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December 2001
Posts: 10582
Location: NJ | My first guitar was a POS made in Holland guitar that had horrible action and tuners.
It is still in the basement of my mom's house some day I will take a photo of it and show you what I had to endure to learn to play guitar.
my first electric was a made in Japan marvel, cherry sunburst microphone pickups and heavy as a ton of bricks. It cost my dad about $125 in 1966 and in retrospect boy did he get ripped off. The music store owner did sell him a black face Fender princeton reverb which has been with me to hell and back. Yes I still have it.
so what was your first instrument? |
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Joined:
January 2003
Posts: 1498
Location: San Bernardino, California | My first guitar was a Douglas acoustic which my dad sat on while I was at school one day. Busted it all to shit. I think I've still got the tuners somewhere. It was replaced by a Silvertone electric which got rained on (the roof leaked). 3rd guitar was an EB3 which my mom knocked over and broke the neck.
Do you notice a pattern here??? :( |
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March 2004
Posts: 119
Location: Georgia USA | My first guitar was a Yamaha FG 200 acoustic, made in Taiwan. My brother bought it in 1975, and gave it to me in '79. I still play it. He asked for it back last year, but no dice.
My first electric was a Univox Les Paul copy. Pretty sorry.
My first really good guitar was an American Strat I bought in 1990, then sold to a neighbor. I miss it a lot.
My fave is my Deacon Deluxe. Samova had it assembled in 2001 from all original, "new" vintage parts he acquired from Ovation. One of 2 black Deacon bodies they sold him. In fact, this may really be my dream guitar as well.
Sorry to dissappoint, but some of us own one or two good guitars at a time.
Jas
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January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | The first guitar I ever bought was a Gurian S3R. Still have it. The second guitar was a Travis Bean TB1000 artist which started the whole Travis Bean thing for me that took 25 years to get over, but that's a whole 'nuther story |
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June 2002
Posts: 1614
Location: Converse, Texas | My first guitar was a Harmony roundtop. DOn't remember the model, but if I ever see one again, I will pick one up. My second guitar was a Harmony electric, with sliders for pickup volume and tone controls. Al, let me know if you ever get them. |
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November 2002
Posts: 1196
Location: Lafayette, Louisiana | My first guitar was a Conn acoustic. I made a deal with my mother that if I joined the church youth group, she would get the Conn guitar for me. I was 13 then, and I loved that guitar. I played it for quite awhile, then when I was 17 I got an Ovation Legend. My father has that old Conn guitar now. It still sounds good, but it has a large neck so it is not that easy to play. |
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February 2003
Posts: 99
Location: St. Petersburg, FL USA | My mom had an old Kay nylon string lying around, which she didn't even play, I'm still wondering to this day what the heck it was doing in the house... it's probably still there. Anyway, I learned on that thing using the Mel Bay books I found in the piano seat...
But MY first guitar was an Ovation 12 string, don't know what model (acoustic only, natural finish, slot-head I think, around '81, HUGE mistake selling it...). A year or so later I bought my 1612 sunburst, which I play to this day. A year or so later I bought an Ibanez Roadster II elec., which I still have. |
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January 2002
Posts: 386
Location: nyc area | for me, it was a st george electric, made in upstate ny...but i learned on a 1916 dyer harp guitar, a double neck acoustic made in st paul by larson bros...still have it!! |
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December 2003
Posts: 13987
Location: Upper Left USA | I got to borrow my Sister's Guild D50. the neck was the just the right size. It lead me to my next guitar, a Balladeer 1112. then I could play louder! |
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January 2004
Posts: 648
Location: Florida | My first guitar was a POS steel string acoustic that developed a bad neck joint. It was terrible.
Next, a very playable Tiesco Del Ray, two pickups, ebony looking fingerboard with neat "fingernail moon" fretmarkers on the side. It had rocker switches for the pickups and one tone, and one volume control.
After that, I got a 72 Telecaster, blonde, maple. Added a Gibson HB in the neck - remember those Gibby HB's that had the Gibson logo on em? I had one.
