Does The Search Ever End? | Bonding With Your Guitar | Kris & Guillaume 

Great discussion.🔥 I have 16 guitars and I just love collecting great guitars for the different tone and "feel" each provide. My home or "go to guitar" would be my Suhr Modern Pro because it's the most versatile and can handle all the songs and specific. But For me, I buy guitars according to the music or taste at the moment and based according whose artist is the playing the song I'm playing to fully capture the "Vibes" and the nostalgia. I have a rack/guitar stand for easy access depending on the song or mood. For example, if I want to play Gun's and Roses "Sweet Child o' Mine" or Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" - I'll grab my 1959 Sunburst Gibson Les Paul. If I want to play some Hendrix, Yngwie licks or RCHP John Frusciante songs, - there's my trusted Custom Shop Fender Strat or the Fender YJM scalloped Strat.....If I want to play Metallica, Pantera and Megadeth - I have an ESP Kirk Hammet with Floyd Rose that can handle Thrash and since there's some solo that goes up to 24 frets, a superstrat is a must. There's also an acoustic guitar if needed to play "acoustic songs" like "More than Words" or "Tears in Heaven". And finally, If you want to learn Steve Vai, Satch songs or noodle some Paul Gilbert licks - There's my trusted Ibanez Prestige or JEM Vai to handle them. That's what I mean with capturing the "vibes". You are feeling how the artist play by playing their respective songs on their respective instrument. So it's actually helpful to have many guitars (only if your budget permits and it really makes you happy or GAS attacks🤭) But you can just buy a versatile guitar that's perfectly setup and that will handle the rest of what you want to play and learn. Cheers! 😉🤘

A guitar is an inanimate object. It doesn't care whether it's your favourite. It won't sulk if you don't play it as much as another one. It won't play any better or worse whether it feels loved or unloved. Its the players who need that emotional attachment. Or not. Whichever side of that fence we're on, it's harmless. How we get attached and motivate ourselves doesn't impact anyone else. We can all do our own individual thing with our own psychology - we don't have to hold the same outlook. Whatever works for each. Having said that, while I try not to have favourites and do try and play them all in strict rotation (just to see where each takes me), I still do think some are a little bit more solidly built and have a little more attention to detail and I ultimately appreciate a little bit more easily than others, but I don't say it out loud while they're in the room. I like something about all of them, just some have more things to like.

I like variety so I have many (too many??) guitars with different pickups, scale length, color. I just like guitars!

As a multiple guitar owner I can say some things! First of all I have a No1 my go to, my feels like home guitar both sound and playing wise ( a 2023 Gibson les Paul standard 50s)! However I am trying playing everyone of them (6 at that time) and try to get whatever feeling and playing style every guitar inspires me to play! I also think that when I’ve got the writers block and no riffs are getting through when I change guitar almost magically I’m starting putting out fresh ideas by aproaching the instrument differently! And that’s the magic of playin and owning multiple guitars!

You guys should bring in a drummer and bassist one day, make a set that's basically a dive bar, invite employees in, and just jam for 30 minutes.

A 'good" guitar has a soul and a Special Connection to you.

For me number 1 is my white player telecaster. I have bought, sold and traded 20 guitars in the last 20 years. I sometimes think 'what if I had just bought a player telecaster' back then, but I also think I probably wouldn't have appreciated it then.

G'day Kris & Guillaume, I have 2 Fenders that are put away - if I miss my ex girlfriend, I'll grab the blonde Tele, or the Strat if I want to play some Buddy Holly. Most of the other guitars are out on stands. If I just want to play music, I'll make a decision out of the 2 Squires when I see them. I am a Fender/Squier guy at the moment, but many times I'll pick up the Epiphone Les Paul Jnr, because it only has 1 pickup. I grab it, plug it in, & it's ready to go - no switches or half a dozen knobs to twiddle. It reminds me of my single speed bikes. Since there are no gears, as soon as I pedal out of the driveway, the effort I put into pedalling there is the same effort for the rest of the ride. Thanks for another great video Andrew

My Schecter Studio-4 and Studio-5. I love those basses and have a particularly rich history with my 5.

I have 4 guitars and all of them are different, in brand and body style. 2 of them have PAF style humbuckers, one is a Gretsch, and the last is a strat style Yamaha. With the two with PAF's, one is a semi-hollow body and the other a Les Paul. Sometimes I choose a guitar I play based on the style, sometimes the music. But because my Gibson Les Paul was the first real "Brand" guitar I bought, it'll always be my "Number One." When I bought it used, I couldn't believe anyone would sell Gibson Les Paul - but I was much younger then lol.

