Multiple Guitars owners - how do you which one to play?

[roadbiker]

Greetings and Happy New Year!

For all of you players with multiple guitars, how do you decide which one to pick up and play? There are obvious reasons if one is a cutaway or a 12 string, or maybe even a dreadnought. But in general, why do you pick up one guitar over another? Do you have them strung differently? Alternate tunings? Acoustic/Electric? Is one better for fingerstyle and another better for strumming or flatpicking? Is the sound so different from one to the other that you make your selection based on the song or style you are playing? Do you tend to play one more often than the others? Why? Why do you pick up your 414 instead of your 314 or 815? Why do you play your Taylor instead of your Martin or Gibson? I have three acoustics and I can, for the most part, play anything (within my capbility, that is) on all three of them.

Thanks, Jim

[not darth]

Well, I only actually own one right now, but the other in my possession is on long term loan from my brother.
That one is kept in open-D, so when I want that, its the one I pick up.

I plan to get a 12-fret in the future, and that one will be the primary when I want to play fingerstyle, and the dread will probably see less use as right now it is my all-around guitar but will turn into the picker/strummer once I get a 12-fret.
-K

[Gary0319]

Each of my guitars has it's own tonal "personality". I simply pick the one that matches my mood. Sometimes mellow, sometimes bluesy, etc.

Gary

[e8n]

Each of my guitars has it's own tonal "personality". I simply pick the one that matches my mood. Sometimes mellow, sometimes bluesy, etc.

Gary

+1 on this.  I also have one or two that are tuned differently.  If I want to play songs in those tunings I grab them.

-Dave

[solosdad]

I keep my Yamaha out on a stand with a Damp-it cover so that when I'm walking by it, if the impulse strikes me I sit down and play for a few minutes. My Taylor and Martin stay in their cases and I rotate regularly playing all three. I have to say that my Martin OM 15 has the most comfortable string spacing with 2 1/4 at the saddle. Just a fraction more room than my Taylor, but it's noticeable. I do like playing my Taylor on the Fishman Loudbox Mini my wife gave me for my birthday recently.

[Saxacat]

My silent guitar and APX 500 are left out all the time on stands. I play the silent if I'm up during the night and someone is sleeping upstairs. I play the APX if I'm just having a quick few minutes playing and don't have time to get one of my 'good' guitars out of their cases. When I'm in the house on my own (not allowed to play when the wife is at home) I take out the LL16 and go through the stuff I need to work on for my guitar class, as that is the guitar I take to class. After practicing on the LL16 I will then take out the Taylor and play that - saving the best to last.

[DennisG]

Hardly touched the 814 since I bought the 12-fret because it just produces such beautiful, warm sound.   I keep the GS Mini on a stand, so I grab that periodically when I need a quick fix.

[cotten]

My decision is sometimes based on geography. I have a 914 that lives in my office, and a 612c Cotten that lives at home. I pick up the one at hand. My new McKnight travels with me a lot, and often it's the one I grab first, but then I still reach for my old Takamine 132 classical at times, too. I've even been known to reach for my old Epiphone 12-string when I need that sound, though it's a bear to play, and I really don't enjoy it's sound very much. One of these days, I'd like to own a nice 355, or even the cool Martin 12-string that I played the other day. But that day is not likely to arrive any time soon. I'm not unhappy about that. Too blessed to stress!

cotten

[cjd-player]

For me it is a combination of reasons.   I play primarily solo fingerstyle music and my BTO GC is my No. 1.  But I found that I like DADGAD tuning better on the 312ce because it is dryer with less sustain.  Because of some left hand issues I've switched to the short-scale Grand Concerts, but I've kept my 814ce because it is such a fabulous guitar.   I now use it as a strumming guitar but I'm just exploring Orkney tuning and I'm using the 814ce for that.  The string lower tension of that tuning helps the playability, and the standard scale length handles the low C better - so it's a win-win.  It's a good motivation to learn and compose more Orkney music.

[InsideOut]

In the order of how often I play them.