After that, I got rid of the 72 Tele and was guitarless from about 1977 to about 1980. S'ok, I was trying real hard to stay ALIVE at that point, no time, money or inclination to play. I was ok, just the job and living conditions left about a nickle per month for extravagence.
So, after I met my wife, I got a 74ish Telecaster Deluxe with the worse sounding Fender HBs on it in the world. It also had been HAND painted with about 12 different colors. I decided to strip it and take it down to bare wood, poplar (not alder).
Being frugal and having more sandpaper than money, I sanded it baby's ass smooth and finished it with a can of Kiwi Brown shoepolish, which buffed up to a pretty good sheen. Had that for a few years, but sold it in order to pack some needed heat.
About two years later, in maybe 82, I got a nice Strato which I still have.
Then I got a nice SG from my wife as a present. Used, but it polished up well, and plays great.
After a while, by the late 90's I wanted a Tele again. Ordered a 52 reissue. The store went belly up and I ended up with a legal fight to get my $500 deposit back. While that was happening, I ended up building three Telecasters from Warmoth and Fender parts (well the screws are stainless from the boatstore, not Fender). One was maple with two HBs. One fhole devoid thinline out of mahogany and wild maple with two SC's, and one with fhole out of mahogany and african walnut with two SC's. The latter two I still own, but one of my customers talked me out of the maple one.
Then I got that SMT from Al, and the wife got me that Mandolin.... I thought that would be it, until I fell into that L5 and Heritage two weeks ago. The L5 (POS if you ask me) is gone already, but I think the Heritage might be a keeper.
Next... an LX Custom Legend when they come out.
And THATS ALL!!!! |
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March 2002
Posts: 1380
Location: Central Oregon | My first guitar was a Kalamazoo K-11. My dad bought it at a hock shop in Frisco for $40 in about '56. He had an L-5 but I was too small to reach around the beast when I was 8 so he got me the Kalamazoo. I had it up until a month or two ago when I gave it to my oldest granddaughter. She has been learning to play at school & didn't have a guitar at home. I could never sell the old Kalamazoo, but I feel good about giving it to her, especially since it originally came from her great-grandfather. It worked out great, I gave away the Kalamazoo & made room for the 1115 Pacemaker I bought :)
/\/\/ |
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May 2002
Posts: 3005
Location: Las Cruces, NM | My first guitar was a lap steel that probably was a Sears or Wards with a small amp that we (my brother and I) bought in around 1951 because we needed a steel guitar to do country songs at that time. They all had a steel guitar in them and I was chosen. My brother had some kind of acoustic which I can't recall the brand that we shared, our friend Bill, who played with us, had a Martin flat top, which I think he still plays, and a resophonic that I can't recall the brand, maybe a National. We all shared the instruments along with our 120 bass accordian that was needed for polkas and waltzes. Brand names didn't mean much to us, just types, hound dog, steel, flat top, arch top, electric (most electrics in our small town were Gibson arch top monsters or their equivalent, we never saw a Les Paul or Fender in that corner of Ohio as electric meant you played jazz or big band and had to take lessons and (snort, chuckle, friggin wimp) vs knowing how to play what you heard on the radio by ear.
I bought some cheap, $15 or $20, guitars in the army after 1953 from soldiers moving out etc, and I recall them being arch tops, one a Kay the others forgotten brands, I believe I gave them away or sold them when my hitch was up. Lived without a guitar until after I was married in 1957, and bought my brothers Gibson SJ Sunburst which I broke the neck on in a fit in CA sometime in the 60's.
Then I got serious and bought a bunch of stuff including my Viper, and got stuck on the mandolin just like the steel of my youth because we needed a mandolin player in our bluegrass bands because they all had one and nobody else wanted to play it cause they already had their instruments mastered.
Bailey |
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December 2001
Posts: 10582
Location: NJ | You know I didn't even count the 3 or 4 ukes, the mickey mouse guitar, (which my father broke by beating my behind with it) the maccaferri (which my father broke by stepping on it in the dark) the roy rogers guitar, the lone ranger guitar and a couple of others.
