bought me a D’Angelico Excel EXL-1 with the floating mini humbucker. This is a never release guitar and it’s so many of the sounds (and more!) that I’ve always wanted to come out of my amp. It’s a solid, beautiful, and smooth as hell music maker that I’m surprised I set down long enough to type this.
I say all of this to say, if I didn’t release so many of the guitars I caught I wouldn’t know what I wanted or was looking for, but in doing so I knew the moment I heard this EXL-1 that it was it.
Happy playing to all y’all! ✌🏻
I’m all for catch and release. I finally tried a Les Paul and hated it. Then I plugged it into a different amp and it was night and day. Still only have a Tele and a Strat.
Which amp was that?
@@Last_one_before_I_go Initially plugged it into my Tweed Champ, hated the Les Paul through that. Plugged it into a friend's Plexi-style amp, sounded amazing. Still didn't keep it though. :)
Enjoyed this and thank you.
1 Les Paul
2 Telecaster
3 Archtops
Are the big three for me.
52 Tele. 65 Gibson 335. Vintage American Std Strat. Les Paul Std Premium Plus. My four essentials. After months of playing one guitar, when I pull out one of the others, It's like rediscovering an old friend.
What a fantastic video have a wonderful weekend Keith ❤😊
I have a long list of release guitars LOL and a short list of catch and keep.
Catch:
- My first guitar and affinity squier they have modded inside and out as well as refinished.
- My 1979 tokai springy sound st60
- My first Built from scratch guitar from a telecaster kit.
Release:
- two Stone logo Fernandes guitars
- mid-70s spaghetti logo Fernandes Guitar
- two mid-80s made in Japan squiers
- One mid '80s Fender Strat made in Japan
- two mid-90s made in Japan Fender Strats one being a refinished foto flame I did because the original coating was all peeling off of it.
- A 1978 Non-catalog Greco with a violin finish
I think the ones i keep are for sentimental value 😂
I'm a bit crazy, I have 20+ Les Pauls and my 2 "Deluxes" 78 & 83 are my most used. The mini hums are just perfect.
I bought a 1974 Les Paul Deluxe new, I regret selling in 1988? It spent a lot of it time playing in the Bars.
My ONLY catch and NEVER release guitar...my 59 Les Paul Junior that was "damaged" by the late great Doc Kauffman. See Doc did guitar repairs before he passed and this was before the vintage thing really took off. Doc looked at guitars as a working tool. So when I went to him for a fret job he said "Well son I can do a full fret job for XXX dollars or I can sell you this device and you and I can fix it together for 30 bucks." I took option "B" and he sold me this Rube Goldberg "gouge" type device that ran on the south and north of each fret, and depending on force or number of passes -- it would lower the fingerboard by literally removing the wood - raising the fret a bit and then the frets could be lightly sanded to do a quick "fret job". Yes he gouged that old Brazilian rosewood. Guitar plays great to this day. I am NEVER "releasing" this guitar -- how many folks have a Doc Kauffman repaired axe???
Freaking incredible story, I totally agree, never let it go
I can't help to love all these guitars: LP, Strat, Tele, ES335...and a PRS. There is something about each that stretches my creativity. No person inspired me to get the PRS, but the neck and playability on it is fantastic. The day's mood helps determine what I want to play. But I've always been intrigued with the pro player who only plays "that one" guitar.
I do the catch and release thing. I find I need to get past the ether phase before I know if I genuinely bonded with an instrument. In my case catch and release is also a function of how I shop in the post Covid world. There are fewer shops where I can hang out and try out higher end guitars. So, I accept the risk of online shopping, look for discounts through frequent flier relationships, and sell on consignment with a local shop.
Thanks for the great content and insights as always. I bought a Vox Ultrasonic 7 years ago (prices are crazy high now) ...after owning most of the guitars discussed in this vid. This was based on my love of the Brian Jonestown Massacre. Its different and unique... but I love this guitar and the old school sounds that come from it ...and it stays in tune forever :-)
This video got me thinking about my guitars because I’m definitely a “catch and release” guy. So I thought about every guitar that has passed through my hands since I started playing 5 years ago! It turned I’ve have had 28 guitars! I couldn’t believe it was that many in such a short time and really has me stunned 😳! To top it all most of the electric guitars got upgraded with new pickups. Needless to say I’ve learned a lot about my what I want in a guitar, electric or acoustic. Now I’m sitting at 10 guitars and 2 that I made myself. I will say that I do still have my first electric guitar, a Squire Tele that’s been modified multiple times that now sports a Fender soft V neck and some Planet Tone pickups setup like Joanne Shaw Taylor Tele. I think I’m done with my guitar quest and I’m very pleased with the dozen of guitars I have now.
