Tell us about your first guitar…Electric or Acoustic. And what was your lifelong dream guitar?

[3bolt79]

I started playing guitar in 1983, after getting my first guitar. It was an Electric. It was an Ibanez RoadStar II, Hardtail. RS 100. It had a nice neck. Maple fretboard. Plywood body with faux wood finish. Three single coil pickups in Strat configuration. It was awful, as far as the electronics, and they mounted the bridge on the enter run of this model, in the wrong space.

The high E string was never intonated properly because the whole bridge needed to be moved toward the nut. When trying to move the high e string saddle toward the nut, the intonation screw would come out of the saddle, and a longer screw would result in the saddle resting on the wood. It was terrible, but that guitar planted the seed.

A year or so into my guitar playing journey, I start building guitars out of parts. Then I got into doing Floyd Rose and Kahler installations (just their fulcrum models.). I’d buy cheap guitars, mod them, and then flip em. At about the same time, my dad heard be copping a Clapton solo (Forever Man). He seemed impressed. He said “damn, you’re going to need a better guitar”, and the following Christmas he gave me a slightly used 1982, Sienna Sunburst “Smith” Strat.

Since then, at age 13 or 14, I’ve had hundreds of guitars pass through my hands. The guitar I always wanted was Brian May’s Red Special. I had had Burns and BMG guitars, but none of them were up to snuff. I even had a 1992/1993 Guild at one point. But, it wasn’t until I was in my forties, around 2010, that I actually got a “Real Deal” replica that was made by a guy who actually mad a replica for Brian May himself, that I would be completely satisfied. I finally had the Bucket List guitar of my dreams.

My first guitar is long gone, but I still have my Ultimate Bucket List guitar.

What was your first guitar, and do you still have it today? Also, what was the top slot guitar on you bucket list? And, did you ever attain it?

 

[PeteR]

My first guitar was a Classical guitar somewhen in the mid/late seventies of the last century,
can't even remember the brand, followed by a steelstring - just for the campfire chords.

Switched to electric in the beginning 80s with an old Ibanez (bolt-on LP-Type) and a Framus SG-Type.
A Hohner G2 headless Steinberger copy was my main guitar for two decades.
Finally around 2005/06 I've got the €piphone-virus and bought my first 'good' guitar, the B.B.King Lucille
I've joined some forums and it got worse.....
Since then I've owned more than 84 guitars and kept the really good ones, currently 21 pieces.
Meanwhile I have more and better guitars than I ever dreamed to have
and it's getting harder to find new ones I like or need

 

[rolandson]

Guitar was the forth instrument of my journey (Piano, Trumpet , Cello, and guitar.
It was February 1964 and perhaps 10 minutes after watching George Harrison on the Ed Sullivan I announced to my parents that I wanted a guitar. My mother burst into tears and my father, well...he was terribly disappointed.

After many months and upon realizing that I was not relenting they acquiesced...with a caveat. I had to gain respect for stringed instruments the old fashioned way, hence the cello (which I actually really enjoyed).

So in 1967, almost three years to the day after Mr. Harrison lit the fire, I was taken to Petert's House Of Music in Portland's city center and introduced to this:

1967 Federico Garcia Madrid, a relatively inexpensive instrument as classicals go (~$150) and told I was going to study under a fellow named Steven Antionez, a well thought of instructor.

After 10 months Antionez told my father that as far as music was concerned my progress exceeded expectations and he could trust me to make my own choices.

A 1967 Fender Mustang and Vibro Champ arrived at Christmas. Both of which are long gone. The Garcia pictured above however, is sitting in its case one room to the west of where I find myself at the moment.

My parents insistence that I start formal classical training at age six came back to bite them on the butt. By 1968 I'd grown my hair out and could be found mimicking the likes of Brahms or Tchaikovsky with the local youth symphony by day, Chet Baker or Hendrix by evening.

I stopped at four instruments. Bass and drums require that one be able to count...I keep horn/guitar time.