I currently have:
-1968 Martin D18 (my baby)
-Sigma rescued from a dumpster with the neck snapped off at the head
-$100 Fender acoustic model unknown
-Squire Tele
-Ibanez AF (my new baby).
Uses:
I don't gig or anything, I just play at home and with friends.
The Sigma is great when I'm in a Robert Johnson Mississippi blues kind of mood. Its got that boxy sound that just works for it.
The cheapie Fender is perfect for my 70's folk bluegrass & light rock moods.
The Martin sings classical like a diva.
The Ibanez (say what you want about them) is an ideal blues and jazz instrument, I love it. I use this with a Roland microcube - no power but nice range of effects.
I wanted something to cover my Hendrix, Zappa, 'gimme a fifth of Jack' moods and thought the Tele would do it but I hate it. First, its like wearing a Volkswagen around your neck, second the action is so bad that a monkey could dance a jig under the strings at the 12th fret. I'm playing this on a cheap little Fender practice amp that doesn't have a lot of effects other than gain. All I can seem to get out of it is straight distortion the kind where you can't pick out the notes.
I bought the Tele for asking price without playing it and would do it again because the guy needed money for medical expenses but now find myself in the quandry.
Do I bother getting the neck straightened (I don't know how to do it myself and I already tried adjusting the action)? Do I invest in a better amp (I don't know alot about picking them out). Maybe my technique is just wrong and I just really don't know how to play that sound, should I just invest in lessons?
I'm cheap but when it comes to guitars I'll pay what I gotta pay to get the sound I'm looking for. Any thoughts?