the most versatile guitar is the one you don’t have, just like the correct number of guitars to own is x + 1

On the note of versatility…. I just got a les Paul classic that has all the pickup splitting capabilities . I’ve been loving the way a split neck pickup feels for cleans and I love that I can just achieve that with my les Paul’s but still get that full neck sound with the flick of a switch .

My PRS 594 SE has covered the Les Paul sound I wanted covered for so long, and to top it off, it’s a way more versatile instrument than a Les Paul. I used to have a Gibson Les Paul Classic, and I liked the raw girthy humbucker sound, but I wrestled with the high action, heavy weight and sometimes muffled sounding humbuckers. The PRS has such a fast neck, is lighter, and packs midrange rich humbuckers that cut and have coil taps for if I really want the single coil tones. Love that guitar

Even better: a strat with a humbucker on the bridge.

Gorgeous guitar. Love the art deco look.

I'ma 1 up it... Gretsch G2627T. All the features you showcased, plus a third humbucker between the bridge and neck pickup. And a tremelo which you can choose to use, or fold out of the way.

I’ve had a D’Angelico for over 2 years now… a D’Angelico premier Bedford, HSS, and it is the best purchase I’ve ever made

I liked that you played These Walls while demoing the coil splits 👍🏽

Sounds nice but it's nothing like an epiphone

D'Angelico Deluxe Bob Weir Bedford? Reverend Double Agent? Two others to consider for versatility. Personally, I’d go with a telecaster.

Great video! Thanks for the feature.

I SEE YOU PLAYIN THAT “IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK”. Go head bro! ✊🏽

I have the Schecter Solo II Custom and it's basically a Gibson Les Paul Custom with the Schecter logo (and the Schecter build quality which is phenomenal). It also has coil splitting on the USA Pasadena humbuckers that produces a sound that doesn't feel like a compromise. In the matte black with the aged double binding and mother of pearl inlays, it looks just as classy in a jazz setting as it looks killer in a metal setting and you'll get the appropriate sounds for both and everything else in between. And they only go for like $650ish on the used market so they're an absolute steal. That would be my vote for most versatile!

I've got a LTD with Seymour Duncan P-Rails, a Single Coil Rail matched to a P-90. Awesome setup

Beautiful guitar. Congratulations!!!🤩 🎸

The best thing about it is that neck and neck joint! Also balances perfectly on your leg

The Brighton and the Tele would be great guitars to play a gig with. I've played gigs with my Telecaster (SD Quarter Pounder in bridge and Filtertron in neck) along with my stock (at the time) Schecter S-1 Elite and it was a great show and both guitars sounded and played great. If you play live, usually there is a "set it and forget it" aspect to playing with a band in front of a crowd. You also lose a lot the small differences that many guitars have to set them apart when you play live. I like what Keith Richards said one his guitars, "Give me 15 minutes and I will sound like myself." As for the "the most versatile guitar" concept, that's going to change for each player. I say this because what is versatile for one person may be limiting to another. If you hand me a Dinky when I want to play my Gretsch, it's not going to do what I want the guitar to do. I'm not playing "Eruption" and it's going to sound off on a song like say "Hello Mary Lou." You are much better off either building a Partscaster or highly modding a production guitar to suit your needs. Sometimes a project will exceed your expectations and sometimes it will fall short. Usually it gets you in the ballpark.😉👍✨

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="355">5:55</a> nothing could have prepared me for that... just amazing what a single guitar can do

Those are come of the best sounding coil splits I've heard in a hot minute!

I have 2 D'Angelico guitars, and I love them both. One is the 335 type, the other is a big jazz box, like a 175 but only has a single floating bridge pickup. Both have great necks, are really well made (in Korea), and sound great.

I love your story-telling. You could make any story riveting. Keep it up!

Beautiful guitar!

Super cool-thank you.

I play a modern player Tele for worship guitar and it has a lot of versatility with the bridge humbucker.

Proud owner of the Brighton as well and I gotta agree on the versatility. I can use it for anything. Working on getting a tremolo installed and then I'll never have to switch guitars on stage.

Great video, thank you Mike! Love your channel, you are such a likeable person and there is always something good and interesting to watch!

Very warm single coil sound, too. Gorgeous. I think the main difference is that the humbuckers on that guitar sound like beefed up single coils as opposed to the split sounding like a pared back humbucker.

About 4 years ago i went to a guitar shop to finally buy a Gibson Les Paul Standard 60's or 70's model, i kept switching between the two, but neither felt right. Then my eyes fell on a red D'Angelico Excel, i tried it out and it was perfect. But it only cost half of what the Gibson Les Paul would've cost me. I kept debating and debating but i ended up going home with the D'Angelico and a couple of months later i bought an Ibanez AZ, and those two guitars are still the most favorite guitars in my collection. Moral of the story, don't go for a guitar just because it has a well known brand on the headstock, go for what feels right!

