I was reading the Online vs. IRL thread and realized that I haven't actually bought a guitar for almost a decade. I own fifteen or twenty, including Fenders and Gibsons and a PRS, and so on. But I haven't touched any of them for at least five years. Except for my Number One.
It's a Hagstrom XL-5. I bought it from Amazon for $250 in 2010 when there was a huge clearance going on. Killer deal. Basswood body, maple neck with resinator fretboard, which is a composite that emulates ebony. Has the skinniest neck of all my axes, and it's faster than I am after I satined the back of the neck with 0000 sandpaper. Neck is straight and narrow, with a flat radius, which I like. The humbuckers can be coil-tapped and both they and the single-coils have a neutral but clear and articulate sound, very nice plugged straight into the amp, but perfect for modification with pedals or VSTs. Excellent sustain, easy to get pinch harmonics. High level of workmanship -- parts were made in China with good QC, then assembled and tested in Canada.
I bonded with it immediately. It just feels perfectly right. Like all Number Ones, it's a joy for me to play it.
Your Number One (and why)?
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- KVRAF
- 1724 posts since 31 Dec, 2004 from betwixt
Wow Hagstrom looking fine!
Nice axe
My "Number One" (of three) is a Suhr Modern Satin. It's only "Number One" because... I'm too lazy to sell it. Really. I don't really like the way the pickups sound half the time, and I can't get the action as low as I'd like without buzz. My former "Number One" is a 1994 Parker Fly - hard tail. I still play it from time to time because FFS it is the fastest neck, most stable tuning I've ever had the joy of playing.
LOL I guess the Parker is still "Number ONe" - I just spend more time on the Suhr because of some sadistic self-abuse streak or something (and it has a pretty stable Floyd).
Nice axe
My "Number One" (of three) is a Suhr Modern Satin. It's only "Number One" because... I'm too lazy to sell it. Really. I don't really like the way the pickups sound half the time, and I can't get the action as low as I'd like without buzz. My former "Number One" is a 1994 Parker Fly - hard tail. I still play it from time to time because FFS it is the fastest neck, most stable tuning I've ever had the joy of playing.
LOL I guess the Parker is still "Number ONe" - I just spend more time on the Suhr because of some sadistic self-abuse streak or something (and it has a pretty stable Floyd).
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- KVRAF
- 4352 posts since 30 Aug, 2012 from Sweden
Well I got two number one. 
The first one a Schecter, think it's called C1 BlackJack with white bindings. I bought it second hand 12 years ago and it was love at first si....I mean first sound. 
The neck felt so right. I've got smaller hands and I'm very picky when it comes to guitar necks that needs to feel comfortable for my hands. I have upgraded it with Graph Tech nut since those older Schecters came with just a plastic nut back then. And eventually swapped out the bridge with a Graph Tech bridge and damn I have had so many guitars thru the years and no other guitar without floating trem has been so solid and kept the guitar in tune so long. A Lundgren M6 in the bridge and a Seymour Duncan Sentinent in the neck.
The other one is ESP Horizon NT II. Bought it second hand it had been used so little it was just like a brand new one. I had and Evertune bridge installed about 6 years ago. Just play and no worry about tuning. A Lundgren M6 set, bridge and neck pickup. Yes so great pickups for high gain.
The first one a Schecter, think it's called C1 BlackJack with white bindings. I bought it second hand 12 years ago and it was love at first si....I mean first sound. The neck felt so right. I've got smaller hands and I'm very picky when it comes to guitar necks that needs to feel comfortable for my hands. I have upgraded it with Graph Tech nut since those older Schecters came with just a plastic nut back then. And eventually swapped out the bridge with a Graph Tech bridge and damn I have had so many guitars thru the years and no other guitar without floating trem has been so solid and kept the guitar in tune so long. A Lundgren M6 in the bridge and a Seymour Duncan Sentinent in the neck. The other one is ESP Horizon NT II. Bought it second hand it had been used so little it was just like a brand new one. I had and Evertune bridge installed about 6 years ago. Just play and no worry about tuning. A Lundgren M6 set, bridge and neck pickup. Yes so great pickups for high gain.
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- addled muppet weed
- 105800 posts since 26 Jan, 2003 from through the looking glass
my sg, epiphone. but got it when i was 12, we been through a lot together me n her.
shes just a little "heavy" these days so i spend more time on the dan electro (no wood in sight, very light) for my back.
but the sg plays like silk in my hands, i know every nook and cranny of her sleek body, and she sings like an angel when i add toys
shes just a little "heavy" these days so i spend more time on the dan electro (no wood in sight, very light) for my back.
but the sg plays like silk in my hands, i know every nook and cranny of her sleek body, and she sings like an angel when i add toys
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- KVRAF
- 11001 posts since 15 Apr, 2019 from Nowhere
It depends, I change my mind quite often on which one I’ll play. For a while it’s been my Gretch Bobtail resonator
I keep it tuned to open D, and alternate playing picking style or slide.