I was into cowboys as a kid and the instrument of choice was the guitar. My mom would also babysit me in front of the tv with American Bandstand and I also got the idea that the guitar was something I wanted to do. Somehow I knew that those 4 string ukes had something missing. Somewhere there is a pic of a 3 year old me hugging a uke with my aunt who bought it for me.
Matt
a dyer harp guitar????? I would love to see that some day!!! |
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August 2003
Posts: 2246
Location: Yucaipa, California | 1965 Alvarez Classical guitar... studied Andre Segovia method.... then
1971 bought a really funky Yamaha solid body while stationed on Guam... after I got out of the Navy, I refinished it... I think it became a canoe paddle eventually!
Then, 1972/73 Gibson Hummingbird... wonderful guitar.. kept it until last year... Al has it now!
1974 Gibson Les Paul Custom cherry burst... tried to become another Duane Allman... didn't though!
Now: Ovation Balladeers 12&6, 2001 Collector's Redwood, Tacoma Olympia, Fender Mandolin and Gold Tone 6-string Banjo.
...currently pining away for that Adamas that Al has.....
gassy tim |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | First Guitar:
1976 Custom Balladeer.
Still have it.
Play it all the time (as often as I can get away with, anyway).
Gig with it 3-4 times a month.
Best decision/investment I ever made in my life. |
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February 2004
Posts: 1634
Location: Warren,Pa. | Back in '74 (19), saw a Madeira 12string in a record store at Paramus Park mall. Borrowed the $200 from my friend Nancy and got it. Sold it when the kids started arriving, Got it back a few years ago, gave it to my now 28 yr old daughter. She loves it 'cause it's her dad's! Have never been able to get that 12 string thing out of my blood I guess...now I play an '02 Custom Legend 12 string,natural top,mid depth. John <>{ |
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September 2003
Posts: 782
Location: Waurika OK | My first guitar was a Montgomery Ward f hole acoustic, birthday present from my folks in 1956. My first electric was a Gibson melody maker I bought at a pawn shop in Wichita Falls, Tx. probably in 59 or 60. Unfortunately, I don't have either one now. Sold the acoustic to a friend in college and sold the Gibson and my amp for needed money, had a wife and children, need I say more? My wife had bought me the amp I sold, but she understood.
Noel |
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September 2003
Posts: 782
Location: Waurika OK | After I made the above post, I remembered that today is my birthday! So that first guitar arrived 48 years ago today, wonder how it has aged?
Noel |
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February 2002
Posts: 1817
Location: Minden, Nebraska | Noel,
Happy Birthday! And may the guitar have aged as gracefully as you.
In 1966 I took my Christmas tip money I had from delivering the Chicago Tribune and went to the local Sears and bought a Silvertone flat top fof $30. It was cheap, badly set up, and the strings could have serve as hawsers for mooring destroyers. But I was determined to play it and spent hundreds of hours learning to play.
After learning several dozen songs by the Stones, the Who, the Yardbirds, etc., my mother realized I was really serious when I came up with my own credible arrangement of Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars" (or whatever the heck the original is in Portuguese). She bought me a Fender Jazzmaster (which serve me through my first couple of bands until I discovered that guitar just wouldn't do Zeppelin... thus my first Les Paul.
All that was a long time ago in a universe far, far away. |
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November 2002
Posts: 3611
Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | My father was exasperated that his 12 year old son wasn't committed to the clarinet, so he allowed me to trade the licorice stick on a relatively good 6-string, circa 1964. Y'know, "Britsh Invasion" time. Well, I wasn't real serious about being a Guitar God, so the instrument languished, was stored poorly, and it finally was euthanized and cremated, I believe. OK, fast forward to 1975, Uncle Sam's Flying Club. Me and my best buddy (probably the best guitarist I have personally known) found a Yamaha FG-140 (remember the old red label models?) in a Sacratomato pawnshop for $100.00 with a chipboard case. Again, my motivation for stardom had not yet arrived. I did store this one well, however. If I had given it a good action job, I might have played it more. Speculative, at best. Finally sold it to one of my coworkers, about 1994. OK, so now it's about 1999, and I figure if I'm going to play with something, besides myself, I better get started. So, my career in guitar resurrection was spawned. Bought an ancient Chicago parlor blues guitar guitar and refurbished it. Great tone, abysmal action. Sold it. Bought a classical POS. Dumped it. Then, Providence struck! Ebay had an auction for an 1111, with a broke-off peghead. I figured, what the hell, give it a shot. Paid $100.00 for another "project". Well, I still have it, and I probably need medication now for my compulsive repair behaviors. I guess there's a moral to the story somewhere. Now, I just need to acquire more callouses on my fingertips than on my palms. |
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December 2003
Posts: 13987
Location: Upper Left USA | Happy Birthday Xnoel!
