Your First Guitar/Instrument

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: Genie
Date: 05 Jan 06 - 06:06 PM

My first (and still favorite) guitar was/is a 1955 Martin 00018.   
A guy I was casually dating at the time (1960) was in a rock band and had just bought two guitars that were more suited to that kind of music.   I was eager to try folk music so I asked him if I could buy his "old guitar."   He said, "No, but you can have it." So he gave it to me, including an oversized wooden case.

The narrow neck and easy action made it an ideal guitar for me, but I had no idea what a great guitar I'd been given -- until people I met when playing it kept saying, "You have a MARTIN!!!???" and offering to buy it from me (usually for about $500.)

That guitar, along with the nickname he casually tossed at "her" when he have "her" to me, is still my treasure. She's pretty beat-up looking, having been my only guitar for decades and going to parties, the beach, picnics, etc., as well as travelling cross-country, but sounds better than ever.

I wished I aged as well as old Martins do. LOL

Genie

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: number 6
Date: 05 Jan 06 - 08:18 PM

Anononny and Beer ...I'm one of those that vowed I would never own an Asian import let alone a laminate ... guess what .. relunctantly I tried a Blueridge BR60 out last February ... it blew me away completely, I bought it .. I can acutually say I use this axe more than my Taylor ... incredible guitars, great price too bad they're Chinese. Overall I recomment them to anyone who wants a top of the line sounding guitar at a resonable (very resonable) price.

BTW .. the BR60 is rosewood lam, spruce sold top. It it clean in it's construction ... time can only tell how it will last ... but I'm confident.

sIx

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: Peace
Date: 05 Jan 06 - 08:22 PM

"Ovation Troubadour with the round fiberglass back"

I had one of them for a very short time but could never get used to the rounded back. Kept 'slip slidin' away from me.

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: Beer
Date: 05 Jan 06 - 08:23 PM

When I pick up my Yamaha on Saturday I'm going to check them out.

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: number 6
Date: 05 Jan 06 - 08:33 PM

Peace ... a lot of people knock the Ovations .. the only players I have seen playing them are female ... one fantastic female guitar player in town here plays an Ovation

sIx

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: Peace
Date: 05 Jan 06 - 08:34 PM

I thought the sound was fine--action, etc--but I just could not get used to the rounded back.

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: number 6
Date: 05 Jan 06 - 08:39 PM

Actually I agree with you ... they sound good, action etc. .. but it's that rounded back.

sIx

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: GUEST,Anonny Mouse
Date: 05 Jan 06 - 08:39 PM

Beer-give us a report whacha think. Somebody on the Martin forum supposedly traded a D28 straight up for a Blueridge that had solid rosewood back and sides-not sure of the number 100 series which are the solid rosewoods or mahognanys. The Lams are the 2 digit #'ed ones. See if they carry any Johnson "Carolina" series too--theyre the new ones sposed to be even better than the Blueridges.

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: number 6
Date: 05 Jan 06 - 08:49 PM

The solid body ones are the 100 series, lams are the 2 digit series. The BR160 is the solid rosewood ... selling for under $1k cdn ... that is pretty good ... sound wise they are pretty good as I stated ... now as good as a Martin D28 ... it's getting a lot of the Martin guys upset.
The way I look at it ... a Martin is still a Martin, and the BR is an affordable clone.

sIx

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: number 6
Date: 05 Jan 06 - 08:52 PM

I should add ... one common complaint about the BR's is the thin neck .. this I don't mind at all, in fact it reminds me of my old Gibson 335.

sIx

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: GUEST,Anonny Mouse
Date: 05 Jan 06 - 09:36 PM

6--oh the Martin guys were INCENSED...I wish I still had the link some guy pasted in from the thread the traitor-trader started and why he posted it to the Martin guitar forum is nutso. It was awhile ago maybe 6 or 8 months. Maybe if you go to the Martin forum and search it will come up----they just wailed on the dude but he stuck to his guns. Im with you tho-no Chinese git is gonna equal a Martin but this one he got he was really sold on and said it was louder and did better bluegrass leads etc. blah blah. You think things get hot here it was like a flame-o-rama there. And yep>>>it was a 160. thanks-must be 140 is mahogany. Like half the price of the D. Unreal. Maybe MG is a member there and knows about this and could find the link-its almost as good as reading Esteban reviews on Harmony Central but not quite as funny. LOL!!!!