The PRS McCarty is very versatile and has great sound

That's a beautiful guitar, dude. Nice!

I liked your argument. That's a nice instrument. I favor a PRS Custom 24 myself, for the coil splitting. When I engage it with both pickups selected, the guitar gives a bridge bell tone, fromt the inner coils of both pickups. Neat.

Sounds great Mike

I think the Gibson Blueshawk was pretty versatile as well! Love the videos!

D’Angelico are making amazing instruments and I think you’ve made a terrific case! For the record, I love coil splitting on my Gibson’s. I have coil splits on my LP and my ES-335. 👌

D’Angelico guitars will always have that quality and tonality I can’t get enough of. Truly special brand.

i got my prs paul's guitar for the versatility. its great

Awesome Video!

Tele's are the Swiss Army Blade's. Country, Jazz, Blue's, Light Rock & You can even rig up a Tap Coil system & any # of configurations with one. Another fact is we live in the age of effect pedals so one can pretty much get any sound they want these days. My personal preferences (Electric Wise) are Strats & Tele's. Good video... keep up the good work 🎸

you should check out the Bob Weir Bedford Dangelico. Two stacked, independantly splittable noiseless P90s, and a single coil in the middle, with a 5 way switch. And it has a blend knob that allows you to blend in the "off" P90 in other positions (not the middle position), so the combinations are really endless, including all 3 at once. Its a great guitar, the most versitile Ive ever seen.

As ever, great story telling Mike. Good guitar insights and great production. Worthy of my attention. Also the glasses frames are hip.

Your videos are top shelf! Thank you for the content.

On a recording/tracking session…I always take a Tele and a 335. Live I like a p90. If it’s a 5 piece band or more I take a Tele to carve out my space in the mix…little more surgical.

In 2010, Fender put out a line of guitars called the “Blacktop” series. There was a Strat, Tele, and a Jaguar. Each were equipped with two humbuckers and a 5 way switch with coil splitting. I own 3 of them and they are my go to guitars. I’ve been gigging with them for a decade and they are so versatile and reliable! Hell, in my profile photo I’m playing one of them!

Most versatile: Gibson Nighthawk. The best guitar I never should have let go of. Gigged with it for years, covering every genre.

Gibson made a solid body 335 with humbuckers. I have one from 1981. Has a coil split too and precision tuners.

For me, nothing beats the my silver sky core build.

I have an ES369. Dirty Fingers humbuckers with coil split. Incredibly versatile.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="308">5:08</a> the neck pickup here is in the SG-ish location, as opposed to the Les Paul (right up against the 22-fret neck). This makes 2 out of 3 sound options sound rather different to a typical Les Paul.

I added a coil split to my LP Standard (with Seymour Duncan pickups) for the neck only. Plays virtually everything. My most versatile guitar, however, is my Carvin DC400. Coil splits on both, Floyd Rose, locking tuners, phase switch and mid boost. if I only could take 1 guitar to a gig, it would be the DC400. i now own 3…

Most versatile, the new Fender Gold foil Jazzmasters. 3 mini humbuckers, that can all be turned on individually or all three at once, and has a nice bigsby. Looks like a jazzmaster, but it’s really its own thing. And mini humbuckers (like p90’s) really bridge the gap between single coils and full humbuckers. So versatile, definitely worth checking out

I reckon that the Fender Noventa Jazzmaster is the most versatile guitar I have ever owned. I play in church, so I can go from supporting acoustic tones to folk rock and then on to stadium tones and the Jazzmaster takes everything in its stride.

I have a Warmoth Tele Thinline that I built. Nashville-style, with Fender Vintage Noiseless Tele pickups (middle Strat, of course), a 5-way switch, a little switch that toggles on and off the neck pickup, a series-parallel switch that makes any two-pickup switch position sound a LOT like a humbucker in series mode, and the tone control wired to only the bridge pickup. As a bass player, I wanted a guitar that would do everything pretty well (because I can't really justify having several nice guitars since I rarely play guitar), and that Tele is exactly that. Most versatile guitar I've ever played, I can get a pretty damn convincing version of whatever tone I want from it.

IMO the best configuration for versatility it's an HSH super strat with splitting coils, the humbuckers by themselves are not really great when splitted but when you combine them with the single coil in the middle you can get a very convincing second and fourth position.

