I thought it´d be interesting to hear some opinions on, if there is such thing as "the best sounding axe you ever played?", I guess many of us have played that guitar that just melts in your hands. My 79 strat just lost it´s crown. I have this friend who´s a guitar freak, more into humbuckers and satriani style, and lately I´ve been introducing him to strat tone and fender heritage, anyway, yesterday he calls me to go try out his latest axe, a modified PRS carlos santana, honey transparent with a heavy flame, the neck is from caoba or something, and pretty thick, also, he mellowed out those humbuckers output unwinding them or something, and also installed a poplock button that splits the humbuckers into single coils.
I have never played such a great sounding axe ever, in humbucker you can really play funk and open without the pickups fuzzing, crank the dist and it´s a gisbson, then in clean you pull the button, and sounds similar to a tele, to my surprise, and with a little dist in low tones sounds like a strat, but still having it´s own "PRS" tone, the softness of the neck, the super easy bending, the sustain, i will post a pic if you´re interested, and i´d love 2 hear those stories.[quote][/quote]

Mine's easy: a 1968 Gibson Les Paul.

I was recording a record @ Indigo Ranch in Malibu, CA
in the Fall of 1990 &, noticing that we were Les Paul guys,
the owner of the studio broke out his prized LP for us to use.

He was the original owner & bought it new in '68.

It was a beautiful Burgundy plain top & sounded like
a choir of angels, if a choir of angels sounded like the
most rocking, well-rounded & rich sounding Les Paul
that you'll ever hear in your entire freakin' life.

Stellar.

It played like butter & felt like Home, frankly.

We offered him WAY too much money for it, but he
still wouldn't part w/ it... & i can't say i blame him.

I've never forgotten the moment i first played it
& still haven't heard a better guitar in 19 years.

And that's my story...

Surprinsingly, I bought an Epiphone Dot Studio for 300.00 and put in 2 Seymour Duncan "59" humbuckers. I am extremely impressed and surprised at the same time... This is probably ranks 1st on my list overall.

Still love my Stratocaster.

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American HSS Mahogany Special Stratocaster-Limited Edition 2008
American HSS Special Stratocaster (Black) 2010

I want a flame maple top guitar someday. Those PRS guitars are very pricey though. I also like the California Carved Tops that Carvin builds.

As far as the best sounding axe, man I really don't know. Mine all have some charateristic to their sound that I like.

But for me, right now, its my strat. But when I want to play metal, my ESP is thick sounding under high gain.

I will continue my quest for tone until the day I die probably

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Guitars:
1. mid 70's Ventura MIJ Gibson l6-s clone (Pre-lawsuit) in Black with Rosewood FB and EMG 81 BR/ 85 Neck
2. ESP KH2 Neck Thru
3. 2008 Am Std Strat in 3 tone sunburst

Yeah Squire i guess i know what u mean, I have a music partner who just sold, a 71 LP custom cherry for a laughable amount. And the thing roared.
Still tmy friends PRS is something else, well it´s not even a PRS, it´s a luthier freak job.
I have never played a vintage strat or a reissue, i wonder how i will hear the differences vs a standard/deluxe that i have played, when i get the oportunity.
Surerely some one will be raising the hand for the vintage strat, cause so far it´s a prs, a gibson, epiphone, one strat........

Until 2007 I thought the best guitar that I had ever played and will ever own was a very broken down, black, '74 Gibson Les Paul Classic Custom. It was missing one pickup, two of the pots spun freely and it was missing the backplate. It needed a fret job and was chipped and stained all over but the body and neck were still true. I got her for $50.00 and I rebuilt her myself.

Despite her physical appearance, she had a sound that made people crane their necks. After I lost her in the Divorce, I spent years looking for another guitar. When I first held my 2007 American Deluxe, I could tell with one strum, unplugged, that this was a premium instrument. The Samarium Cobalt Noiseless pickups are very versatile and the tremolo is phenomenal considering that it isn't a double locking rig.

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"If I don't see you no more in this world I'll meet you on the next one and don't be late... don't be late." -Jimi Hendrix

I've played any number of LPs and they sound killer, same goes with the PRS Custom 24. I REEEEALLY love the 24. It can do just about anything. Unfortunately I'm not a fan of carvetops, archtops, or anything but strats for that matter.

Slave to the strat.
(closet tele fan, but only certain ones)

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-Kc
"Payin' dues."

With me I'd have to declare a 3 way tie,my 1965 John Lennon Casino,my 65 Strat and a 78 L/H Strat that I had strung right handed that weighed more than 2 Les Pauls and I traded for a Marshall JCM800 2204 half stack after I had back surgery.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

I had a chance to play an Eric Johnson strat in my local fender dealer. Wow. That's all I can say. Wow.

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Ignorance IS bliss - and I am the happiest person here!

The best sounding strat I've ever played was a Fender Custom Shop Master Salute Strat covered in white gold, what an awesome sounding and playing guitar!!

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It's a mix between Jazz and Funk, it's called "Junk"

My Strats.

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You dig?

The Starcaster over at BestBuy. Those pot-metal pole pieces and rubber paint job really sing!

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Some Guitars played through an amp...

My baby that I have owned since 1989 is my '72 RI Pink Paisley Strat. It has a very unique voice, and feels good in my hands. As for humbucker guitars, my 1974 Les Paul Custom just melts my heart since 1982 when I got it.