My choice of Fenders is based solely on the fact that they stay in tune all the time. I used to own 3 ESP's which I took on the first tour we did (I left my Fenders at home). I ended up having to adjust the neck everytime we changed climates. They were nice sounding guitars, but the added stress of having to adjust them nightly was too much. I can pull my Fenders right out of the case and walk on stage.
I love Les Pauls and I wish I had one. However, when I bought my Fenders they were about 1/3 the cost of a Les Paul. I just couldn't swing it financially.
Now, with having to raise the twins, it would be tough to spend the money on a Les Paul.
PRS Guitars are nice, but also very expensive. My Modulus is actually very similar to a PRS. But the Modulus has a shorter scale then my Fenders so it's difficult for me to switch guitars live. If I had 2 Modulus guitars that might solve my problem. I need 2 guitars live to account for our tuning changes.
I LOVE Explorers, probably one of my favorite guitars. I used to own several Dean Z's, which are basically Explorers. But the case for an Explorer exceeds flight size limitations (as does a Flying V). I spent $300 last year on oversize cases while flying (my Fenders cases are 1 inch too big, while an Explorer case is about 9 inches too big). I can get my Fenders just within flight limits by switching to a smaller flight case, but there is no way to get an Explorer down to allowable size.
Mark