SeeSquare - If you really love something - it's ok to tear it apart and put it back together! |
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April 2003
Posts: 2503
Location: Fayetteville, NC | My First REAL guitar was an Epiphone 6 String Acoustic. Sorry Don't remember the Model Name.
It had a solid Top. My Dad bought it for me,..really just to shut me up. I'd begged for a guitar for 3 years before he got it for me. It's the guitar that I learned to play on.
2nd Yamaha FG 335 Acoustic( I think that was the model number) 3rd and most important was My FIRST Ovation. A Glen Campbell 12 String Model.
Dad went in with me to help me buy that one. as I recall, I had saved money for it, butI was $175 short. He paid it and i took her Home!
Thanks Dad ! |
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August 2003
Posts: 2246
Location: Yucaipa, California | That other Post about New Guilds reminded me that I briefly owned a Guild Dreadnaut, dark mahogany with a steam-pressed-slightly-rounded back. It had a big booming sound and was the first guitar to tip me toward the "true roundback"!
tim |
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April 2004
Posts: 265
Location: Warrenton, Virginia | My first guitar my Dad paid 15 dollars for new in 1960. It was a Beltone 3/4 size. Strings seemed so high off the fretboard..almost had to stand on it to make a note.
Sam |
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April 2002
Posts: 196
Location: Shelton, Washington, USA | this topic has been here before... but we had a lot fewer members then.... always some good stories.
my first was a guitar my dad picked up in a pawn shop for 10 bucks... don't remember much about it. 10 bucks was a lot back then. dad was working in the silver mines and we were bout as poor as poor could be. but he got me that guitar. and i learned a song the first day. (thanx, dad).
first guitar i bought myself was a yamaki 12 string back around 1971 or 72. |
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December 2001
Posts: 7222
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | In the mid 60's a classical (nylon string) Seville my parents bought me with S&H Greenstamps. I still have it. |
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July 2002
Posts: 327
Location: Houston, TX | Good topic. Haven't thought about this in a long time.
First was a Hohner acoustic in 1985, traded it in in 1990 for an Ovation Celebrity.
1993 - Viper, first electric, pawn shop
1995 - '66 Gibson es125 my brother-in-law gave me
1998 - Aria Cardinal CS350, pawn shop
2000 - Ultra GS (3 pu) in an Austin pawn shop
2001 - Ovation Elite A/E, new
2002 - Epi Les Paul Std Plus, new
2002 - UKII, ebay
2002 - Preacher w/ Viper pu's
2003 - Westone Futura, ebay
2004 - Line 6 Variax, new
How many lines would it take Miles or BruDev to do this - 200? |
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August 2002
Posts: 623
Location: Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey | I had to SUFFER (yes, sarcasm) in my youth with a '59 Fender strat that was dad's high school graduation present. It was just collecting dust in a closet. Damn thing still plays itself (probably why I'm still so ignorant on guitar). Of course, to a dumbass 4th grader who's inspired by Ace Frehely (yeah, I know!), anything but a Les Paul sucked.
In '84 I sold my mongoose BMX bike (was driving by then, didn't ride anymore) to buy a kramer focus...complete with banana headstock and Floyd Rose. Had to do that whole 80's big hair metal thing (still didn't know any better!-but to this day the embarrassing pictures are worth a good laugh).
-Johnny |
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March 2002
Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | Mine was a no name Sears or Montgomery Ward 3/4 size F hole, sunburst guitar. Cheap little thing. I still have it. I was about 10 years old and my uncle gave it to me. 20 years later he gave me the family Martin 0018. Patience is good.