Definitely my first acoustic campfire guitar which I learned my first songs on and my first cheap hss strat I got from my oncle, after a makeover from my luthhier it just plays and sounds so amazing. Never will let those two go! ❤

When I discovered Joe Bonamassa I needed a Les Paul and bought a Gibson Classic 60 with a beautiful finish. During my Psychobilly phase I bought a Gretsch to get closer to the sounds I liked. Today after 20 years of playing I have 11 guitars, all very different for different styles and different tunings. All of them collected memories together with me and make me feel and play a certain way. But my grab and go guitar is (shockingly) my cheapest in my collection = Squier Classic Vibe Tele which I bought on ebay for 210,- incl. case :-D I just love to play that guitar which is not perfect or set up very well or well executed but I truely love my fight with that guitar to get it to the point where I like what I play. I use the volume and tone pot a lot! I have compared it to other Teles already but never felt the need to replace it. Maybe in the nearer future a real Fender will be mine, but I honestly don't feel the need for it... HAHAHA Kris is for me the Tele guy and Guillaume is the guy with the pink strat. That's why I always come and watch your videos!!!

Great discussion, thanks for doing interesting videos like this. I play in an amateur rock cover band having 3-5 gigs a year only. I love music and exploring new sounds and new gear is fun (I have almost 100 pedals ... :-). I own PRS SE Standard guitar, it plays like butter and it is very universal - ideal for my usage. I always thought that one electric guitar is enough. I recently bought Fender Telecaster and it is also amazing. I play both guitars now and both inspire me in a different way. I believe that the most important thing is that the instruments keeps me play more.

Enjoyed SG´s with humbuckers the most, then I played one with p90 and I don´t like humbuckers anymore. Have a love affair with Gretsch Guitars but I only stick with my SG Special ❤

I actually do have lots of guitars, like more than 20 at this point, both acoustic and electric ones. But since 2009 my main guitar is a Framus Diablo Pro. The German made model with the ovangkol neck and still with the old smaller pickguard. And it's a beast, which I absolutely love. But there are two more guitars I regularly play: One is my first electric guitar I bought in 2006, a Spade Strat copy, which I upgraded from cheap ceramic noname pickups to Fender Texas Specials at one point and now the sound just started to live and it actually plays great. And back in 2018 I addad a Gibson SG Tribute, which came with two P90s. I also heavily modded it with a trapeze tailpiece, creme pickup covers, then changed the bridge pickup to a DiMarzio DP 209. It looks like a totally different guitar now but I love it and it just feels right - especially with its pretty fat neck. It's always hard to decide which of them to play but I often switch as they sound pretty different, too.

Thanx for this interesting talk! I have all of the traditional ones, but always land on my Strat SSS...Feels like coming home😊

My best friend is my Bacchis Tactics 24. A T style guitar with humbuckers, a wilkinson trem, and a neck to die for!

9:38 definition of happiness and btw I played my strat for like 4 months but now I play my Les paul. for me it really depends on the "FEEL"

I once had 30 guitars, now I have 3, but only one would I run into a burning building to retrieve, a luthier built (not a partscaster) thin line with quarter sawn mahogany body, flame top. I recently had some Stonewall P90 pickups installed. Couldn’t imagine it was possible to love it any more than I already did, but the right pickups can really open up a relationship such as ours.

When I was testing some guitars at a store, I often came back to teles and jaguars and I tried many of them and there wasn't many guitars I was like this is it. So tele is perfect for any style and the jag is a unique counterpart in tone and different tonalities😃Which has become my Nr.1 Guitar (Jag).

Mine is still a all stock Yamaha Pacifica 604W from the 90s. Get any sound out of it, that I want. I tried to love so many other guitars, but not a single one got close enough to replace it. Hopefully my upcoming Les Paul Junior will do it - after a couple of mods. Can’t wait to see what Kris is doing with his one. For me it’s kind of a journey: Buy a guitar. Play it. And hope that it will replace my current No1 guitar. Sell it. Buy a new one.

Hello, chaps! I currently own: 5 acoustic guitars 5 electric guitars 2 electric basses a drum machine a drum kit a dulcimer a banjo a mandolin a balalaika 5 guitar amps 3 bass amps one electronic keyboard one small PA system w/ mixer ... but most of my time just now is spent playing my HB TE-20BK Tele straight into my Vox AC15C1 amp.

Very interesting talk and complex subject ! Guitars are for me the support of my emotion of the moment. It is for me like I'm a painter ; today I feel good with the blue and I prefer my Tele, yesterday I was feeling good with the green and I prefered my Strat, maybe tomorrow I will think red and I will prefer my SG. Only emotion guides me.

