How Many Guitars Do I Actually Need??? 

I really enjoyed your take on this Eric! The exercise keep bringing me back to three electrics and three acoustics. But that’s just me…and you’ll have to wait for the video to find out which ones. :)

I have done a lot of research on this, and I think the optimal number is 16.

This is exactly the kind of channel I was looking for! So many RU-vidrs have a crazy amount of gear and they say you need all of it, so thank you for keeping it real!

Really great points here! Really digging the Digitech Drop pedal idea as an alternative to many guitars with different tunings, I'll have to find one and test it. Cool video!

This is a great video and deserves far more recognition.

I really enjoyed the vid. Is something that I really thinking about lately. Thanks for the tip on the drop pedal.

Interesting topic for sure. I think you're absolutely right about different people in different situations needing different numbers of guitars. I think as long as you are enjoying each guitar you have and playing them regularly, you don't have too many. I wouldn't want to have more than that though because having them take up space and require maintenance does negatively impact you and probably makes you play your better/more favored guitars less. With that said, I have one acoustic, a bass, and four electrics. I feel really different on each of the guitars when I play them and they all inspire me to play a bit differently. I have sold a total of 4 guitars in my playing till this point and I don't regret any of them.

Just discovered your channel. And love your message here. I'm working on paring WAY down on my gear, pulling myself out of a bad GAS situation. 😂

Awesome video dude! I'm with you on the acoustics. 3 is a nice balance. I keep my D28 in standard, my Slope Shoulder Eastman a half step down and an Eastman E6D a whole step down (got a video on that guitar coming next week) 🤘🏻😎 Love the collection! You hit the nail on the head with the electric essentials.

If you are into the spectrum of blues/ Jazz/ Hard rock styles, you would need 4: 1. Telecaster or Stratocaster depending on your style 2. Humbucker SG/ Les Paul or Flying V 3. Metal guitar: Ibanez / Charvel/ Jackson/ ESP etc 4. Acoustic Guitar with a pickup

Another really great video man! Maybe as anyone who has a passion I tend to want more when it comes to related equipment. Currently I own 11 electrics. I have a Tele on order but upgraded - so I sold the old one. I still definitely want a Gretsch someday… If I‘m thinking about it, I sure own 6 ones with Humbuckers, but to me they still sound that much different, that I couldn’t part from one yet. I’d love if one day that mindset sinks in and I can - but I‘m not there yet. Having a young daughter my place for storing them is also limited, so it would definitely be nice to reach that point soon. At least Amp wise I‘m happy and don’t want more in that department right now 😄

It's more fun having one or two guitars and trying to get as many sounds possible out of them

Thanks for this , I am just a hobbyist and I like to upgrade affordable used guitars but I seem to have too many already. I actually got a LP junior that’s tuned down a half step because I had never heard of drop pedals. So that’s a great idea instead of buying guitars for different tunings. Thanks again

Instead of asking "how many guitars?" an alternative could be "how many tones?". It could be 3 given that a wide range of tones can be obtained from a single coil, a P-90 and a humbucker.

From a bass player point of view. A solid 4 string and a solid 5 string is all you need IMO. Optional if you want a fretless but other than that two solid 4 and 5 strings that are very versatile covers everything you may need.

You made absolute sense ! My thoughts exactly. I’m guilty of too much gear. Trouble is you spend all your time fiddling and not practicing like we should eh. So I try not to fiddle more than necessary 😆 Regards Andy

Great video. I just wished to see more of the guitars. Very good points though. I agree that we only need a few certain styles. Now if I was a multi millionaire I’d definitely have a huge room full. My current number of guitars is 7 plus the kids have a couple of guitars suitable for them like mini Strats and classical guitars. My list goes like this: Acoustics. Saehan black cutaway, takamine black cutaway (dads guitar), Yamaha CG111S, Maton SRS60C. Electric. Fender Strat, telecaster deluxe, SG and a 335

I have a Suhr Classic HSS, Gibson Les Paul Traditional and an Axe Fx 2. More than happy. I decided to sell everything else because my family's needs are more important than my own.

