He’s absolutely right when he says that your first guitar/bass has its own story. Like four years ago, I sold my first p bass because I figured I already had too many basses. I immediately regretted it and it felt like I lost a friend. Come 2021, I was able to contact the guy I sold it to and ask him if I could buy it back and he agreed. I’m so glad I have it back.
My first guitar happened to be a Gibson. My dad bought an 80 Les Paul Jr. second hand in the early 90s. After he purchased his Les Paul Studio (late 90s) the Jr. went in a hard case and was put away. When I started showing interest in guitar playing he pulled the Jr. out, slapped a new set of strings on it and handed it down to me. Been with me ever since.
Awesome, and you have a smart Dad. When our Son took an interest in playing guitar I let him use an old 1986 Les Paul Custom of mine. He played the $hit out of that guitar every day for about 5 years, until it was time to get him a new guitar for his Birthday. Wow what a folly on my part. Not easy following up a Les Paul Custom............................. We were Blessed that he is a big Off-Set Fan and wanted a 66 Jazzmaster Reissue! We dodged a bullet for sure.
I've told this story elsewhere. In 1976 some kind soul in a music store in Caracas, Venezuela (Muci Maracaibo Import), recommended an Ibanez Les Paul copy black with gold hardware ("lawsuit era") to my mom as my first guitar. I didn't appreciate it at the time, but that was a great guitar and a big part of the reason I still play today. Thing is ten years later I was coming to the US to get my PhD (at the University of Michigan) and I decided that I was only going to bring a twelve string Takamine and gave that Ibanez to Luis, the other guitar player in my band at the time (Malthus). In 2018 Luis called me up said he was coming to Miami, where I live now, and wondered if we could meet and play guitar, I offered him to stay at my place he happily agree and told me he "would bring the guitar", I told him no need... I have several guitars here and he said, "no, I'm bringing your guitar, I'm giving it back to you." I didn't even know he still had it. The guitar was already beaten when I gave it to him and in all these years it had oxidized. Another friend cleaned it up and gold plated the hardware. I'm very proud to have my first guitar and this story to tell.
What a great story. Good to have real friends like Luis. Thank You EDIT, did you specifically choose Miami AFTER living in Michigan? I live in Northern Michigan and wouldn't blame you if our Winter's drove you South.
@@1000poundsguitar I'm envious of both of you.................. I have a 20 mile commute to work, this morning due to ice and snow it took me 40 minutes! And that is not counting the time it took to warm up the car and clear it from ice and snow. Each of you, please grab some sunshine for yourselves and think of me when you do! ;-)
Yes, I still have my first guitar, a Harmony classical guitar built in 1970 in China, which I bought new that year as I started guitar lessons at Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music, where I still study today. Parents talked me into the classical saying it would be easier on my fingers; I wanted an archtop from the Sears catalog. Oh well. One of the tuning machines failed about 30 years ago, and as I had moved on to other guitars, I never got it fixed. That’s my only mod; finally got around to it about a year ago, I replaced the tuners myself. Finish is heavily checked, but otherwise it’s functioning well and has a lovely, if rarely used, sound.
When I was a kid, my dad had Harmony acoustic. It had the f holes. I think it was a red and black sunburst. It was a beater and he would let us take outside and play with it with our friends. We were like 9 0r 10 years old. If it was a nice a guitar I don't think it would have been let out of his sight. Thats why I say it was a beater. I can hardly remember it.
My first Gibson was a 1979 Les Paul Deluxe Tobacco burst. Bought it in 2006 from a retail store, I was 18 or 19. My dad and I had just stopped into the shop to have a look around and I zoned in on this guitar immediately. They let me play it and I literally couldn’t put it down. Basically love at first sight. The problem was it was $2200 and I did not have that😂. Somehow… someway… my dad negotiated them down to $1400… so I obviously had to drop almost every cent I had on it. Fast forward to when I’m 25 and In some financial difficulty. Being my only valuable item I had to sell it. Had a guy come and take a look & he also fell in love with it. Confirmed the sale. $2500. He sent a bank transfer to me. The transfer took forever and while we were waiting he started having second thoughts… he decided to back out of the sale, no hard feelings between us. Thank goodness he did because the next day my (then) girlfriend’s mother offers to buy it from me and give it back as a wedding gift. I burst out in tears when she told me. I’m 34 now and I still have the guitar. Still happily married and forever grateful to my mother in law.
I was selling a Washburn N2 on Craigslist. It had been signed by Nuno twice. I got a response from a guy on the other side of the state with a picture of himself with that guitar when he was about 8 years old. His mom had taken him to the Extreme shows when he was a kid where he met Nuno and got it signed. He said it was his first guitar and he would like to get it back. He was now a grown man with kids of own. He didn't have the money for my asking price but I worked out a trade and some cash so he could get his guitar back. He was super happy to get it back in his family.
Yes, I understand your pain here in the states. A Good Gibson is hit or miss. However, the Les Paul was not designed by Les Paul. It was designed by O.W Appleton. The story about the Les Paul is a fabricated story.
My first was a 1989 black Korean Squier Stratocaster. It's a great guitar that I still have to this day. This is the guitar I did my first gigs ever on and I don't think I can let it go. I've modified it a hundred times and I always just put it back to stock because it sounded so good. I must have played 20 of them that day that I picked it out and this one was just different and I knew it was the one as soon as I grabbed it. My first Gibson in a 2017 Les Paul in worn bourbon. Thanks Austin for what to do, I've learned a lot from watching your show.
My very first guitar is a 1964 mustang 24" scale .. I routed it for a humbucker in the bridge position and refinished it from Lake placid blue to black and my Dad got it for me in 1975 from a pawnshop...and I still have it ... I do have a video of it on my UA-cam channel....
My first guitar that I actually learned to play on is a 93 Japanese Strat and yes I still have it. I blacked the plastics but everything else is the same…still a great guitar.