Whenever I talk about the F hole, my wife tells me I can't use language like that in the house.
By the way, Temp tells me I should learn to play slide and the F hole would be perfect. |
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Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | 1975 -- Takamine F-400S 12 string bought from a music store near San Diego State. Had to sell it about 1993 (it was either that or the Ovation). Somedays I still think it was a mistake.
First electric I actually owned was a black USA Strat bought around 1982 ... still have it. |
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January 2003
Posts: 146
Location: Germantown, MD | In '64, Sears sold a very strange Silvertone solid body with a built-in amp and speaker. It took a lot of abuse as I suspect most first guitars do. It gave up its place to a G_____n Melody Maker 2-pickup about a year or two later. Many miles later, I decided I wanted to play acoustic (to my parents' delight) and got a Yamaha FG-130, which my younger son now has. And a few years after that, I got Blizzard, my older Ovation. She's a Legend, which she damn well should be after my five-month-pregnant wife and I walked two miles to a music store after a blizzard to get a good Washington's Birthday price on her. And a couple of years ago, Summer, my C0057 followed me home, and my wife said I could keep her.
Now if we ever really want to get a serious nostalgia trip going, somebody will ask about bands we've been in or styles we've gone through.
Peace,
John |
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June 2003
Posts: 1792
Location: Rego Park, NY, | My first guitar was given to me by my cousin in 1969. It was a classical guitar. I took lessons with this for about a year and stopped :( .Even though I stopped taking lesson I alwayed had that guitar around. One day I leaned that guitar against my desk and left the room. Upon returning to the room I forgot that it was there and tripped over it. I broke the neck :eek: .I was about 15 when this happened and could not afford another guitar. So I did something that most luthiers may or may not like. I removed the strings to release the tension and then used DUCO cement to fix it. I put a 30 pound weight from my dumbells on top in order to apply pressure while drying. I guess in this case I was the other dumbell :( .
My mother bought me my first new guitar from Sam Goody's in 1977 when they still sold instruments. I was made by a company called LORI. As you can tell I did not know a quality guitar from a POS.
My first exposure to Ovation was in my sophomore year in college. A friend had one. I don't know
which model it was. But I was hooked (not realy a good term to be used by a Pharmacist).I was determined to own one. Years go by I got married to Pearl and had no Guitar. In 1994 we went to SamAsh and I bought a Yamaha CG110A for about $185.00. At this point my playing level didn't justify buying an Ovation.
Fast forward to July 2003. I was still determined to own an Ovation. I was looking on e-bay and found a store that had an Adamas 1597 SVT at a buy it now price. I couldn't resist. I went home and got my money together from my Camera fund. That was the money I earn from photographing weddings(My third job :p ). Instead of buying new equipment or film I used that money to buy the Adamas and have never looked back.
Phil |
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April 2004
Posts: 20
Location: Florida | First was a beat-up purple Teisco electric with shot frets, noisy switches, 1 out of 3 pickups still worked, and it was GREAT! Somebody in college dorm was throwing it away, I rescued it from trash room, strung it up, and started learning chords.
Later came a 1971 Epiphone 12 that I still have, and a couple of electrics.
Now looking for just the right Ovation 12, have admired them for years. |
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May 2002
Posts: 10
Location: Napa Valley | Memphis Les Paul Black Beauty copy - Jr year in high school - 40 bucks - learned all my power chords on it (Thanks, Sammy Hagar!!!)
It even had binding and block inlays.
Sold it for a home stereo that didn't work.
What a moron!!!! |
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May 2003
Posts: 38
Location: Tucson, Arizona | First was a "Harmony" (I think). Steel string acoustic. Played that for a year or two while I learned.
About two years in my parents allowed me to trade it and my baritone horn (I'd given up marching and symphonic band at that point) for my Ovation Balladeer.
