One Guitar Is Enough 

Really liking these snippets from the live show. Narrows down the field on a given subject, helps advertise the show, and actually points out a topic I may have forgotten you discussed.

I'm glad that I've never let my "needs" dictate my guitar purchases. My "wants" are winning!

I had one acoustic and one electric when I began playing in '88...NOW I have 5 acoustics and 20+ electrics. I have 3 electrics in regular rotation but still really enjoy swapping out once in a while. Turns out I'm a better amateur luthier than musician 😁🤘🏼 Thanks for the upload, Phil.

I just love guitars. Playing,looking, buying, collecting,modifying, tinkering, etc. It’s my thing!

Love the honesty at the end. I do the same. Play so much that I’m just done. Then I look at guitars or watch someone else play to learn something for when I go back to it. It’s not like I’m looking INSTEAD of playing. I already played for 2-3hours straight.

My first electric guitar was a Les Paul Studio and was the only guitar I played for 5 years. It taught me how versatile one guitar can be and how to use it to suit my needs in any situation

Other upsides to one guitar are a signature sound and look, which makes one stand out from the crowd.

On one side i completely understand and support what You said here. On the other side im tired of RU-vidrs that look like they live in guitar emporiums telling me with 1 amp, 2 affordable's from Fender and Ibanez and a cheap Squier, that i don't need a lot of gear. I know i don't ;) but i yet to see a RU-vidr with one or two guitars saying such things ;)

Once upon a time I had one guitar and I look back and remember how awesome it was on a lot of levels. Jackson superstrat with a H/S/S EMG active setup and original Floyd and a wide slim neck that was fast and precise. Nice full cleans and of course would get as nasty as you want great range of tone. Spent hours trying to squeeze one tone or another out and harmonics of all kinds up and down the neck. Now I grab the Tele or the Dean or the Charvel or one of the many strats on the rack and don't really explore all the things each of them can do. I would not go back but it was a good time having just one...

I've been playing Ibanez RG's since the late 80's. I have 9 of them, some actually dating back to the 80's. They all have a space in my closet and I will never part with them. There is something about the wizard neck that feels perfect in my hands. I've had strats and les Paul's and other guitars through the years but I always end up selling them. Love my RG's!!

Very grateful for the replay. Happy New Year Phil & KYG fam! Love these additional casts

When I started out, I bought an old P bass copy from the bassist in my older brothers band. I then traded up to a 5 string Aria; when I dropped and broke that one in the studio I bought a 4 string SGC to replace it. I only had one working bass for the whole time I played with my first two bands, I broke strings so often a second backup bass would have been really handy. I've now got a handmade P bass I made myself. I've got plenty of other basses and guitars I've accumulated over the years, but that P bass is my daily driver. I've pretty much gone full circle.

I only had one 6 string and one 7 string for about 20 years. Now its time to collect. I got a dozen in about 2 years

I agree but also having different guitars for different things is great .

I will offer a counter argument about starting and having ‘only’ one guitar. The problem could be that you might get a bad guitar (mainly since the first one is often a crappy and cheap one, which is normal). And you might have more difficulties to play it because it’s not comfortable, no well made, etc… you might also miss the opportunity to discover what it’s like to play on a good guitar with a good tone and therefore having more interest for the guitar. My first guitar was a cheap Strat, and for decade(s) I thought Strat were not my kind of guitar and I got Single Cut guitars instead, shredder guitars, etc… even thought I loved guitarist such Mark Knopfler, Eric Johnson, Eric Clapton, John Mayer, you name it… Until one day I decided to try a good Strat (John Cruze) and I felt in love with it and now I want to get a Silver Sky. I miss the opportunity to fall in love with Strats earlier if I had tried more Strat when I started to play. Keeping this one crappy first guitar for a long time was a bad decision in that situation/case.

I have been quite satisfied with one acoustic (Alvarez Yairi Jumbo) and one electric PRS Singlecut for the last 20 years. I totally see the need/desire for some people to have multiples, I just found what works for me and don't mess with it.

Well, I play heavy metal mostly, so having a guitar set up in every tuning from E standard to drop A is a must in order to play all of the riffs I enjoy. Like you said too, different guitars bring out different styles of playing, I also firmly believe that. Now, if I only played blues, or rock, or jazz, I'd probably only need one guitar.

I don't need virtually everything I have in my house. But there it is! I do think there is a value to having an acoustic and electric when starting. It can be pretty shocking to switch guitars if you only ever played one. Plus, a little variety keeps the interest going.

Master one guitar. If you learn on one guitar you get comfortable with it & know it. Down side is you have one tuning & type of pickup out of many, single coil, humbucker, active pickups, P90s, filltertron, hot rails, PAFs, etc. Then you have different guitar shapes to go through & whether you believe in tone wood or not they'll have their own sound.

I'm watching this on the monitor in my guitar room. I turned around and HAD to chuckle. We were struggling when I was a kid, and if I'd've had ANY ONE of the guitars in this room back then, I would have been tickled pink. Even the cheapest one, a $40 strat knockoff. It's nice to have more than one, but if you only have one, enjoy it every day!