I got my first electric guitar 2 months ago! Its a Jackson Dinky JS22 with a matte black finish. I used to play my mom's acoustic guitar for about 4 months and figured the action/shape was too weak for my metal playing! I saved a good $500 and bought the guitar along with a BOSS Katana 50 amplifier.
My first guitar (a Yamaha classical with a cedar top) is sitting on a stand, no strings, no tuners even, but it has followed me everywhere since I was 15. It was 30 years ago when my Grandmother gave it to me and started me on this journey, and even though it's in unplayable shape, it still means the world to me.
Those 2011-2012 Les Paul Special II’s are actually pretty great guitars! Mine has been modified to within an inch of it’s life, but I still very much love that guitar. That was my second full scale guitar. My first guitar was a cheap 1/2 sized strat knockoff, which has also been extremely modified. Made the horns more point, refinished it in a matte black, installed a locking nut because I thought I lost the original nut, added new contours. Plays as bad as it used to, but looks way worse. First full size guitar I had was a pre headstock change Tanglewood t57s strat knockoff in sunburst. That’s the only guitar I haven’t made any real mods on. I knocked down the gloss on the neck and it plays pretty fucking great. Does need a refret though, because the frets are just terrible nowadays. And shockingly (not really if you know me) I don’t have a Gibson.
My first gibson was a 1977 deluxe goldtop I found at a local music shop with my dad for $1,400. I ended up selling so I could get a half stack, an epi les paul, and a set of emgs to start playing in a band. I miss that thing everyday... but it was probably better to sell it than butcher it. I'm still on the quest for it... specifically now that my dad is no longer with us. So if anyone has a mahogany necked 77 with an extra hole drilled for the upper strap button... I'd love to find that again. Unfortunately I can't find a serial number or any pictures... so it's down to my memory of it.
I still have my 1st electric guitar. It's a 1980 Japanese set neck Les Paul copy by a company called Cortez. After that company moved to Korea they changed their name to Cort. I put a ZW EMG kit in it but everything else is original.
There's also the little chip of paint right below the neck pickup that is in both the reverb listing and in the pictures from the magazine. As well as the tiny speck below the stop-tail piece.
My first guitar was a B.C. Rich warlock, that I gave to my son, but the one I’m most fond of is an Electra. Looks like a Gibson, but used to have on board plug in effect that could be swapped out. Put a Seymour Duncan invader bridge pickup and had a buddy set it up for me and he says it plays just as good as his Les Paul juniors. I paid 50 bucks for a neck through guitar, doctored it, it plays great!!
I agree, never sell your first guitar. I almost made the mistake of selling my first guitar (Epi-Les Paul), posted up for sell and had some people interested in it but never sold it. Im so glad I didn’t, 10 years later I’m still in love with my Epi. My first Gibson, a Pelham Blue Gibson Studio ….. love it and will not part ways with it.
My first guitar was a Univox hi-flyer i’ve never bought another one. I have bought back a few of the early guitars but usually sell them quickly. First Gibson was a 1973 les paul deluxe I bought for $400 in the 80’s
Hey Trogly, Oddly enough I had a very similar first run of guitars. I started out with the 2006 Epiphone Les Paul Special II for 7th grade Jazz Band. The next year my dad was in a pawn shop and bought me a 2001 Epiphone Alleykat that I still play today. Thanks for the stories and filling my head with guitar dreams and information.
Great video and it brought back a lot of memories. My parents couldn’t afford to spend too much and they bought me a cherry red Kent guitar. Believe it or not, they bought it from Sears. I no longer have it. I bought my first Gibson in 1973. The best I can tell it was made in 73 by verifying the pots. I cannot figure out the date since the serial numbers were not easy to trace. I have seen other SGs in the same date range as mine with similar serial numbers. It is pretty much in mint condition but I made the same mistake of leaving on a guitar hanger that messed up the neck where it was in contact with the hanger. I play it more now though since I finally retired and have mote time to play now.
my first was a Kent Stratocaster copy in natural wood color. It was a toss up between an SG copy of some sort but my bro convinced me to get the Kent Strat. I had a SG copy after that and was a Gibson fan from then on. I bought my first real Les Paul 60s Standard in late 2019 from AMS at a 300dollar discount due to some BS issue and installed a bigsby via vibramate. Since then i have baught a 2021 Gibson SG tribute natural and pulled the circuit board stuff and installed a handwired 50s stye set up and also put a bigsby B5 via vibramate system and som witch hat knobs. I like the SG for some stuff and the Les Paul for other stuff but it is still a learning game. TY Trogly for everything you teach us. Id really like to have that 72 SG you have
1956 fender telecaster I bought for $50 and for another$50 he threw in a fender champ - I was in 9th grade New Orleans 1966. I was 15 years old. It was that painted blue color - the frets were worn down - had a regret job and refinished job - tobacco burst done in 1980 by a shop on New Orleans - Foster’s. The serial number on the plate is 42266 - I know it is a 1956 because when I took the pick guard off and the neck pickup 1956 was carved in it. Also ebony fret board. I thought well it will do until I can get enough money together to get a Rickenbacker. Some people are just lucky and have no idea of what they have.
My first Gibson was a 1963 or 1964 SG Special, traded a Guild Acoustic for it in 1985. It was by far the best Guitar I ever had. Sadly traded it in the mid 90's for a lousy forgery of a Telecaster. The SG had a repaired input jack. I'm always looking for it, but it'd be too much to buy back these days.
Great video, Trogly! I still have my first guitar! I got lucky and got a 1962 Fender Musicmaster (3/4 size) for my 8th birthday along with a Princeton Reverb amp (which I also still have and play through)! My Grandpa got these for me. He got the amp for $150 and the guitar he got in exchange for some electrical work!
