First real guitar

[azslacker]

 So quiet on here lately.

Tell us about your first guitar.

Not counting my plastic Lone Ranger from 1964 @ 5 years old.
 I got out of the service in the early 80's. Wanted a guitar so went to this tiny music store and bought the cheapest thing he had. It was an archtop that Sears marketed. Forget the name. Picked up a chord book too, and spent some time learning chords. The finish was terrible, and it sounded worse. Nobody told me the bridge had to be in a certain spot. In '83 I decided to take lessons. When the day came to take the first lesson, I was so embarrassed of the guitar that I went on my lunch break from work and went and bought a new Washburn dred. Still have it. The archtop has long parted ways.

[Trillian]

A 60s Kay Vanguard 2 electric that my parents bought for me at a flea market for $13. Can't believe the money they're fetching these days. I didn't have an amp so I wired it directly into an AM/FM radio. You could find a frequency with white noise for normal playing, or rock out with your favorite radio station. I couldn't play it for beans but it was a lot of fun!

[TaylorGirl]

1973 Harmony Stella with a sunburst top. Wish I still had it.  Then my first "good" guitar was an Ibanez dreadnought.....spruce/maple. It was pretty decent until it hit the floor. Only cosmetic damage, but eventually got a real nice Guild DN35NT....spruce/mahogany. Nearly 20 years with that before I fell in love with Taylor.

[Strumming Fool]

My first "real" guitar was a Sears Silvertone - maybe OM size with an all sunburst body - flat finish - pickguard painted on - maple (??) fingerboard with painted-on markers. I loved that guitar - it served me well for a few years while I learned to play. From there, I graduated to Stella, Harmony, Gibson, Guild, Takamine, Ovation...and then I got my second "real" guitar, a Martin HD28. From there, several other brands until I found my true and forever love, a Taylor Cujo 14...and the rest is history - and future!

[Gasket]

Started buying guitars for my wife back in 1969 but they were always for her.
Took 44 years before I actually got one for myself, an Ibanez ART 100 DX TCR
http://muzyczny.pl/139412_Ibanez-ART-100-DX-TCR-gitara-elektryczna.html
I do like the feel of the thing but of late I'll be found playing one of my Strats.
Sure, I only have a short guitar history but I can say I still have my first guitar  .

[Trillian]

Ha you're a good husband, not only for being supportive of a musician spouse but also for finally becoming one yourself!

[Craig]

Trillion, was that Kay a vaguely SG shaped thing with a plywood neck?

Craig

[Earl]

My first guitar is the Sears Silvertone acoustic that dad bought for me in 1968 at age nine.  It is still hanging on my office wall, and started me on this life-long journey of music, bringing much joy (and some frustration) over the years.

[Trillian]

Trillion, was that Kay a vaguely SG shaped thing with a plywood neck?

Craig

I suppose it was vaguely SG shaped, it sort of had 2 cutaways but not sharp horns. 2 chrome pickups, probably single coil, it was set up like a Les Paul. I don't know what the neck (or body) was made of but mercifully no naugas were killed to make the guitar. The neck was bolt on, fingerboard appeared to be rosewood with 4 white dots, I think it had 20 frets. 3+3 headstock with white tuning buttons. I  think it had a Kay logo painted on, but I'm not sure. The neck was held on with (I think) 3 bolts. I gave it to my brother's friend who wanted to learn to play. I don't know how he fared with it, but he died in his mid 20s of leukemia, very, very sad.

Here we go, second from the right, laying down in the grass.



It looks like something Archie Andrews would play.

[Craig]

I can't see the Picture Trillion but mine was like this

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kay-K-2T-late-sixties-electric-guitar-great-pickups-/291491475510?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item43de3ef036

but £175!!! I think mine cost £20 and was a piece of junk

Craig

[Craig]

I can see the picture now, not the same guitar but I hope it was better than mine :-)

Craig

[Trillian]

Hi Craig, somehow I don't think it was better than yours. One especially cheezy touch I felt was the wooden bridge. I certainly didn't think much of the guitar, but then again I didn't have a decent amp either. Some people say they sound nice for slide (it certainly had the action for it), but I'm not likely to pay $400-$500 to find out.

[Craig]

Well mine still had the wang bar and I'd painted it black so it must be worth at least that much :-)

and don't laugh, it was a long time ago.

Craig

[Trillian]

I'm hardly one to laugh, believe me lol. Nice pic.

[Earl]

Cool bell bottoms!