The Dangelico 335 style guitar is great too

I have been playing guitar since 1973. I have predominately an acoustic rock player because of three things Tommy Emmanuel, Monte Montgomery, and I don't want to be a gear guy to be a good guitar player. While I hear some subtle differences in the tones you are attempting to display, it's all for other guitar players. I would posit that audience members don't hear, or care, about it. I am always confounded at how hard electric guitarists insist on these, often extremely subtle, differences as being "totally different". Personally, I like the Tele as the most versatile based on my own gigging experience. Let's face it, there is so much gear that can make any combo of items sound like any other combo of items. It's also funny that many electric guitarists spend so much time and effort, using lots of gear, to mimic the best classic sounds made by fingers, guitar, and amp alone. I say the sound is predominantly in the players hands. I enjoy your playing. I enjoy your info sharing. I love guitars acoustic and electric. There are differences in all. I am just unconvinced that it matters to anyone other than other guitarists(musicians). Then again I guess that is your audience. However, if you are not playing to your YT audience, how much of it matters and where?

The split bucker sounds to me like the same pickup but watered down.

Appreciate you sharing your side of the story when it comes to guitars. Well done.

I feel this way about my PRS Standard 24. It can get Les Paul tones and Strat sounds in one package.

Little 59 with a coil tap in a Tele is where you wanna go buds! I have a crazy Canadian Godin LG humbucker with a five position with a “ whole lotta” bridge and a “P rail” neck sad they discontinued the LG a inexpensive awesome guitar.

I’ve never heard a coil split humbucker that sounds better than a single coil. EVER.

The most versatile guitar for me is my VOX SCC-33 with VOX-designed SPLITTLABLE P-90s (it does a good job at the coil split, too). The only iffy part about the guitar is the bridge, which is also designed by VOX. The booger who owned the guitar before me tried to swap it out for a cheapo wraparound bridge (no tune-o-matic, no Strat- or Tele- bridge) which I had to source a proper replacement.

You just convinced me to buy this guitar! I love dangelico!

YES I LOVE MY BRIGHTON!! I get the sound I like from a les paul, but it is definitely not! It gets the job done in it own unique way and I love every bit of it!

I really love the design of this guitar. I heard it has a neckdive problem. Does your unit suffer from neckdive?

What a gorgeous guitar. I've owned American Fenders and a high-end Epiphone Les Paul. I've played but never owned a Gibson and feel none the poorer for it. So many great guitars to be had these days for far less money than a Gibson. Once you are past a given level of guitar quality; it's all about the player. I love Mike's enthusiasm and commitment to guitars and guitar playing. I could listen to him talk about guitars all day.

45 year hack here. Very insightful vid. Nice job.

Mike, you are a great story teller...really enjoyed your video!

Got a new D'Angelico a few years ago - neck has twisted. I don't have twisted necks on any of my Gibsons

Yeah, I feel like a Telecaster with the right effects can play any style

My man causally playing Kenrdick Lamar. Awesome!

I also recently noted with surprise that my schecter hellraiser (with active emg) due to split coils can also sound quite versatile (especially in neck coil split position). Yes, it won't replace the single`s completely, but as a guitar made for metal, the thing really shocked. People dont like it because they are always quieter and may lost in the mix, so you have to be careful when performing live, but for recording on a workhorse it is more than enough for most cases

I have an Ibanez AS53 semi-hollow and I would say it and a Gibson Les Paul I used to own ate about equally versatile. I also think my Tele and Superstrat are very versatile.

I watched a great video where Joe Bonamassa also showed how much range of tone a Les Paul has by varying pickup volumes and tone knobs. After that, I realized you could get a very strat sounding sound if you coaxed the volumes and tones.

On note of versatility, I'm fine with what gear I currently have. Got a single coil strat, humbucker SG and p90 jazzmaster, I can get any tone I want with any of the 3, got enough effects as well, now it's just to record and create ad infinitum. That said, id swap all 3 for a SG or maybe a Les Paul with 3 p90s and a bigsby

I would make the argument a 335, esspecially one with a coil split is the most versatile guitar. But i am also very biased

I agree. HSS strat is the most versatile guitar ever. Especially when you get the correct pickup combinations with regard to volume. Add the ability to split the coils of that humbucker and there you go!

Bro you are right that’s sounds like 2 different guitar awesome ❤ job

Most versatile Gibson is the ES-335 and its upscale variants (with Varitone switches).

I have a whole new respect for knowing you play at church 👍 I do not, nor do I even attend a church. But it speaks volumes to your character. Very cool brother, very cool 😎

I have a whole new respect for you, knowing you play at church 👍 I do not, nor do I even attend a church. But it speaks volumes to your character. Very cool brother, very cool 😎

I'm not a pro player by any stretch of the imagination, so maybe I don't know what I'm talking about, but I have a PRS custom 24 SE 08, and the split coils and the huge difference in the sound from bridge to neck pickups make it extremely versatile, I can get a range from Carlos Santana to Eric Clapton, Freddie King to Chris Stapleton all on one guitar and a small Marshall amp. I think that's pretty versatile? Also, in the maple top Eriza Verde finish, easily one of the prettiest guitars I've ever seen. I have copies of Les Pauls and a copy of a BB King 335 as well as an awesom Yamaha strat copy, but none of them have the range of my PRS

Good one buddy. I have a Yamaha Pacifica guitar good guitar for the money. I believe Telecaster is the most versatile guitar ever 👍✌️🎸🎸

The reason a lot of "coil splits" sound like weak hum buckers because they are taps rather than splits. They bring the signal out part way through both coils so there's not as much in it as the full coils. PRS does this on basically all of their guitars with push/pull systems. The sound is vastly different from a split, but guitarists tend to use "tap" and "split" interchangeably. We need to do better because the different words actually have different meanings.