My first electric was a Gibson Les Paul Deluxe, bought in 1971 theoretically new. I kept it until I had to sell it in 2014 for ~3 mortgage payments while unemployed. I had it inspected by the dealer who sold it for me. It was his educated guess that it was a ‘69 NOS build. It was NOT pancake. It had the classic G-never-stays-in-tune problem with non-wound G’s. On it, I learned Clapton, Cream, Allman Bros, Hendrix, Beatles, Stones, Steppenwolf, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, T-rex, J Tull, Yes, all the 70’s icons. Since it had the mini humbuckers, I would replace it with a Standard or similar SG.
My first guitar was a sunburst Harmony Strat copy my parents got me out of the Fingerhut catalog when I was 12 or so. I don’t have it anymore, but I do still have my first proper Gibson, a 05 Alpine white, gold hardware LP Studio that I recently got back after 10 years. That one means the most to me, even though I have others I play everyday and are worth way more. I remember it was a dream to have a new Gibson, I never thought I could afford one so I saved and saved until I could get it.
My first guitfiddle was a series 10 tobacco sunburst strat style and I sold it to a friend and convinced my mother to buy me a 94 Gibson Studio ebony with gold hardware. So the shop ordered me one and I went back a week later to just look around anf they had the one with chrome hardware. So I canceled the order of the gold hw to just buying the floor model with chrome. I unfortunately don’t have that exact one anymore but just recently purchased another early 90’s ebony/chrome studio to fill the void.
My first Gibson guitar was a 2002 Les Paul Voodoo. I remember staring at that guitar in Musicians Friend catalog for months until I walked into Big Apple Music and suddenly saw it hanging on the wall above the cash register. It was hanging with the complete set of Explorer, SG and Firebird. I bought it as soon as I saw it but those bastard charged for a generic hard shell case at that point. It wasn't until recently that I realized I should have received a genuine Voodoo case with the purchase of the guitar. I still have it to this day and it still growls. I'm a happy man.
My first guitar broke down literally Today, January 18th 2022, it's a really cheap Mitchell guitar, but it had a decent sound when plugged in into my Blackstar ID Core 10! My 2nd Guitar, "Misty" was a wholesome gift from my friends after playing and proving myself for about 3 years, it's a Beautiful Epiphone Les Paul Standard Pro in Blue color, I was stunned when I saw her, I literally cried... I learned everything I could with the Mitchell, but sadly the electronics are 100% broken and I'm sure "Dave" which is that Guitar's name, will never be the same... I thought about selling it for parts but then you posted this video as soon as I had those thoughts... I will keep Dave, I learned everything with that Guitar, maybe someday I will restore or mod him! for that I thank you! I will buy my 3rd guitar very soon, since I think only playing Misty will feel dull lmao
My first was and is a 81 sg with the big SECOND stamp on the back. It's a wine red. Pay $600.00 Brand new( probably got scammed) still have it after the neck break , everything is original and it sounds great. I named it," sugar" I was 16 when I got, now I'm a few weeks from 57, time flies. I love this git fiddle.
My first guitar was a 1984 Ovation Ultra GS2F. I do still have it but I need to give the frets a level and recrown. I have changed pickups on it and had to do a complete restore after a house fire in the early 2000's. She still sounds like a beast.
when i moved to The Netherlands i sold all of my equipment except for a Frankenstrat that i built from two existing Strats. half Fender, half Squier. i brought that with me althogh the Fender neck is now on it's third body. it's a great neck. i do however have my first Gibson that i bought new in 2013: a 2012 LP Studio Satin Series Satin Yellow. got it shockingly cheap from a big dealer in Germany. cheap enough i could afford to mod it if i didn't like it. cheap enough that i could have flipped it as soon as the package came to the door. it just so happens i love it. it's not the nicest Gibson ever made, nor the nicest i've ever played but i like it for what it is. chunky neck, not too physically heavy, ringy bridge pickup with a but of an edge, neck pick up is a bit throaty, middle combo has a good woody chime ala Jimmy Page or possibly Peter Buck. can't complain at all. i don't have plans to sell it and only plan to either install other tuners or buy a backup set of klusons. otherwise i intend to keep it stock. thanks to Trogly i do worry about whether the pickups are the ones advertised. i will maybe check next time i change strings... it's a pleasure to play and own.
My first guitar was a 1972 HONDO II SG copy. I upgraded that to a 1974 Fender Mustang. In 1977 I'd saved up for a Gibson Les Paul Deluxe, Cherry Sunburts. Back in 1977 that Les Paul only cost $585! I agree, never sell your first guitar..
I mowed yards all summer at $5.00 per yard to pay for my 1977 Yamaha FG412SB. It cost $275.00 with a used Gibson Hard Shell Case. I still have it and it stayed in great shape. It has lived in its case and only comes out when it wants to play. You tend to take care of things when you work hard for them. Learned all of the Eagles and Bob Seger songs on this one. Great memories and still a great guitar.
My first guitar is a Sunburst Strat copy by a brand called Sparkle, named it Sparky because of that and also because I'm pretty bad at soldering and it didn't always work 100% lol. Currently have a super microphonic hot rails in the bridge, a cheap epiphone humbucker in the middle, and an alegree hum cancelling strat pickup in the neck. All installed myself with a lot of trial, error and burns haha. It's in a sort of sorry state, the frets buzz like crazy and the bridge and tuners are garbage. Would love to get it going again, get it professionally set up and replace all of the electronics. Maybe replace the pickups with some Duncans if I can afford it. It's the guitar I spent my first year on, and the reason I love Fender shapes to this day. Ended up replacing it with my current main guitar, a Squier Super-Sonic in Shell Pink, at first just because I preferred the smaller scale length, and I love that guitar to bits too. Would love to mod it too some day. But I'm never gonna sell Sparky, it holds so much sentimental value to me and I don't think I'll ever part with it.
My first guitar was a late eighties 'Fender' basically a squire before they were called squire. I wanted to be like Clapton or SRV. It was cherry red and came with a tweed case! My dad and I bought it from a classified ad in the news paper. The guy we got it from was a huge Yngwie fan and had just gotten a 'shredder' Ibanez. I was so excited to get it home and play through my champ 110. Unfortunately the electronics were crap and it was hard to keep in tune cause it had a bad nut. Like you, I never bonded with that guitar. My dad and I made some basic repairs just to make it work, then sold it through the classified ads again (keeping the tweed case of course), making a decent profit! So I went to prosound and bought a brand new Mexican standard Strat that was my constant companion and real learning guitar for the next couple years. I love that guitar and have it to this very day some 27 years later.
