[Mark2]

Way back in '68 or '69, I had a Fender Duo Sonic. I quit playing in the mid '70s, but recently started again. I now have a Midtown Custom.

[kidblast]

probably 1965.. it was a nylon string student guitar - for my 8th birthday. First "REAL" electric, a blonde Telecaster, ('70 or there abouts) I should have kept that one too...

[DavidRamey]

I got my first guitar in 1964 when I was 13. It was a Gibson Melody Maker with a Gibson Skylark amp.

[dbarreda]

An Ibanez Gio when I had 17 years... Then a LTD EX-400 when 19 and a Gibson Explorer when 22 I am 22 right now.

[Kaiser Bill]

1957...I was 11, and it was a conformation gift from my parents. A Gibson ES-125 T with a single P-90 pup. I should have kept it. HIndsight is 20/20.

[ninemiles]

1987

[cometredcapp]

I have a little old japan strat, but its really not quite mine, I got it secondhand of my dad... Im getting my own guitar as soon as possible!!

[pete c]

my first guitar was a hondo strat copy, back in 1982. i was 12 years old

[adam411booking]

I got my first about 9 years ago.
It was a little Squier Bullet Stratocaster that came with a 15 watt Fender practice amp. Beautiful bright red finish. I called her, "The Red Rocket" (I was 13 years old) haha.

I've beat that her up playing it so much back then. I started a 3 man pop punk group, upgraded the amp to a Fender half stack (I forgot the name of the model. It was pretty cheap though, but served the purpose). I had so much fun with it. We played a lot of music like Green Day/Blink-182/Nirvana/Sum 41/etc. If it could be played with one guitar, bass, and drums we'd go for it.

But sadly, she played her last note a year ago. I took her for a jam session with my brother and my strap broke and sadly she hit the ground and couldn't keep running.

I've fixed her up into decent shape and have her placed on a wall rack in my bedroom. She'll stay there for now. Maybe I'll get an actual wall mount made and place her there, above my TV in the living room or something.

[guitarzan55]

Here's a roundabout story. Got my first guitar at age 13 -- cheap acoustic. Learned lots of chords. six months later I got a cheaper than cheap electric and crap amp. I played it a lot less. Lost interest. finally the neck got broken.

Fast Forward 7 or 8 years. Bought a Guild d-35 -- picked up my playing. moved up to a Martin -18, now I'm rolling. In college I started taking music courses -- switched my major to music -- switched to Classical Music -- bought an Aria AC-50 -- Brazilian Rosewood -- which you can't get get anymore. Advanced to Bach Fugues and Partitas -- got out of college -- found I liked girls, money and drugs and no time for playing (in that order, I think).

Fast Forward 25 years -- old married man now, with kids. Needed a hobby. went to the guitar Center and bought a used Les Paul Studio. Sweet. Then I bought I Schecter Classic +, why? I don't know, but it sounded good. A year goes by, I now buy a Gibson Antique Red ES-339.

I'm a playing fool now -- I'm an old guy but play pretty well -- I did sell the Martin and the Guild years ago when I needed some funds. I'll never sell my Les Paul or my ES-339.

My only regret is that I didn't keep playing from my 20's on. I'd be a rock star by now.

[Markini]

I recieved my first guitar as a Christmas present. The year was 1963 and I was 12 years old. I lived in El Paso, Texas and my parents purchased this guitar in Juarez, Mexico.

As the story goes the guitar was bought from a 'guitar street vendor' for the princely sum of $12. The guitar was made out of plywood and should have been strung with nylon strings but came with steel strings. The strings has tiny fuzz balls of different colors fed through the bridge.

The strings were about 3/4 of an inch off the neck, it had no trussrod and the tuners were like a 5 to 1 ratio.It was a pain to tune and it wouldn't stay in tune. Sometimes at night, I would be awakened by this loud screeching tone. It was the guitar strings slipping as temperature changed.
It was kind of scary and happened a few times.

But I stuck with that guitar for two years, I couldn't chord it, so I played one string. (Even an adult friend of my parents who was a guitar player could not chord it properly). That sucker was a bear. On a good day I get a scratchy E major out of it.

My luck changed 2 years later, I moved up to a cardboard guitar made in the Phillipines called a Montanya. Though being cardboard it was at least playable.

My first real playing 'good' guitar was 1948 J45 Gibson giving to me by my girlfriend (Was her father's he never played it) I did give her my Aria 3/4 scale in exchange. I got that Gibby at age 21 and have not looked back since. I am on my 10th or 11th Gibson at the moment. I currently have 28 guitars and regret every guitar I sold or gave away except my 1st one the Juarez beater.

[Sgt.]

 Phalaris, on 25 February 2012 - 02:27 PM, said:

Ok, this can be hard to answer. I got my very first, first guitar back when I was 16, and in High School. I think it was a Fender Squire. I tried off and on to learn, but back then, it was learn by books, or instructors. I tried both, and happy with books, and had difficulty finding an instructor that I felt comfortable. I bought a couple of guitars after that, and tried to learn on my own. Bought a Peavey something. I eventually figured the guitar wasn't for me, and gave it up, selling my guitars.

