Mood guitars

Most people, especially non-guitarists, can't understand why anyone who isn't a gigging professional musician would need more than one electric guitar. All guitars are the same, right? They have strings, pickups, knobby things, and are usually made of wood. Why have more than one?

As I sift through the plethora of guitars on the market to find what will be my next (and most likely last) guitar purchase, I too have wondered why I even need another guitar when I already have four. I found the answer last night when I picked up my Strat for the first time since I got back from Vegas: mood.

You need to be in the mood to play a particular guitar. If you're in the mood to play heavy classic rock, you need a guitar to fit that mood. If you're in the mood to play metal, you need a guitar to fit that mood. If you don't have a guitar to fit your mood, you won't play, and you won't get any better. Playing is the key to improving.

A little while ago I pleaded to save my Strat, because I didn't like the way it sounded. Last night, though, I played it for the first time in a while and I absolutely loved the way it sounded. So why would it sound so good last night, but so horrible a few weeks ago? Easy - it was my mood.

A few weeks ago I was in a high gain metal mood. My Telecaster is pretty good for that kind of tone, but my Strat is not. That's also why I shifted my short list shopping to metal guitars and contemplated a pickup overhaul for the Strat and LP Special. I've been playing my LP a lot recently, and its P100s put out a tone somewhere between a humbucker and a single coil and it's a great guitar for a heavy rock tone. That was the mood I was in, and the LP fit it perfectly. Last night, my mood changed slightly. I still wanted a heavy rock tone, but I wanted a little more top end and more shimmering clean tones, which the Strat pulls off expertly - in fact, that kind of tone is synonymous with Stratocasters.

So what does this mean? Well for one thing, my Strat doesn't need saving. I still may someday upgrade the pickups to a more vintage AlNiCo set, but I want it to maintain that signature Strat sound, which it does pretty well already. I'm also not going to touch the LP. It sounds great for what it is. It also reinforces my decision that my short list needs to include guitars that can handle metal, because that's the only kind of mood guitar I'm missing in my collection. The only question is whether to Floyd or not to Floyd.

Any advice?