The Gretsch Pages: Discussions: Miscellaneous Rumbles: Tell Us About Your Guitar Experience Why You Play

Tell Us About Your Guitar Experience Why You Play

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- Rated: 45 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 6:39 p.m. Tsar Nicholas :

My Dad was a concert pianist when he was younger, so I've always had music in my life. I started to get really heavily into music when I was about twelve. I got a cd player and some cds and I was just so chuffed. Course back then I listened to Nirvana. Still.. put me on the right dirt road. One day I decided I wanted to be in a band (I think this decision came first) and that I wanted to play guitar.

Dad came home with an electric guitar for me one day and started something that's made this the loudest house on the street. My enthusiasm soon passed down to my little brother who's now in a most rockin' band with a big fanbase.

Aaaand.. just the other day I was jamming with my eight year old brother and my friend. He's beginning to show a real spark, he played a nice simple beat while me and my friend played guitar and bass. Then my friend switched over to drums and my brother played a rudimentary bassline! I was beaming. Incredible. Not only was he in tune, he was on time! Anyway, enough proud older brother talk.
- Rated: 28 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 6:49 p.m. troy6120:

I was amazed at "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" and a "Jim Croce's Greatest Hits" record when I was three (in 1975). I was really into comics and superheroes in the first grade (1978) when an 8-track of "KISS Alive 2" was sent to my mom because she was in the BMG Music Club (they used to just send you stuff, and if you didn't wanna pay for it, YOU had to send it back. She never sent it back. Thanks Mom!). So, I thought that KISS was superheroes playing guitars! In third grade, I graduated to The Beatles from my aunt's old records. I got my first acoustic in the third grade, first electric in the eighth grade (a Hondo Eddie Van Halen ripoff). I can still feel the 'spark' when I hear pre-1983 KISS, and any Beatles song ever recorded. Ace Frehley is so underrated, though!
- Rated: 8 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 9:24 p.m. Whofan:

When I was eleven I used to bring home school guitars and at night I'd lie in bed listening to the radio pretending to play. It was 1975, and I blame AM radio for my musical addiction! Ballroom Blitz!!
- Rated: 7 ↑
Nov 12, 2008 2:05 a.m. fbama73:

OK, my story might be a bit different. My father played guitar from his teens until he passed.

In his younger days, he and a cousin had a two man act and they played every amateur night they could find. Anyone who would let them on stage, they'd go for it. Everyone got to telling them they were really good, and ought to be getting paid. So, they joined the union, and soon found doing it for money wasn't much fun for them. So, they quit. His cousin swears dad was so good on numerous instruments that he could have "gone to Nashville" if he'd wanted.

He didn't- he got married, raised three kids, and passively taught his kids to love his guitar playing (and Chet's, too)

He never pushed his kids to learn guitar, but he'd frequently mention being willing to teach if they wanted. Once, I asked his to teach me, and he tried, but I didn't stick with it. Playing guitar was always something that I said i wanted, but never wanted bad enough to put the effort into learning.Stupid me.

Fast forward. Dad passed in October '05. In April of this year, Mom asks me if I want one of dad's guitars. His Martin from the 40's (autographed by Tex Ritter- dad shared a stage with him once) had already been promised to my sister, so I took the next best choice, IMO- I took the hollow body electric that he made himself (He was also quite the woodworker)Mom told me to go ahead and get the guitar.

I'd goofed around with this guitar all my life (hell, my avatar is proof), plucking strings, then hitting the trem, but when I picked it up for the first time as the OWNER of it, I knew instantly that I was going to learn to play it.

I started in April, self teaching. I was making good progress when I got a gift certificate for lessons from my wife and daughter for Father's day.

I was blessed to be paired up with a great teacher, and the learning has been coming faster and faster since then. My 8 year old daughter has since taken it up, too. (Don't tell her she's getting the pink Little Martin for Christmas, OK?)

I'm not going to be a great guitarist. I might get decent enough to play in public, but that's not my measure of satisfaction. Just having a guitar in my hands and having some sort of control of the sounds coming out of it (more and more control as I go, too)is all I need from it. I just love to play, and to improve.

