Looking back at this I am struck by something. My answer to the question is still "My Les Paul" but now it's a different Les Paul - I am literally obsessed with my '79 Custom, which I did not own at the time I originally answered this. I am so blown away by the thing that my other guitars seem like afterthoughts. My bandmate told me over the weekend that he thinks it's made me a better player, and he's probably right. What an amazing instrument.
You are onto something. I have found that the "comfort factor" of a given guitar has a lot to do with proficiency.
I know that my double neck is nothing special, but in the spirit of this thread, I have to say that the sheer comfort factor of the 1-3/4" x 1.120" necks, the tonal qualities, the overall feel, the fact that I am not self conscious about how small it looks on me, just impart such joy into playing it that I get lost in it...
This is the first guitar I have ever owned that somehow transports me to this magical place where I just totally zone out.
Yes, I can hear a light buzz from the retaining wire on the bridge, but for the first time in my musical life, I really don't care.
The action, intonation and neck adjustment were the best I've ever encountered, so rather than have to shield, rewire, modify, all I've had to do was play it.
When we came up here, we were loaded so heavy with gifts that I couldn't bring it....its the first guitar I have truly missed. Crazy as it may sound, its as if it has a soul or a spirit....it has something that transcends the "relationship" I have had with every other guitar.
I think all those things...the absence of worry over seemingly infinitesimal details, imparts a certain musical freedom that allows a level of creativity that just doesn't happen very often...
Am I alone in this???