I keep it tuned to open D, and alternate playing picking style or slide.
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- KVRAF
- 5950 posts since 16 Aug, 2017 from UK
Circa 2004 Tokai Love Rock MIK with Seymour Duncan Hot rodded humbucker set, pull/push serial/parallel wiring.
Became my main gigging guitar, no hassle with string breakage, never broke one gigging (Rotosound yellows).
After a recent fret fettle, it now back to it's best, but the darn action is too low, I like to feel some resistance.
Number 1, because I can rely on it, it covers most styles and it's not too heavy.
Became my main gigging guitar, no hassle with string breakage, never broke one gigging (Rotosound yellows).
After a recent fret fettle, it now back to it's best, but the darn action is too low, I like to feel some resistance.
Number 1, because I can rely on it, it covers most styles and it's not too heavy.
Last edited by The Noodlist on Sat Nov 09, 2019 1:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Is materialism devouring your musical output? 
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- Boss Lovin' DR
- 12620 posts since 15 Mar, 2002 from the grimness of yorkshire
Pfft. What you want is a resenter.
One imagines it being owned by some Brexiter, who got confused...
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- KVRAF
- 2744 posts since 5 Dec, 2003 from Harlan's World
My Ernie Ball Music Man Silhouette ca 1994 is my #1. Love it so much. My second #1 is a 1988 Ibanez 540S, bought for peanuts off ebay from someone who thought it was broken since the volume knob was loose. My wish-it-was-#1 is a 1983 Yamaha SG2000S which I sold because it was too heavy. OMG how stupid was that.
But my «real» #1 is a luthier built classical guitar custom built for me by a local luthier. I have a Bachelor in Music Performance on classical guitar from way back in the stone ages.
But my «real» #1 is a luthier built classical guitar custom built for me by a local luthier. I have a Bachelor in Music Performance on classical guitar from way back in the stone ages.
My Soundcloud Too many pieces of music finish far too long after the end. - Stravinsky
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- Boss Lovin' DR
- 12620 posts since 15 Mar, 2002 from the grimness of yorkshire
Less of the commodity fetishism. 
They're just tools for songwriting, so I'd probably say the Variax as it covers a lot of things and can do some wacky stuff with tunings etc. In jangle bastard mode at the moment though so probably actually using the Revelation 12 string jaaaaaaag more than anything else, and a Lindo Zodiax 12 string acoustic. I can feel some righteous socialist ire coming on though, so sooner or later it will be back to the six strings for something heavy. 
They're just tools for songwriting, so I'd probably say the Variax as it covers a lot of things and can do some wacky stuff with tunings etc. In jangle bastard mode at the moment though so probably actually using the Revelation 12 string jaaaaaaag more than anything else, and a Lindo Zodiax 12 string acoustic. I can feel some righteous socialist ire coming on though, so sooner or later it will be back to the six strings for something heavy. -
Karbon L. Forms Karbon L. Forms https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=29033
- KVRian
- 1372 posts since 10 Jun, 2004 from Inverness, Scotland
My Charvel Surfcaster. Chimey as f**k and the neck/fretboard is perfect. For me. One of the first to enter the UK. Pic from wiki, but it's identical.
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"Hell is other People" J.P.Sartre
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"Hell is other People" J.P.Sartre
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an-electric-heart an-electric-heart https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=182734 - KVRAF
- 2505 posts since 13 Jun, 2008 from Napier,New Zealand
I've got 4 electric guitars; a Michael Dolsey SG Jr (that's as good as a Gibson SG), a '90s Ibanez RG (that needs some work), a "Chibson" that I had custom built (but it's proper rubbish, so I only use it music videos), but my "go to" that I use live is actually a cheap Ibanez RG Gio, nothing wrong with it. I dig Ibanez, but hate the Floyd Rose system, so the cheap ones are actually the way to go as far as Ibanez goes... for me anyway.
Oh, and I'm left-handed, so picking's slim at the best of times. Last time I was browsing at guitars in my city, there were 2 left handed electric guitars... out of about 300 total guitars between my city's two instrument shops. There's a disproportionately low amount available... and it sucks.
Oh, and I'm left-handed, so picking's slim at the best of times. Last time I was browsing at guitars in my city, there were 2 left handed electric guitars... out of about 300 total guitars between my city's two instrument shops. There's a disproportionately low amount available... and it sucks.
Last edited by an-electric-heart on Wed Oct 16, 2019 6:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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- KVRian
- 545 posts since 9 Oct, 2006
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U N I S O N : shoegaze/electronic wall of sound with heavenly voice
https://soundcloud.com/weareunison / https://www.facebook.com/unison666 / https://weareunison.com/
https://soundcloud.com/weareunison / https://www.facebook.com/unison666 / https://weareunison.com/
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- Boss Lovin' DR
- 12620 posts since 15 Mar, 2002 from the grimness of yorkshire
Needs more Fiesta Red.