(And so the illness began... :D )
Paul V. |
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February 2004
Posts: 2487
| Al I had the very same experience! Cheap POS I found at a garage sale If I remember right it had a POS bridge on it like a violin with a chrome string holder that went arond the bottom end and a real nice warped neck. I think it was a Kay? actually wasted a good set of strings on it (mediums) but I did learn on it and with that bad action and those strings my fingers got strong fast! My Dad felt sorry enough for me, even though to him all I was learning was "That Hippy Shit", that he bought me a nice blond wood guild! Sure wish I kept the Guild it would have a lot of sentimental meaning for me now? I burned the Kay! Randy My first Ovation was a classical Not sure what model but it had that nice deep bowl and a real, real nice sound! |
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Joined:
February 2003
Posts: 398
Location: Gig Harbor, Washington | My first love, er, ah I mean guitar was a 1973 OVATION Acoustic/Electric Artist #1621, which I still have, still play, and is being greatly enjoyed by the next generation (my 15 year old son!).
My second guitar was an OVATION Preacher that I bought in about '75 - and sold in about '85...
Third was a Gretsch Country Gentleman...
I think I'm about on my 25th Ovation +/- and I'm still goin' strong! |
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Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 613
Location: Zion, Illinois | Proof positive I grew up in the late 60's early 70's : I don't remember!!!
What little I do remember is that is was some cheap import guitar. I also remember putting a decal of an eagle on the top. That's it! I can't even remember what I did with it.
2nd guitar, a cheap imported classical. Had that one for years. Bridge finally pulled off. Wasn't worth fixing.
3rd guitar - cheap import 12 string (a pattern is forming). Only kept it a little while, donated it to my church.
4th guitar - finally cooking. A Gibson J-50 in 1972. No, I still don't remember but I have pictures of me and my guitar in New Mexico in 1972. I traded it for...
5th guitar - Gibson Custom Dove. Owned this guitar 1 day. Took it home, turned it over to polish it (say those 2 words over and over again quickly .. polish it polish it polish it) to find a slit big enough to insert an index card where the two halves are joined. Traded to the same dealer for ...
6th guitar - Gibson J-200 in 1973. Kept this guitar until last year. Even tone, but not the deep monsterous bass I always heard about. Very narrow neck.
7th guitar - Ovation Glen Campbell 12-string - 1974. I still have this one. What a great sounding guitar. I might have to part with it soon. Put it on ebay last year, but no bidders.
8th guitar - Ovation Balladeer. Another winner, but finances forced me to sell it to a friend.
9th guitar - Gretch Country Gentleman - ~1980. Kenosha music store was going out of buisiness. I just went in to pick up some picks & string cheap. They had this guitar on the wall they were letting go for $300. What I fantastic guitar. An injury left me without a means of support for 6 months, had to let it go. Of all the guitars I've ever owned and lost, I regret losing this one the most.
Ok fast forward 20+ years. I stopped playing guitar, when to school and earned math degree, 4 kids and 2 wifes later....
Decided to get back into guitars for mental health reasons. I finally got sick of that skinny Gibson neck. Found ebay, caught GAS...
Ovation Custom Legend - great guitar, but harsh Chicago winter + my stupidity caused top to crack.
Ovaton 1537 Elite - greif over above guitar caused me to buy this one on the rebound. Great guitar, high quality. You would think after buying these 2 guitars, GAS would be cured, but...
Guild Mark IV. I missed my old classical. Heard these were good guitar. Picked it up off of ebay. Nice sounding guitar, more later.
Adamas II - I really wasn't looking, but was contacted by someone who saw me bid on another one (ok, so I was looking). Got it for $750. Fantastic sounding guitar.
Ovation Elite 12-string - fixer upper guitar. I gave it to a repair person last year and I haven't heard from him since. I keep forgetting to call him. Bummer.
Ovation 1613 classical. Picked this one up cheap off of ebay. Needed to sell off something. A recording of this guitar and the Guild Mark IV decided it for me, I kept the Ovation. Playing live, the Guild was a bit better, but for recording the Ovation won hands down.
Haida Gwaii #35 Parlour guitar. Somehow I came across an ebay ad for a Haida Gwaii guitar. It just looked stunning, but I didn't bid. A while later I finally decided that I had put up with that narrow necked Gibson long enough. It was time to find a guitar that fit my playing style. I remembered that Haida Gwaii and did an ebay search that turned up a parlour guitar. I won it for $995, the only bidder. I fell in love with this guitar, I have never heard such sustain from a guitar before.