Because my (unexceptional) bass has given me zero problems I've had no reason to replace it, consequently it's stayed with me for a long time and I've bonded with it much more than "fancy" instruments that have come and gone. Instruments like these become like good luck charms.

I’ve had a bunch of great guitars like 2 Les Pauls that i sold because I realized that I did not feel at home on that scale lenght. I went back to Fender with a good Tele and a nice Strat that are keepers for now… but maybe I should get another LP for fun 😂

I own 4 guitars, 3 acoustic ( Spanish concert, ‘77 Ibanez 12string, Custom electric acoustic) 1 electric Custom S-style w/2 custom Humbucker. The Spanish Concert I bought when I was restarting my guitar journey in 2009. The 12 string was the first guitar I bought myself when I was 14 (in 1977)- lots of emotional value. I love both of my Custom guitars because I saw them grow. They’re both one of a kind, made just for me (2011-12, 2022-23) I love playing both of them ( fairly new to electric guitar so I’m still testing the waters- lots to learn). IMHO the relationship you develop with a commissioned instrument can’t be met by any other you just go and buy it regardless of price. 😊

for me, primarely, guitars are tools, they follow a function and need to deliver that (there are different requirements like tuning, scale, pickups SSS or HH, etc) , but that doesnt mean i have to limit myself to the pure basic, i love unique and extraordinary guitars, i love highest quality craftmanship and dedication to great work, not only guitars, but basically everything in life so i´m gravitating to those special instruments rather then more affordable basic instruments who would do the "job" as well. And well, i love guitars, how they look, how they feel, how they interact with me, each instrument is different and each one leads me to a different playing, so again we are back at a functional topic :-) i dont have a number one guitar in my arsenal, its rather a fine selection of many number ones ;)

Great discussion. I play differently depending on the guitar so I resonate with what Kris was saying. I need something different to stay inspired. That’s why I want to have 5-6 different electrics. I could also probably survive with just a Tele. 😉 But I play each of my guitars pretty equally depending on what the song calls for, or what my mood is. I also resonate with the part about finally getting your holy grail guitar and realizing, eh, it’s ok 😂 I don’t think there is a holy grail guitar out there for me. I like too many different styles and get bored too easily.

I currently have an SG and a Strat and I feel covered with those two. I might get a Jackson for heavier stuff but for rock/blues they cover most bases for me.

So, I ended up with 10 guitars, mainly because I wanted to try out different styles/pickups/scale lengths/body and neck woods etc. I wanted to find out what I liked. I love them all but regularly circulate through 6 of them - I just love the variety of sounds and how that relates to how I feel on a particular day. My bond is a mixture of "love that sound" and "love how it turned out after modding (time effort, thinking and doing)". I also rotate through 4 different amps for similar reasons. My absolute favorite is an Artist (Australian) offset with p90's stoptail and tuneamatic (similar to Kris's blue one fro Thomann's) with updated pickups and the cheapest new guitar I have ever bought. Go figure?

For me is the feel of the neck in my hand: I don't want to fight it, it should feel comfortable and effortless.

Figuring out what works best for you is a long journey, enjoy the ride. I doubt my Pia will make me feel “meh” I’m quite sure id be in awe of the… lets add a sustanainac and a zero point return and a midi pickup and….. wait what? It’s about having fun!

I have multiple guitars, but for me it is my 2001 PRS CE 24. It was the first expensive-ish guitar I bought, so it has always been special to me.

My dream is a Fender Tele…maybe someday…🫣 Best regards guys!

My #1 is a 2010 SG with upgraded pickups and electronics. #2 is probably the PRS S2 C24, also swapped those pickups. After that, I try to spend equal time with the rest.

They ARE tools, but some are special. Usually these ones are gifted to us, exceptionally well-made ones, rare models or the "holy grail"s (Greeny, pearly gates, Malcolm Young's jet firebird, the frankenstrat, etc.) On tape Greeny will be indistinguishable from an Epiphone with PAF-style humbuckers and Greeny-wiring, but the history of that guitar makes it worth a fortune anyways

HH Strat sounds incredible and looks fantastic - no wonder Guillaume has been hiding his precious from us!😂 Another great vid and some tasty playing😊

Bought an Ibanez Destroyer ii in 1982 and it was my only electric guitar for the longest time, almost 35 years... I was a heavy metal nut and it was enough for me. I started building acoustic guitrs in 1999 and finally electrics in 2012. Now i have one that I built, les Paul -ish and then I bought my first strat this year, now I want a tele. Playing in a rock cover band has ruined me. lol

Sofar my favorite feeling guitar is my richie kotzen telecaster (love that huge neck). Best sounding is my prs 2003 singlecut.

