Welcome to our top 5 guitar collector’s edition. In this article, we will show you our top five favorite guitars in our personal bandmix collection. We’re also going to throw in some tips on starting and refining your own set of prized six strings, including guitar care and purchasing tips.
Collector Tips
Building a reputable assembly of guitars requires more than a simple pick and pay routine. O two guitars will ever be completely identical, as they are handcrafted instruments that can seldom be replicated entirely. Having a basic knowledge of how each essential guitar part functions will also gain you a better understanding of your personal preferences when looking for a new guitar.
If you’re fortunate enough or have the discipline to save up enough money, you’ll want to try and buy your guitar straight from the shop or factory. Second-hand guitars can tend to have wear and tear may cost you more money on future repairs. However, some guitar collectors take good care of their instruments and even upgrade or modify them occasionally, making second-hand buying a viable option for collecting.
If you can, always try to test out a guitar before purchasing it. While a guitar may seem attractive in a shop window or online ad, you’ll only really know its worth once you’ve played it a few times.
Guitar Care Tips
Knowing how to care for your guitar collection will help retain its value over time. Whether you use your collection for frequent playing or exhibition, you can utilize the following maintenance pointers to keep your guitars in prime condition.
● Electronics – If your knowledge of the guitar is fundamental, try to find a local guitar repairer or shop that you can rely on to fix any electrical faults you may pick up from usage. Try to keep your guitar out of dusty and damp environments as much as possible to help keep the electronics clean and dry.
● Body/Neck/Headstock –. Clean your frets and use a wood oil or conditioner to clean and polish all neck and fretboard parts. Replace your strings at least once every two months if you play weekly.
● Guitar Storage – In between usage, make sure to store your guitar on the amount, guitar stand, or in its protective case. Keep your guitar out of the sun as best you can to help preserve the paint and bodywork.
Our Bandmix Top 5 Guitars
Below is a list of our current top five guitars from our Bandmix collection. These guitars are great examples of outstanding craftsmanship and playability and should help you get an idea of what you could opt for to start or add on to your guitar collection:
5. 1957 Fender Stratocaster (Vintage American Reissue)
Body: Wood
Neck: Maple
Fretboard: Maple – 21 Fret Count
Pickups: 3 x Single Coil Pickups
Quite possibly the guitar world’s poster child, no collection would be complete without a Fender Stratocaster. This guitar has been made famous by musical geniuses such as Jimi Hendrix, John Frusciante, Kurt Cobain, and many other notable players and songwriters. The Stratocaster is renowned for its incredible playability, high identifiable tone, and instant street cred that comes free with every purchase. This model is a reissue of a popular 1957 model that featured the first V-Shaped neck design used in many other guitars today.
4. Fender Telecaster
Body: Alder
Neck: Maple
Fretboard: Rosewood – 22 Fret Count
Pickups: 1x Single Coil, 1 X Humbucker
The Telecaster is considered to be the pepper to the Stratocaster’s salt. The two guitars have a reputation for working remarkably well together in a studio or performance situation despite being quite different from each other. The body has a signature single cutaway and has a bit more weight and density than a Strat. The pickup design on this guitar gives it distinct tonal flexibility that has been time tested by Keith Lee, Joe Strummer, and PJ Harvey. The Telecaster is a substantial addition to any guitar collector’s hoard.
3. Gibson SG Special
Body: Mahogany
Neck: Mahogany
Fretboard: Ebony or Rosewood – 24 Fret Count
Pickups: P90 Humbuckers
Well known for its ferocious, biting tone and menacing double cutaway shape, the Gibson SG Special is a firm favorite amongst several guitar aficionados. The SG is a derivative of Gibson’s Junior and Senior SG models designed for kids and adults, respectively. This guitar featured the introduction of the P90 Humbucker pickup, which is still a popular choice of part for luthiers when building custom guitars. You’ll find this guitar’s legacy in the works of musical greats such as Carlos Santana, Pete Townshend, and Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi.
2. Gretsch G5222 Electromatic Double Jet Semi-Hollow Body
Body: Mahogany
Neck: Mahogany
Fretboard: Laurel – 24 Fret Count
Pickups: Dual Humbuckers
Semi-hollow body guitars are an excellent piece of gear for any guitar collector looking to diversify their collection. Solid-body designs such as the Strat or SG can’t quite offer the type of resonance that semi-hollow body guitars can provide, and the Electromatic is a terrific example of this concept. This is mostly thanks to the chambers that are placed inside the body itself. The wonderful thing about this guitar is that it sounds great unplugged, on a clean setting in an amp, or even with some effects and distortion. If you need proof of this guitar’s majesty, crank up a Foo Fighters album, this guitar is all over most of their latest releases.
1. Rickenbacker Model 3330 Semi-Hollow Body
Body: Maple
Neck: Maple
Fretboard – Rosewood 24 Fret Count
Pickups
If you want your guitar collection to have a few exciting additions, you’ll want to seek some makes or brands off the beaten track. Rickenbacker has always been the proverbial dark horse of the guitar world but has influenced modern guitar music as many notable
brands. The model 330 was first used by Beatles members John Lennon and George Harrison. It became a stalwart for the 1960’s Brit-rock & psychedelia eras thanks to its lively tone and highly resonant construction. The Rickenbacker 330 is still used today by several psych-rock artists such as Tame Impala and King Gizzard, and the Lizard Wizard. Its unique aesthetic and infecting sound add serious substance to any aspiring guitarist’s collection.
Final Thoughts
Owning a prized array of guitars is a bucket list project for most serious guitar players. Each guitar build symbolizes someone’s intent to make something that will hopefully add color and value to the world as we know it. Every collector has their own set of preferences when it comes to building a collection. Some like to collect many versions of the same make, while others will try and amass a series of interesting musical souvenirs. Selecting the right guitars for our collection will come down to a matter of personal taste and purpose. If anything, try to have fun on your guitar collection journey; it’s what the instrument is primarily built for. Happy hunting!