UK-II - Had an itch to try electric guitar. Picked this one up for under $200. TONEMASTER!!! I don't have to say another word. Nor do I EVER have to look for another electric guitar.
Breedlove MJ/E 12 string. I was suppose to go to the Phillippines with my family, but it was deemed to dangerous at the time. Wife felt sorry for me and since we had $1800 left over in the budget, I bought this guitar. Great looking and playing guitar, the ONLY reason I'm willing to part with my GC 12-string
Paragon MJ Maple - From the same luthiers who built my Haida Gwaii parlour. What can I say, top notch guitar building.
Haida Gwaii #34 - Big brother to my Haida Gwaii #35 parlour. I wasn't looking for another guitar, but the luthier contacted me saying that he found the original distributor had this left. Bought it on the spot. I still need to sell of some guitar to pay for it.
Well, that's the story. I left out guitars I bought for thw wife and kids and a few guitars I forgot to talk about. But it was fun thinking about the guitars in my life. Great topic.
Bradley |
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January 2004
Posts: 1
Location: Mesa, Az | My first guitar was an 82 balladeer 1111. For almost 22 years it has been my main and only guitar. Although about a year ago I did rescued a 75 Tama (Jacaranda) from a thrift store, and have since picked up a couple of various travel guitars, the balladeer still gets played the most.
My first electric is going to be an early 70's Tornado, I pick it up tomorrow...Thank you Glenn! :)
Jim |
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Joined:
July 2003
Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | My first guitar was a Sears Silvertone solid body Strat knock-off, one of the ones made by DanElectro. Black with a very coarse sparkle in it, big white pickguard, single bridge "lipstick" pickup, round volume and tone knobs. It was the amp-in-case type, with big round holes in the amp casing over the amp TUBES. My mom bought it for me for $100 when I was in high school in 1970.
Amp couldn't have been over 5 amps. I wanted feedback out of that beast so badly and the only way I could get it was to turn it all the way up, hit a note and hold the pickup up to the speaker and wait several seconds for it to build.
Found one just like it in the used section of a guitar shop in Ann Arbor, MI a couple of weeks ago and I got all sentimental....then I saw the $500 price tag!!!! :eek:
Roger |
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Joined:
July 2002
Posts: 1900
| 1st, a 'gene autrey' silvertone...
2nd, a 'kay' acoustic...
3rd, a 'yamaha' semi-hollow body electric...
4th, A USA Ovation Balladeer!....Peace, at last..
steve |
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Joined:
June 2003
Posts: 16
Location: Long Island, NY | My first was a Tempo ( made in Japan) acoustic in 1961. I bought with my own money ($32.00)which is probably why I haven't put a guitar down since.
It was also my son's first guitar I gave to him when he was 3 and he knew 10 or so chords by the time he was 4.. Unfortunately the exwife had the guitar crushed so it won't be going to his son someday .
First electric was a red Harmony Rocket 2.. still see them on ebay.
Dave |
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Joined:
June 2003
Posts: 1792
Location: Rego Park, NY, | rx7dr,
Prescription 7 drams? Are you a Pharmacist too?. I graduated from SJU in 1983 and my licence plate is RX PHILD :D |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | Or a Mazda Rx-7 driver. |
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Joined:
February 2004
Posts: 171
Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma | The guitar I learned on was an old borrowed Gibson acoustic with a tobacco burst top and a semi rounded back on it... I just recently learned that the guitar had been with my now ex-brother inlaw in Vietnam... It had the finish blistered on the back of it from being tossed down while a mortar attack took place and set some stuff on fire next to it... I gave the guitar back to him and my dad bought me a "Conqueror" guitar acoustic for $100 from The Golden Pawn here in Tulsa... It looks like a Martin D-28 and still sounds great with super action!.. I just restrung it on Friday night and spent about 4 hours playing it and remembering.... That guitar went thru grade school, high school and college with me... It must have been the beer that was poured in it at college that enhanced it's great tone!.. |
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Joined:
January 2004
Posts: 627
Location: Cherry Hill, NJ | My first guitar in 1965 was a Kay electric, from the Speigel Catalog. It sounded like crap and the strings were about an inch from the neck. When other kids had a Fender, I was not proud of this guitar, but I did play in a band with it and my Ampeg Gemini I amp. Moved on to Fender Jaquar, 68, first acoustic Guild D-45 1969. Gibson SG 1969 (made a lot of bucks gigging with it, and still have it). Once I bought my first Ovation Custom Legend 1981, I learned to appreciate quality in a guitar. I love my 177LX I bought in Feb. It is a true sounding and playing beauty, better than my Taylor 514CE. I just bought a used Hamer Special. Great guitar.