I’ve had my SG for about 3 or 4 years and only restrung it once, I’ve been meaning to get into it lately, that’s a whole journey right there.
You know Keith, given a couple mins, I can make most guitars sound so close to others It'd make you second guess. Amp is everything to do with it, IMO. Some pedal support, not much. To me, it always comes down to the neck, period. That's where the love of a guitar lives. Another good one, Bob.
Great SH video. I definitely fall into the LP, Tele and Strat camp. I’m lucky enough to have all three. To my ear they each have a different wonderful sound. Which one I pick up to play depends on my mood and the sound I need at the moment.
I love the way you ended this video. ❤ I agree with that point. I love my 2 squier guitars and I will play them the rest of my life. I don't want to ever give them up. I want to become like you said. I have a CV jaguar and a CV thinline tele with the WRH.
I have owned a lot of instruments, Les Paul Customs, Strats, Parker Flys, Yamaha SG and SA, and I finally found in my only keeper.. its a EBMM L3 BFR in blueberry burst. Its stunning p[lays like a dream and weights the right amount. Everything else has been sold and Im finally in no need to change, although I keep eyeing a Strandberg. Thanks Keith really enjoyed that video!
Keith!
I always enjoy all of your videos. I REALLY love the brand/Model specific histories. and I always come away with a different perspective when I watch your "What if?" or "How About?" vids.
Keep up the great work!
I collected all of the basic guitars as they are different from each other. Then added ones that stood out like my 65 firebird. Hard to imagine letting them go!
You are 100% correct sir (or I should say Rick and John are). I'm a drummer but I still like to strum on my Yamaha acoustic. For ambiance in the family room I keep an '82 Fender Bullet H2 (Strat style, US made) and a '14, dual humbucker LP Jr. Not exactly correct to an expert’s eye but oh so familiar to everyone else. The only outlier is a Cort bass. I also keep a few "classic look" solid state amps for my buddies to play when we jam ... a Fender Champ 40, a Marshal MG30FX and a Ampeg BA-112. Their guts may not be thoroughbred, but the look is spot on and a very pleasing connection to the pro musicians I admire.
I think the reason ive been stuck in the catch and release phase for the past ten years is that my first guitar hero was tom morello and his "arm the homeless" guitar he put together himself. It was HIS guitar and ive yet to find what makes mine, mine. Until then, the search continues.
Man do I LOVE that first album cover you showed: Layla and Other Love Songs by Derek and the Dominoes (Eric Clapton with Duane Allman). FANTASTIC album, every song's a gem.
Thanks for that , enjoyed the idea and subject , good work.
That new tele of yours looks amazing.
Jedd Hughes is The Man : great songwriter and amazing player.
My catch & release record w/ guitars , motorcycles & women is checkered. PRS custom 22 semi hollow’s a do-it-all.
My three most used guitars.
Fender Strat 1986 Japan 57 re issue bought new in 87.
MIM Baja 60s Telecaster.
My LP is an ESP LTD ec256p gold top with .... Gibson minihumbuckers put together a few years ago and inspired by Scott Gorham and Pete Townsend . This one I use the most currently. I also own other brands but these 3 are my favourites.
❤thanks buddy just perfect😊
I love Strats so much that I will never part with my first guitar … a Squier Bullet Strat HSS with a rosewood neck. Still play it. Still love it. Thanks for another great video. ✌️
Great discussion! My first guitar was a 1968 LP Custom that I bought in 1974. Obviously I was influenced by Harrison, Clapton, Page, P. Green et al but the Black Custom seemed cool - Robert Fripp, Steve Hackett et al. Then in 1980 I grabbed the FGN Roland Strat that came with the GR300 Guitar Synth I was demonstrating for Roland NZ. So 'guilty as charged' - a Les Paul & a Strat! I have picked up a few others since then but these were pretty much my essential Coke & Pepsi of guitars 😅
I play everything with my one and only guitar : Ibanez GB10 (2002) which is very versatile. I don't say I won't buy another one (probably a PRS SE) but I have been searching , catching and releasing gears for 20 years. It was wonderful, and probably it helped me to live because I was not alone. I have learnt a lot and I know what I love the most.
