Best guitar you've ever played?

[Denis]

I was working in a local music store, I was maybe 19 or 20, and we delivered a Yamaha Clavinova (midi gear from the late 80's) to this family's house and the guy had a 1941 D-18.  Small cracks everywhere, finish worn off, in dire need of a neck reset but one open E chord later I knew that it sounded better than anything we had back at the store....exponentially better!  

I was at a local shop a couple of years ago and they had a 1954 J-45...again, one open E chord later...and maybe about 15 min of playing around..Wow!

Best?  The FIII I have now is outstanding.  I couldn't ask for better but there are all sorts of guitars out there.  

[Bailey]

I forgot to mention that that MARTIN 0-45S STEPHEN STILLS LIMITED EDITION GUITAR & CASE are advertised at almost 13,000 Dollars!!!

I still love my Larrivees. I definitely don't notice a 12,000 dollar difference in sound or playability. Larrivees rock for the best playing guitar that I can still afford--heck I couldn't afford not to have one or two now! It is the best therapy that I have found! 

[Johnny M]

Best guitar ... I'd say my Eichelbaum.  I've played and owned a lot of high end guitars, but my Eichelbaum is still here after 4 years.  My D-18 is a good all round guitar for the shop.  I was gassing for a while and thinking of letting the D-18 go and was kind of glad it slide below the radar and I've spent quite a bit of time playing it and getting to know/bond with it. My first real guitar was a Larrivee L-03R that is long gone, but still holds a special place in the heart.  

I guess my answer would be whatever guitar I'm playing  

[AZLiberty]

Martin D-35-12.  Everything a 12 should be and then some.

[Zohn]

How could I forget??!! I played and fell in love with a Morgan Grand Concert Sitka over Magogany which swept me away. That guitar was the lightest I ever picked up - probably weighed less than the strings..
I have to say that I love my Lav's and the other two as well.

[Pulvus]

Santa cruz finger style model.... Incredible.... 

[Danny]

Best?  The FIII I have now is outstanding.  I couldn't ask for better but there are all sorts of guitars out there.   

                    I just have to agree on the F-III I have. But as the topic says "Best ever "played"            My F-III has a tone that is really high end sounding. But the 0-45s Stephen Stills just kinda melts you in your tracks. But as has been said it's only 13K-14K more than I paid for my F-III. (I think they list near 15K)

[ducktrapper]

And of course, as we all know, the more you pay for a guitar, the better it is. Oddly enough, even when it's made by a master luthier with the same quality of materials, using the same constuction techniques. Passing strange that. Must be the lack of a pickguard.     

[GA-ME]

And of course, as we all know, the more you pay for a guitar, the better it is. Oddly enough, even when it's made by a master luthier with the same quality of materials, using the same construction techniques. Passing strange that. Must be the lack of a pickguard.     

Duck, perhaps your '75 isn't an equivalent comparison to a newer mass produced L? I don't claim to know much about Larrivee's history, but I think in '75 it was entirely possible that it was built solely by Jean and is in many regards more analogous to a different class of instrument than todays L. It would be neat to compare the top thickness, finish thickness and type, bracing thickness, etc to a new off the assembly line L.

[BenF]

Best guitar I ever played was an unknown brand, with the back partly made of fibreglass because it had been smashed over a table during a break in. Action was about 2 inches at the 12th fret, sound was dull and thuddy, intonation was awful and it wouldn't stay in tune.

I wouldn't be on this forum or making music if I'd never played it though.

[Danny]

And of course, as we all know, the more you pay for a guitar, the better it is. Oddly enough, even when it's made by a master luthier with the same quality of materials, using the same constuction techniques. Passing strange that. Must be the lack of a pickguard.     

There is no way that I believe the more you pay the better the guitar. Now the lack of a pickguard may just be the secret.

[ducktrapper]

               There is no way that I believe the more you pay the better the guitar. Now the lack of a pickguard may just be the secret.

Well, there you go.   

[nervoussturgeon]

Wow. By FAR it was my friend's Santa Cruz 000. Holy smokes, it plays itself. 12 fret, slothead, pretty as a picture, and the notes LEAP out of it. I found my hand moving on the fretboard in strange and magical ways as if a spirit were playing it through me.

I got scared and put it down. It was like a musical Ouija board. Yikes, what a great guitar.

Willie

[unclrob]

Duck the first guitarI posted is a Larrivee and I have to say that I've never meant a Larrivee I didn't want to take home and hugg them and squeeze them and make them mine

[ducktrapper]

Duck the first guitarI posted is a Larrivee and I have to say that I've never meant a Larrivee I didn't want to take home and hugg them and squeeze them and make them mine

There was a commercial playing a while back, think it was about beer, that had the awkward theme of "Those that like them, like them quite a lot" or something like that. That's about right though.     

[NotRevGDavis]

If there was a best I would only own 1. Otherwise the one that happens to be in my hand- so last night it would be a Fender Strat and a Gretsch g6120-1960 Nashville the night before my 000-50 and my Kalamazoo.

[kwakatak]

Hands-down it was any one of several custom-built OM's made by an independent luthier. I've played a few and have trouble deciding which I like better. I played one in Madagascar rosewood with a sitka top and another in "wenge" (never heard of it before but it looks like rosewood but sounds like koa to me) with a lutz spruce top. Unfortunately I can't afford any one of them at this time and I'm worried that if I did manage to sneak one home my kids would destroy it - they're really lightly-built.

FWIW I do prefer the necks on my Larrivée though. It's all I've known for the past few years. My OM-03R plays like butter and the satin neck has adjusted to my grasp but a gloss neck doesn't seem to be able to.

[drmar120]

Three guitars stand out for me. There was a Collings C-10 at the Podium in Minneapolis--simply bliss, but out of my comfort zone for price. A House OM at Paramount Guitars, also out of my comfort zone. Finally, there's my own OM-01, which is the third best acoustic I've ever played--happily in my comfort zone for price and mine for nearly six years.

[Danny]

Three guitars stand out for me. There was a Collings C-10 at the Podium in Minneapolis--simply bliss, but out of my comfort zone for price. A House OM at Paramount Guitars, also out of my comfort zone. Finally, there's my own OM-01, which is the third best acoustic I've ever played--happily in my comfort zone for price and mine for nearly six years.

That's really cool. I have thought that an OM-01 may be more to my liking than the newer OM's. But I have'nt had the chance to play one yet.

[Randy_R]

The Larrivee D-09BZ I have may be the best sounding guitar I've ever played enough to form that judgement. My new 000-60BZ is close.

A Ryan I played briefly was angelic, and a friend's Collings dread is outstanding.