Great video Eric. I currently have 14 guitars, a collection that I've put together over the last the years or so. I have the usual fare in terms of a lovely LP, a Strat, a Tele, a Junior and a 335... I also have a gorgeous Martin CS HD28V and a classical. For me, if I were to pare things down I'd keep my PRS DGT because it could easily cover LP and Tele tones; my Custom-Shop Strat; I'd keep my Eastman Junior because it's better than a vintage Gibson; my Yamaha steel-string Silent Guitar and Godin ACS nylon. I'm going to be missing out on some Gretsch sounds but something has to give. So... five guitars plus my Fender Jazz Bass. My bank account would also be another five-figures healthier.

I stand by the Digitech Drop pedal. Made recordings with it dropping up to 3 full octaves and still maintaining good sound (with some eq tweaking). I think the technology also applies to the different types of guitars and pickups - I could never let myself have more than one electric tuned in identical tunings, compared to other guitars, due to the fact that there are extremely flexible and adaptive guitar pickups these days (check fishman fluence, for example). You can go from strat to LP to something modern in a flick of a switch. Add the insane modeler possibilities on top of that. So in my case it mostly comes down to tunings, as digitech still has some limitations (I play everything from standard to double drop D). Own three electrics, feels like one or even two too many, as my 7-string strandberg can just do it all.

I’ve got two guitars. A ‘61 Gibson Les Paul Special and a 2021 National Tricone acoustic resonator. The Gibson can do anything from rock, funk, jazz, fusion and country all with ease-P90’s with 50s wiring has long been my preference for versatility. The Tricone can do old times blues, bluegrass, jazz, folk, Americana, etc and sounds monstrous through a distorted tube amp with its Krivo slimline humbucker. I play slide with both. Have thought about getting a tele, but honestly I’m pretty content with what I have in my arsenal 🤷‍♂️

Definite vote for a Nashville/High strung dedicated guitar! For me, I use it on electric more than acoustic, but maybe just because it's less noise when the kids are asleep, which is when I do most of my playing and recording. On the topic of being sentimental, I still have the first guitar that I ever owned. With a new neck it became the guitar that I string Nashville. I don't use it a ton, but I'll never get rid of it, so it was a great use for the body.

Currently around 20 and I need more! Okay realistically, a strat, a tele, a gibson sound and a p90 are probably it but i just love having more... Theres just something about the unique inspiration each guitar can bring and how it makes me play slightly differently...i have to look into those drop down pedals though

I’ve been paring down to three electrics (Strat, LP, Tele); three acoustics (OM, Flamenco, Resonator); and a P-bass for home recording in a variety of styles, but after watching your video I’m already regretting selling my Gretsch 6122-1962 on Reverb a few days ago, and am actually hoping the buyer will want to return it!

I'm not quite there yet. I play in different standard tunings E, Eb, D, C#, C, & B/Bb & I use electrics mostly. I have 1 acoustic in E standard & every guitar can easily go to a drop tuning. I'll tune to open G & open D, & a few alternate tunings so I haven't figured out what I'll play the most often since I have a total of 8 guitars including my acoustic. 4 of my guitars hold sentimental value. My first guitar ( a bolt on Les Paul knock off), my acoustic, an Epiphone Explorer, & a thinline telecaster. I don't own a baritone but I like the sound. I have 2 of my electrics tuned to E standard, 2 to Eb, 1 in D standard, & 1 in DADGad. I did have one tuned to C standard for about 9 months and realized I needed a guitar with longer scale length for that tuning or anything below D standard. I make a point of picking different shapes/colours/pickups/& styles of guitars. I haven't experienced enough yet to know what I truly like even though I use every guitar over the course of 4 days.

I'm primarily a classical guitarist. Most of the classical guitarists I know own just ONE classical guitar. The ones who own two classical guitars own their very first student-level classical guitar and then eventually upgrade to a higher quality classical guitar when their guitar skills reach intermediate level. I always found it an odd behavior the many guitarists who play electric guitar feel the need to own a small collection of guitars. I understand if the guitarist is a professional musician, but it seems that many collectors of electric guitars (and associated gear) are home hobbyists guitarists.

