My first guitar was a Woody wood pecker guitar. I think I was like 3 or 4 years old. Then I turned 13 and was ready for the real thing. My parents knew little about guitars and so did I. I just knew I needed to have one. An extension of expression I guess. It was Christmas 1975, there it was. I knew it was something special because I’d been bugging my mother about it for a while now. I don’t exactly remember the brand ( I know that sucks) but it was a Flamenco style guitar with nylon strings on it and I played it like the wind blows.
By the time I was sixteen my guitar teacher (Mr. Martin) told my dad that I was too good to be playing such a cheap guitar. So my next guitar (witch was totally unexpected) was a brand new 1970’s Guild Starfire II! To this day I remember the smell of the case and the feel of that guitar.
Now to be fair, I knew nothing at the time about setting one up. Notice the floating bridge up against the bottom edge of the pickup. Also at the time grooming was not a big thing either as one can tell by my unibrow. But, the time was around 1976. Things were different back then.
I have, since the late seventies, owned a great many guitars. So many that I can’t remember them all. This to me is unfortunate. Not the idea that I cannot remember them all, but the idea that I had so many. I still have about thirteen guitars. They do all serve a purpose for specific sounds though.
Above are some guitars I owned in the early 2000’s. I actually do not have any of them anymore but wish I did. Since these, I have owned many others, but the one thing I always said I would never ever do was own a Gibson. No way no how. I couldn’t stand the big guy owning my ass! But then I played one, the right one. I got hooked and now I own four Gibys. I’ll post a picture below with some explanation. Oh, I still have a Stratocaster though.
So while I said I would never own a Gibson I especially said “I can’t stand an SG!” And then I had to have one. What changes a musicians mind is beyond me. I did sell the ES 335 on the left though. I will always keep the 335 one on the right and the two SG’s. These have become my main axes. Something about those humbuckers that I can’t get away from. The orangey 335 on the left had Burstbuckers 1 and 2, they were actually quite awesome.
I have a Stratocaster that I would never part with and a famous Gretsch that was featured with Electro Harmonix Oceans 12 pedal.
I don’t play the Gretsch as much as I should. I also have my fill of acoustic guitars but only two that make much sense. One is my main acoustic. A Martin D35 e. Yes, it is killer. And a Taylor 320e all Tropical Mahogany. Johnny Cash played a Martin D35 and he was the first musician I remember listening to in 3rd grade. Aside from the workmanship put into that beast of an acoustic, it is beautiful to look at.
So this brings me to this question. Was it the love of playing or the love of the look I was after years later in life. Well I can say this. Anytime I went to a local guitar shop and asked a question about something guitar related, I ended up knowing more than the guitar tech or sales person and teaching them.
After watching a video on Youtube from Five Watt World by Keith Williams, (link below) I fell in love with playing all over again. It made sense. I remembered one of my acoustics when I was younger and the sound got better and better the more I played it. But electric guitar is where I’m at now.
Keith Williams has a great video on “How many guitars do you need?” it really is an eye opener.
So, the question is: “What was your first guitar?”
My latest and true to fashion guitar is the one above. A Gibson es-137 custom. 2010 model. 57 Classic humbuckers, center block and this baby screams like no other guitar I ever had. This is my main axe and I will never get rid of this guitar. The Florentine cutaway reminds me of my first ever guitar.
Do you shred? Play bluegrass? Rock out? Pop? Jazz? Blues? Acoustic or electric? Both? Both is always good. I’ll reminisce again for a moment and tell you what I’m into now as of late. Heavy rock. In your face distortion make your eardrums blead rock. Audioslave, STP, Godsmack, Alice in Chains, FFD. I don’t know why? I played acoustic duos for so long perhaps this is a necessary evil. Who knows? Maybe this time next year it be all about jazz?
I guess I should ask what guitar or guitars do have now and what style do you currently prefer? Your style of playing, or preference I should say, will change. And the thing is when it changes or you decide this is where you need to be, you will need the proper type of instrument to fill that void. I have an article about being happy with the style you currently play or not so happy with it. The article is Guitars make music. Play your heart out with whatever style you choose but listen to your heart and play what feels right.