Decided to go all the way with simplified guitar set up. I have one amp and pedalboard which I am not going to change soon. Why not go all the way and use only one guitar. Problem was I didn’t have that guitar. I had two guitars which almost were that guitar but both lacked something. I wrote earlier about wanting to limit how many guitars I play.
My problem is what I want is not what is commonly available. What I want is alder body with bolt-on maple neck with two humbuckers, hard tail and locking tuners. Humbuckers have to have coil-split and you have to be able to play both coil-splitted humbuckers same time. My Jackson lacks last option. It is the guitar I have played the most lately. LTD has two models which do all of this if I am willing to change alder body to ash body. That might be ok but I need to be able to play the guitar before buying it. That is the problem at the moment. Those guitars are not available at local guitar shop.
My other almost that guitar is older LTD MH-1000. It lacks single coil option. It has two single coils same time option but not one coil-splitted humbucker option. Current LTD MH-1000 NT would have that option. I considered it seriously. I wasn’t sure about getting new guitar that wasn’t exactly what I want and was also so close to one I already have. I also have even older MH-400 with Hetfield signature pick ups. I started to play with both MHs testing if that kind of guitar could be the one. I started to lean towards that kind of guitar could be the one but wasn’t fully convinced.
Part of the problem is I am so used to sound of my Jackson or alder body guitars. Mahogany body gives sound darkness when alder body gives more blank canvas sound for effects. At least that is how I feel after mainly playing with alder body guitars. Another part of the problem was MHs didn’t sound “right” when playing close to bridge. They have tune-o-matic style bridge when my Jackson has more traditional hard tail Stratocaster bridge. I am also used to telecaster bridges. I remembered how part of telecaster’s sound comes from the bridge and how some people put Bigsby tremolos to their SGs because it changes how guitar resonates.
LTD H-1001 is basically LTD MH-1000 NT with hard tail Stratocaster style bridge and different head stock. Don’t think head stock changes the sound that much but bridge does. There was H-1001 available at my local guitar shop. Went there to check it. Playing close to bridge sounded “right”. I bought it after couple minutes of testing. It just felt right.
After playing it for some time I am not sure if it could be the one guitar. It could be because everything is set up for my Jackson and I am used to it. Cabinet model could be the missing piece. Probably need to test different cabinet models like I did with Jackson. Or then it is just that different guitars are better at different things. I could probably do everything with H-1001, my Jackson and Ed O’Brian Stratocaster. Last one has sustainer. If I wouldn’t want it first two would be enough. But before I go into that I give H-1001 more. H-1001 just feels so good that I want it to be the one.