Decisions Decisions

Got the red Gibson SG yesterday. It's nothing special and is probably in need of re-fretting after over 20 years of hard playing. Nevertheless, it has helped the process of deciding what I want from an SG. I'm split between wanting an all-around guitar that would do my typical warmer, legato stuff really well, or a "utility" guitar that would nail the brighter, spikier SG sound that my heroes Frank Zappa and Frank Marino get. I'm leaning toward the latter at the moment. I've got other guitars that do warm legato very well, but nothing that gives me quite the deep, savage honk that Zappa achieved on "Five-Five-FIVE" from Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar.

I've almost decided against the '79 SG I wrote about earlier (assuming it's still available). I don't need to spend that much to get that sound, and the wear and tear on this '86 SG have scared me away from older guitars for the moment, though the '79 appears to be in much better shape and has basically been sitting in its case for 20 years. That, in itself, is troubling. Play wear on a guitar is a good thing--it often means the guitar was someone's first choice for a long time. A case queen could just be a dog that no one wants to play. On the other hand, the regular SGs out there are readily obtainable, while that SG Custom is a rare beast. I might not see another one like it for years.

Do I sound obsessive?