Your First Guitar(s) and Such---

[The Dali]

Re: Your First Guitar(s) and Such---

My first guitar was a Takamine G-series acoustic. Decent enough guitar. Still have it but it doesn't get played much.

My first electric was a 1986 Washburn G10-v with the Wonderbar trem system. Here it is as it originally looked. Look at the size of that Trem!!!!



I then refinished the guitar and it turned into my BEER guitar. I also updated the bridge to a wraparound (bad idea... didn't know much back then).



The guitar plays great. It has individual switches for each pickup and a coil-split for the humbucker. Originally the single-coil routes only fit EMG/Carvin style single coils without the front tab on the pickup.... I used a Dremel tool to open up the route to accept any kind of single coil.

 

[Kosh Naranek]

Re: Your First Guitar(s) and Such---

My first guitar was a Takamine G-series acoustic. Decent enough guitar. Still have it but it doesn't get played much.

My first electric was a 1986 Washburn G10-v with the Wonderbar trem system. Here it is as it originally looked. Look at the size of that Trem!!!!

View attachment 39168

I remember these fondly. A lot of kids who started on guitar in the 80s played these.

 

[Ashurbanipal]

Re: Your First Guitar(s) and Such---

My first electric was this 1978 MIJ Ibanez CN250 in Midnight Olive, and so began my insane addiction to Ibanez guitars. It was my only guitar for about 7 years, and I put a lot of wear and tear on it. It always needed a fret job, but I didn't know any better at the time. I don't even know what I was thinking when I loaned this to my brother for a few years.

It is still beautiful even through the many layers of "mojo" that are stuck to it:

Everything on this guitar has a name. The "Vine of Life" inlay:

The "Flying Fingers" pickup cover:

The "Gibraltar" bridge:

Not my best player, but it'll probably be the one they throw in the hole with me when I die.

Hell yeah! Set neck or bolt-on?

People think that the Jem was the first Ibz to have the vine inlay, but it was actually appeared on fancier guitars in the 70s.

Between you, Frank F, and Zakk Speed, there's some serious Ibz coolness on this forum.

 

[1b4n3z]

Re: Your First Guitar(s) and Such---

My '90 RG570. Got it about 15 years ago after struggling with a borrowed acoustic for quite some time. So this is my first guitar and a pretty good one too. I treated it with a set of D-Activators, swapped the trem arm to a Schaller, had to replace the original neck (of same vintage) etc. But it still is something special (Not completely happy with the DA's, they are a bit 'hollow' and bland - maybe Evo's?)

 

[Dr. Vegetable]

Re: Your First Guitar(s) and Such---

Hell yeah! Set neck or bolt-on?

People think that the Jem was the first Ibz to have the vine inlay, but it was actually appeared on fancier guitars in the 70s.

Between you, Frank F, and Zakk Speed, there's some serious Ibz coolness on this forum.

This one's a bolt-on. Had it been a set neck, my teenage self would not have been able to touch it.

I'm kind of embarrassed at the condition of this one - so much gunk and corrosion happening. It's got a little bit of the old Velveteen Rabbit thang going on. I'd love to restore it, but my sentimental side doesn't want to replace a thing on this one. Maybe I can scrounge up some original parts on feebay. Or maybe I'll just keep on relic-ing it the old fashioned way.

It's cool how many Ibanez fans there are on this site. Makes me feel like less of a degenerate, somehow...

 

[B2D]

Re: First electrics

Re: First electrics

I don't have a photo of the $90 Kay acoustic guitar I started learning on in 8th grade. But a year and a half later when I thought I had practiced enough to go on to electric, my dad told me I could pick out an electric and he'd buy it. A friend who knew more about guitars highly recommended a Fender Strat. My first electric:
View attachment 39154

You first electric was a 25th anniversary Strat? Too cool. I've always loved the way those look.

One of my old customers had a 1963 strat that was his first electric - bought it when he was 13!

 

[Ashurbanipal]

Re: Your First Guitar(s) and Such---

This one's a bolt-on. Had it been a set neck, my teenage self would not have been able to touch it.

I'm kind of embarrassed at the condition of this one - so much gunk and corrosion happening. It's got a little bit of the old Velveteen Rabbit thang going on. I'd love to restore it, but my sentimental side doesn't want to replace a thing on this one. Maybe I can scrounge up some original parts on feebay. Or maybe I'll just keep on relic-ing it the old fashioned way.

It's cool how many Ibanez fans there are on this site. Makes me feel like less of a degenerate, somehow...

It's hard to find some of the set neck versions of all these guitars (including the lawsuit ones); when you do, they cost a pretty penny.

Frets and such are a wear item, and therefore should be seen with the view that they will need to be replaced eventually (unless they're SS or something). I personally think it's stupid that a guitar seen as vintage (and everything that entails) is devalued by a fret job - most Stradivari violins have been serviced multiple times and had things replaced since they were made, you don't see them losing value! Well, it's better for mere mortals that these things are as a result less expensive .

Pfft; haters are gonna hate, there's plenty of different sorts of guitars out there. I love mine; every time I pick up the Proline, it's the feel of a guitar that's in agreement with itself. I do think that in the mid-80s they were riding a bit of a high.