• Parts-Caster (Mexi-body, solid rosewood neck-slight V carve, locking tuners, stainless steel frets-pleked, PRS McCarty bass and treble pickups and a vintage-rail middle pickup, giving 12 pickup selections)
• Brass Body Resonator (used for slide)
• Yamaha 1/2-size Classical guitar
• Taylor 714-CE
• SG Copy (Walnut body maple neck with one single-coil used for slide)
• Cocobolo B/S, Cedar Top Classical
• Electric 12-string (Poplar body, mystery neck)
• Squire Jazz Bass

I go through long phases of playing electric or acoustic.  Right now I am on an electric kick that has lasted about five years.  The previous five years I played mainly acoustic.  When I am in an acoustic phase, my go-to will be the 714-CE.  In any given phase, I will randomly pick up one of the other guitars, sometimes out of recognition that I haven't played them in a while.  I notice that I tend to play the acoustics more often when I am checking the humidity on them.  The parts-caster that I use most now is one that is just hanging next to where I normally sit, so it is the one I grab.  The resonator is next to it, so it is the second most picked up.  The 1/2 size classical is in my office at work, so that is how it works into the rotation so high in the list.  Before, I had more guitars, so it was more difficult to choose.  At one time, I had an Ibanez George Benson model that was a dream to play unplugged, but was difficult to get a good tone out of plugged in.  That was often my go-to because it was just so fun to play.  What I do like is that each time I grab a different guitar, songs that I haven't thought about for a long time come right back.  I definitely have different guitars for different songs, but I hardly go for a guitar to play a particular song.  I find that the guitars influence the direction of what I play more than anything.  It is kind of a surprise to see what happens.  Maybe I should get a spinner like on a game board to mix things up more often.

[gdeleo]

If I am going to play indoors I use my BTO, if I go outdoors I use my BBT.  I guess I just don't anything to happen with my BTO.

[barefooter]

Hey Jim,

For me, it is sometimes to decide which one to pick up when looking at the acoustics.  In addition to my 814ce, I have an Alvarez and an old Sigma.  I want to play each as much as I can, but sometime I neglect one here and there.  This past Friday evening, I went to a local Jam and started to leave out from the home with the 814ce.  I stopped and picked up the case with the Alvarez in it and off we went.  I had not played it for at least 2 - 3 months.  I am glad I took it along.  Two weeks earlier, I took the Sigma.  If I play in Church, I always take the 814ce.

At home, I usually switch between my 814 and the T5.  The T5 has been active this past week.  I hae been trying to remember songs from the late 60's adn 70's that I played when in a rock band.

I told my wife the other day I was thinking about giving the Alvarey to my grandson.  He has been playing electric guitar for a few years, but has expressed an interest in the acoustic side.

[ctkarslake]

I leave all my acoustics out within reach so I'm constantly A-B-ing them with the same song.  It's always interesting to me to hear a 6 string, then quickly change to 12 strings to hear the amazing difference.  Of course not all songs lend themselves to a 12 so a 6 is within reach for the more complicated songs.

[Scriptor]

I keep my 114ce out and available and mostly tuned in double drop D ... it tends to be my take-anywhere, ready-access guitar when I only have a few minutes (I also have a classical and an old Takamine that stay beside the piano for quick access and play when the kids drop by) ... I'll play electric (Tele and Les Paul) when the mood strikes and I play my tenor guitar almost daily (it is so much fun) ... when I have more time and want more satisfying acoustic tone, I go for my 414ce Ltd (Sitka/Walnut) and/or my 814ce ... both of these hit the spot ... which one of these I go for depends on mood ... the rosewood of the 814 is better when I need those overtones but the 414 is best when I want a more woody tone with more mid-range.  When I have a chance to play out, it's not easy to decide whether to take the 814 or the 414 but for the most part the versatility of the 814 will win out and it has the edge for amplified sound ...

[Fellrunner]

My 712 and 812 guitars are pretty similar.  The 812 was a very generos Christmas present from my wife to replace my knackered 25 year old Ovation which was my backup before it became almost unplayable.  The 812 is a little mellower and richer sounding.  I am trying to use both roughly equally when practicing (although when I really just want to play for the sheer pleasure of it the 812 wins every time).  The 712 is my gigging guitar (I play in a large ageing rock band!) and the 812 is my "sunday best" one (in particular for worship leading) where the risk of damage is minimal.