You know the best way to get "on" is to buy a new guitar. I know that fiberglass bodied Ovation is calling your name. Heck it even sorta looks like a penguin...
You can probably guess the temptations I experience ever time I even go past a guitar shop; even the "big box" stores. sigh. Thankfully, a limited budget keeps me in check along with the knowledge that I already have 2 guitars hanging around. As inexpensive as it is, I do love that Epiphone... the first guitar that I can really play barre chords on (tho I still avoid them like the plague). Yes, I know, I really just have to force myself to play them and play them so that I can actually get good at them.
I find that many of the guitars I wind up spending some 'quality time' with, and truly enjoy playing are NOT necessarily the priciest. Case in point, this wooden Rogue resonator I picked up from MF on sale for some ridiculous giveaway price (less the $130) has given me a good deal of enjoyment. Of course, I had to flip it around and do a lefty conversion to the nut and cone. So for me at least, it ain't always about the price when it comes to a guitar's value!
Been playing since 8th grade which was around 73. Had an old knock off from somewhere. Second guitar was my Yamaha FG340 which still happens to be my favorite even though I sold it to a friend. (I get it back upon his death) We joke about that. I also then bought an old Gibson SG, probably a late 60s model around 77 with all the good stuff. Then I bought many other guitars over the years but have settled on my Washburn D-25 Steel string and my 1976 Electra MPC.
Been playing since 7th grade ive been a part of a few hard rock and metal acts but I haven't played live in 8+ years my obsession now is blues music I love the emotion and simplicity. These are my babies the sunburst is a 98 model I think and my blue one Im not sure ive had it for a long time both are paul Reed Smith custom 24s
The first time I ever heard an oud was when David Lindley started playing one at his at shows back in the 1980's - loved it from the first! I play a little, mostly mandolin these days.
I don't currently play, but have ALWAYS wanted to learn. I never seem to carve out the time and was always afraid to drop cash on a guitar for fear that I would leave it sitting around and never dedicate the time. So, this year my 16 yo daughter (who flits from interest to interest) decided she wanted to learn guitar. In my devious mind I decided that I could kill two birds with one stone and bought her a guitar (don't know much about it really - it's the beginner kit that Keith Urban built and sold a small lot of) to scratch her itch, with the fall back plan that I could use it to learn on if her interest wavered. It seems to have done just that, so it's time for me to start looking into techniques to learn. I don't have the predictability in my work schedule to schedule personal lessons, so I guess I'll use the Urban instructional DVD and internet for a while and see how that goes.
That's the beauty of using the DVDs—having the built-in flexibility to accommodate anyone's schedule. Now you just gotta make your mind up to actually start.
I actually found some time today to play!—this has been a rare occurrence as of late due to all the additional prep work required at the office a week prior to Easter & Good Friday. I broke out my first custom-made guitar—a 'mini-jumbo' (oxymoron-alert!) made of Indian rosewood and adirondack spruce. Such a joy to play again—even though I am rusty…
I've been playing 27 years so far, and am amazed at how little I know. Started with 80's hair metal, played blues and classic rock to earn beer money in college. Some porn: First, my #1, a 1992 Fender Custom Shop "Custom Esquire": Second, a pair of PRS, a 1994 Custom 24, and a 2013 SE Seven Third, a 2001 Hamer Artist Korina with Fralin pickups. The most amazing live guitar I own: Fourth, a 2007 Fender Hot Rod '62 Stratocaster. I hate white strats, but made an exception for this one: Fifth, a Charvel So Cal with a couple modifications. My Hard Rock/Metal Shred axe: Sixth, a JP Emery Custom, my first "good" guitar. Played a lot of gigs on this old girl: And finally, a couple new ones, a PRS Studio and a Fender Hot Rod '52 Telecaster: Yeah, I own too many guitars. But they all have a purpose, and I use 'em all.