Now, if y'all will excuse me, the 5120 is over in the corner reminding me that I'm not getting any better while typing.
- Rated: 53 ↑
Nov 12, 2008 4:53 a.m. Ratrod:

it was the time when Guns n' Roses released their Illusion albums. I was in the middle of rebelious adolescence and rock music called out to me.

My mom's band had split up. Alot of the gear was band-owned and because my mom had put so much effort into that band, everyone felt she should keep the gear.

I wasn't that interested in musical instruments but here was that Tobacco Sunburst Yamaha SG-400 ELECTRIC guitar. And rock music was calling ánd this guitar was calling.

There was no amp so I pluggged it into the PA system and stummed the strings. I didn't know what I was doing and it sounded horrible but I was hooked. My mom bought me a chord book and pretty soon I became a guitar player.
- Rated: 7 ↑
Nov 12, 2008 5:55 a.m. garageink:

I remember in the early 80's being like 8 or 9 and seeing MTV. me and my friend cut out card board and decorated em to look like guitars and pretended we were cheap trick. except I made my guitar like Brian Setzer's.

then later as a teen I picked up a real guitar mostly in order to get girls. hahah. it was a knock off strat. I Stuck with guitar well into my 20's. but somewhere along the line Money was tight, kids were hungry and I had to sell my gear. I went almost 5 years without a guitar until I just recently got my artcore and 5120.
- Rated: 22 ↑
Nov 12, 2008 7:08 a.m. Konrad:

I used to croon for girls with various acoustics back in Texas. Worked all right even at the tender age of 18. Was a pretty hot banjo picker - played with various bands - until the hood of my jeep came down on my hand and that was the end of the banjo. So I turned back to guitar. Busked for a living in France when I was 23 (great, great year), and I played nights on the beaches mostly chasing hot French girls. (WHAT A GREAT YEAR)

Later I turned to guitar/bands as something that I really wanted to do, but this was again in Europe, although I fooled around with singing in Austin.

I've since learned to put together good bands that go over great and get paid well. My biggest problem is my first finger, which is bent and unstable and sometimes messes with my playing accuracy. Quite frustrating. I've looked around at haveing it rebroken or pinned or something. No answers yet, but I simply cannot stop playing guitar.

What's sad is that I can play a little, but when I've taped my finger I can really play. The problem is that you really can't gig like that. You lose picks, hit the strings with the taped part of you finger, etc.

Oh well.

Maybe some doc will come along with a miracle. I will say that my playing has improved tenfold since buying my first Gretsch. A whole different world has opened up. Going back to listen to the Rev (whom I took for granted in Dallas and had seen several times when I was in my late teens/early twenties) has been an ear-opener.

K

PS. This is what I do now: www.hoodoohat.com
- Rated: 25 ↑
Nov 12, 2008 7:08 a.m. billydlight:

Echosonic said: billydlight, are you also related to an Orville Boggs?

Not that I am aware of. Who is he?
- Rated: 34 ↑
Nov 12, 2008 8:45 a.m. Bernw:

I was taken by Eddy & Eddie - but I also loved singing. And then there was the Every Brothers - great singing (they made the hairs stand up on the back of my head) - and those big guitars they had - and the fantastic sound they made with them (which I later found was mainly Don and originally that J200).

Then along came the Shadows and Bruce Welch - one of the best Rhythm gutarists around at the time. And the die was cast. Sing and accompany myself on guitar. And a rhythm guitarist was born.

And what were the three main guitars in my life? Strat, Gretsch 6120 and a J200. And my big disappointment? My big brother did not want to sing with me!
- Rated: 6 ↑
Nov 12, 2008 8:55 a.m. Echosonic:

Oh Orville Boggs was a teacher of mine. About 10 years after I graduated from HS I wanted to take a computer repair course and the HS that I graduated from had an adult education program and they offered computer and monitor repair so I took it and Orville Boggs was my teacher. Boggs is not a common name so I was wondering if you might be related to him. He was a Southerner I think but lived here in Los Anglees. I think eventually he retired to Sparks Nevada possibly.