sellen Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 picked up my first guitar in 2003 at age 30. A bit on off, but the last couple of years i play in a hobby band. Man it takes time to be good for me, but i have fun and i get slowly better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEVIL Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 Nah, still in nappies! Thanks...phew!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzy Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 As a child I had everything from maracas to drums to piano to violin... within my reach. A family of pro-muscicians...you'd think they would have given me guidance. "Music is for idiots who can't read, we're lucky we're pretty or we'd never had made it in the biz, you need to go to school and get a career. Entertaining drunks is depressing." To grampa, playing and making money were the same thing. If you were playing it meant you intended on doing it for money at some point, why else would you play? I thought the same well into my teens. I had the coordination for drums but I always preferred keys. Guitar didn't tempt me, but I went without a piano in my twenties and I felt a hole in me. When I decided to get sober I needed something to ease the pain of it so I figured out how to use grampa's old pitch pipe and started playing easy songs on grampa's old nylon. No lesons, no guidance. The turning point was in `06 when my girlfriend of 9 years left me. I was about to go back to drugs and alcohol, I was depressed, but Ben, my good friend and awesome songwritter, was kind and began teaching me his songs, which were more complicated than what I had been teaching myself. Playing music, learning to play better...it kept me from tearing my life to bits. I've upgraded from nylon to steel to electric, but nylon is still my favorite. I play grampa's old guitar all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moparguy Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 I started when I was 15, Im 48 now, in about 1977 or 78 and was really quite good as a rythmn player, I saved my money from odd jobs and bought a brand new Sears brand Les Paul Custom copy for around $200.00, back then that was about the same as a $400.00 Epiphone. Then I started getting into drugs and being a f*&k-up and lost it to a pawn shop. I continued to be a screw up for along time and made life hard on my self. Fast forward to about 7 years ago my brother got me going again with the "Blues you can use" lesson series. He loaned my his old Yamaha Pacifica Strat copy. Then one day I wondered into a music store while my girlfreind was getting her nails done and I walked out with a brand new M.I.M. Standard Stratocaster, my first brand name guitar $488.00 with gig bag. Then about a year and a half ago, I got the humbucker itch and traded for an Epi SG. Then I decided I wanted a Les Paul and bought a gorgeous Epi Les Paul Standard. Got the itch ( g.a.s.) again and bought my first real Gibson Les Paul Standard Traditional Pro this past November for $1818.00, now I just need to learn how to play like I SHOULD own a guitar that expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 Summer of '63 I was slowly making my way back west, home country, from New England and bought a cruddy nylon string guitar and, poor quality as it was, it was decent to play so... I did, roughly 6-8 hours a day for over a year. Another year and I was teaching what I'd taught myself from watching some pretty decent pickers where I had been in college. Tempted a time or two to go on some circuits but never pursued it. Weekend warrior until a job and location change for 20 years or so until I hit where I live now and it's been various mostly benefit stuff since - and mostly I can't commit to playing for money because of work scheduling. But in another cupla years... <grin> m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 But in another cupla years... <grin> Retirement from newspaper biz = time for solos gigs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 Surf... Kinda how I look at it. Not necessarily just solo either... Heck, I've played lots of material and enjoy working into groups too - although I'd likely look pretty silly with a high school age punk rock bunch. <grin> OTOH, some blues ... "old rock," country, bluegrass... heck, about anything from 1920 upward, depending on the genre. Heck, if it's fun and I can fit into a sound, it sounds like a good idea. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 Heck, if it's fun and I can fit into a sound, it sounds like a good idea. Sounds like a great idea to me! I've the same plan myself... though a bit delayed due to this 3 year old we have. If I retired at 30 years of teaching, like many do, he'd be 12. With college looming on the horizon I may have to wait. Then again I may have to pick up night gigs just to pay for the college, so that could work out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetMarie Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 45 years for me-I had ordered a Cowsills album from a mail order outfit and received a full-sized MIJ Espana classical guitar instead... I was 9 years old and the neck gave me fits (I played violin at the time)but I still have the guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 I played some when I was a teenager and then gave it up, except for having an old acoustic on the closet, for along time, until I was 50 or so. I picked it back up more seriously about 5 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 Surf... Yeah, I have somewhat different economic imperatives, but... yeah... OTOH, my little bro. who retired recently after 40+ years in law enforcement is ... substitute teaching. <grin> This biz can occasionally be a little frustrating, but... The pix shows how I had fun watching the kids play this weekend. This kid, btw, earlier won the bulldogging (steer wrestling, whatever you wanna call it). I figure the critters finally figured a way to get back at him. <grin> m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 February 1971, I was 11. Sears Silvertone (Danelectro masonite thing) into a Checkmate amp. