Burned a lot of guitars. Mostly Gibsons, because a lot of them are crap, but people who don't know guitars think they're magical or something. A couple are. Most are pretty ordinary - and some are really awful, like the ES-335 solid body where the bridge pins were drilled 1/4 inch from where they should've been. Couldn't figure out why it always sounded out of tune until I measured it. Then I burned it.

One of my first electrics was a Gibson invader (the very first was a Squire Strat).

It was a decent guitar, but very heavy. Long shows left me with an aching neck and back.

Since then, I have always preferred strats. Best I ever had was a 1974 Fender Strat. Wish I still had that one. It was beautiful.

I bought mine 13 years ago now.

I was looking round the guitar shop, and just felt sorry for it. This small, cute, blue thing, unloved. Not even tuned. A no name manufacturer - literally, there's no indication anywhere about where it came from. I went in with £300, and spent £50.

She's sun beaten into a shade of blue-green now. Chipped all over the place. Looks at least three times her age. She never sounded great, but she didn't need to - I'm not strong technically, I just found a sound that works for me.

Guitars are like women - a reliable one is better than a fancy one (and you've got to tie them up with strings so heavy they could be used for shark fishing).

I just found a sound that works for me.

Bingo - that's exactly what I told the customers at my guitar shoppe to look for.

I used to buy and sell vintage guitars. I ultimately discovered that the real priceless ones were those that had a unique "voice"; and it had nothing to do with whatever was on the label. It's very much like relationships. You can search for years, and one day you stumble across some no name thing in the back of a little guitar store in Podunk and instantly go "ohmigosh - she's the one".