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: number 6
Date: 06 Jan 06 - 12:11 AM

I've never visited the Martin Forum, Anonny .... but do visit the Taylor Forum .. I've heard there how the Martin Forum is very sensitive to any blasphemy directed at Martins. Silly, but good for a laugh. Estebhan, ever got to his webside ... I suggest you do when every your feeling a bit down. It'll revive your sense of humour in no time.

sIx

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: Seamus Kennedy
Date: 06 Jan 06 - 12:13 AM

Beer, I think you hit the nail on the head. The FG-180 was inexpensive and sounded fine.
In fact, like the Taks I currently own, you could get some really GREAT sounding FG-180's if tried enough of them out.
And this was in the days before built-in electronics made them all sound good - on stage.
No question - Martins, Gibsons, Guilds, Taylors, etc. are great guitars, but not everybody can afford one.

Seamus

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: Seamus Kennedy
Date: 06 Jan 06 - 12:14 AM

Peace, I've owned a couple of Ovations as well, and I think I share your problem.
When two convex surfaces meet.......

Seamus

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: Duke
Date: 06 Jan 06 - 10:57 AM

My first real guitar was a Goya G-10 Classical. I had it for many years before I went to steel strings. A friend talk me into selling it to her and the first night she had it, a drunk stepped on it and as she did not know any better, she tossed it in the garbage. It broke my heart!

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: GUEST,Don Meixner
Date: 06 Jan 06 - 11:19 AM

I just bought a Blueridge BR-43 for my son Geof as a first guitar. I played it at an open mic and was very pleased by it. The sound guy said it miked very easily and had so balanced a tone he had little to do.
Based on this and what I hear from others I may be buying Rosewood model in the near.

I agree with Number Six, it is a shame they are Chinese.

Don

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: Beer
Date: 07 Jan 06 - 09:18 AM

Well I was informed last night that my Yamaha will not be ready for today as the set of tuning keys were all left dided. Three were supose to be right. Has to make a new order from Toronto. Damn it.

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: Garry Gillard
Date: 07 Jan 06 - 10:09 AM

Dim memories of a ukulele and an autoharp both of which I thought were toys. Then the 4-string banjo on which my father courted my mother. But then I started piano lessons aged 5. The only guitar I ever owned, since 1968 and still have, is a Levin LG-20.

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: Beer
Date: 25 Jan 06 - 03:50 PM

Was at the music store today and my parts for the Yamaha180 still hasen't arrived. I asked the owner if he had any Blueridge guitars in shop. He had one which he said was the bottom of the line. A BR40. Laminated(3Layers)mahogany back from I think he said Honduras. Solid top made of B.C. spruce.
I couldn't beleive the sound. I've got to save my money and get one. Here in Quebec or that is at the store I was it, it sells for $600.
And this was the bottom of the line.

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: GUEST,Anonny Mouse
Date: 25 Jan 06 - 04:15 PM

As mentioned "Johnson" guitars seem to be the new "Blueridges". Big quality construction, woods, etc. Seem to be creating quite a stir. Don't know if you get them across the Pond-but they may be worth looking at (the Carolina series). Don't like Laminated guitars-have yet to find one I thought was really good. Thats me.

See where Blueridge isn't offering the under 2k Brazilian one anymore. Guess like Martin, they ran out of Braz. Mostly stumpwood or slab as I could detemine-although they looked purty!

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: number 6
Date: 25 Jan 06 - 04:32 PM

Anonny .... I'm pretty sure those Johnson Carolinas are made in the same mysterious factory somewhere in the vast industrial lands of China. They look almost identical.