I have a Mexican Telecaster ( my 2nd guitar) I bought off of my tinbasher foreman back when I was about 20 years old for $200 , 34 years ago now. I still have it and somewhat surprisingly to me even though I own 12 other guitars at this point from various brands and prices etc. it’s is still one of the best playing guitars that I own and I still play it all the time ! I had to pawn it for a few bucks years ago for some Megadeth concert tickets 🎫 in about 1996 ( only about $30 each back then !) and the pawnshop owner called it a Tacocaster🌮 😄 so ever since that day that’s what I call it ! that or Mad Mex ! 😄 it’s just a tobacco burst normal Tele but I’ve gotta say after I took my time to do a real good setup on it and get it dialed right in perfectly 👌🏻it’s still one of my favourites to play and it’s usually within 5 feet of my couch at all times even though I own a number of fairly nice guitars. My #1 favourite is an Ibanez SZ-720FM (flame maple) Mahogany body and set neck in trans grey burst into black outer with Abalone and white binding, and flames 🔥 on the fretboard 😊 that I was lucky 🍀 enough to have autographed by Joe Satriani! 👍🏻 when he did a show where I live in BC Canada 🇨🇦. I still play the Ibanez the most everyday for about 25 years and it’s by far my favourite , just something special to me about this guitar… the best looking and the best playing guitar I own as well (paid $800 cash on sale ( at the time it listed for $1150 normally) about 25 years ago at a local music store. Mad Mex plays surprisingly close to as nice as the Ibanez especially considering I only paid $200 Canadian for it! 😄 the old Mexican Fenders were actually really well made guitars or at least mine sure was 👍🏻 and I have heard other people say the same about these Mex- Fenders from those years. I have zero problems buying another one if I come across one in the future. I would like to find a Mexican Stratocaster from that same time ( roughly about 85 -95 ish? Not sure exactly what year the Tele is ) I’m sure a Strat from those years would play just as nice. 😄👍🏻 It just says Fender Telecaster made in Mexico 🇲🇽. I think that was basically a Squire Tele back before “Squire” even existed as a lower end Fender model name on the headstock. Someone else like perhaps 🤔…Trogly 😄 himself would know a hell of lot more than I would about serial numbers and manufacturing dates and models released at that time etc. I’ve been playing for 38 years now and still own my very first guitar from when I turned 14 it was a birthday 🥳 present from my Mom 🕊️❤ and D❤D , a tobacco burst Harmony Strat knock off with stickers and car pin striping all over it ! 😊 it looked far too Country 🤠 for my 14 year old 🤘🏻head banging self 😏 it’s got belt buckle rash and chips , dents and some really severe paint wear on the forearm section it’s polished right down to the wood from playing it constantly for many years! The one pickup has got rounded down edges from my sloppy picking 🤭 Eventually the Tele took its place after about 8 years as the frequent player. My advice to anyone starting out or even someone who just wants a good playing guitar to have around constantly and just laying around but not so expensive you have to be ultra careful with it all the time is this… If you’ve always wanted a Fender Tele or Strat but don’t have big bucks for an American 🇺🇸 model. To tide you over until you do have the loot 💰 … go for the old Mex Fender! 👍🏻 They are Easily worth it if you can find one for a few hundred bucks !🎸🤘🏻if not just buy a Squire and set it up extremely well with some good strings. I like DR coated Dragon 🐉 skin or the Black Beauties they sound ridiculously good for a really long time and they are my favourite strings for about 20 years now and I run them on almost all of my electric guitars. If DR’s can take Dimebag Darrell level punishment then they can easily stand up to my playing!… If you can call it that 🤣
My 1st Gibson was an early 70's SG. Cherry. Bought it new...and sold it when I got feed up with not being able to find anyone around that was "serious" about being in a band. Later, after getting over that and back into playing I got an L6-S natural. Loved the guitar....except it had a neck problem. Even with the truss rod completely loosened it had too much relief to be able to get the action to where I wanted it. I moved over to Hamer guitars, then got a custom T.C. McInturff made fro me. It's amazing!
With my first paycheck I earned I bought first real guitar which was an Ibanez RG440 Roadstar II in the sea foam green with original Floyd Rose in it’s original hardcase. I got it out of the back page on the Elderly Instruments catalog for $149. I thought I was getting a “korn” guitar and was let down when I opened it up. After a couple weeks later I was in love. It was the greatest playing guitar, especially after Tony Martinez (Pensacola) set it up it was a lucid dream to play. Fast forward to 2011 and a group of pill junkies in Massachusetts decided they wanted my PA, guitar collection, and almost everything else I had worth any value. Wiped me out. Devastated me. Had to move to Florida after my savings dried up. Never got it back. If anyone on cape cod ever finds an Ibanez Roadstar II in sea foam green, I have a few marks on the guitar that I intentionally put there (the serial number was recorded on a spreadsheet in a computer that was also stolen) I’ll pay market value to get that back. NO QUESTIONS ASKED.
My first guitar was just a Squier Strat from the SE-100 pack, received as a gift while I was in high school. A failed refinish later when I was in college, and I sold it in pieces. My first Les Paul was an Epiphone Studio, that I saved up to buy while still in high school, and sold a little while after upgrading to Gibson in 2014. I was tempted by the Studio Pro, but my local Guitar Center at the time didn't have the Graphite Pearl or cherry sunburst I wanted, and a used 2009 Trad Pro won me over instead. While the Gibson and Epiphone coexisted, I used the Epiphone to try out DiMarzio pickups, and when I realized the DiMarzios were the sound I wanted, swapped the Gibson pickups into the Epiphone to sell it quicker. That Trad Pro is still my number one.
