An old Gibson player, a new forum member

[R.O.C.]

Well, this is the 1st time I've ever joined a forum of any kind so please be patient with me as I'm bound to commit a fopah or 2. My name is Bob. My 1st real guitar was an Epiphone Riviera (Epiphones were quite a bit different back then.) Even with all of the guitars I've owned over the years it's actually still my favorite. No need for any kind of boost/distortion pedals; an ok amp turned up most of the way was all it needed. Probably didn't hurt that it had PAF's as original equipment (original to me at any rate; I don't have any idea what the guy that I bought it from may have done to it.) Actually, I have to take back the "still my favorite" because I purchased what, for me anyway, was about the best compromise a player who routinely played blues, rock and jazz could ask for: a 335 solid body. The music store where I worked in the electronic service dept. had it hanging on the wall for a long time, I mean no ever even asked to take it down and try it! So the owner of the store, who knew that I mainly played Gibsons asked me try it out on a gig to see what I thought of it and of course I just fell in love with it. So I took it back to work the next day told him I wanted to buy it and asked how much. Well, he'd been lowering the price on it for long that he was only asking less than %10 over his cost, but, he gave it to me for 1/2 of what he had in it. I did have one modification done to it that I know will probably have heads shaking: I had our guitar technician install a Kahler tremolo system on it. Then a couple of years later things got rough as they do sometimes and I had to move my family to take a job elsewhere. The only way to do this was to sell every piece of gear that I owned, including several Gibsons incl. the 335. (I think most of us have been there at least once and it wasn't my 1st time just the worst. Well, I guess that's enough of that so moving on...

For anyone who's interested (I kind of forgot this was supposed to be an introduction not a bleeding heart story.) My name as I said is Bob, I've been playing for about 50 years, I've got the standard love/hate relationship with music: when it's good there's nothing like it but when it turns bad it can be worse than I can possibly imagine any kind of drug withdrawal being. But the worst, absolute worst part is when you have to give up a guitar. I mean I've traded a lot of guitars in for other guitars over the years, always looking for that greener grass, not understanding that it was generally to be found in the one I was trading in, but that's more or less the whole hindsight thing. Nah, it's when it comes down to choice of keeping a roof over your head or making sure you family can eat that week, those are when getting rid of a good guitar really hurts. But those other things would be just so much worse.

Ok, well I'm starting to make myself sick now so I think I'l be back some other time when I've got more cheerful stuff to talk about. Bob

[Ceptorman]

Welcome Bob. You've been playing for quite a while....50 years.

 

I know what you mean about getting rid of a guitar, it can hurt.

[Retired]

Welcome to the forum Bob. Nice to have you here. I know what you mean about giving up guitars. When I married I had to give up all but about 2 guitars and my amp. By the time our son was born I lost those too and wish I had a few back but that's hindsight. After I retired from the Railroad I got back in it again and now have a better collection then before. Hope you enjoy your time here.