Those Blueridge Braz models sound good too ... but who in their right mind would pay over $2K U.S. for a Chinese guitar. Might as well spend your money on an East indian Rosewood D-28 or whatever.

sIx

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: number 6
Date: 25 Jan 06 - 04:49 PM

Beer ... I bought a BR60 a year ago last February ... it's a Rosewood laminate, solid sitkas spruce top. I'm very, very pleased with it. Setup was perfect, clean construction, intonation is remarkable.

sIx

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: Beer
Date: 25 Jan 06 - 05:50 PM

Six,
The owner of this small music store is a fabulous player. He told me that many guitars have passed through his shop and this is one of the finest instruments he has been exposed to.
beer

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: GUEST,Chris B (Born Again Scouser)
Date: 26 Jan 06 - 12:02 PM

Fascinating thread. However, can future contributors kindly include their addresses along with a list of times that they are likely to be out?

Thank you.

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: GUEST,AR
Date: 26 Jan 06 - 03:08 PM

My favourite instrument is a guitar, a Yairi YW130 model which my pop bought in Cologne, Germany in that year. Sweet low action, holds bizarre tunings very well, good tone, best described as crisp, not too boomy. Anyone else had any experience with Yairi guitars of this kind of vintage? I've never seen one like it...

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: GUEST,Jim
Date: 26 Jan 06 - 06:27 PM

My first guitar, circa 1960, was a Goya Goliath, made in Gothenburg Sweden. It was a maple backed dreadnought shaped sunburst guitar and it cost me $75, second hand at Pilgrim's Music in Hamilton Ontario. I sold it, not realizing that guitars could be fixed, when the action started to get high. I always regreted losing this guitar and about 4 years ago I found another 1958 Goya Goliath at Encore Music in Toronto. It cost me $300 more than the first one, and it needed a neck set which cost $200, since it has a bolt on neck, but now it's a great little guitar.
My favourite guitar is a 1962 D-21 that I bought at Ed's Music Workshop in Peterborough about 27 years ago.
My wife says,"The concept of ENOUGH instruments hasn't gotten through to Jim yet." My friend Dennis O'Toole says,"There's no such thing as ENOUGH instruments."

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: GUEST,john
Date: 27 Mar 10 - 07:11 PM

my first gat was a shergold masquerador , bought in sussex 1977, i miss it, john

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: Jack Campin
Date: 27 Mar 10 - 07:49 PM

As a kid at primary school I tried to learn the recorder using and early 50s German one my father had found on a park bench.

I didn't find until years after giving up in frustration that it (a) had German fingering and (b) was a semitone flat. I think I disposed of it like nuclear waste so nobody else could suffer from it.

The first usable instrument I had was the flute I got when I was 15. A rather quiet French-made Selmer solid silver Boehm flute with an open G sharp.

Part of the reason for going for the flute was that, having a cleft lip and palate, it was a challenge to get any sort of embouchure to work with the scars. Sorted that pretty fast, but it took me many years to work out how to seal my palatal fistula enough for sustained clarinet playing. I now play clarinets about as much as flutes.

I have a ridiculous number of instruments of ridiculous organological diversity. About the only family of instruments I don't own one of is brass. (Was given a guitar once. Hated it).

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 27 Mar 10 - 09:28 PM

I first learned a few chords on a friends archtop Silvertone. I bought a no name at an auction that had an action from Hell and near gave up in frustration. I then bought a special from Sears, a D-28 clone that had weak sound but good action and was a good learner. I used that for a few years until I replaced it with a much better Yamaha.

