Reader Poll: What’s Your Absolute Dream Guitar? Cary May 25th

33 Responses to “Reader Poll: What’s Your Absolute Dream Guitar?”

1. Dan:
   May 25th, 2007 at 1:46 pm

   Probably either a Gibson Les Paul Standard Premium Plus (Heritage Cherry Sunburst) or a (if they made it) Zebra Wood Les Paul, that would be cool.

2. Tom:
   May 25th, 2007 at 3:15 pm

   I would really love a ‘72 Tele Deluxe… the black body, black scratch plate, gibson stlye knobs, maple neck… unfortunately it has the ugly ’70s strat style headstock but i guess i’d learn to love it… …otherwise some kind of PRS double cuttaway would be nice

3. Tom L:
   May 25th, 2007 at 3:23 pm

   I’ll get 0 points for originality, but my dream guitar is the 59 Les Paul sunburst. Anyone have $300K laying around?

   Meanwhile, I’ll go for a 59 reissue with a good figured maple top and a pair of Seymour Duncan antiquity pickups.

4. Theguitarist:
   May 25th, 2007 at 11:18 pm

   It differs on a daily basis. First it would be an Ibanez RG with Prestige thru-neck, fixed bridge, Dimarzio X2N in the bridge and Gibson 496R in the neck for good shred sound.

   Second would be a Gibson SG 1961 with a Gibson ‘57 Classic+ pickup in the bridge and a ‘57 classic in the neck.

   Third would be a Fender Telecaster with the Highway One setup, maple fretboard, Seymour Duncan Jerry Donahue bridge pickup and a classic neck pickup.

   Last would be a stock Charvel San Dimas 1H, because it’s just a dynamite guitar.

5. Franco:
   May 26th, 2007 at 3:59 am

   I think in this moment I just dream with a Reverend Roundhouse HB (Goldtop or Blueburst). You know, dreams are for free, and I know pretty well what is a Strat so a LP.

   Cheers…

   Franco.

6. What's your absolute dream guitar? « IG BLOG:
   May 26th, 2007 at 6:14 am

   […] your absolute dream guitar? Cary of EGR […]

7. Ignacio:
   May 26th, 2007 at 6:26 am

   I followed up with a post at IG BLOG. Let’s keep on dreamin’!

   IG http://www.igblog.wordpress.com

8. Rick:
   May 26th, 2007 at 12:36 pm

   Mine should be arriving shortly from http://www.thisoldguitar.net

   It’s spec’d the same as a Fender CUSTOM VINTAGE HEAVY RELIC TELECASTER Vint. Blonde (as seen here: http://www.zumbita.com/images/1.jpg )

   * Light Ash
   * Heavy Relic
   * Thin Skin Lacquer finish
   * Mid '60's oval C neck w/worn finish
   * Vintage hardware
   * Bone nut
   * 21- 6105 frets
   * 9.5" Radius
   * 3-ply mint green pick guard
   * '51 Nocaster(b)
   * Duncan '59 humbucker w/nickle cover
   * Modern wiring
   

   Although, it’s going to be about 1 lb heavier and have slightly different hardware (Kluson tuners and no Fender logos)… but it will be Relic’d and mod’ed. I guess I’ll know soon.

   I’ve played some of the best review’d and talked about guitars in history….Including a real 62 Strat and 58 Les Paul….but when I played the Fender version of this guitar, the sky opened up, and I truly experienced the divine. So if Dave Swisher claims he can make a guitar as good or better than that Fender Relic for 1/3 the price with a 7 day no questions asked return policy….what do I have to lose?

9. tremspeed:
   May 26th, 2007 at 4:44 pm

   beautiful tele, rick. logos or not, i’m sort of afraid it’s not long before fender(tm) catches up with some c&ds to all the smaller folks doing relic-type models… get em while you can.

10. Ignacio:
    May 26th, 2007 at 4:53 pm

    That’s a nice Tele indeed. The Tele is one guitar that I didn’t really care for years ago, but I’ve come to really like it and recognize its sound. Do appreciate it now. Rick, how was the 62 Strat? How did that play compare to modern stuff??

    IG

11. Rick:
    May 26th, 2007 at 7:39 pm

    Hey Ignacio,

    The 62 Strat that my buddy owns (bought in 1981 for $2000 and still in excellent condition) is a wonderful instrument. It’s white with lots of aged cracks in the nitro finish, but a truly wonderful neck (very flat feeling, actually). It seemed like a piece of museum furniture from the 50s. The guitar feels like it is truly “aged” and the pickups are very noisy. He was recently offered $40,000 for it (the Japanese eat these things up).

    The 58 Les Paul I played was at Buffalo Brothers about a year ago and was only there “on loan.” It also had that same museum quality about it, but seemed much more modern that the 62 Strat.

    Interestingly enough…. in both cases, I’ve played re-issues or Relics that actually played and sounded better in my hands/ears.

