It certainly is a great color for guitars. And the cool look doesn't change under colored stage lights, either.
No glamour shots. but these are my black ones.
My oldest, a '72 Ibanez copy of the '71 Jazz Bass. Did my first-ever guitar mods to it back in the 70s: pickups from DiMarzio and Hi-A (now called Bartolini), and added a Leo Kwan Badass bridge. Weighs 12 lbs even and sounds massive. Used it on a number of records, back when records were vinyl. Too heavy for me to play live anymore but I still record with it sometimes.
'77 Greco LP Custom, loaded with the Duncan Mayhem set. One of a scant handful in my fleet with high output pickups.
I generally try to keep them to medium output or less, so I don't have to redial my rig for different guitars.
Fronkensteen, my first Floydcaster. Stuyvesant Music on 48th St built it for me in '79. Originally had the non-fine-tuner Floyd Rose trem but when Floyd came out with the fine-tuner model I switched to that. This was my main workhorse for eight years and thousands of shows until I got my first PRS in '87. Has Duncan Parallel Axis pickups now, but in this pic it still had a 59B, a Quarter Pound middle, and an old T-top in neck position.
1980 Tokai 'Silver Series' Strat, cost me $175 - with case - sometime in the early 2000s when MIJ guitars were still dirt cheap.
Small neck on this one makes me feel like my hands are as big as Jimi's.
My first PRS,
bought new in '87. Amazingly lively feel, the whole guitar sings when played, even when unplugged.
Great chimey tone from the T&B hums with Paul's original 80s version of the 5-way rotary, and the sweet switch.
More like a creative collaborator than a mere tool. Still an all-time favorite after 36 years together.
The first guitar I ever was inspired to give a name - she has so much personality it would've been insulting not to.
My other black PRS, this one a McCarty with the 57/08 pickups. Stunningly 3D and very articulate with a beautiful, smoky sepiatone voice.
Seductive and addictive; makes me want to drink whiskey and play the blues all night in a dimly lit club.
Back in '74 I bought one of the first run of '56 LP Custom reissues; it was stolen by a junkie we'd allowed into our home. Loved that guitar and missed it for decades. Eventually when I could afford it I got a later version. Neck isn't quite as fat I think, but it's a bit lighter than the old one.
Aerodyne Tele on the left, with a near-lookalike companion I gave to my son about five years ago. I love P90 neck pickups...
Ibanez TR series PJ that I keep as a knockaround/rehearsal bass. I think it cost me $75 used, with gig bag, about 25 or so years ago.
Lightweight, reliable, easy on the hands, and it sounds great.
A Blacktop Jazz Bass (from maybe around 2010? when it was new). Has P-bass pickups in both positions for fat tone, a cool idea.
Hagstrom F-200P, almost like the weird offspring of an SG with a Strat. Odd trem is actually pretty stable. Has Kent Armstrong 'Stealth 90' noiseless P90s: they're quite quiet and sound darned good, perhaps just a tad more polite than real P90s. Great to have when the power is noisy.
Finally an Esquire Custom Scorpion, my only remaining one-knob guitar.* More akin to a shredder than to a vintage style Esquire, it's one of three Fenders in my fleet that have set necks rather than bolt-ons. Sustains nicely, and a bit more lively than most Fenders too IMO. Came with the Atomic humbucker which was less than great for me. A JB really woke the guitar up: similar output, but with a lot more character.
Here's a pic that shows the carved-body of this model better:
Well, I got pretty carried away there. Once I get started about guitars I'll keep going until I run out of steam.
Or in this case, until I run out pf pics.
(PS: Am uncertain of thread etiquette and hope this doesn't constitute hijacking, or grandstanding. Will delete if requested.)
*I have an early 60s Hagstrom bass with just one knob, but that uses four slider switches too. And it certainly doesn't come under the heading of stripped-down shredstick types...