This is a great topic and I'm firmly in the camp of having one guitar is just fine. My first 10 years of playing I had the same Fender acoustic. Then I got an Epiphone Casino to go with it and had that for 10 years. Then I started to watch RU-vid and started getting Teles and a Strat and a Gretsch, etc., etc. Now I have guitar paralysis from having too many to choose from and play way less back when I just had my trusty acoustic.

One guitar, are you OK. ❤️🎸.

That's a great observation at the end of this, that you play until you're done playing, usually because you aren't connecting, but probably also just as often, because you say "that was incredible" and you want to leave on a good buzz and not push on to the point where you aren't connecting!

I know I only need one but ..... And now I have my eye on a new strat as I have a Tele, Revstar with P90s and Les Paul. Feel I need some single coil action....

Cool clip! I think that I have seen people argue you should buy 1 nice guitar. I feel you should play a guitar easy to play enough (good setup) and is able to get the sounds that excite you. For me it’s not price but for some it is. That’s what excites them. That’s cool.

I have plenty of guitars but only stick to four. A nylon string for classical, flamenco, a steel string acoustic for strumming, fingerstyle, blues, a shred guitar for shredding and metal and a rock n rock guitar for rock, blues, classic rock. This covers my whole music range.

You can get away with one guitar and really learn to master it - so long as it inspires you to pick it up. It may take a lot of buying and selling (or just collecting) to get "the one" though. For me, it's more about not having to mess around with tuning and keeping the guitar stable without stressing the neck on it. I have a guitar in E standard, one in Drop D, one E flat standard and a D-standard that cover most of the songs I'll ever want to play - so I can just pick one up and go. I also have one in the (open?) tuning that the Goo Goo Dolls use for "Name" - EAEAee - which I'm trying to learn at the moment. Jumping between tunings would drive me mad, so I'm extremely lucky to have what I have.

LOL!!! I was just conversing in my head with myself about this same very topic. I played as a professional touring guitarist for 2 decades before I bought another guitar for stage (in case I broke a string) and now have 10 guitars... I use 1 guitar almost exclusively (2003 American PRS CE-24), but ended up buying the LP; Tele; Strat; Japanese Contemporary Strat; 1962 Sheraton reissue all so I can have all variations at my fingertips. My dilemma is now, do I really need all these guitars as I play very few shows and open mics these days? and which ones do I liquidate? I then rationalize keeping them because of, what if I need them in the future? It's quite maddening. 😂

You may not need another guitar but if that new guitar makes you practice then it’s done it’s job. I’ve hit a rut before and thought about quitting and a new guitar kept me going.

I think a Gibson and a fender. Gibson’s can be dark and sometimes dark if I’m sad or something that’s good but the fender doesn’t have that it’s happier sounding: so depends on mood

Always fun Phil. It's interesting. I buy a guitar that associates a style of music to that which I'm trying to learn. It's part of the tunnel you enter until you move on. PHIL, where's the E BIKE video? Thanks 😊

I only need One guitar. One Strat, one Les Paul, one Tele, one 12-string, one baritone...

You only need one... Until it's time to get the next one 😂 I'm making a valiant attempt to keep my collection relatively small and practical, although some may consider it a large collection. I have 4 guitars: a PRS Custom 24, a Kiesel CS6 (LP-style), a Taylor 322, and a Jag-style kit build in process. I will soon have 3 basses: a Warwick Corvette $$, a Kiesel Icon 6, and have another Kiesel 6 string (Vogt signature) being built. I also have 3 drumsets: a PDP Concept, DW Performance, and DW Collector's, with LOTS of Zildjian cymbals. I've got 3 amps: a Mesa Subway D800 with 2 Subway cabs (1x15 and 2x10), a Bad Cat Cub 40 1x12 combo, and a Katana 50 I mostly use for acoustic. If I get anything else, I'll probably get an S style guitar, Music Man style bass, and maybe an acrylic drumset.

I have 8 or so guitars, but at the moment I'm wanting something I don't have (a Floyd equipped H S S super strat), that's how you start going down the rabbit hole.

The fact is, we always look for other guitar even if we already have a good one because we still have the passion in this guitar world 🤘

If I played piano, I probably would have only 1. But guitar, different guitars are an inspiration, and tone to practice different things. The way you play them, hug them and grip the neck. They become part of you and how you express yourself. I didn't start out by saying I'm going to buy several hundred guitars and keep 30, it just turned out that way. 8) --gary

What a fantastic video have a happy new year

I guess a lot of us have had this internal monologue when we're Jonesing hard for a new guitar. "I don't neeeed it. But I wannnnt it.' Self discipline or finances might be the only things that can stop me once I reach that point. Because I always come back with "I don't neeed any of them. But I love them. I'm addicted to them. They're part of my life, my passion and my hobby. So fu*k it." Hahaha

Each new guitar I get, I’m able to justify by putting it in a new tuning. I’m comfortable at 3, but you always want just one more.

