Kiwi

Welcome Hydra!

I've worked on some MIM strats and found the necks to be pretty damn good, they need minimal fretwork and are pretty straight. Can't say the same for Gibsons, in fact the build quality of their Chinese made Epuphones is often superior iME. But more generally, a decent guitar will allow a bad guitarists to make more imporvment than if they were using one that was hard to play. So yes, there is an argument for buying a good guitar even if you're a bad player because it'll help you make quicker progress. And you don't have to spend a lot of money these days to get a decent guitar, so long as it has been set up properly with levelled frets. PRS SE and CE series are excellent, I've been fighting GAS for the Hollowbody II SE. Used Ibanezes are also often bargains, from the Artcore series (I have an AWD which plays like butter and has a killer stock bridge pickup) to the S-series (of wich I also have one which has been modified into a Chrome boy tribute). Gidin are also fabulous value second hand. If you shop for these models of guitar that were mid price new but second hand, you'll get great value.

Godin generally are very under rated as a brand. They make some excellent instruments.

A 12 string without a warped top seems a very rare thing these days. I would go for a Rainsong but the used prices are a little nuts. None of the composite acoustic guitar makers here in China do a 12 string.

I've been through so many, they all seem to have warped tops due to 6 string bracing...I've heard good things about Alvarez and I played a new one which was great. But the only one I had access to purchase also had a bent top...

Yes to both, not helped by intermittent focus in my eyesight and a reluctance to take my reading glasses everywhere in case it brings on mid life crisis.

Welcome aboard Iain

I bought an Xotic XW1 wah about 7 years ago and now Paul Jackson Jr and Steve Lukather are using them. Very versatile wah but they do take up a bit of space. If you are looking for just classic tones and smaller foot print then a mini Crybaby is the default option.

Acoustic? There's quite a drop off in quality within your price bracket. The necks are less reliable, the guitars aren't set up properly, frets need levelling, the woods are dried too quickly and can warp as they really season. I would suggest bumping the price up a little and go second hand. That way any faults are easier to spot. I have a soft spot for Yamahas as they are usually pretty reliable but Alvarez, Guild and Taylor are also worth considering.

Welcome alpro - got any fixin' stories?

They can be contested, yes. And potentially lost. Back in 2021 Fender tried to trademark the stratocaster body shape but the application was denied after a load of other guitar makers appealed including Schecter, Dean, ESP, Suhr and others. (Not Charvel though, because they are now owned by Fender.) But basically the collective contested on the grounds that the strat body shape had been widely copied over the last 50 or years and Fender didn't object the. So why try and trademark a property now that they had no problem sharing before? Incidentally, public Rights of Way operate on the same basic use-it-or-lose-it principle

PRS SE of almost any description although my personal preference is the hollowbody first followed by the Swamp Ash HSH. Having said that, when I fancy a new guitar, I make one. This might sound like a dream but its happened every year for the last few years now as I've developed confidence and a couple of them are REALLY good. However I'm now caught between running out of space and not wanting to sell any. Honourable mention for the Ibanez AWD83T, amazing guitar for the price used. One of those gems that deserves more recognition once the neck pickup has been swapped out for one from the more modern Artcore range.

Trademarks don't require 'use' because they are validated through rights assigned at registration. They have to be renewed periodically though and trademarking ideally should be enforced too, in order to safe guard against applications to cancel (due to lack of enforcement action). Unlike patents, trademarks can exist in perpetuity so long as they are renewed.

You have just described the last 4 weeks for me. I'm up one self build with another in the works and two opportunistic bass purchases. I have officially run out of space and now have to set a rotating display on my hangers of the ones I don't play so often. Welcome brother...

A seymour duncan 'semi super switch' would give you an extra position which could be wired to combine coils from each pickup.