The results of our survey on the sequencers most used by the AF community seems to have drawn quite some attention among you. So we've decided to share with you another one we ran on electric guitars: A couple of months ago we asked our French readers to pick their favorite guitar from a list of 40 classic and popular models currently available on the market. Some of them are older, some more contemporary but they all have had a major impact on the guitar world one way or another. It is obviously impossible to be exhaustive, but we've tried to include all possible styles, from solid body guitars to arch top guitars for jazz. Be it for studio or onstage, for people looking for versatility or a more distinguishable sound signature, everybody has a favorite model.
The question we asked was: Which is you favorite electric guitar model?
The voting went fast, very fast actually, but the great classic guitars climbed to the top right from the get-go.
Is it a surprise to anyone that the community’s favorite guitar is the Fender Stratocaster? A classic among classics, this versatile model has been played by almost every legendary guitarist one time or another. It is – together with the Gibson Les Paul – the insignia of guitars everywhere, as the votes attest. The runner up was another emblematic model by Fender: the Telecaster. Only a handful of votes separate both models, but the result could’ve easily gone the other way around. The Les Paul comes in third. The gap with the Strat is significant (18% and 21%), which just goes to show that the disenchantment experienced lately with Gibson is pretty real.
The difference between these three models and the other 37 we proposed is massive. But it’s Fender again, with the Jazzmaster, that manages to land the 4th spot (5% of the votes). This model can be seen in the hands of many guitarists of contemporary bands, which certainly contributes to its reemergence. So, all in all, three Fenders make it to our top 4, and the Jaguar is not too far behind (8th place). An overall impressive result for the brand!
You have to wait until the fifth place to find a newer brand joining the list: PRS. The US maker has managed to win the hearts and minds of many guitar players, deservedly landing a spot among the greats. Next up in the list there are several legendary axes. Gibson comes back to the list with the SG (4%) and the ES-335 (3%). But these results don’t really make up for the slap in the face received by the US guitar maker. Next comes the Jaguar and the Ibanez RG. The latter is the first metal axe to make it into the list. Finally, Gibson closes the top 10 with the Explorer. So, there are four Fenders and four Gibsons among the top 10.
The rest of the models get only a negligible share. ESP saves face thanks to the metalheads out there, while other historical brands, like Gretsch and Rickenbaker, get very low scores. As for the semi-hollow and hollow body models, they are for the most part relegated to the bottom of the list, except for the iconic ES-335, which we already mentioned.
In view of the results of this survey, it is very clear that Fender is right now king of the hill in the guitar world. In fact, the Fender galaxy doesn’t stop with the models sporting its brand: you also have to consider the results of Gretsch and Jackson, which are also owned by Fender. The three brands together got 546 votes out of 1168! Nevertheless, you should take this with a pinch of salt because, in the end, this survey is by no means representative of the current market, not even of the French market. It only reflects the preferences of part of the French Audiofanzine community at a given moment in time.