I could get by with one guitar. My Kiesel 8-string Solo. There’s also a hidden 6 and 7 string guitar. Plus it has coil splits. I can do pretty much any genre with it. I don’t *need* other guitars. 😄

I only have a Strat & yes ofc I want more

There is no need to own a lot of guitars, but if that makes you a happier person, or inspires you to play more, then go ahead and purchase as much as you want. A guitar can also be an investment, as long as you choose some iconic or classic models, you can always sell them

Objectively, yes, we only need one guitar, and many people can only afford to have one. I really don't want to be there having 10+ electrics and only playing one or two (currently sitting on 5 modest electrics, nothing fancy) but I think in some point I might be stting in more than 10, so I realy want them to be different to each other, as one Strat, one LP, one super Strat and so on, so I don't feel that bad for having multiple guitars of the same model. But at the end, if is your hobby, you know how to spend your money, you are not hurting anyone and have your bank account healthy, then it is fine.

👍

Even a House Painter needs more than one type of brush to complete their masterpiece. I remember a music store owner telling me to only play one instrument until it becomes an extension of my body!. I don't visit that store anymore.

I could have only my Les Paul and one of my acoustics. It wouldn't be difficult and I may just do that one day. Both would satisfy my needs. Excess bothers me anyway.

Hey man! What guitar is in the top left corner of this video? Its beautiful.

One at a time. I have 20+ guitars I swap out two guitars every month, so they all get played through the year. I like being familiar with many neck body profiles. When I have friends over i have guitars and amps to go around for a jam. I buy guitar gear like girls buy shoes.

Interesting? I usually never gig with less than 3-6 electrics and if we’re doing an acoustic set, two more guitars. Tunings and a backup or two! ✌️😎🎸🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶

New channel: know your blender

Trying to cut collection dowm to 8 guitars. Eliminating all but a representative of all applicable categories/tools. HARDEST thing I've done to date. Thnx. Phil!

The more you play any one guitar the better it plays and sounds. That's what my experience is for what it's worth.

Gibson les paul custom shop historic 60 or 59 and 58 , 57 , 56 , 55 , 54 its wroth the money

I think the argument for “buy more guitars, don’t worry about just playing with the ones you have” occurs inside the marketing. Marketing doesn’t take a balanced approach, so folks feel like they have to push back.

DO NOT BUY multiple guitars. ONE IS ALL YOU NEED. BUT BUY THE BEST ONE YOU CAN AFFORD.

Steve Howe of Yes needed more than one guitar.

I believe it's Guitar Acquisition Syndrome or GAS. ;)

There are two sides to having one guitar. One side is you have more than one guitar and the value to being a guitar player quickly diminishes with each one (as far as "need" goes). BUT, the other side of that is no guitar; nothing to play. One guitar is infinitely better than no guitar. So, once you have one reasonably good guitar, you're in and that is all you need to be in. After that, it's all about want.

I need a shirt!!

I feel like the moment i bought my second guitar i started experimenting differently with my playing style sure you may be right that theres benefits to only owning one but whenever i get a different sorta tone out of my instrument i attempt to do new things on it and overall if id have stayed on one guitar my playing could have hit a ceiling a long time ago instead of the one im tryna break thru right now

I had 1 guitar from 14 to 20 then back to one till about 40. Its very worn and needs new frets

I only need one guitar (in each room of my house...)😁

No, I need a different guitar for each song!

I need 3.5

Evey guitarist needs a maximum of 2 guitars. The one you are growing out of and the one you are growing into. If you want a third guitar you have to sell the one you grew out of.

The only people who say you don't need another guitar are people who can't afford another guitar

I have 50+ guitars and basses. So I have no idea what you're talking about.

He who dies with the most expensive guitars wins!

No one needs a guitar. Many people want/desire a guitar or more. That's the real question. How many guitars do you desire?

Good job Phil 👍

But… more is better. A new instrument can be inspiring. A new pedal or amp can be, too. I want more stuff.

Con, family having to listen to me complain about only having a starter strat. It took 30 years and sweetwater to hit that spot

For a long time, John Lennon had only one guitar; so, too, did George Harrison. Worked for them.

You only need one guitar... of each type, lol

following your logic a human being does not need any guitars. you only need food, water and shelter from the elements. even if we all agreed cats were necessary, there really should only be one....maybe two different models produced for the entire planet. don't even get me started on the whole food thing. a person could exist (ie, not die) on a flavorless, nutrient dense gruel perfectly fine. need is such an odd beast when compared to want or desire.

people who talk about only having one guitar have never experienced GAS

No matter how many guitars I buy I still suck. Wtf?

One guitar? My god man have you lost it!lol...

Not needing another guitar and not needing any gear doesn’t make a good “ Know Your Gear” channel ! How would that be??? A channel called “ Know all the Gear You Could Buy But You Won’t “ …

Ive got 13,,,wife says i have enough or is it to many?,,cant remember,,,,Anyhow she knows F$@%all 😆😆

Forget practice bro! Just buy more guitars! 🎸

no

Who's saying...well Willy Nelson...Snowy White to name but two.....