12. Stratoblogster:
    May 26th, 2007 at 11:20 pm

    A chambered Warmoth Strat body with loaded stock EJ Strat pickguard, D’Pergo 600 year old maple neck with jumbo frets, DeTemple titanium bridge, trem & saddles, Gotoh locking tuners, DuPont Corian nut. Body & neck unfinished— stained driftwood gray and hand rubbed with gunstock oil only.

    Otherwise, whatever’s on sale is fine…

    Actually, my ‘72 Thinline natural with the humbuckers is really fat city. Talk about relic, it’s got a real bar wars nicotine finish and on 3rd set of frets (jumbos now).

    “Abide the dude.” Lebowski

13. Dan Shubin:
    May 27th, 2007 at 12:46 am

    I own it—a 1989 PRS CE24, black worn-in body (don’t have to worry about it), well worn wide-thin neck and the 3-way toggle.

    But I think the next thing will be a Warmoth with a hard neck, like rosewood/rosewood or something. I really like the idea of the PRS 513 Rosewood but they priced it out of the market.

    Yeah, a custom build with a hard cold compound-radius neck, chambered body, quiet single coils and a 24.75 inch scale. Just gotta find a PRS trem somewhere. dan

14. tremspeed:
    May 27th, 2007 at 1:02 am

    heh yeah, i ‘own it’ too- a late 80s les paul custom, black beauty strung with 9s for the sloppiness that is pure rock. i put a seymour duncan JB/59 set in it, cause i play the modern rock and stuff, but one day i’m sure i’ll rewind the stock pickups and restore it. ever since i played a black beauty LP when i was 10 or 11 i knew it was IT, and even though i’ll always be checking out other guitars, doubtful i’ll find something that i like better, that sounds better, and that plays better- most importantly, enables me to play better.

    i think i’m going to get a couple of the faded-series guitars next, a 3-pickup V and a les paul special with p-90s, to add to the ranks.

15. Tom L:
    May 27th, 2007 at 5:43 am

    tremspeed: Get the Special with P-90s immediately. Sell one of your other guitars if you have to. Go here for some comments about my Special with my Vox AD30VT: http://www.tubefreaks.net/solid-state-amps/32-modeling-amps-2.html#post346

    My special is an ‘05. I paid about $600 for it at Elderly Instruments in Lansing, MI. It is a tone monster, I love the neck (kind of a wide/fat profile), and the relic finish has a great vintage vibe. This is one of those guitars that goes unnoticed at a guitar shop among all the glossy guitars, but when I picked it up for the first time I knew I wasn’t leaving the store without it.

    You will not be disappointed!

    PS: Stratoblogster — great Big Lebowski reference…

16. Matt:
    May 27th, 2007 at 9:20 am

    My dream guitar changes every few months. Not too long ago I was lusting after a Schecter C-1 Hellraiser Floyd Rose, but now I have shifted my sights over to Dean. I used to think Deans were ugly with that massive headstock, but they have grown on me. The Dime USA ML is pretty sweet and I also like the Black Gold MLs and Vs. I need something with some fat strings that I can tune down a full step… or further.

17. Arran:
    May 27th, 2007 at 12:36 pm

    schecter synyster custom is mine even tho i hav 2 lol

    1 i brought and the other syn gave 2 me because the rev threw a drumstick and broke my nose so i got 2 hang out with the band at grashop

    i asked syn for theguitar and he gave it to me and signed it

18. Cary:
    May 27th, 2007 at 1:45 pm

    Hehe, that’s a great story Arran––was it a worthwhile trade-off?

19. Mark Kardwell:
    May 27th, 2007 at 4:24 pm

    I went to great lengths to get my Gibson CS-336 in faded cherry (with a slight hint of a tiger stripe showing through), so that definitely counts. That said, like every guitarist I know, that doesn’t stop me from lusting after a few others out there.

20. Mike V.:
    May 28th, 2007 at 6:35 pm

    Would have to be two. PAF loaded ‘58 Custom shop Les Paul tobacco plain top and a 56 Reissue Les Paul.

21. Erik:
    May 29th, 2007 at 4:44 am

    A brandnew Les Paul Standard Premium Plus, color Wine Red

22. Carl:
    May 29th, 2007 at 6:20 am

    My personal “Dream guitar” is a Langcaster guitar from New Zealand. The URL is http://www.langcaster.com/ in case anyone is interested. I’d probably have to win the lottery or come into some substantial money to get one, but I love the wood, it’s looks and from every review I’ve read, it plays wonderfully. Incidentally, in case anyone’s interested, my personal guitar collection and some guitar stories and personal wishlist is on an area of my website (http://www.nettally.com/saints/guitars.html).

23. jwoiton:
    May 29th, 2007 at 8:21 am

    Dream Guitar ?

    How about a Gretsch Country Gentleman, double cutaway model.

24. FlatFive:
    May 30th, 2007 at 1:48 am

    My Epiphone ES-135 Special Edition in BlueBurst! (with a bag full of D’Addario-Strings EXL115, 11-49)

    Beautiful tone without an amplifier, for the case, there is now power supply on the desert island

25. Cuse:
    June 2nd, 2007 at 12:42 pm

    Dream guitar? Gibson to keep making left-handed models!!!