My first guitar was Mayones KTM2B. Before Mayones became famous for their boutique high-end shredding machines, they used to manufacture some pretty affordable guitars. Mine was a black superstrat in HH configuration with a cheap trem. I no longer have it, I traded it buy my first "proper" axe, which I have owned to this day - 2004 MIK Epiphone Les Paul Custom Zakk Wylde model in bullseye finish. I changed the pickups to made in Poland golden Merlin P.A.F., changed the tuners to locking Gotoh and added a push-pull pot to split the coils.
My first Gibson is a 2001 amber flame top with gold hardware DC Les Paul Standard. Went with the DC for half the price of a single. A few years ago I had it Plek'd which made it much better player and had stacked knobs installed to have separate volume and tone controls for each pickup and orange drop capacitors. My first good guitar is an "82 Japanese Squire which has Fender Custom Eric Johnson pickups and an Emerson blender circuit now.
I started in 1975 on a 1972/73 Univox Les Paul purchased at Pearson Music Company in Winston-Salem, NC. That guitar was a screamer and the neck was like butter. It actually played and sounded better than my 1998 Gibson Les Paul Custom. I think I sold it in 1981/82. So many people wanted to buy that guitar. Move from that to a 1978 Gibson L6-S which I sold several years later, a move that I regretted for a long time. As years moved on, acquired several Stratocasters and Les Pauls as well as Martin acoustics AND found a 75 Gibson L6-S advertised in "mint" condition. I took a chance as the price was right. The guitar was actually featured on Trogly's guitar show as "they don't usually look like this". This guitar is as close to mint as you would find one. It actually had the original strap and the warranty card with it, and the case is like new, really! The story is, a lady bought it, tried to learn, became uninterested and slid it under the bed for 46 years. I learned my lesson with the Univox and the first L6-S and will not sell anything now to my wife's dismay........
I still have mine. It’s a 1998 Epiphone Les Paul Custom in Alpine White. It’s all still original except I swapped out the pickups for a set of Seymour Duncan P-Rail humbuckers. (I kept the old original Epiphone pickups just in case I ever want to put it back to 100% original)
The first guitar I played was my mom & dad’s acoustic Silvertone from the 1960s or 1970s. My mom still has it. The first electric of my own was another Sears guitar from the 1980s with a built-in amp & speaker. That got “traded in” on a Westone Spectrum ST, which I do still have. That’s the one I think of most as my first even if it wasn’t technically. My first acoustic of my own is a Washburn 12-string, and I still have it. I’ve never had a Gibson, though I did get my first two Epiphones last year. I got the Guitar Center exclusive Les Paul Special with P-90s. I got it mainly as a dirt-cheap guitar to practice maintenance & modding on. It’s really grown on me as I continue to improve it. I also ended up getting the Sweetwater exclusive Radio Blue Metallic version of the Les Paul Modern. I personally didn’t think a carved-top Les Paul would ever really appeal to me, but that one did.
My first guitar was a late 80s Korean Squier II. I sold it to a kid at school when I got something better. I think he ended up painting it like the EVH Frankenstein. A few years ago I got another one off Craigslist that is the same, only pearl white instead of black. I realize now how bad it is - compared to the USA Fenders and Gibsons I have now. My first actual Gibson was a 60s acoustic that was terrible. That action sucked and it needed work. Sold it. My first real playable Gibson was a 2010 LP Studio - black with gold hardware. It is one of those really great middle-of-the-week guitars. The only thing I have done is add a bone nut. It could use a new tailpiece because its pretty tarnished.
I bought that guitar from then Jeff for 225 USD. He tried to acquire it back a few years before we put it on Reverb and sold it to his band mate. The original deal was to be a trade. I wanted a Gibson J200 and a 61 VOS Pellum blue SG. Zakk agreed. I asked him if it was too much? He said no. When the guitars were presented at the table they were not what we agreed and I backed out of the deal and he never countered never contacted me so my good friend did all the work and Zakk got the Pellum Blue guitar. It’s not a very good guitar it just looks kool. I owned it and played it since 1983 so yes he played it a lot but I played it more owning it for 30 years. That’s the skinny on Zakks acquisition of his first Gibson after 30 years. It was my first Gibson too.
Great video. Brings back alot of memories!!! My first guitar was a 1981 Gibson Sonex 180 custom. I wanted but we couldn't afford a Les paul which is what I wanted. God bless my Mom the Sonex is still in the collection and it plays like a beast with the original dirty fingers in it. I have 3 LPs now but still grab the old '81 once in awhile, especially if it's heavy. Great video Trogly!!!🤘🎸
My first guitar was a Jackson JS11. I was a big Def Leppard fan so I wanted a Jackson like Phil Collen. I ended up giving it to a friend when I got a Fender Strat.
Yep, still got my first. it is a cheap classical that was a hand me down school guitar that was bought a few years prior for my brother. I also have the first guitar I ever saw, my dad's from when I was under 4 years old, tracked that one down. I have my girlfriends first guitar, and never sold any I've bought. No Gibson yet but I come closer to pulling the trigger on one at the time.
I still have my Ibanez RS335BK. In the 80s I installed an original floyd rose on it. I also to a drill to it and routed out a hole for another humbucker in it between the original 2 pickups. It is not my first guitar, that was a hondo strat. But, it is the guitar that I did most of my early stuff with.
My first guitar was a bolt-on ElDegas copy of a Firebrand The Paul. No branding, just the Logo silk screened on. It's from the late 1970s, solid mahogany body and neck, rosewood fretboard. Bought it from my guitar teacher for $100. The tuners had been upgraded to Gotoh crownhead ones and it had only one pickup installed in the opening, but not wired up. I learned a lot of the repair things that I know now on that guitar. It's had several different pickups and paint jobs, and I have even replaced the neck. It was damaged in a fall and was never quite the same after the repair. I still have it. It currently has upgraded gold hardware and a Duncan Nazgul/Sentient pickup set. I'm looking to restore the original hardware, repair some of the wood damage and try to replicate the original finish as best I can. Considering filling in the neck pocket and building a set neck to install.