In my case I usually gravitate toward the one that has newer strings 😅

I’m a beginner. Thanks to people getting rid of guitars after Covid, I picked up some electric guitars for cheap. My goal was to have one each of the five classics: Tele, Strat, LP, SG, and semi hollow. So I ended up with a Fender player Tele and Strat, Epiphone ES339, LP, and SG with P90’s, Squier CV Tele. And out of nowhere came a Harley Benton cst-24 brand new for cheap. I like them all for their beauty but for some reason the most comfortable to play is the Classic Vibe Tele.

I own actually 7 guitars... just one of them i bond so much i would never sell! Under 100 Guitars are 80 good ones but oly a few you bond with...

When I was young and hopeful of making it with my own music, I had 1 guitar I loved and 1 backup. When my playing situation changed to stand-in/studio/covers, I started really collecting so I could give people the sound and look they wanted. Now I'm old and have money, so my collection has become fairly drool-worthy. You mention Page using one LP... I think of him with a few Teles and a Dano and most of his recording was on a Strat... Stairway was done on a Fender Electric XII and then live went to the SG doubleneck. Even those players that get associated with a single guitar usually have collections they draw from. I mean, how many Lucilles did BB have over the decades?

I feel like that about my classical, a superb spruce top classical made by the luthier Stephen Hill, in Andalusia. With electrics, thanks to Kris, I think I might have found my one, the Baum Wingman. My Gibson Les Paul Special & Fender Vintera duke it out for second favourite now, after the Wingman. But I wouldn't sell either of those, they feel special to me too, not just tools like some of the others. And I do swop guitars for different roles, the Wingman can't replace the Les Paul Special in particular. I'm pretty interested in the Baum Celestor now too tbh, planning on selling my Strat, a CV 60s, and maybe my CV Mustang to put toward it. Glad you mentioned Rory Gallagher, was one of the players that drew me into playing electric guitar. Was cool to see another here, Johnny Marr playing Rory's Strat after NME induction. Rory doesn't have the profile he deserves, especially in the USA.

I wish I could sound like Steve Ray Vaughan! All of my guitars are my favourite!

It’s certainly possible to fall in - and out of - love with a guitar, or to find that one you quite like becomes, over time, one you don’t want to be parted from … Some you will get on with better than others; some may be nothing more than a dream … there’s definitely a human quality to our relationships with them 🎸👍

I had a bunch of guitars and last year was pretty low on cash for a while…. I had to sell quite a few. There are a couple I’d be gutted to sell and a bunch I like but could sell or no. This year things are going better and I bought 3 guitars to replace those I sold. Not straight replacements but each makes me play differently and I enjoy that. I a have two guitars i hope never to sell, technically not my best or most valuable but they have mojo

It is a struggle, so many times i said no more trades , no more guitars. Man... but if i could only have one guitar it would definitely be a Tele

I agree with Guillaume that its more on the journey through thick and thin. For the new guitars....we just need to open up :)

i feel like i get bored after some time with each instrument. i have a few guitars, all great ones, but i couldn't pick one as my desert island guitar. maybe i just haven't found it yet. i'm currently having one built that might just be able to do anything. a 50s style thinline tele with fralin P90s. we'll see when it's done :D

Honestly, I just need one of each of the key pickup configurations and I’m good with that. I actually find I tone (and gear) chase on bass far more as comfort varies more for me there. Also, beyond different bass pickup configs, it’s also interesting to have flats, rounds, tapes on them too. As such, I have three ‘favourite’ basses.

The guitars I connect with the most are the ones I find easiest to play - or are they easier to play because I can connect with them? 🤔

A tool is made by a factory. A music instrument must be made by a luthier... It happens that instruments manufactured by factories have a level of production close to that of a luthier, mainly in custom shops. Otherwise they are just tools, even if the quality is very good. However, it is not the hammer that drives the nail alone. A tool can be used to create works of art in the right hands. Fender guitars are the perfect example of industrially manufactured instruments, and it is clear that they were more than tools. I think it depends on each person, their level, their requirements, and their potential. A beginner without external influence will be satisfied with any instrument. The budget being the limiting factor. An enlightened amateur or a “professional” will focus on precise details, and often his emotion.

