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chongjasmine

Why do you learn the guitar?

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Why are you learning the guitar? What got you started in the first place? What is your guitar learning journey? What is your skill level now? How old are you when you learn the guitar? Do you reget your choice? How much have you spent on guitar related stuffs?

For me, I am learning the guitar to praise God. I hope to learn praise and worship songs. I got started on it rather than any other muscial instruments was because I thought it sounded cool. I was choosing between whether to learn guitar or keyboard for worship purpose and the guitar won over. One reason was because King David of the Old Testament play with a stringed instrument and I thought I do the same thing. Besides, guitar sounds much cooler. My guitar journey begins when I was a teenager. I had two months of group guitar instruction and stopped after two months and had not played it since then. Recently, now at age 39, I am picking it up again, and just started a few days ago with Justin site. I am at a beginner skill level, struggling to play between D and A chord and the dduudu strum pattern. I never regretted my choice of playing the guitar. I had spent US$1000++ on guitar related stuffs since when I first touched the guitar.

What about you?

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I heard joe satrianis surfing with the alien in 1996 aged 12, was hooked straight away. 
never even thought about guitars before that. Had a strat copy bought and played some Beatles stuff under tuition, obviously I hated it and wanted to be able to play like JS. Decided it was to hard and sacked it off.

picked it back up aged 18 and learned some nirvana etc easy and recognisable, I was a rockstar 🤣

been at it ever since, 38 now, don’t push myself as hard as I used to, don’t have the time I did when I was younger but happy at the level I’m at and spent many, many thousands of pounds! 

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I started playing guitar at the age of 15 because...

My Dad wouldn't allow me to have a bass guitar which I had yearned for. I wasn't a spoiled brat demanding and precocious. I earned the money myself by means of a cleaning job in a local factory after school (I had lied and told them I was 16). 

So after a few months and furnished with said funds my Dad and I visited one of three local guitar centres in Reading.

Problem was that the smallest bass amp available was 30watts (in 1975). Our stereo system at home was also 30w per channel, and flipping LOUD. I watched momentarily as the cogs turned in my Father's head as he weighed this up. "No, you're not having one son".

Crestfallen, I fixed the sales assistant with my most beseeching  gaze, to which he then softened and replied:

"Sir, if your young lad chose a normal six string electric guitar, then we can supply a small battery powered magnifier...cheaper too".

You see where this is going?

The budding guitar hero was born!

Cheers.

 

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The son of my parents’ friends’, who was older than me (I must’ve been 11 at the time), had an Eko Ranger 6, dreadnought. It was the coolest thing I’d ever seen or heard. I’d already learnt to play a couple of musical instruments, so I already had a leaning in that direction. Once I’d seen and heard that guitar (he was into CSNY, etc) I wanted to learn. My first guitar was an awful acoustic bought on a holiday, barely playable. Then a Spanish guitar that was OK that I could actually learn properly on. I bought my first electric from a friend with my pocket money, it was an Audition brand from Woolworth’s. My parents bought me another couple of cheap electrics, once it was clear that I was going to stick with it, but my first reasonable quality electric was an Aria Les Paul (one of the famous lawsuit models), which I bought with money earned working a full time summer job. Many guitars followed and then I switched to bass and many more instruments followed. Why do I play? I have to, it’s in my bones.

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Mid-life crisis. I've had an acoustic for years but never really did anything more than strum a few simple tunes on it. Back in March, I saw people talking about Harley Bentons, on Basschat, so had a look. They had a TE-20, amp and accessories for £150 so I thought I'd take a punt. Six months later and I also own an Ibanez AS-73 and am taking lessons, hoping to do the grades.

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5 hours ago, Crusoe said:

Mid-life crisis. I've had an acoustic for years but never really did anything more than strum a few simple tunes on it. Back in March, I saw people talking about Harley Bentons, on Basschat, so had a look. They had a TE-20, amp and accessories for £150 so I thought I'd take a punt. Six months later and I also own an Ibanez AS-73 and am taking lessons, hoping to do the grades.

I also was a strummer/picker for many years, strictly folk-style playing with one or two licks thrown in. Since beginning lessons two years ago (with a Covid-induced break) I have learned to read music; to play while reading, in position; to play riffs and licks in different keys; and scores of chords. In short, I've learned more in two years than in the previous forty. Really learning the guitar makes a big difference.