I had to bump this thread I technically own six. A Fender that I am "decorating" in any way that I can. I commandeered it from my brother in law by "possession is 9/10th" but he didn't mind. I have a Mitchell that is my daily player, if you can call what I do playing. The Fender FR50 Resonator has a great sound but I don't get much use out of it. I also have a cheap Luna electric. Next time I am at my Brother in law's house I will get pictures of my 1962 Gibson J-45 and EPI D10. I didn't have room to display so they are in a safe place with him. Project Fender Mitchell Fender Resonator And just for fun, I have been on stage at the Ryman Auditorium, I get suckered into the tourists things no matter where I go And don't laugh, but about 8 years ago, I decided it was a good idea to turn on the camera and sing, so, here is my youtube debut from 2007
I’ve been playing guitar off and on for more than 30 years – mostly off. I support oracle databases and can never predict with any accuracy what my schedule is unless I take a vacation. For a while I was practicing for 30 minutes a day and working my way through the “Learn and Master Guitar” course (it’s an awesome resource) but then a 2 week vacation followed by a few hectic weeks at work broke my practice habit. Here we are over a year later and I still have only played a few times. I know when I get back into it, my skills will return, but sometimes it feels like I’ll never get much past the beginner stage. The Sigma GCS-3 is my first and only acoustic guitar. I bought it in 1983 from Elderly Instruments in Lansing, Michigan. At the time, Sigma was a sub-brand of Martin that was manufactured in Korea to their specs, then finished and sold through Martin in the US. The body is a little small (Grand Concert Size) but it has great tone and is easy to keep in tune. This is the guitar that gets most of my time when I’m playing regularly. My next purchase was the 1990 Fender Strat Plus Deluxe that I bought used in 1996. It is beautiful and made from ash. It came with upgraded pickups and a frictionless nut (the strings pass through a pair of ball bearings - how cool is that?). It has great sustain, probably because it weighs a ton. It was my first electric. A friend had loaned me a flying V so he could give me some lessons on the guitar and to make it easier on my fingers, but I found the V hard to hold, so I went out and found this: I bought my Ibanez Artcore AFS75T used in 2008. It is a thin, hollow body with great tone and nice action. In good hands (not mine) it can produce awesome jazz, rockabilly, or blues. I use it when I'm re-learning barre chords or working on rock techniques. I also tend to use it when I start back playing after being away from the guitar for a while - something that happens way too often! Now, I just need to start back up and relearn what I’ve forgotten! All the best, Bill
I'm kicking back and tinkering with a couple Johnny Cash tunes. What songs are the rest of you playing today?
I'm afraid I've fallen off the wagon. I've only picked up the guitar a couple of times over the last month or so. I've even lost my calluses. But the last song I played was the Beatles' "All My Loving". I like Johnny Cash and too, but I've never learned any of his songs. Don't stop playing! It's a great habit to hold onto. I need to get back into it soon.
I know exactly of what you speak, Bill. I was hampered for nearly all of these past two years with CTS in my left hand which didn't allow me to pick up any of my guitars for a good part of this period. I've picked up a guitar here & there over the last 2-3 months and have had nothing but frustration and sore fingers. Grrrrrrrr…… I just gotta keep at it!:whip:
I've been playing off and on for 25 years, mostly off. I have gone up 3 years without ever even picking up a guitar, then I would pick it up again and play obsessively for months to a year at a time. Three years is the longest I've gone without playing and that was only one time. I picked up my acoustic guitar back in January to February of this year and tried to play. That didn't work out so well. I haven't picked it back up since. I will in the near future. I sorta 'feel' it coming on again to start back playing. We'll see... My First Guitar: My dad gave me my first guitar when I was 14. It was a Yamaha AE 1200 S. It was a beautiful piece of equipment that played well. Here is a Youtube link to one identical to the one I had. (Btw, that is NOT me playing in the video, but that guitar is the identical twin to the one I had.) That is what I learned on. Sadly, when I had moved years back, my dad put my guitar in one of his buildings to store it. Moisture got into the case. He and I found it in the building about 5 years ago and it brought a tear to my eye. It is completely covered with mold, mildew, and some other slimy bacteria infested looking cesspool. No way I'd touch that or get someone else to touch that. I hated what happened to it. My dad felt awful about it. My Current and Only Guitar: I have a Takamine Acoustic. I don't have a clue what model it is. In 1994 it was in the neighborhood of $300. It doesn't have any pickups or fancy stuff on it, just a plain ole acoustic guitar. While the action on the neck is very light and very easy to play lead or strum chords, the sound of this guitar has always been "tingy" and gutless. Most other guitars, regardless of manufacturer, will drown out the sound of my Takamine. They also sound better, too. Even with brand new quality strings, the acoustic sound of it doesn't surpass the "Just Ok" mark. After going through many types of strings, I finally settled on medium, but a light medium, strings. I 'think' the last strings I put on there are Elixirs but can't be certain without checking when I get home. That seems to give me the best balance between sound but not affect the action too terribly much. BUT, no matter, I love my guitar. It has been with me for 21 years and is a part of me. It is in surprisingly good condition. Most people (non musicians) who see it guess the age to be about 3 years old. No pics of my acoustic. I'll have to see about getting some pics.