 

[Kramer Guy]

Re: Your First Guitar(s) and Such---

I wish I still had it, with today's vintage market, I'm sure I could get some serious coin for it. It was a brand new Fender Bronco 6 string which had one pickup and 1 Volume and 1 tone control, which my mom bought for me back in 1973.

 

[Dr. Vegetable]

Re: Your First Guitar(s) and Such---

It's hard to find some of the set neck versions of all these guitars (including the lawsuit ones); when you do, they cost a pretty penny.

Frets and such are a wear item, and therefore should be seen with the view that they will need to be replaced eventually (unless they're SS or something). I personally think it's stupid that a guitar seen as vintage (and everything that entails) is devalued by a fret job - most Stradivari violins have been serviced multiple times and had things replaced since they were made, you don't see them losing value! Well, it's better for mere mortals that these things are as a result less expensive .

Pfft; haters are gonna hate, there's plenty of different sorts of guitars out there. I love mine; every time I pick up the Proline, it's the feel of a guitar that's in agreement with itself. I do think that in the mid-80s they were riding a bit of a high.

Oh, believe me, I would (will) get the frets done on this guitar - they are a wear item. (Strings are like an oil change, frets are like doing your timing belt.) The things I should change, but won't out of sentimentality are the pickups and bridge. I have other guitars that are special to me because they are players; this one is special because it was my first.

I love the post-lawsuit era Ibanez. The designs are a bit different from Gibson and the build quality was supreme. And you can find them for stoopid good deals these days if you are patient. I agree that they got a bit sucked up in the superstrat craze in the '80s and '90s - and so did I. For me, Ibanez was reborn with the release of the ART100 and the new era of set neck designs at every price point.

 

[Nick.Z]

Re: Your First Guitar(s) and Such---

I started out with an HSS Fender Squier strat. It was a really crappy guitar. My next upgrade was at least 5X as nice. I went from that garbage to an Epiphone Les Paul Custom Limited Edition Chrome.

 

[leftyaxeman]

Re: Your First Guitar(s) and Such---

My first guitar is a '77 Ibanez Strat copy, some call them lawsuit guitars. This guitar still looks/sounds great.

 

[MrJohn]

Re: Your First Guitar(s) and Such---

Well the first guitar I played on was a crappy off brand guitar and that got me really demotivated and almost to the point of quitting. Then my dad fixed his old Aria Pro II and my obsession began.

It got a Hipshot bridge and Sperzel locking tuners. Sadly the neck pickup died over the years. Still a rad guitar.

The first guitar i got with my own money is this Hagstrom.

It's a Super Swede with all Hagstrom hardware. All-around great guitar.

Also, here's my amp and pedalboard.

 

[bielbyw]

Re: Your First Guitar(s) and Such---my '53 (custom color) goldtop

Re: Your First Guitar(s) and Such---my '53 (custom color) goldtop



The story about this guitar is here:
http://theonesthatgotaway.blogspot.com/2008/12/story-submitted-by-bill-bielby-it-was.html

 

[bielbyw]

Re: Your First Guitar(s) and Such---

My first electric - 1961, 8th grad graduation present - '53 Goldtop in a custom color. $100 from Zordan's Music in Roseland section of Chicago. Previous owner was blues/jazzman Guitar Red. Full story here:
http://theonesthatgotaway.blogspot.com/2008/12/story-submitted-by-bill-bielby-it-was.html

 

[phatzo]

Re: Your First Guitar(s) and Such---

Lots of Aria's and mine was an Aria as well. It's been modified over the years but I still have it.

 

[MrJohn]

Re: Your First Guitar(s) and Such---

Lots of Aria's and mine was an Aria as well. It's been modified over the years but I still have it.

Hurray for 80's Arias!

 

[phatzo]

Re: Your First Guitar(s) and Such---

Hurray for 80's Arias!

You just made me realise how old it is and how old I am.

 

[MrJohn]

Re: Your First Guitar(s) and Such---

You just made me realise how old it is and how old I am.

Well think of it this way. I may be 19 but I've only been playing for 7 months. I'm guessing you on the other hand have been playing a lot longer!

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Your First Guitar(s) and Such---

It was 1982, and I'd already had a couple cheap acoustic guitars, but a name brand electric wasn't going to happen. I really wanted a red flying V like KK Downing, but the closest thing I could find in the Sears catalog was something I saw the Scorpions playing......a Cort Effector Explorer. Complete with cheezy built in FX.

The mighty Peavey Studio Pro 40 with awesome "Saturation" gain channel. LOL

The Sanyo Boom Box I wore out, rewinding AC/DC, Led Zep, Ozzy, Iron Maiden, Van Halen, Tom Petty, Judas Priest, etc just to learn licks and songs. WHY no youtube back then?? WHY??? :18:

 

[Brian6string]

Re: Your First Guitar(s) and Such---

Here is my first guitar. Bought from Sears catalog, around 1980. It was a tobacco sunburst and had a whammy bar. I've replaced everything on it except the body, neck and pick guard. It has Dimarzio pickups, a super distortion in the neck, and a PAF in the bridge. The toggle switches allow each pickup to be turned on and off independently, and the third switch will put the bridge pickup out of phase. Grover tuners, Gibson bridge and tail piece. I shimmed the neck early on and this thing has really good action. I need to take her down off the wall one of these days and see how she compares to my newer guitars.