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 This biz can occasionally be a little frustrating, but... The cool thing is, I'm sure you can keep shooting freelance as much as you want without being employed full time by a daily. Perfect part-time retirement job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZenKen Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 February 1971, I was 11. Sears Silvertone (Danelectro masonite thing) into a Checkmate amp. rct Must be a Jersey thing RCT. I started on one of these at about 10 yrs old so musta been 1972/73. Look familiar Clint? B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twang Gang Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 I think I gotcha all beat timewise (even Milo). Been playing a little over 50 years. First guitar was an inexpensive acoustic that I bought in 62 for about $20 retail. Many a blister from that thing. First electric was a Gibson ES-125TC (avatar) through a little Ampeg 1X12 combo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 Twang... You ain't the only picker who's been at it longer... <grin> I probably still look older, though. <chortle> m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaiser Bill Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 I started taking lessons in June or July of '57. The music store rented my parents a Stella guitar. For my confirmation I received a Gibson ES-125T with a single P90. No amp. Its been downhill since then. I was eleven when I started and I'm 67 now, so for 56 years I've been doing this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender 4 Life Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 Oct. 1974.....Dad got me a Harmony Hummingbird copy for my 11th b-day....awful guitar!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 Some great stories here. I'm really enjoying this thread! ...I use to plug the head into the tiny transistor radio 3" speakers to get distortion and watch them catch fire, those little sucks would last a while before die'n... Funny you should mention that... When all I had was the 3w practice amp I mentioned in my post I wanted more volume. Knowing just enough about electronic circuits for my needs I would scour the local rubbish dump for old, dead TV sets, radiograms and rhe like and rescue their loudspeakers. I then nailed these into a modified discarded wooden fruit-box and wired them up in parallel as sort of rough'n'ready extension cab! I still sounded terrible but at least I was noisier. Punk had arrived by this time so it was all in the right spirit and Good Clean Fun. P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 Hello! I started in 1991 with an East-German red "Musima Lead Star" Strat copy and a solid-state Regent amp. Next year I got a black brand-new Les Paul Studio. These instruments are long gone, unfortunately. Cheers... Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CindyC Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 I had my first lesson Feb. 1, 2011. So I've been playing or attempting to for two years and three months! I started off on a Taylor 314ce and my daughters 96 Les Paul Special. The Taylor now resides in Co. with my oldest daughter and the Special I love and will never part with as it was my youngest daughters guitar and will always be special to me. I took 18 months of lessons till my instructor began repeatedly standing me up and I realized I could do it on my own and learn faster! I plan on taking more lessons in the future with another instructor. I can't imagine not playing guitar now and wish I had taken it up long long ago. While visiting my daughter in Co. last week she much to my surprise asked me to give her a lesson before I left!! She said " wow mom your sounding really good these days" do you think I can learn? I told her if I could anyone could! So I started her off on the basic beginner lesson my instructor had given me. I'll help her out with lessons if she decides she wants to stick with. Fingers crossed, I need someone to play with!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 I bought my first bass in 1983. It was a black Guild JS like that last one in this ad. I didn't start on guitar till about 88 or so. On a no name strat copy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeman Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 I started playing in the year 2000. I got a Squier Strat and a 15W Crate practice amp for Christmas from my parents. I was 17 then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanvillRob Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 Even though there always guitars in my house, my first guitar came within a week of hearing The Beatles, 1963. I hate to think that that was 50 years ago! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matonanjin Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 I've been playing since 1965 when I played bass in a high school rock band. But I took a break from 1966 to 2012. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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