Great video Trogly love these stories . My first guitar was the same as yours the Epiphone special, played that for nearly a year and it's still my main practice guitar, play it every day. My first Gibson is a 2011 SG Standard in "Bullion Gold" it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen and from the first second I touched it I realized why people love Gibson, sounds like a piano almost in the high end and just rings forever. I love it so much, I'll never sell it got such a good deal. I do have a question tho, I'm in Manchester in England and can't find much info on them, I know they're a Sam Ash limited edition run of 400, have you heard of these or is there anything to enlighten me about it? I can't dig up much on the internet
My very first electric guitar was a red Epiphone SG, then I got an Epiphone Les Paul Custom in Cherry Sunburst which I really played to death; both of them actually. My first Gibson was a Les Paul Studio 60's Tribute with P90s. I sold all of them and don't really regret it now because after I got my first "professional" high-quality guitar, a Fender Stratocaster (2007 American Vintage 70's) in 2009 I knew that THIS would become MY guitar and it has become exactly that. It was the one I played my first important gigs with and it's been my main live guitar ever since I got it. Most of my bands history is connected to that particular Strat; every ding, every scratch was my doing. It's just become a part of me really. So I consider my very first ones as great entry-level + guitars which I am still very grateful for, but in the end I made the right choices for me personally; to keep my first "professional" guitar as my "first".
Still wish I had my first guitar.. A '77 or '78 RD Standard, Walnut finish with Dimarzio Super Distortion p'ups, which my dad gave to me when I was 10 or so. Then he gave me his old '85 Explorer a few years later, but I had to give the RD back, which he ended up selling on ebay & I think it ended up in Germany, IIRC. Still wish I had that '85 Designer Series Explorer too.. It got stolen in the mid 2000's. 😕
I would absolutely love to own an old white, black or silver ? ( not sure if they even made them in silver back then) 85 Gibson Explorer! 🤔 Just curious what colour was it? ( Silver burst would be my favourite #1 Explorer if I ever ordered a custom one) I bought a black Dean -Metal Man bass about 10 years ago just because I love the explorer body style so much! 😊 that and the fact it was only $350 and also looks so bad ass! Kinda looks like a long gloss black 57 Chevy tailfin ! She’s a very long beast ! ( the case costs almost as much as the bass did! So I never ordered a case for it ) 😄 I like to warm up on bass and then switch back to electric ⚡️ 6 string as it feels super easy to play then! 😄
My first 6-string electric was a Rogue HSH super-strat from Musician's Friend with a Floyd Rose trem. I didn't mind the finicky tuning because I liked the feel of the trem and the tuning stability, but the sound of the pickups was so "blah" that I didn't like it at all. I sold that on eBay, went though a couple of other guitars after that (buying, then selling), until I landed on a handful that I enjoy in my permanent collection. Now, I do have my first Gibson - a 1998 Gibson The Hawk. It lives in its case (mostly) safe from being battered until I finally bear down and get good at guitar. Till then, she's a case queen.
I started playing on my dads Les Paul copy, a 70s hohner lawsuit guitar that was made to look like a black custom. He still has that one and I play it whenever I go over there, nowadays though I have the 3 pickup Gibson version in my collection! My first guitar was a black epiphone SG. It was unique because I am pretty sure it was neck-through in construction because there was no visible neck joint. I sold that one to a friend who had his equipment stolen from a gig and I really wish I hadn’t. My first Gibson was an ‘06 SG. My siblings and I got an inheritance when we were teens from a distant relative who passed, and while my siblings spent theirs on school and a car, I went straight to the music shop and picked out an SG. I actually had a matte red one picked out and decided to sleep on it, but when I went back the next day there was a beautiful gloss red one there that I hadn’t seen before. I played about 6 notes on it, fell in love and bought it. That’s still the first one I reach for to this day!
my first official guitar was in 2014 for my 20th birthday from my mum a squier 70s standard strat in cream color with 21 frets rosewood board and black pups/volumetone knobs. My first gibson was the chick magnet one pickup satin finish that i got from the same store in 2016 (big music shop) and i sold the cm because I never played it it sat new in its gig bag under my bed for 5 years, but the squier i still use to this day i have a 24mm arcade killswitch on the tone pot and put seymour duncan humbucker on the bridge and a hot rail in the neck, no middle pickup hole on the pickguard
My first "Real" guitar was an early 70s Les Paul Deluxe Goldtop. Super beat up and played to death. I bought it at age 12 (1992) for $350. As you mentioned in the video to never sell your first guitar, i DID sell the guitar in 2002 after graduating college and couldn't find a job. I had put P90s in it (seymour duncan), but the frets were toast, a few of the OG tuners were bent and all the silver plating on the tailpiece had just about flaked off. It had tons of buckle rash and the arm area stained green from thousands of hours of use. in 2021, I ended up finding an early 70s Deluxe goldtop in ALMOST the same condition, but with new frets, Nut, tuners, a Dimarzio DLX-1 bridge pickup (OG neck) and a fairly well done top repaint job. It feels a lot like my one from when i was a kid but even better.
My first guitar was a late 70s early 80s Cort LP Effector that weighed as much as a Gibson at over 9 pounds. My mother bought it for me for my 15th birthday in 1984 from a Sears surplus store for $80. After the onboard effects stopped working a year later, that's when the makeovers and modding began; in fact, you did a review on one a few years ago! I replaced the plastic button tuners with a a set of $10 Keystone tuners, bought Schaller strap locks and paid $45 for a new Gibson TP6 tailpiece ($160 now). Long story short, Bosslady's living the best makeover 37 years later as i now have Tonepros Kluson Deluxe locking tuners that makes more vibrantly solid, all new components including a Gotoh bridge and actual humbuckers. I have Strats, Teles and Maestro Les Paul & SG Juniors all modded and upgraded of course and they're all #1 in their own right but the LPX (for ex-Effector) remains #1!
