So, for my next two electric guitar purchases, I know my gameplan: I'm going to buy one Fender guitar and one Gibson guitar.

I'm already decided on the Gibson end of things: it's going to be an original Nighthawk Special or Standard model with two pickups. I managed to play one when I was 16 and that guitar made a huge impression on me. The tone and feel were so excellent. By comparison, I've played only a handful of Les Pauls I really liked. I've also come to terms that my preliminary judgments of Gibson guitars based on the Epiphone equivalents I've had really isn't fair. After the Nighthawk, as long as I'm working at the shop I'm at, I'll buy another one, probably an SG because, every time Gibson managed to go down the sh*tter (like right now), they really can't screw the SG up that much. Fingers crossed I can get it in Silverburst.

As for my next Fender guitar, here's where things start to get a little ... hazy. I'm thinking first and foremost about a Road Worn '60s Strat and since I can buy one at cost from work, it'll only run $499 before tax (yep, MF was selling these things at cost during Fender Friday last year). I'm also curious as to how the guitar will age over a span of a few short years as well. I would also modify the guitar to either 1.) have a master volume and tone, making the last tone control a dummy knob that I could turn to engage the neck pickup on positions 4 and 5 or 2.) simply rewire the bridge pickup to the last tone control. Other mods include a set of vintage Klusons, serialized neck plate, and the silkscreen decals on the back of the headstock removed (despite the fact the name decal isn't a waterslide one, something that I might fix, and the neck is finished in poly, I'm curious as to how many people I can fool with it).

But, here's the clincher: for about the same money, probably a little bit less actually, I can also buy a Highway One or American Special Strat. I don't care for the Highway One Alnico Three pups, but I can rectify that another set of pups for a couple bucks. I have no qualms regarding the American Special Strat, in fact I recommend it over the American Standard when someone walks in and has already struck the Mexican Standard guitar off of their list. Needless to say, I've sold a buttload of them.

I really do like the way the Road Worn guitar plays and the Texas Specials seem to suit the guitar. I don't care about the fact it looks "vintage" (honestly, the wear only seems real if you're trying to remember an actual worn guitar from memory). I also don't like the fact the neck isn't finished in nitro to match the body, but it's the same story on the Highway One.

I think I know what I want, but there's enough here to make me unsure.

There's also the fact I can buy a Blacktop Jazz'er for $288 big 'ens and build a hell of a guitar out of it and that I ran into the guy who owns the blackguard Esquire Partscaster that set off my love affair with that particular guitar at work and can buy it for a few hundred dollars.

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2006 Fender AVRI 70s Stratocaster: Natural Ash | Sovtek MIG 60 & A No Name Cabinet | Pedals & Junk

That's why it's usually best to try before you buy. Not all models, amoung the same models, will always sound and feel the same.

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

That's elementary, Dear Watson.

I've played all three of them, I guess it all depends on how much money I want to throw up before I spring for the Gibson. I'll be buying an Ibanez TS9DX and an MXR Classic Distortion (same as a Distortion +) and maybe one or two other pedals as well on top of whatever guitar I'll be getting, so the few bucks difference between the different models may mean I can buy one more piece of gear.

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2006 Fender AVRI 70s Stratocaster: Natural Ash | Sovtek MIG 60 & A No Name Cabinet | Pedals & Junk