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: Callitfolk
Date: 27 Mar 10 - 11:12 PM

My mom brought me to her cousin's music store in Philadelphia, to buy a saxaphone, since I took a few lessons on a borrowed sax at the local Boys Club. Walked in the door of the store, saw a new Japanese version of a Gibson hollow-body electric, and I convinced my mother to buy it for $100. Never held a guitar in my hand, until that day. 40 years and at least a hundred high-end guitars (and a few recordings) later, still playing. I'm currently down to two custom Martins (OM and 00). If you like instrumental acoustic, you can download my latest CD of originals for free at Bandcamp:

John O'Hara - Fingerstyle Guitar CD

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: beeliner
Date: 28 Mar 10 - 12:45 AM

Began with a Suzuki uke, then a Sears (Silvertone) guitar, butt-ugly but sounded OK. Was in a music store and saw a Regal, asked to play it, the action was so great compared to mine that it almost seemed to play itself. I think it cost $85, brand new. That was about 1964 or 5. It mysteriously disappeared from a storage locker at a much later date.

Became enamoured of 12-strings due to live performances by Bob Gibson and recordings by Fred Gerlach, bought the only one I could afford at the time, a Stella. Later sold it.

Ordered a Schmidt autoharp from the Sears catalog, it cost $35 with the hard case in the mid 1960's. Later sold it.

Bought a really nice Casiotone keyboard for the family in the 1980's, which is still in great shape, within reach as I type this.

Recently returned from nearly 10 years in Germany, I've bought a few autoharps on eBay, fixed up and resold a couple of them, am currently searching the pawn shops for a replacement for the Regal of my youth.

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: Tootler
Date: 28 Mar 10 - 04:55 PM

My first instruments were a Schott descant recorder and a Hohner harmonica of some sort. I don't know which model Hohner but it was a 10 hole diatonic.

I learnt to play from notation on the recorder and by ear on the harmonica.

I picked up the recorder again when my elder daughter started to learn it at school and I am still playing this wonderful but much maligned instrument.

I rediscovered the harmonica more recently and although I have tried chromatic and tremolo harmonicas I kept going back to the 10 hole diatonic. Many of my harmonicas are in Paddy Richter tuning which makes playing folk tunes very much easier.

My latest acquisition is a shruti box which is great for providing a drone accompaniment either for singing or for playing harmonica over.

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: PoppaGator
Date: 29 Mar 10 - 03:42 PM

My first guitar was a no-name nylon-string classical type model. Got it for Christmas 1963 (junior year of high school) and learned to play using it. (I had no prior experience at all).

That one served me OK for six years, until I moved up to a new 1969 Martin D-18 upon college graduation. It took me a while to adjust to the steel strings, and to using picks. I tried both flatpicks and fingerpicks for a while, but as I began to spend long hours every day as a full-time street player, I quit flatpicking altogether (my technique must have been faulty; I always got cramps in the base of my thumb) and found a way to alternately strum and pick with thumb-and-fingerpicks. I still have that guitar today, and it's still my only intrument.

That's it ~ two guitars in 47 years. I owned a 5-string banjo briefly in about '64-'65 before giving up and selling it, and later I carried a couple of harmonicas around throughout the early 70s without ever learning to play harp as well as I would have liked. I basically just used 'em as pitchpipes, and lent 'em out to real harp players on occasion.

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: banjoman
Date: 30 Mar 10 - 06:41 AM

Bought a no name guitar for £2 in a pawn shop in Liverpool in 1961 with my first weeks wages (£2.10) Learned to play, mainly self taught which probably explains the "unique" style which I still use. Then bought a five string banjo for 10shillings in Shurrocks Music Store in Breck Road Liverpool (Sadly now gone but were famous for selling Ted Ray his first violin) and never looked back. Now have about 10 guitars & 20 banjos, including the ones I made. What a life

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: Anne Lister
Date: 30 Mar 10 - 06:49 AM

Christmas 1963 ....my parents got together with the parents of my best friend and bought us each a guitar, convinced it would be a 9 days' wonder. Cost about £5.00 per guitar. They were plywood, made in Russia, and 3/4 size, with necks that weren't firmly attached. And we each had a copy of Bert Weedon's "Play in a Day", so we spent the Christmas holidays attempting to master the first few pages.
A few years later I saved up my pocket money and bought a Spanish guitar in Spain ... can't remember how much it was, but it couldn't have been much more than £15, and it had a remarkably good tone all things considered.   My next guitar was bought with money I won by writing a short article for a teen magazine and that was a better Spanish built guitar which lasted me all the way until I was able to get a custom made guitar from Ralph Bown in York in 1986.

