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Post by TonyM on Jan 13, 2020 12:28:42 GMT -5
When I was 8 or 9. My mother had a blue strat (not sonic blue unfortunately. I think probably Lake Placid blue). She never taught me how to play but let me bang around on it. But I perused other musical interests mostly until I was in my later teens and my friends wanted to form a band so I put some effort into actually learning to play guitar. In my early 20s I found an actual teacher and made far more progress.
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Post by bluzcat on Jan 13, 2020 12:54:04 GMT -5
My first guitar was a left handed Hondo Strat copy I bought at a Gibson’s discount store. I later was convinced to start playing right handed by a music store guy since “left handed guitars are so expensive“...well I was 13 and believed him. I play right handed to this day but wish I would have stuck with the left.
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Bbendfender
Wholenote
Mostly play Fender guitars and amps. I'm 71 and have had a guitar since 1964. Got serious in 1975.
Posts: 216
Age: 71
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Post by Bbendfender on Jan 13, 2020 13:32:43 GMT -5
My aunt had a Kay guitar that belonged to her brother. It was an F-hole. I guess I was about 13-14 when I first held it. This was in 1961-63.
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Post by henrycat on Jan 13, 2020 22:01:42 GMT -5
In 1958 I befriended a new kid (John) in Grade 6. His Dad had a one year contract at the local shipyard. John had a German made Framus accoustic guitar.He showed me how to play "At The Hop" on it and I was hooked. My Mom bought me a well used Kay guitar soon after.Johnny Cash was a huge influence on me and I learned to play a lot of his earlier stuff. My first real electric guitar was a 1964 Hofner Strat with three humbucker pups in it. I played Gibsons until 2003 when I decided to build "my" Fender Strat. I joined the FDP and the rest is history.
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Post by rkstrat on Jan 14, 2020 12:24:39 GMT -5
My father bought two plastic ukuleles when I was in grammar school.
We jammed together. The rest is history :-).
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Post by oldfartbassplayrwalt on Jan 14, 2020 13:11:54 GMT -5
wow, so many plastic uke stories- I've got another one.
Had a red one, it was useless at first, since I had no clue.
Then I saw the Beatles on Ed Sullivan Then I bought a 'play guitar like the Beatles' book, $1.25 Then I learned how to tune the uke. Then I played my first four chords- C Am Dm G7 to 'This Boy' AND IT SOUNDED EXACTLY LIKE THE BEATLES!
I learned all the chords, all the songs; then begrudgedly had to learn two more strings fingerings, when my Mom got me a Stella parlor sized guitar for Christmas
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Post by Mikeyguitar on Jan 14, 2020 14:55:56 GMT -5
I recall being at one of my dad's co-workers homes for a party. I believe I was a sophomore in high school and was in the same class as one of the host's sons. This classmate played drums, but his brother played guitar. I remember holding the guitar (some no-name electric) and not having a clue what to do with it. I thought the dot inlays were supposed to be where you put your fingers...and what the heck are these fret things for??? LOL
I think it was a year later that that same guitar was a Christmas present to me. I still had no clue, but it didn't take too long with some lessons and a good reference book and a good ear to be on my way.
On a related note - I still recall the awe and wonder of walking into a guitar store during those early years and seeing the variety and colors. I barely knew junk from a quality piece...but it all was just so incredible.
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Post by jazzguy on Jan 14, 2020 15:18:13 GMT -5
when I was teenager, a friend's brother had a flattop. my friend would play it for me but I wasn't allowed to touch it :^( so I wound up buying a $99 Yamaha w/my paper route money from Franklin Music which later became Sam Goody.
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BigBadJohn
Wholenote
I Lurk, therefore I am.
Posts: 222
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Post by BigBadJohn on Jan 14, 2020 16:17:41 GMT -5
A used Harmony Hollywood at 9 (or 10).
(Still have it too!)
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MoJoe
Wholenote
Posts: 855
Formerly Known As: quiksilver
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Post by MoJoe on Jan 15, 2020 7:19:19 GMT -5
A Framus steel string in the late 60s, dreaming of being one of those singing cowboys from tv. Music school then first put a nylon string upon me and two years of learning to read and play classical music got me wondering. Saved by the bell when the teacher went to make room for a spirited jazz player and fingerpicking ace who showed me how to really have fun with the guitar.
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hilltop87
Wholenote
My Strat is my friend
Posts: 885
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Post by hilltop87 on Jan 15, 2020 11:56:35 GMT -5
It was probably in the early 70's. My older brother had a friend (who was a class A jerk and spoiled rotten) who has a red Gibson SG. I was like 10 years old and picked it up when they were out of the room.
I remember thinking it was cool but was too terrified to touch the strings. Ended up preferring Strats once I got into playing.
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SS2
Quarternote
Officialy Superannuated
Posts: 19
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Post by SS2 on Jan 15, 2020 19:22:30 GMT -5
Somewhere around 8/9 +/-, about 1963/64??. I remember coming back from a summer vacation trip to Minnesota. Parents stopped in Pittsburgh to visit some friends and their son (my age) had just gotten a Sears (Dan Electro?) electric with the amp in the case... we honked on that thing for hours. Neither of us knew what we were doing, but we could make some noise... I was hooked.
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Post by Taildragger on Jan 15, 2020 22:03:55 GMT -5
A cheap "gut-string" rental that was a package deal with lessons when I was 15 or 16. First tune: "Puff the Magic Dragon" (hoo-boy!).
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Post by slacker 🐨 on Jan 16, 2020 15:50:58 GMT -5
I was 18. I had asked for a guitar every birthday and every christmas for about 6 years straight, but my parents didn't think I stick with it. When I was asked what I wanted for a graduation present from high school, I said I wanted a guitar or nothing. I got a Hondo II LP copy (used, no strings on it). It looked like this: I strung it up, got a friend who was an amazing guitar player (still is) to show me how to tune it, play some chords and some scales. He did tablature for those things and I just went from there. I will always resent that I was not allowed to work in HS and they wouldn't get me a guitar. I really wish I'd started younger.
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Post by guildx700 on Jan 17, 2020 0:18:11 GMT -5
I was 18. I had asked for a guitar every birthday and every christmas for about 6 years straight, but my parents didn't think I stick with it. When I was asked what I wanted for a graduation present from high school, I said I wanted a guitar or nothing. I got a Hondo II LP copy (used, no strings on it). It looked like this: I strung it up, got a friend who was an amazing guitar player (still is) to show me how to tune it, play some chords and some scales. He did tablature for those things and I just went from there. I will always resent that I was not allowed to work in HS and they wouldn't get me a guitar. I really wish I'd started younger. When I first started playing guitar tab was really new....just coming out and I used it to my advantage right out of the gate along with using the then cutting edge trick of "half speed" listening of guitar on vinyl albums via the old 16 RPM speed vinyl setting on an old turntable with a 33 1/3 rpm album. I truly learned a heck of a lot that way. Seriously. My "virtuoso" older brother said what I was doing worthless and I needed to learn how to read real music. I did have a fair, if not working understanding of standard musical notation, so.... I asked him to show me Jimi Hendrix Machine Gun in standard notation. He gave me a puzzled looked, shook his head, and walked away. Although a very knowledgeable "musician" he never went anywhere with it. Sadly he died last year at age 62 with a lot of music equipment, but nothing to show for it. Breaks my heart, but I'm sure glad I didn't follow his lead. In modern electric guitar playing there simply isn't the language available in standard music notation to capture what is going on, even tab doesn't get it all, but it at least captures the basics of what is going on.
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