|
|
Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 1380
Location: Central Oregon | Here's mine. Late 30's early 40's Gibson Kalamazoo. My dad got it for my from a hock shop in Frisco for $40 about '57-'58. I gave it to my oldest granddaughter a few years ago.
 |
|
| |
|
Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 803
Location: Avondale, AZ | It is nice to see that some of you still have the first guitar. Jeff W. it is great to see your amp case and guitar. The picture looks like it was taken when everything was new. Do you still have it all? |
|
| |
|
Joined:
July 2005
Posts: 3411
Location: GA USA | I still have my first guitar, too. In 1980, I wanted a guitar for my Bday (20th) and my brother gave his Yamaha FG200, which he got from a pawn shop in 1975 (traded a bunch of records for it). It is a great guitar. My son played my S771 and had his friend playing the Yam the other night at church. He now refers to it as "his". I tried to set him straight on that.
Mark, my first electric was also a Univox, Les Paul copy. Bought it off a friend for $100. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
November 2003
Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Originally posted by OldLiverJones:
It is nice to see that some of you still have the first guitar. Jeff W. it is great to see your amp case and guitar. The picture looks like it was taken when everything was new. Do you still have it all? Though the pictured guitar is exactly like my silvertone, it's not. My guitar long since passed into the hands of some other kid, who I hope, pursued his lessons with more zeal than I....
I remember being more fascinated by the set of glowing tubes than practicing my scales.... |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 25
Location: La Quinta, Ca. | My first was a Kay given to me on my birthday in 1956. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
June 2004
Posts: 580
Location: NW NJ | Somewhere around 1971 I bought a Contessa (Hohner step down brand) acoustic 12 string for maybe $89.99. Played it through high school and college doing alot of John Denver/James Taylor strumming. It really was just a piece of crap. First, the top started to belly like I've never seen, then the bridge just ripped clean off of the top (so I bolted it back on - literally), and finally the belly got so bad that the top delaminated. Did I mention that the neck twisted too? Oh well, I put guitar down for about 20 years. Now, I've been back into it for that last 7-8 years. Still don't really know what to do with my Viper to get it to sound the way I hear it in my head ... |
|
| |
|
Joined:
May 2004
Posts: 338
Location: Toronto | My brother-in-law gave me an Eko 6 string back in the early 80's - and by then it had plenty of miles on it! It's claim to fame - Harry Chapin actually played it once when he was playing the same venue as my bro-in-law. None of the mojo was passed to me... |
|
| |
|
Joined:
July 2004
Posts: 338
Location: Omaha | MrDano,
I have a Harry Chapin story too (poor Harry...);
but first: my first guitar was a Spanish classical bought in Madrid in 1970/1 (my dad was stationed at Torrejon AFB outside Madrid). The guitar cost 100 pesetas, which was around $12.50 at the time...pretty good deal. It didn't take me long to put steel strings on it, and it lasted for around 3+ years like that...around the time we moved back to the states, the neck literally came off the body...
...back to poor Harry; he came to our college (Wayne State College, Wayne, Nebraska: IOW, the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE!) to do a concert. His clothes and guitar got on the wrong plane, so there he was...my roommate was helping set up for the show, knew Harry needed a guitar ASAP, and borrowed one that I had just sold to a girl (with the promise I would give her--ah--lessons). I had played it (a cheap lam. top Alvarez with a magnetic pickup at the end of the fingerboard) lefty, was restrung right when I sold it.
Poor Harry, all night I listened to that cheap thing buzz every time he played the low E string at the 2nd fret...a problem I'd had with it. (I don't think anyone else other than Harry and I noticed, but thankfully it wasn't the third fret...would've been much more obvious...)
Memories... |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2003
Posts: 146
Location: Germantown, MD | Around 1965, I got a Silvertone POS with--get this--a little amp built into the body. I can't remember whether it used a 9 volt battery or AAs. A couple of years later, I got a Gibson Melody Maker 2 pickup--first decent guitar. First acoustic was a Yamaha FG-130, now in the hands of my younger son. First Ovation was 1117-4.
Peace,
John |
|
| |
|
Joined:
November 2005
Posts: 111
Location: Southern California | I like the picture of the Silvertone posted by Jeff W. In my first garage band, one of the other guys had one of those. Great idea Sears had.. who wants to buy and haul around an amp when it can be built right into the guitar case?
Continuing the Sears tie-in, the guy who owned it became our bass player... and his first bass was a Sears copy of a P-bass. I never asked if he was bummed that the bass case didn't have an amp built in. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 208
Location: Illinois | I guess since I seem to be the inspiraton for this thread I'd better chime in.
My first is the 1980ish Epiphone FT145SB "Texan". Got for Christmas when I was just out of High School. Don't know why Santa took so long to get the hint.
Flat top dread with cherry burst. She is aging beautifully. I've re-glued the neck block for the 3rd and hopefully last time. (a deficiency of those FT Epis newly minted in Japan back in the 80s)
I put Nylon strings on her for a flamenco class I'm taking. The strings came in a package with Segovia's picture on it so I thought they must be good. (I can't remember the brand) Before re-stringing I re-hydrated the body by placing warm water in a container inside and covering the sound hole. I replaced the warm water daily for 3 days. I installed new frets through the 12th and a new MOTS saddle.
GOD! can she sing. I don't think I'll ever put steel wires on her again!