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: MikeL2
Date: 30 Mar 10 - 10:33 AM

hi

I started by trying to learn to play the piano. My parents both played and my sister ( two years older ) and I were "encouraged to play.

My sister was very good ( but she excels at most things ) while I struggled to find the enthusiasm.

At about the age of eleven I saw a guitar hanging in a swap shop we had in our town. Not quite a pawn shop cos money never changed hands. You just found something you wanted to swap and bartered. I offered my sister lol...but did a deal with a pair of ice skates that were too small for her.

The guitar was a steel stringed Italian job....don't remember name. The action was so high that you could chip potatoes. I took to this quite well and domestic harmony ( duh) was restored....not really!!
But my fingers were perpetually sore and I asked my dad to buy me a "proper" guitar.

Dad got me a Hofner Senator from somewhere - didn't dare ask !!

After some years I was able to treat myself so I got a Hofner President. I got this cos at the time I was playing a lot of jazz.

Many years later I "refound" folk music and went acoustic with a Martin D28. This was great for what I wanted and I had it for several years until coming home from a gig I was involved in a car accident. Luckily I was OK but my Martin "died".

I needed to buy something quickly and bought a Yamaha FG-360 which I still have to this day. I also still have my Hofner President but the Senator was sacrificed for a three piece suite to keep my woman happy. I'm that sort of guy....lol

After a long illness I have started to play ( for my own pleasure ) my Yamaha. I give my President an occasional outing when I feel like getting the amps etc out.

My parents are sadly gone but my sister still plays the piano - mainly classical but we do busk together at family occasions.

Cheers

MikeL2

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: MikeL2
Date: 30 Mar 10 - 10:40 AM

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: Anne Lister - PM
Date: 30 Mar 10 - 06:49 AM

< " And we each had a copy of Bert Weedon's "Play in a Day", so we spent the Christmas holidays attempting to master the first few pages." >

Hi Anne

When I swapped my sister's skates for an old Italian guitar the shopkeeper threw in an old ragged copy of Bert Weedon's Play in a day.

Bobby Shafto's gone to sea
Silver buckles on his knee.......etc etc

Ah nostagia's not what it used to be...lol

regards

MikeL2

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: GUEST,Guest - Jim Younger
Date: 30 Mar 10 - 11:47 AM

That Russian guitar of Anne's sounds very much like my first guitar too. They sent a blue plastic plectrum with mine.

First instrument though was the dreaded piano accordion that my dear old mum decided I should learn to play. I had lessons on that, and learned to read music - the first tune I remember picking up by ear was the Robin Hood TV theme (the 1950s one ...).

Subject: RE: Your First Guitar/Instrument
From: RamblinStu
Date: 31 Mar 10 - 07:01 AM

My first guitar was an Eko six string, three quarter size I think, certainly not a dreadnought.

I was thirteen, and worked on Saturdays in a filling station and saved up for it.

When I got it I was a pleased as punch, my parents helped me tune it with their piano

It was quite soon afterwards when I realised that it shouldn't have been tuned to one octave.

Back to the shop, where they repaired it and told me the error of my ways. Then with a couple of guitar books, and a Bob Dylan LP, shut myself in my bedroom and practiced and practiced.

It paid off, I've had over forty years of pleasure playing guitar, and I'm still learning.

I've owned loads of guitars over the years, although as a result of playing in the sixties I can't remember what they all were, I've ended up now with a hand made Preacher guitar which I love, oh and a few others scattered round the house.

But that little Eko started it all

Stuart Pendrill