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Your First Electric Guitar (and, do you still have it?)


charlie brown

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My first electric was a no-name, single-humbucker, tobacco sunburst solidbody that my mom bought for me from a pawnshop when I was 16 years old (1979). The first guitar I bought for myself was an '82 Gibson The Paul, also from a pawnshop. The ironic thing about that guitar is that I saved up my summer earnings working as a porter (late night and store cleanup) at a Burger King following my freshman year in college. It was a tough, just-above minimum-wage job, but with each hour I worked I thought about being closer to The Paul.

 

Well (here's were the irony comes in) on the night that I'm about to reach my savings goal for the guitar I had a section of the sheet metal from the broiler slice into my left middle finger. I cleaned up the cut, bandaged it with gauze, finished my shift and went home (at around 4:00 AM). I went to sleep with the finger wrapped and slept until about 8:00AM when I was awakened by the excruciating pain! I told my mom about the mishap, she took a look at it and rode with me to the hospital where I received six stitches.

 

I picked up the guitar the next day and I used to have a picture of myself with a dour look on my face, a heavily bandaged and stitched-up finger and holding my brand new guitar... that I was completely unable to play! It was totally "Gift of the Magi".

 

As it turned out the damned thing never would stay in tune and I traded it in two years later...

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My first electric was a Oscar-Schmidt OE-30 Delta King (Gibson copy)I bought of the 'bay new for $100. In a beautiful sunbust. I lucked out, the thing sounds amazing unplugged and plugged in! I'm rewiring it soon with cts pots, bumble bee caps, Switchcraft switch and jack. Then maybe add some Gretsch Filtertron pickups. I don't know, my brother keeps saying p-90's but I think he is a bit biased. His favorite guitar is his '66 Gibson SG with p-90's.

My second guitar is a Epiphone Les Paul Jr. '57 reissue in a beautiful sunburst. I had major GAS on that one! I was at the guitar shop almost everyday for a 2 weeks before I put it on layaway. And now I'm trying to by my buddies, well...convince him to sell to me, cheap ol' Memphis bass (p-bass copy) in what else...sunburst. :D/

(I think I like the 'burst a bit too much)

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My first guitar was a Hondo II LP copy. I bought it and an amp from a guy for 25 bucks when I was 13. It was some sort of wood finish underneath the black paint he slathered on it. I actually sold it with the same crap amp to a buddy for 20 bucks about 2 years ago because he wanted something to dink around on. Now I miss it lol.

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I bought a Gibson ES-335 in sunburst back in about 1964 (I think it was $347). But it was backordered for a year, so the music store lent me a Gibson 3-PUP red Firebird with gold plating. I have to admit that I hated the look of Firebirds. It played well, but was awkward to handle.

 

Sold it while in college (flat broke in those days), and wish I hadn't. The fellow I sold it to (the lead guitar in my band) still has it and uses it in a band.

 

Some day, I'll probably buy an Epiphone Elitist Dot or Sheraton as I'll never be able to afford a new or used 335. I did buy an Epiphone Sheraton II Reissue a few years back, from MF. I thought I was getting a "real" reissue (i.e., true to the Sheratons in the 1960's), but it seems to be more of a compromise between a standard Sheraton and an Elitist Sheraton.

 

I keep waiting for an Elitist Dot with block inlays (like my old 335 had). No luck so far.

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Yeah, I remember those "back ordered" days, very well...with regards to 335's. When I got my Casino, I had actually gone in a store, to look for a 335. NONE were available, and there was a long wait...a year, maybe, as you mentioned? Anyway, they did have a Casino, that was the spitin' image of "Lennon's" (prior to his stripping the sunburst finish), so I figured if it was good enough for "John," must be good enough for me, right?! (What did "I" know, back then, about the real differences, in the two types) ...and, to be honest, I like the more tapered upper "ears" of the Epiphone Semi-hollow, and hollow bodies, of the time, compared to the rounder "Mickey Mouse" styling of 335's. So, that's how I ended up with my first Epiphone.

 

CB

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To be honest, I have been lusting a bit for an Elitist Casino or even a standard Casino. How do you like the P90's on it? I have never had a guitar with P90's, and thought about getting a WildKat just to see what they are like.

 

The ONLY thing that has kept me for popping for a Casino is that, if I didn't like the P90's and got them replaced with humbuckers, there would be four obvious holes when the P90's "dog ear" screws had been. =D>

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So JRicoC....what did you end up getting?

And' date=' do you still have THAT?

 

CB[/quote']

 

I traded it for a new Westone Paduak I with a case. I left that at my parents' home 20+ years ago. I don't know what became of it.

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To be honest' date=' I have been lusting a bit for an Elitist Casino or even a standard Casino. How do you like the P90's on it? I have never had a guitar with P90's, and thought about getting a WildKat just to see what they are like.