Most versatile guitar is a strat!!!!

Great video and thought provoking. That's a pretty sweet instrument. Do you really think your audience will know if you've split the humbucker or not? I can't help but feel that unless you're in a tribute band, the audience won't care much whether you're on an LP or a Tele. That said, I just got a Gretsch Electromatic, looking for that one most flexible guitar...too soon to tell if it's going pull it off or not.

i found the Hagstrom Viking Tremar Deluxe covered a lot of ground.

The most versatile is what you make of it But, a LP is more versatile than many think Two volumes and two tones with the 3 position switch… you’ve gotta mess around with em

Mate, the Art Deco styling of D'Angelico's is so amazing. Sometimes it makes me sad that I will probably not find a use for one, playing in a metal band and using 7/8-string guitars. And talking about versatility - I have a Harley Benton R457 7-string with the only pickup being an EMG 81-7 in the bridge. While metal is its main task, it sounds amazing when I play George Harrison's solo from "Something".

Les Paul with a jimi page wiring, you get get PCB circuits from six string supplies UK....... blessings brethren :)

Most versatile guitar ever made is likely the D'Angelico Bob weir Bedford model. Has 3 pickups, 2 p90s, and 1 single coil in the middle. The p90s are voiced more like telecaster style single coils with a switch to make them more like a humbucker. Back of the tone in single coil mode and you get a bit more p90 sound. With 3 pickups, you can do all the strat stuff. You can add some flavor of the more humbucker like bridge with a single coil middle. Needless to say, that's just a few options. The bob weir Bedford is likely the most versatile guitar from the factory

The most versatile guitar is not Guitar. It’s an EQ pedal. It’s never what you bring it’s how to dial it in and fit the mix. Well something that stays in tune helps too.👍

I think splitting/tapping is useful when you have a set and need to play multiple different songs on one or 2 guitars and cant be swapping for each song. Or, if you need to press a switch to go from gain to clean, id kuch prefer to split on the clean cuz i think single coils are just far superior to humbuvkers for clean tones. However, if i want to pkay at home, ill never really use splitting. Ill just grab my S style with single coils, or my prs cu24 or singlecut guitar for humbuckers

I have an early 80s Daion Power Mark XX for all of my Solid Body Electric guitar needs. It is effectively a PRS shaped beck thru guitar loaded with humbuckers and has coil splits. Three years before PRS came on the scene. If something was to happen to it I would probably replace it with a PRS, probably the Hollow Body Piezo model. For my money PRS take the chocolates for versatility with premium build quality to boot.

Fender Special Edition Custom Telecaster FMT HH -- the guitar with probably the longest name, but also happens to be one of the most versatile guitars on the market, and has a similar concept to the D'Angelico (Seymour-Duncan pickups with coil tap, making it sound like a classic tele or Gibson depending on the pickups). Both are great options for versatility though! :)

I have two “Les Pauls”, one Epiphone MKH Les Paul Custom and a Michael Kelly Patriot Instinct Bold Custom. Both have coil splitting for both pickups but the MKH has his Fishman Modern Fluence pickups in it so not only is it an alnico neck and ceramic bridge, the voicing is a bit different.

I don't mind the coil split, I just don't use it.

I wonder if they make a semi hollow version of that guitar.

It has always been my strategy in auditions to bring a very good instrument which doesn't intimidate the band like my best stuff did. Last time I auditioned I brought a PJ bass. Got the gig but they wanted me to bring my Thunderbird. I also have a Brighton. Its a great great instrument. Jimmy Page's LP secret was a coil split, which makes the LP bridge sound like a tele. I've encountered only as few great coil splits. G&L makes a mean one that dials in Fender tones like a dream. Bare Knuckle pickups sound amazing split: think David Gilmour.

I love a d’angelico! They’re one of my favorite import guitars. I’ll counter though, a Gibson SG is the most versatile. It’s an LP meets D’angelico if you can get over the shape Admittedly the d’angelico reminds me of an SG when I’ve played it.

A Strat (with a humbucker) is the most versatile guitar. But you get a Les Paul with some push/pull for coil splitting and/or series/parallel switching... gives it a run for its money. (I play both 🤣)