Keith - your line at 10:58 makes this your best video to date
When I first saw Randy Rhoads when I was a kid playing his white Norlin era Les Paul custom, it was all I ever wanted. I’m got a slamming 1980 custom. Black with nickel hardware. My one and only guitar.
my catch and never release guitar is my first guitar. an ibanez LP copy from 1978. i decided to refinish it and discovered when previous owner had refinished it they painted over the binding. discovered it was double bound like a custom. got to work painting and then scraping the binding like they do in the Gibson factory. i'll never part with it both because its my first guitar and the amount of hours of work i put into it.
This video could not be more timely for me. I’ve decided that I don’t like the Firebird I bought a year ago as much as I love my Strat and 335. I’ve been thinking about getting something different. Thank you for saving me from going down the road of catch and release guitar buying. Maybe what I have is everything I need.
I think you're correct. I love my classics. I've also dabbled with the EB St. Vincent stuff which plays really well. For bass....I just love my J.
Like you, I have had a PRS and Collings phase. I’m enjoying Frank Brothers and Josh Williams guitars currently, but I always go back to my trusty Strat and Les Paul. There’s an element of kudos in making the old styles work live - the new stuff is a given and will never let you down. Maybe that’s why?
I kind of fell in love with the Telecaster. I was always someone who preferred humbucking guitars so I would never consider a Fender. However one Black Friday, I found a low end Squier on sale, I bought it, and OMG, I get it now, not only is it simple to dial in good tones, but you can play it like an acoustic guitar, in that you can use the same picking and fingering techniques, and yes it sounds different to an acoustic guitar, but now I get why country guys play them, it's not the sound as much as how easy it is to play out of the box.
I do like the old school neck, but I am partial to the six saddle bridge as I find it easier to intonate. I also like the way that it can still sound somewhat in tune, at least playable for a while if left alone for weeks on end. I'm sure that means it stands up to the demands of hard gigging.
Chris Buck finally getting some recognition. 👏👏👏
My Top 3 "Professional" Guitars:
1. 1962 Stratocaster - all day long...
2. Gibson Les Paul with P90s instead of humbuckers.
3. The venerable Telecaster of the 1950's.
I don't actually own any of these. It's just my personal opinion and what I love.
Chris Buck definitely needs more recognition.
I saw his band, Cardinal Black, Monday night (July 15) in Nashville. It was incredible. The best concert I’ve seen this year.
I have 5 guitars: '95 Jackson Reverse Dinky(the everyday) , 05 Epiphone Les Paul Custom(the heavy beast), 96 Ibanez Jem 777 DY(the investment), 2022 Squire Tele Thinline(the tele to tinker with), 90s Ovation acoustic(the finger hurter). I NEEDED each of these guitars at a different point of my life for different reasons. They all get played when the mood, or inspiration; strikes. Some more than others, and they all sound very different.
When i was a kid, I took apart my first electric guitar, and pretty much every one after that. My "holy grail" guitar is the one that inspired me to make my own, the Red Special. I played home built guitars and basses for a good portion of my musical life, partially for the fun of experimenting with sounds in a musical context, and partially because of the elimination of cultural cache from a familiar brand name or body shape.
Nowadays, I'm older and lazier, but having been a "tele player" and a "les paul player" and a *relentless* tinkerer, I'm less concerned with the name and the shape, it's a stick with strings- find a way to make it work musically, and somehow, enjoy the process!
Interesting vid, being a bass player, I’ve always gravitated toward a jazz, since 1986.
As for guitars, it has always been Frakenstrats as I can never find one off the wall with the right specifications for my feel and taste in music, keep up the great vids
Great video! I've definitely let things go too early in the past. Currently learning to play a Strat, it's weird coming from the LP but I like it.
I get this, in the past 5 years I have sold a Gibson ES135, Gibson ES335, '97 Tele Plus and a 1970s Contreras classical guitar. I just wasn't using them enough and had other guitars that covered these spaces more successfully. No regrets at all.
I've had them all!!! From standards to custom shops in Gibson and Fender. Just picked up a 62 re issue Fender Strat made in Japan from 2013 in the "dragon" finish. I have never played anything even close to this in quality, playability and sound! This one will never be a "catch and release" sacrifice!!