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17 hours ago, ezbass said:

The son of my parents’ friends’, who was older than me (I must’ve been 11 at the time), had an Eko Ranger 6, dreadnought. It was the coolest thing I’d ever seen or heard. I’d already learnt to play a couple of musical instruments, so I already had a leaning in that direction. Once I’d seen and heard that guitar (he was into CSNY, etc) I wanted to learn. My first guitar was an awful acoustic bought on a holiday, barely playable. Then a Spanish guitar that was OK that I could actually learn properly on. I bought my first electric from a friend with my pocket money, it was an Audition brand from Woolworth’s. My parents bought me another couple of cheap electrics, once it was clear that I was going to stick with it, but my first reasonable quality electric was an Aria Les Paul (one of the famous lawsuit models), which I bought with money earned working a full time summer job. Many guitars followed and then I switched to bass and many more instruments followed. Why do I play? I have to, it’s in my bones.

Hey Ezbass...

 

Talk about parallel lives!!?

My first electric was a twin pup Kay, right on par with an Audition or Teisco. My second ever guitar was a sunburst Aria Les Paul, which was the axe that I started to make real headway on. Man, I wore that poor thing out. I also own an Eko Ranger 12 string.

Be interesting to see what bass guitars and other instruments have been through our similar hands.

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10 hours ago, Col the Plunker said:

Hey Ezbass...

 

Talk about parallel lives!!?

My first electric was a twin pup Kay, right on par with an Audition or Teisco. My second ever guitar was a sunburst Aria Les Paul, which was the axe that I started to make real headway on. Man, I wore that poor thing out. I also own an Eko Ranger 12 string.

Be interesting to see what bass guitars and other instruments have been through our similar hands.

Basses I can list easily:

 

Yamaha BB300

Westone Thunder 3

Yamaha RBX

Fender USA Jazz

Fender MIM Jazz fretless

MM USA SUB (later defretted)

Fender USA Precision

MM USA Stingray

MM USA Stingray 5

Fender Roscoe Beck Signature 4 string

Fender 1963 Precision

Fender Roadworn (with added P pickup)

Sandberg Basic VM

MM Sterling Ray34

Fender Victor Bailey Acoustic

Lakland 5502

Ibanez GWB35

Ibanez SR505

Ibanez SR1605

Rob Allen MB2

Rickenbacker 4003s

Maruszczyk Elwood L custom, fretless (1xMM)

Maruszczyk Elwood L custom (JJ)

Maruszczyk Jake L

Fender JMJ Mustang

MM Sterling Stingray SS

 

Guitars I don't have a list already done, but from memory and not necessarily in order:

 

Greenburst, awful steel strung acoustic, make unknown

Nylon strung Spanish guitar, make unknown

Audition, twin pickup double cutaway

Grantson SG Junior

Generic Japanese double cutaway, similar to Audition

Guyatone Strat type with drum machine built in 

Aria Les Paul

Hofner Fut... something or other, maybe a Galaxy

Yamaha SA2000

Ibanez Roadstar

Eko Ranger 12

Antoria L5 copy

Tokai Love Rock

Tokai Breezysound

Gordon Smith Gypsy

Fender Strat x 2

Fender Tele x2

PRS McCarty 

PRS Swamp Ash Special

Gretsch Streamliner

PRS Singlecut SE

Yamaha Pacifica 

Cort double cut

Washburn Woodstock 

Tanglewood Electro Acoustic (Takemine rip off)

Starfield Altair (an Ibanez alt brand)

Washburn solid body acoustic

Ovation Celebrity Bowlback

Gibson ES335

Yamaha Super Strat

Epiphone Casino 

Simon & Patrick Rosewood Pro

Epiphone J200

Epiphone Casino Coupé

Squier Classic Vibe Tele

 

I'm sure there are others, but I can't recall them at the moment.

 

Edited by ezbass
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Originally I took up guitar to try and improve my harmony on bass. However it's opened up a different world entirely which has been a massive distraction away from the original goal.

I have five guitars and 6 basses but there are more guitars in the pipeline thanks to a collection of parts.

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