The point around maintenance is key and customising the off the rack guitars you own. The more you play/ try different instruments the more you learn about your style and what works for you. For example I don’t like jumbo frets and prefer narrow tall. I prefer 12 inch radius as opposed the Ibanez super flat 17 inch radius. I grew only playing RGs.

2. Telecaster for most things and a les paul for everything else. I'm not sure I could go without either one. That said, I only have 4 electric guitars: Telecaster, Stratocaster, Les Paul, Custom 24. It suits me well. If I had to lose one, it would be the strat.

Thanks for the great video As a beginner (3 years of practice) A drop pedal sounds like a cool idea As I like heavy tones in metal music And only a single guitar and a small amp Setup. 🤟

I have one. I don't play it. It's been sitting on a stand for a good 5 years or so. The strings are rusted. I don't even know why I haven't sold it. At the same time, I'm the type that does "research" and overanalyzes it to the point of pedantry, and as such, I feel I'm qualified to give my asinine opinion. You can get away with a SINGLE electric guitar, and not only that, one with only a SINGLE pickup located somewhere between the bridge and middle position, if not the straight-up middle position. Bigsby bridge+roller saddle and nut custom tuned for your string gauge and with tight tolerances will ensure tuning stability and good sustain. Pair that with a relatively hot wound stacked P90 bucker using a rail-style pole piece and neo magnets, that has both a coil split AND coil tap, a .1uF capacitor on a 1M audio taper tone pot, and a dual-mode 250k/1M linear taper volume pot. Then, also have at least series/parallel switching, if not that, AND phase switching. Lastly, construction should be carbon fiber neck-through for sustain, clarity, and stability with some form of straight pull, but angled headstock to eliminate the need for string trees. The exact shape of the headstock and body is up to you for style, as is the tonewood of the body and whether you want it solid, chambered, or semi-hollow. The only other thing to cover is strings, and I've decided from 20+ videos that I like the sound of flat wound or half-round the best, with Nickel rounds coming in third if you somehow STILL need more brightness after having 1M pots, a single coil mode, and a carbon fiber main spar. No, the neo mags won't make the highs ice-picky, they actually provide a strong bass response and amazing clarity and sustain to the point that you should underwind neo pickups compared to normal ones as heavymetalATC here on youtube has discovered through experimentation. The last thing, and probably the thing I'm least qualified to comment on given how I don't actually PLAY the damn guitar is the tuning. 5 strings tuned in pure 5ths starting from a low C2. On a standard-width neck, nut, and bridge(yes, you'll have to get them/make them custom). If that's too ridiculous, then 6-string D-standard with or without pure 4ths. If you use a hipshot tuner, you can easily get a drop C tuning, and you can also just as easily capo up to E-standard. And if you want to get even more insane, you can do multi-scale either way but only do it if the fan starts with the nut being vertical. The amount you should fan it should be 1/100 the scale length of the shortest string, PER string. So if your highest pitch string is a 25" scale, each subsequent string should be 0.25" longer, though to be honest, I'm not sure if the amount of fan should increase proportional to scale length, so an 0.25" per string increase regardless of scale might also be just a generally good rule of thumb. Please feel free to call me an @$$hole and downvote this stupidity at your leisure.

Currently reducing my guitar collection down to 8, but realistically I could do 99% of what I do on electric with a HH strat-style guitar, a SSS strat-style guitar, a Les Paul and a Tele. And the Tele and Les Paul are more for RU-vid demo stuff than because I actually choose to play them. In terms of acoustics, I have an acoustic in E, one in D, a 12-string and a classical. I'm OK with that.

I have 3 electrics. A squire strat that I use when I don't want to worry about damage or weather. 2006 esp mh1000 deluxe with Seymore Duncan's. Plays wonderfully in both standard and drop d. Finally I have a dangelico Bob weir signature that stays in drop b and drop c with dangelico custom pick ups. I'll never need another guitar. Of course we all have an acoustic.