There's only two guitars I think sound better. A Hummingbird and Gibson AJ. All others have been just as good to no where near as good. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
July 2002
Posts: 1900
| Sears and Roebuck 'Gene Autry' Silvertone... |
|
| |
|
Joined:
November 2003
Posts: 56
Location: Edmond, Oklahoma | First guitar: New 1981 Takamine F340 acoustic dreadnaught. Bought in 1984 at a music store's annual clearance auction in Lake Owasso, Oregon (Portland suburb). $120. I later learned I'd gotten a pretty sweet deal. 21-1/2 years later, I guess it's finally broken in. Has a few nicks, but sings sweet and clear. Played it church just this last Sunday. Has since been upgraded with an under-saddle Fishman pickup, strap locks, an ebony arm rest, and a TKL case. I guess it has sentimental value. It's probably the only thing I have from those early days of marriage, when my wife was pregnant with our first child. Said child just turned 21, and is now a few months away from graduating college. If only I'd been serious about playing then, instead of carrying it around for umpteen years, before getting serious about learning to play. For that, I probably need to thank my second child. When she wanted to learn guitar, I joined in and have kept playing ever since.
First electric guitar: Pawn shop Ibanez RG-470. $110. Mid-80s vintage, bought in 2000 or 2001. This is my "project" guitar. Have replaced 2 of 3 pickups, converted tremolo to hardtail, upgraded tuning machines to trimming/locking. Now it's completely in pieces, as I'm going to sand and refinish it. In hindsight, over the multi-year renovation, I've spent more money than I would have on an equivalent brand new guitar, but at that time, I never would have spent that much $$$ on a guitar. And, at least, it's one of a kind now. Not like having a custom guitar built, but pretty challenging, in its own way. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
April 2003
Posts: 2503
Location: Fayetteville, NC | My first guitar was a Acoustic Epiphone. I don't remember a whole lot about the model number but iI remember that it had a solid top, and adjustable Bridge saddle(had adjustment screws) My dad bought it for me in 1975 and i kept it until 1984 when i sold it to someone who wanted a guitar to learn on. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 1889
Location: Central Massachusetts | man, talk about deja vu, I just stumbled across this on eBay... Jeff, you have a few hours left if you want to chase your youth!
(d'oh, the OFC server just took a nice little nap from 1:50pm pacific to about 2:10pm)
oh, and to stay on topic.. I'm getting a late start.. my first guitar was an Epiphone Les Paul Special II in 2003, my 2nd the Balladeer LX in '04. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | OK, the real answer, many of you have seen my rel first guitar, it's been shown many times and places. Old number 6. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
November 2003
Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Originally posted by dvd:
man, talk about deja vu, I just stumbled across this on eBay... Jeff, you have a few hours left if you want to chase your youth! |
|
| |
|
Joined:
July 2003
Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | OHMIGOSH!!!!! My first guitar was extremely similar to the Silvertone in Jeff W.'s picture. The amp-in-case was EXACTLY alike, the guitar very close, mine had a slightly bigger pickguard, but it was still sparkle black with a white pickguard. Traded it to my best friend for a crummy acoustic (which didn't make the move to Michigan with me after college).
First guitar I bought was the "old Applause", a 1976 AA14-4, which I still have, and can be seen in my Gallery.
Roger |
|
| |
|
Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 53
Location: Orlando, FL | Mine was also a Sears Silvertone acoustic guitar, bought in 1965 for about $21 new. Didn't sound great, or play great, but it got me hooked. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 48
Location: Spokane, WA | Technically, my first guitar was a Roy Rodgers thing when I was like 5, but really my first guitar that I cut me teeth on was a red and black Arbor Explorer that I bought in 1984, when I was 15. Just like Gibson Explorers, only cheaper. Very 80's. It actually had pretty good action, though, and over the next few years I put Seymore-Duncan pickups in it and a locking tremolo, and that thing just screamed. Unfortunately, I hocked it for rent, (or beer money) when I was 19 or so, and was never able to get it back. :( I've had a bunch of electrics since, but I miss the gaudy ole Arbor. LOL |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2004
Posts: 627
Location: Cherry Hill, NJ | In 1964 I got a Kay semi hollow electric guitar with 2 pick ups, from the Speigel Catalog. What a piece of crap. Strings 1 inch away from the fretboard. The next year I bought a 1965 powder blue Jaguar. A big improvement. I still have and use my first amp. A 1965 Ampeg Gemini I . It rocks at full volume. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | OK, Here's a little twist on this question,
How many of you still have that guitar or have recently reaquired one very similar to it? |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13996
Location: Upper Left USA | I can get twisted with it! My first guitar that I actually purchased is on my wall after being reclaimed. In celebration it sports a Bill Nichols TRC and is strung as a Poor Man's Baritone.
The wood tones on this 32 year old guitar are spectacular and playability is great. The Owner needs lessons though! |
|
| |
|
Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 5332
Location: Bluffton, SC | My very first one, an absolute POS of epic proportion, is not in my closet anymore. This was a "guitar" that you had to literally stand on to get the wires (and , no, I don't mean strings - WIRES down to the actual fretboard. They were a foot apart if memory serves. Anyway, my younger brother wanted to learn to play and, well, what are older brothers for...? |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2004
Posts: 1116
Location: Keller, TX | My first was a 3/4 size electric Peavy. It was actually a really nice guitar. Satin neck. Burst finish. Sold it at a pawn shop many moons ago. Wish I still had it. |
|
| |
What was your very first guitar?
