3 Guitars and Why?

So I got to thinking after a Bomber of Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale (GREAT BEER for the uninitiated) If I had to limit myself to only 3 guitars to cover the wide range of music I like playing what would they be?

I'm guessing the answers for me would be Strat, Paul, and ES 335 off the sober top of my head - but let's make it more interesting and get
specific while putting a "realistic" price tag on it, say no more than 5K per guitar?

I know price is all relative, a couple of years ago I would have balked at 5K - but as I say to my wife whenever she discovers a new guitar in my collection - you're lucky I'm not into Harley's or Boats!


Feel free to bend the rules of the game here - I'm looking for guitar suggestions I maybe haven't thought of.

P.S. I may have to modify the number to 5 guitars or whatever would be the minimum amount of guitars you could be satisfied with owning.

That's way too limiting.... but if it were the "widest range" I'd say the guitars I currently have:

A Relic tele with a humbucker in the neck position. Good for country, classic rock, funk.....even jazz.

A Strat (like my American Deluxe or perhaps a modified Relic with noise reduced pickups)....for bluesier twangy tones and classic rock.

An "all other" guitar like my Line6 Variax that can model Les Pauls and jazz guitars very well, as well as some other unique tones..... another "all other" guitar is my Nashville Power Tele with the Texas Special Pickups and Fishman Piezo system for acoustic emulation/additional boost.

Money no object ditch the "all other" and get:

Rickenbacker 12 string
60's Goldtop Les Paul Standard
60's ES-335 tobacco burst
Taylor 8-series acoustics (both a Dreadnought and Auditorium body....and perhaps a 12-string too!)
Gibson Chet Atkins Nylon Electric
Gibson L5 Jazzbox
A 5 string Fender Jazz Bass with Active Electronics
and perhaps some true vintage Strats and Teles

That would cover just about all the tones/styles/feels I would want to play

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I guess that $5K limit rule out the ES175 I really want, huh?

So I guess it would be an Eric Johnson Strat, some sort of PRS, and an ES335. And be pissed that I couldn't add a Hot Rod '52 Tele.

1. Les Paul standard - cherry sunburst - Burstbuckers
2. Strat relic - Burgundy Mist - rosewood fretboard - Lollar pups with 5-way switch
3. Am. Standard tele - 2-tone sunburst

Lets make it 3 guitars and 1 amp. No effects.

Vintage or Reissue 62 Strat
Vintage Telecaster
Doubleneck Gibson SG
Marshall Silver Jubilee

Why? Cause I can

Wow. Doubleneck SG...nice call.

Things are much more expensive here in aus ...

But I'd have to say a telecaster (butterscotch, black pickguard ... very common, I know, but I like it), either a gold top les paul or a double cutaway les paul, and finally a Maton Country Jumbo. I've always liked the HUGE bodies on these acoustics.

I looked at and played close to a hundred EJ Strats. Each had their own problem. While they're a great instrument, the quality control on that line sucks. Don't buy one sight unseen off ebay. Theres a reason they're selling it! I do love tone of the pickups but thats about it. Your better off building your own. Theres always parts for sale.

Interesting. I've played several EJ Strats here in So. Cal (several Guitar Centers and Buffalo Brothers) and had the opposite experience. In my experience, unlike most other Fender instruments, the EJ seemed to have a consistency to them.

Do you think maybe the ones you played had setup issues? Perhaps from sitting in a shop for a year or more?

I've started shopping for a Gibson instrument (either an ES-335/339/3xx or a Les Paul) as an incentive to get a bigger bonus at work. I think it will round out my current collection.

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Off the shelf set ups always leave a lot to be desired. I have never seen a strat come out of the box ready to play. Not even custom shop models. The two major problems I encountered with the EJ's were with the nut over cut and very loose neck pockets where the E string was almost falling off the neck.

I'm building my own version of a EJ. I'm using a EJ neck along with Bare Knuckle pickups and a very light two piece 57 hot rod strat body.