I guess I'm just a guitar playing fool.
Tommy |
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February 2002
Posts: 3
Location: Ragley, Louisiana | My first guitar was a Silvertone with abouta 1/2" high action but it got me started and in 1970 I got a Yamaha Red Lable FG150 which I played until I got my 1972 Balladeer in 1999.
Love Life Bowhunt and Play a Ovation Guitar
DJ |
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Joined:
December 2002
Posts: 939
Location: Fort Worth, Texas | My first guitar was a Hofner classical. Parents bought it for me so I could go take guitar lessons - must've been 1971 or 1972 or so.
I took lessons from a guy in our neighborhood who played all Ovation guitars, I always looked up to him and loved his guitars.
Sold it to my cousin after not talking lessons for a few years.
Dad bought me some Fender rip off (can't even remember the brand or what happened to it) that was my first electric.
Bought myself a Hamer Graphic in 1982 and still have it to this day..... |
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Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 1614
Location: Converse, Texas | OK... I found some pictures on a Harmony Guitar website. My first guitar was this Harmony H-950 deep redburst, similar to this one. 
I got it in the mid-sixties.
I graduated to this Harmony Rebel in the late 60s.
I wish I'd kept them both. So aLeX, if you ever come across them, let me know!
By the way, they both SUCKED! |
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December 2001
Posts: 10582
Location: NJ | I see the archtops all the time. Most of them need neck resets and are horrible believe it or not the rebel is moderately collectible |
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Joined:
March 2004
Posts: 629
Location: Houston, Texas | Originally posted by Tim Chapman:
1974 Gibson Les Paul Custom cherry burst... tried to become another Duane Allman... didn't though!
If you still have that LP and want to sell it let me know. I'm still trying to become another Duane Allman. :rolleyes: In fact I just learned "Little Martha" last week on my relatively recently purchased S771.
My first guitar was a POS Univox electric which I never learned to play. That had to be around 1972, when I was still in Junior High.
Didn't get serious about learning to play until college. My friend had a gold top LP and an Ovation acoustic only. I bought a used 1976 Strat around 1979 and an Alvarez acoustic about a year later. Still have the Strat and play it virtually everyday. About a year ago I bought a cheap Takamine, but it didn't take me long to decide it was time to spend a little money on an American made Ovation.
I initially wanted a 1777, but after playing a lot of different models, from Celebrities to Adamas to a 1771LX and a 1777LX, I really couldn't find anything that sounded as nice and was as easy to play as one particular S771 I found at a GC. And besides, I kind of like the understated looks.
-Rick |
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Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 2246
Location: Yucaipa, California | Rick,
....sigh.... unfortunately, I sold the LP in 1981 for funds to relocate back to California from South Dakota.... :(
kickmekickmekickmekickmekickmekickmekickmekickmekickmekickmekickmekickme :mad:
tim |
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Joined:
March 2004
Posts: 629
Location: Houston, Texas | Originally posted by Tim Chapman:
Rick,
....sigh.... unfortunately, I sold the LP in 1981 for funds to relocate back to California from South Dakota.... :(
kickmekickmekickmekickmekickmekickmekickmekickmekickmekickmekickmekickme :mad:
tim
Don't feel bad, my friend sold that gold top LP, probably an early 60's model, for three hundred and fifty shortly after college. :(
I won't ever sell my '76 strat, not that its all that valuable, but I simply don't like any of the ones I've seen that have been made in the past 20 years. |
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what was your first guitar.