I have a few guitars in my arsenal and I find that I always end up coming back around to my telecaster. My second is my les paul. I love my straps for the thing they do but some how I find myself on my tele

For me, the main purpose for having multiple different guitars. Is not to have 5 of the same model. In an attempt to find "the one". But to have all of them be very distinct from each other, in more than just color. If this were the 50's or 60's I could understand only having maybe 4-5 different models. But in the day and age of being able to aquire relatively inexpensive versions of ALL our favorite styles of guitar. There's really no excuse not to at least try some guitars that were designed more recently. Having a collection of nothing but Fenders and Gibsons, is just NOT a cost effective way to explore the guitar world. You can experience so much more, for so much less. With a bit of common sense. If your trying to buy an image, good luck. If you just wanna rock out without going broke. Try some different brands.

Some time ago, I bought a Les Paul 60s Tribute. I played it and loved it for about a month, but the issue with the G string and tuning discouraged me, so I decided to return it. After almost a year, I still check every week to see if it comes back for sale at any Guitar Center in my area. I really regret it... 😓

Do you think JM will play ANY SilverSky, because they are all “cookie-cut” similar when it comes to quality and feel? Whereas Fenders can differ drastically from one guitar to the next.

I have 12 electrics ranging from $159 to about $1500 , honestly I grab the Squire HH Mustang over 60 percent of the time . Static from my strumming technique requires a lot of shielding and not all my guitars have it yet

Strat on npu and ill be just perfect

You cant buy every guitar, but you can try…

I have bought and sold guitars. Cheap and expensive ones. Now i go back to the basic. Les paul , strat and i just got a tele player serie with customshop pickups. I rather buy 3 cheaper ones than 1 really expensive one. But a tele cs will always be on my wishlist

Finally got my Holy Trinity together over years of saving up , a gold top Les Paul classic (initially my dream guitar), 52 CS Tele & a CS 60's Strat. Much to my surprise i just gravitate to either the Tele or Strat 99% of the time, and lately finding that the Tele is probably taking over from the strat too as it just does it all! 😁

I like the idea of different guitars for different styles in terms of sound. However, in terms of feel I'd rather have the same neck on everything. Still waiting for a HSS LP-style guitar to come out to cover everything😅

Drums are harder to bond with than guitars, I think.

team Kris.

Guitars aren’t just tools but sadly, a lot of guitarists are. This is from a fellow guitarist.

To me, they’re just a tool if I get a scratch or a chip I don’t have heart failure. Those people crack me up.

Guitars are not tools. They are girlfriends hahaha

I've got a favourite screwdriver, so why not?

The chase is better than the catch🤷‍♂

German guy is wearing a telee for most of his time I wonder why?

Guitars are not museum pieces. They are meant to be played.

Joe Bonamassa has a ton of Guitars every time I see a video he’s got different Guitar

Mein Gott, das ist reine quantenmechanik denn gitarren können gleichzeitig als tools UND zusätzliche körperteile angesehen werden 😅

Guitars are tools. And one can have a favourite tool.

I think of musical instruments like magical objects. You can get your crystals, your wands, your candles & books... Some feel more magical, while others might end up forgotten in a drawer. Sometimes the quality of components and care taken to craft it can impart greater magic. Regardless, you can't have too many magical objects, can you? And there's no harm having favorites & go-to's.

Some say they do not care , trust me THEY DO ! they're just trying to be cool , play it off like it's no big deal to appear more ' adult ' , yet I myself am like a child with my guitars , I drool on them ( literally sometimes ) due to hypnotizing myself while playing , I feel romantic about the guitar , it's like being in LOVE ! Oh baby ! Thanks Thomann's !

Ha ha ha lol ;) you ask for it

The notion that a guitar must have soul or something intangible beyond a good setup, feel and sound is just a way to spend more money. You'll just never think your instrument is good enough until someone else validates you, usually in the form of a vintage instrument. That's basically the appeal of "vintage": you're taking someone else's word that it's good. It's like marrying someone who's been married before and being like well at least I know someone could put up with them. It's old, so someone must have loved it, therefore it has soul. It's nonsense. Just play shows with your guitar and it'll take on that special meaning by being the only thing between you and the audience in the heat of battle.

Guillaume’s name has 50 letters and only a syllable and a half to pronounce. lol

Instruments are just tools. Don't deceive yourself. A thermometer, a scalpel, a brush are tools. That's what a guitar is, an instrument for making music. That's it.

Rambling on guys.... Give me the fresh and fruitje Julia Hofer! She makes great video's. These two are not my favorite...

All guitar gear are JUST TOOLS. And there is no problem at all with having a favorite screwdriver or guitar. Just don't delude yourself that there is a magic unicorn guitar or pedal or amp that will magically make you a legendary guitar player writing legendary songs. NOT. GONNA. HAPPEN.

Kris we must be brothers from another mother! you taste in music gear is identical with mine!