 

The ONLY thing that has kept me for popping for a Casino is that, if I didn't like the P90's and got them replaced with humbuckers, there would be four obvious holes when the P90's "dog ear" screws had been. :-# [/quote']

 

Casino's are great guitars! Elitist Casino's are the ultimate Casino's....(Next to the "Lennon" versions, that is. Which are Elitist bodies, with Nitro finishes, the "Lennon" serial number, and other things specific, to that model)...of the current production models. As to P-90's? Positive: TONE!! (Open, articulate, a certain mid-range "quack" that's quite agreeable, etc.) Negative: a bit noisy, as they are single coils. Everyone (or, most, anyway) that have P-90 equipped guitars, LOVES them...noise be damned! So, I could see you getting a humbucker equipped guitar instead of a P-90 equipped guitar, but not changing the the pickups, so much. Most like both...for different reasons/tones, etc.

 

 

CB

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My first guitar was a "Hoyer" steel stringed small body acoustic (sunburst)

I electrified it with a soundhole- pickup from "Schaller" and amplified it with an old FM tube receiver

 

My first solid body was a creamwhite no labeld copy of the "Tele"

 

I don`t have this equipment yet

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My first guitar was a 1986 Gibson SG - Kahler Trem/locknuts - Rectangle inlays (not traps). I got it on trade for a Oscar Schmidt Acoustic/Elec. in 1996. I had no idea the caliber of that guitar. Dont have it anymore. Got rid of it a year later. I'm a fool...and I think my wife is tired of hearing me lament over it. Yep, 12 years later and I'm still kicking myself because I will probably never see one again.

 

My first Bass (actually my first electric instrument ever) was a really crappy white Lotus 4 string. 1 P-style P/U and action you could sky-dive off of. One day I ripped all the frets out of it and painted the the body tie-dye with a set of Design markers. I dont think I ever played it again after that. Probably the dumbest thing I ever did to a guitar/bass. But thats got nothing on a friend that used to smash his guitar every time he got mad at his girlfriend...Every time she'd buy him a new one, and he's promptly smash it within a couple of months. I dont play with that dude anymore.

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Well, after re-reading all these entries, I'm amazed (especially from the older members) there wasn't any mention

of "Danelectro" guitars, as a first, or near first guitar! I remember seeing quite a few of them, in various young bands

at the time, I was starting, but no one here has mentioned any (unless it's in the context of a "Sears" guitar)..it seems?

 

There was a really good regional band, called "The Blue Things," and their guitarist (Mike Chapman), had an old "Dano"

"Guitarolin" that he put a built in "Fuzz Tone" in, and accessed it with a push button, on his guitar. This was in 1965 or

so...and was the fist person I had ever seen, that actually had a "Fuzz Box" (as we called them, then) built into his

guitar. They were actually a very good band, and really well known, at the time, especially in the MidWest. Recorded on

RCA, out of Nashville.

 

Anyway, I was surprised, that no one here, had or mentioned "Danelectro" guitars? Interesting...

 

CB

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Anyway' date=' I was surprised, that no one here, had or mentioned "Danelectro" guitars? Interesting...

CB[/quote']

 

...no Danelectro guitar but I did have a Danelectro amp - a DM-25 with a head that tucked into the speaker cab for transport.

DM-25.jpg

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Well' date=' after re-reading all these entries, I'm amazed (especially from the older members) there wasn't any mention

of "Danelectro" guitars, as a first, or near first guitar! I remember seeing quite a few of them, in various young bands

at the time, I was starting, but no one here has mentioned any (unless it's in the context of a "Sears" guitar)..it seems?

 

...

 

Anyway, I was surprised, that no one here, had or mentioned "Danelectro" guitars? Interesting...

[/quote']

 

I had a Domino PoS, but one of my bandmates had a Danno Convertible with the lipstick pickup in the soundhole. The other guitarist had a Teisco Del Ray, which was also very popular in the day. I would borrow my friend's Hagstrom I whenever we played a gig until I got my Ideal 12-string Rickenbacker copy about a year after the band started.

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...no Danelectro guitar but I did have a Danelectro amp - a DM-25 with a head that tucked into the speaker cab for transport.

DM-25.jpg

 

WOW! Cool! Looks very much like a precurser to the Sears Silvertone "Twin Twelve" amps, that

a lot of us had, or played through, at the time...at least before we got our first "Fender" (in my case,

a "Bandmaster") amp. Thanks, for posting that photo, Ron. That's great!

 

CB

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Anyway' date=' I was surprised, that no one here, had or mentioned "Danelectro" guitars? Interesting...

CB[/quote']

 

That's because you did not ask me "What's Your Next Electric Guitar?" ...

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