26. Salvatore:
    June 25th, 2007 at 11:09 pm

    Gibson Slash Les Paul. The only thing Id change would be the tuners. What an amazing instrument.

27. Dimitry:
    August 1st, 2007 at 1:08 am

    My dream guitar is Fender Masterbuilt John Cruz ’ 61 Strat :))) And I own it, guys!!! It wasn’t easy to find it.

    I would like to say also, that Eric Johnson Strat was also a dream guitar for me. I can say now, that this strat is the best one you can get from Fender. I mean serial production models.

    What else….I have a real pre-CBS Fender Jaszzmaster 1964, it’s a dream too…

    All the best, folks…Greetings from Moscow. Dimitry

28. Catfish:
    September 4th, 2007 at 3:04 pm

    I have 2 dream guitars… a swamp ash Fender tele, vintage bridge, rosewood neck, with a burstbucker pro in the neck and texas tele in the bridge….Second dream guitar is a Paul Reed Smith 513 Rosewood..perfect just the way it is.

29. josh:
    October 6th, 2007 at 7:26 pm

    I am a drummer…BUT, I play a bit of guitar. now don’t get me wrong . I am not the type to buy things to hang on walls or to just say,” Yeah, I own it”. My dream guitar, I actually landed in a “Too Good To be True ” way. I use it daily with a 1994 Mesa Dual Rectifier Trem-o-verb Combo in my recording studio.

    Baltimore has a webpage for musicians/gear services,trading etc…I responded to an ad that only read,” Black PRS - $400 , Music Man Silhouette- $600 - please call” Long and short, I called and asked if it was a SANTANA (korean model) and was told it was an 89 CE24…I got directions, stopped at an ATM, and drove 20 minutes north, knocked, looked,payed and left. The guy asked if I wanted to play it and I said ,”No”. My then fiancee ( now wife) was in the car and had no idea what I was doing. She saw me come out and put a case in the trunk. Her response to gear is ,” How much was that and do you REALLY need that?” I told her we were going to dinner. I guess I was feeling like I should’ve celebrated. When she saw the beauty that shone from the case and the deal I got, she understood.

    Anyhow, the beauty that it is is a 1989 PRS CE24 - Black/Alder body,wide / thin neck w/ dot inlays and a 3 Way toggle. I outfitted the guitar with Ebony PRS Locking Tuners, upgraded the pickups to a Santana Bass and also a Dragon 2 Treble.

    It has a PRS floating bridge and is a beautiful example of the pre factory PRS guitars and the craftsmanship that Paul has become world renowned for.

30. paul constable:
    October 25th, 2007 at 4:43 am

    my dream guitar would be a daphne blue or sea foam green Fender Telecaster , cream pickguard, P90 at the neck, Dane lipstick in the middle , fender texas special at the bridge with strat wiring configurations. bigsby trem & vintage curly maple neck & fingerboard with medium jumbo frets.Chrome hardware including straplocks & maybe a bridge piezo! Xmas is 2 months away ,How about it Santa?

31. Darrell:
    December 18th, 2007 at 6:20 pm

    Darrell: December 19, 2007

    My dream guitar (solid body electric), to my knowledge, has never been produced by any of the reputable manufacturers. For me, it’s all about tone, sustain, versatility, playability and natural beauty. Therefore, I would want the following: a large swamp ash body (telecaster style, perhaps) with a beautiful maple top (preferably Birdseye maple) and a clear gloss finish (smooth, rounded edges, no binding, no switch or knob plates and no pickgaurd); string-through body; set or set-in neck (42mm nut); a large radius, rosewood fretboard (21 or 22 regular size frets), inlaid mother-of-pearl fret markers; heavy-duty tuners, three rail-style humbucker pickups (like the Seymour Duncan Coolrails), three low-profile pickup toggle switches (or a single 7-way rotary switch); single volume and tone knobs; and a fixed-bridge vibrato/tremolo system. I would also want the back of the body to be carved for comfort and I would want it to be well balanced (no headstock diving). Weight is not an issue for me, but cost is. I wonder what the price of such an instrument would be.

32. Dimitry:
    March 7th, 2008 at 3:08 am

    I own this strat. It’s a dream. John Cruz rules.

33. Steve:
    April 25th, 2008 at 2:43 am

    I basically want what I have now, minus the dings in the neck it’s gotten from too much playing and rough housing, but made by Yuri Shishkov - a 50’s reissue with a soft V 7.5 maple neck (maple fretboard) with Abigail Yarrow custom wound pickups in the neck and middle position and a JB Jr. in the bridge position. copper pickguard that’ll go old and green with age - none of that anodized stuff - and leetle teeny skulls for the dot inlays - nothing large or gaudy, just the same size as the dots would be. Oh and a five way blade switch, with no other switching than perhaps a coil tap in the back. Right now I’ve blocked off my vintage style bridge so it’s like a hard tail, but I probably wouldn’t mind a string-through hardtail. Black or dark green stain and clear nitro finish - super thin.
    I’ve enquired about this with the custom shop - it’s very reasonably priced to get exactly what I want - I just need to raise some cash. here’s hoping… Steve

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