Skipping ahead 22 years. About two months ago, I got the bug again. I went out looking for a guitar. My new first guitar is a B.C. Rich Warlock. I actually enjoy playing now. I bought a stand, and as odd as this sounds, but a stand will help you play. Put your stand and your guitar is a nice place, where you see it everyday. And you will walk past it, and your mind will tell you to pick it up and play it. Now, my Warlock is not high end. But I do have G.A.S. now. When I go to buy strings, or picks, or whatever. If I'm someplace that sells guitars, I'm always looking at different guitars. I spend a lot of time online, looking at websites for guitars, although I tend to gravitate more towards the Gibson site. Yesterday, I found the guitar to replace my Warlock. I put some money down on it, and I'll be making payments until it's ready to come home. It's a genuine Gibson Les Paul Studio. Ebony with Gold Hardware. I absolutely fell in love with this the moment I saw her. She was calling to me. She said, pick me up, take me home and love me forever. She is absolutely beautiful, and sexy. I should have her paid off and ready to come home in 4 weeks.

Phalaris.

We all start somewhere. What would you tell somebody who shows an interest in learning the guitar for the first time? I'd say take a few months with a tennis ball and strengthen your grip before you tackle the guitar, you will need that strenghth in your digits.
I got interested in my brother in laws Yamaha acoustic and their vinyl collection. Mom bought me an electric guitar, a Harmony, from Sears with a mini battery powered amp. The cheapest one they had. That got disasembled and broke in a few months. Mom and Dad offered lessons, which I took and that led to the purchase of a music store guitar and amp. A Westone Spectrum SX and a small solid state Squire sidekick. Parents wouldn't shell out for the one I wanted, the white Fender Strat w/lace sensors my guitar tutor was using. I did some research later and found that Westone was a company owned by Mountain guitarist Leslie West. It was a japanese model that had reasonable facsimiles of all the bells and whistles at the time, strat style body, humbuckers and a single coil, split coil pots, locking nut and tremolo bar. I carried that with me when I left home, from fourteen to twenty. I say I never took music classes seriously in school, like many, I just liked the cool sounds an electric guitar can make. I don't think I even bought a tuner. Boy o' boy the pawn shop got a laugh when I dumped the guitar on them years later. I'd scalloped the fretboard, and tried a bass cap on the tone pot (green chicklet). Eh, but that's how you learn. It was difficult for me to play in a band when I was younger, that sort of came with maturity.

[tptfps68]

After sneaking my Dad's old Stella from his closet on a Friday night and feverishly practicing chords on it( with one of those round chord charts that you turn to reveal the finger position) until Sunday night. Fingers literally almost bleeding, Dad said " Well, if you want to play that bad I guess we better take you to the music store tomorrow!". I don't remember the exact name of it. King somthing I think, bought it for 35.00 in cold hard cash. I was 14 years old, so I guess in 1979. Didn't stay with it long, and upgraded to a beautiful Kay LP copy (black with white edging for a whopping 150.00. Isn't it funny that most guys don't know what they had for lunch but can probably quote you what every guitar they owned cost. Good times!

[SGgypsyboy]

1980 my mom got me a brand new Ibanez Studio-50 electric guitar when I turned 14. My friend has it now, but I'm trying to buy it back.

[VikingBlues]

When did I get my first guitar?

Now there's a real difficult one. I've not got enough fingers to count off how many years - and taking the shoes and socks off and counting toes doesn't help!

Probably the mid 1960s - a nylon strung acoustic when I was about 10. Didn't get an electric for another 6 years or so - all I can remember about that was that it was rubbish, but it took a long time to save for.

Took nearly another 40 years before I got a good electric guitar. I guess I'm slow on the uptake.

[redbandit14]

I had an acoustic when i was about 7 or 8 but i wouldn't practice enough and my parents stopped lessons. i have no idea what happened to that guitar.

When i got divorced in 2009 I picked up an Epiphone DR90 acoustic and tried again.
this time it stuck and since I've picked up a 2010 LP Studio,Fender Strat, Yamaha Strat copy (First Electric) and a Simon And Patrick acoustic .
Plus i have a Bass that my Nephew owned prior to his untimely passing and an Samick SG copy my other nephew owns that i am refinishing.

[drzing]

I wanted to be a bassist.
But when I was going to buy my first bass, I didn't have enough money, so I bought a
guitar. It was a washburn strat clone. Still, I think I put my little money to good use
at the time. BTW it was 1994, I was 14, I'm olde.

Still, I love to play a simple 4 stringed bass just for the fun.

[Old Rocker 59]

I got my very 1st guitar in 1973 when I was a few months shy of 14. My folks bought me a brand new Fender Bronco 6 string along with a Fender all tube Champ amp as well. With today's vintage market , especially with Fenders or Gibsons, I wish I had kept them both.

[fl00dsm0k3]

April of 2011

[Fred Bear]

My first guitar was sometime in September about 5 years ago. It was a cheap white Squire Stratocaster 5 years later since I moved on to Epiphone and Gibson, that thing gathers dust sadly (my Telecaster too.) Perhaps I'll get to cleaning and polishing it up to where it sounds decent again soon