Still have my first, it’s a 1987 Vester Stratocaster, sunburst, maple neck, before they changed them to the thinner body & non-Fender headstock. I got it used in 1992. In the mid-00s I turned it into a counterfeit 50s reissue style Fender with decals & neckplate. Also have upgraded some of the electronics & hardware over time. It’s great, every time I go back to it it just feels like home. It’s still very much in rotation as a play guitar in my collection.
My first guitar is an 1980 Gibson Artist hybrid. Purchased new at Sam Ash in Hempstead N.Y. Paid $325 with an off brand case. I was 18 and in a band with high school friends. After graduation we began to play out at local bars. The band name was Attic Feedback. We actually rehearsed in an attic room above my drummers garage - hence the name. It has some wear and worming on the back due to my brass led Zeppelin belt buckle I use to wear. I still own this very unusual guitar. It has the moog preamp electronics installed in it (just like the RD and GK55 models). Nothing has been changed or modded. It has a bolt-on neck with a nice dark ebony fretboard. A sonic style resin body. All Black with no pickguard and an additional preamp switch on the tail. This is one that Trogley should document and video on as it is quite unusual and not very well known out there.
The guitar I learned on was a 1952 Gibson Les Paul that was my dad's number one. A few years later in '08 I got my own Gibson, a 1992 SG Special in Ferrari Red with the ebony fretboard for $400. Then a '97 SG Standard, a '01 SG Standard, a '79 SG Exclusive, another '79 SG Exclusive, etc etc. Now I'm up to my neck in SGs and couldn't be happier!
Just like you, a black Epiphone Les Paul special II made in 2011. My first acoustic was a Mitchell MD100 in trans red I bought from Guitar Center in Rancho Cucamonga in 1999. I still play them both every day. The Les Paul got the neck straightened, the pickups raised, lowered the bridge, raised the tail piece, complete fret level and recrown, reintonation and polished the frets and fret board. It sounds great, plays like a Gibson. I won't ever get rid of it.
First guitar, I have a plywood harmony S style from the 80s. Took it apart as a kid - it's still apart 25 years later. Finally have plans to make it my EVH style with 1 bucker in the bridge. First Gibson was a made in Canada acoustic - I regret selling it.
2006 Squier Standard. Remember the day my dad bought it for me and how excited I was to finally graduate from nylon string to electric guitar. Looking back it's got literally the worse pickups and electronics. The tone knobs aren't connected and the single coils buzz like crazy (but it's playable in position 2). But it's my first electric and I love it. I then bought an Ibanez rg421 used, a hot rodded Squier affinity, Squier deluxe, a player series HSH Strat and then a used Gibson Studio. Of those 5 I kept the fender and sold the other 4 at very healthy profits and bought a PRS SE custom 24-08 with the profits, had to return cause defective on arrival and ordered a SE Standard 24-08 that I have to wait 4 months for.
Had a washburn kit guitar that my folks bought for me (thanks dad!) but the thing was uncomfortable af, so it got sold. Later a friend of mine gifted me a dinged up yamaha eg 112c that got its relic job on his cupboard under the stairs of his house and man that one is a keeper. Right now is being repainted, rewired and getting the tlc it deserves.
I still have my first guitar an Epiphone Dot 335 in Cherry. I bought it at a Best Buy with my second credit card back in 2012. I modified that guitar put 2 pick guards one right and left, replace the knobs with black and silver ones, added a Bigsby B7, a tension bar for the stop tail piece, and a Epiphone hardcase. Its here with me always in my heart and hands. I wouldn't never sell it. Not even for a Gibson alike.
My first guitar was a Guyatone LG-130. Given to me for my 13th birthday, by my oldest brother, in 1967. He was in the army, based in Korea, at the time. I played that guitar for about 20 years, in a couple of bands. And I still have it, though it's been (badly) "refinished", and is currently is parts. He also included a Teisco 71-C tube amp, that I replaced early on. It sounded fine, but just didn't have much volume.
My first guitar in general was a $150 dollar Ashton 3/4 size nylon string, I still have it & still play it from time to time, it's in no way a great guitar but it's worth far more to me in sentimental value than it would ever be worth to sell. My first electric was a circa 2006 Epiphone G400 that I also still own, the headstock broke off when I was around 13 after I stupidly left it leaning against the amp and it fell, I remember being absolutely heart broken, but I got it fixed (not the cleanest repair, but the guitar tech at my local store did it for free so can't complain) I still own that one as well and was playing it all the time up until I got a PRS SE about a year ago. I will never get rid of either of those guitars, although the G400 could probably do with some work at some point.
Mine was a 1993 Wine Red Les Paul Studio. I bought it used in 1995 at the House of Guitars. I sold it to a friend for about a decade and gave him a early 90’s PRS custom 22 to get it back. The first one is special!!!
I started learning to play on my dad’s Aria Pro II superstrat when I was nine. After a couple of years I got my first own guitar: an Epiphone SG G-310. I played that guitar for a couple of years before putting up all my savings to buy an alpine white 2003 Gibson Les Paul Studio. Still have both guitars today. The Epiphone now sports a tele pickup in the neck position and a big white racing stripe across the body (not overly happy with those mods today, but it sort of felt right at the time).
My 1st guitar was a Memphis Les Paul Custom, plain natural top. It had a plywood body, bolt on neck. My dad bought it for me in 1980 for $120. Even when I thought it was not playable anymore, I could never get rid of it. It sat for years w/it's bowed neck, shot truss rod. But, coming up on our 40th 'anniversary', I took to Amazon, found a neck (took several tries), got S.D. P- Rails for it. Nothing much original anymore, but it's sweet now, and sounds great. I'm so glad I kept it!