2 basses, 4 guitars, 2 amps, some 21 pedals, and I am just a hobby "musician", so I think I already need to scale down my collection and sell at least a few pedals and maybe 2 guitars, especially as I have 2 Strat copies, one should probably go, and I have 2 quite similar humbucker guitars, I should be able to make do with just one of those.

i have 10 guitars, seems like a lot, i could probably get rid of 2 but theyre kinda nice so i dont really want to although i rarely played them, i recently sold 3 guitars in quick succession recently, 2 problematic parker flys and a PRS hollowbody 1 which i never bonded with, but then i went and bought a PRS custom 24 to see what all the fuss was about and its my main gigging guitar now, between its weight sustain and how the notes jump off the fretboard it practically plays itself, i think i just tell myself that though to justify the fortune i paid for it

So many guitarists on RU-vid who own loads of guitars tell people who've got one guitar that you don't need many guitars!

I have 36 guitars, and I don't even play guitar. If I see a nice colour I like, I bye. 🎸❤️.

I own some guitars… that’s all I’m willing to say….

Well, I just need one… more

I own 3 guitars and if I had the funds I'd get 3 more. I currently own 1 acoustic Fender CD100L, a Ibanez AS73L and a 2017 Gibson SG Standard-T ...left-hand model of course. :) The three I'd add to my collection: a Taylor T5Z, a custom guitar by Overload their Themis series. The 6th guitar would be a right-hand model for anyone who might come over the play. :)

I'm up to 5 guitars. 2 electrics. Strat and L Paul 2 acoustics 6 string 12 string both electric and a bass. And enough amps for all.

I have 5 electrics. Would lose the Floyd rose 80's Ibanez because Floyd Roses are a pain, but it was my first good guitar. Seems I'm addicted to collecting Marshalls tho, have 4 of them.

There is a mathematical equation that covers this question. However many guitars you have plus one. X+1.

You need a PRS too.

Well, I think you could make it with an impulse-response pedal and one electric guitar + one acoustic guitar.

Got a Jazzmaster and found myself playing it almost exclusively. Sold the other five axes and got two more Jazzmasters with different pickups. More than I need but extremely manageable! You need one HH guitar. Not a PRS, they look so Republican.

I feel personally attacked by this video’s title.

Need or enjoy? Very different answers. Some people own guitars to perform, others to play for enjoyment, etc. Me? I enjoy playing, collecting, modding, tinkering, rehabbing neglected ones, gifting some to friends, displaying them like art, looking for "deals," and so on. IMHO, have as many as you can afford that doesn't complicate your life but let go of any you don't love.

(1) Taylor 912ce and (2) Charvel San Dimas Telecaster Style2

My only advice here is learn to be your own tech. Obviously you might want a specialist if you want a bender installed or som’n.

Why not having more than you need?!!

N + 1

answer ...between 1 and 1

Eh, now that I’m a Dad I just have one guitar and one amp, not like I even have the time for that. Meh….meh.

When you sacrifice great gear you sacrifice the magic that inspires great songs.

Start by getting rid of PRS guitars…..

No offence dude but this is ridiculous. You say you only want one guitar, and then within 15 minutes you've decided you need three acoustics, one is just for drop tunings, even though you then go on to say how great the digital drop pedal is and how it's good enough. And four electrics? No, you don't need a Les Paul and a Gretsch. Have you ever thought about the guitar as your voice? Like, maybe you should have a unique voice that always sounds like you. Look at Brian May, he has a voice. I think the ultimate one guitar man isn't any "minimalist" who over thinks everything, but an 80's metal one. Brad Gillis sold a Les Paul Custom, just to buy a prototype Floyd rose for his main strat. THAT is a one guitar player. There is a video about it, "Brad Gillis shows off his favorite guitar" or something. Yeah, it's fine owning four guitars, or even seven, but don't pretend to be a one-guitar player just for minimalist points.