I still have my first guitar, which also happens to be my first Gibson. It’s a 1967 LG-0 that my dad bought in the late 70s or early 80s for 50 bucks off of a friend that played it in a bluegrass band. My dad tinkered with learning to play but never really got into it so he put it in a crawl space under the house I grew up in. There it sat for many years until my 7th grade music class where they taught us basic guitar. It was one of the few things in school I honestly enjoyed and has stuck with me. I told my dad about how I was interested in learning to play and that’s when he told me about this old Gibson he had stashed away in basement. He said if I could get it out of the crawl space, which was just a hole under the stairs that led to a dingy space under the house, then I could have the guitar. Well I fought my way through all the spiders and dust and managed to pull this cardboard case out of the abyss. That guitar held up remarkably well and is still in good shape and is responsible for my love of Gibsons to this day. Over 20 years later and that guitar still puts a smile on my face.
My first guitar I still have is a Peavey T-60 that my uncle Joe bought at the NAMM show in LA toured Europe with it with his band the Renegades. I got it as a graduation gift in 1985.
My first guitar was an 80s Hondo Fame 7601. Similar to the Kramer DX1. All White with a chinese letters "graphic" on the body (I guess it said Hondo in Mandarin). One pickup, one nob. I didn't even KNOW it had fine tuners until I recently looked closely at a picture and saw it had a floyd rose. This was before I even knew what a floyd rose was, I owned this guitar at age 7! I sold it for a Squier Strat, at the time I assumed that was a step up; more nobs=better, right? Looking back, I had s really unique 80s shredder that I really wish I kept. A well made 80s shredder with a Floyd and an interesting look easily trumped my squier any day. Now I'm desperate to find one like it. I've only seen one picture of one online, a pic from 2011. I've seen a few similar models and I'd scoop one of those up if I could..one had a cool wizard on it, one has a dragon. Wish I could turn back time and tell younger me that more nobs doesn't mean anything.
The first electric guitar I learned on was my sisters telecaster. And for 6 months I went from a beginner to an amateur, playing mediocre guitar. Im mostly a drummer and picked up bass 4 years later and never saw myself playing guitar. But on my birthday I got an Epiphone Les Paul Traditional with a gold top finish. And every day since I practiced and practiced and eventually I got so much better than the first time I’ve played electric guitar. I even learned how to do maintenance on my first guitar. There were times were I’ve said “man this guitar sucks” mostly because the times the strings need to be changed. But every time I clean it up and make it new again. I realize no matter what guitar anyone has, cheap or expensive, Fender or Squier, Gibson or Epiphone. Your first guitar will always be your special one. And after seeing this video I %100 percent agree. There is no way in hell, I’m selling my first guitar, not even someone wants a million bucks.
My first guitar was a 1994 Peavey Predator I bought brand new for $250.00. It's candy apple red with a maple fretboard, made in the USA, and I still have it to this day. I replaced the pickguard with a pearl white one and installed Fender Lace Sensors in it, which I thought was a good idea at the time. I ended up selling it to my cousin, then bought it back. I just couldn't live without it.
My first guitar was a red Peavey Razer, it was stolen and to this day I can't get another one. They are all either broken, fubar'd with "at home" mods, or stupidly overpriced. I don't care what you have it on reverb for, a Peavey Razer isn't worth $1000.
My First Geetar was a a 1972 Fender Bronco, bought in a combo deal with a 1972 Fender Vibro-champ. Later I got a Morley Fuzz-Waw and I played that rig from the age of 13-15 than I added a Peavey 2x12 Classic, which was LOUD. In highschool I routed (with the help of my good buddy Billy Paine) the Bronco and threw in a DiMarzio Super Distortion! - Yes I wish I still had that monster.
My first guitar was also a les paul special II a 2002 one it actually has a really nice rosewood fretboard lol. It's still in my posession even though it's only worth like 100 bucks.
My first electric guitar (started on a Sears crappy $99 acoustic with horrific string action. The strings sat about 1/2" high at the 6th fret) was gotten at a band jam when I was 14- around 1986. A guy trying out for our band decided after the second song that he was no where close to us skills wise. He stood up and said " boys.... nevermind. I suck. Anyone want to buy this piece of crap? It was a 1967 Gibson SG. He wanted $200. The guitarists in my band all turned their noses up and said "No Fender....No thanks" I just about jumped over my drumset. I gave him the money and he left. Still have it. (Although I had to get the volume and tone knobs replaced and the pickups re-soldered, it has been my favorite guitar ever) I now have several newer Les pauls and SG's (2000, 2003,2005x2) but none are as sweet to play as my original. I have been offered 3 grand several times for it, yet even during times I was so broke I ate nothing but hotdog weiners and ichi-ban noodles for months, I NEVER EVER WOULD HAVE SOLD IT.
My 1st guitar was a SG copy. Never knew the brand, due to the headstock was painted over. From that guitar, the SG became my favorite guitar. Funny, this week, I bought what I hoped would’ve been my 1st guitar - 1981 Fender Bullet. I like the one Fender had in their Christmas ads, back in ‘81. Can’t wait!! 😉
My first guitar was a late 70's Ibanez LP copy with a bolt on neck. It was ivory in color, and I only learned basic cords on it before I sold it to a friend. My first real Gibson was an early 80's the Paul in walnut.
The first bass I got to play on was my dad's Yamaha RBX270. I can remember he got it when I was about 5 years old, it was the first time I went to a different country (I'm Dutch, we went right across the German border). He eventually barely played on it himself, I got interested in bass a couple years later, so I borrowed it from him for the first 7 years of lessons or so. It was with me for my first lessons, my first band, gigs, rehearsals, recordings, etc. but ventually I got to the point where I was doing quite some serious playing so I wanted something better. My dad insisted I'd sell his bass so I could keep the money, and use the money to buy a better bass myself. I ended up getting a second hand Musicman Stingray and I've played on that thing up until now. It didn't take long for the regret to peek around the corner though. The Stingray is a solid bass and it has opened up a whole new world of music for me in the end, but the Yamaha I really had a connection with, something I just can't seem to build up with my Stingray or any other bass I have (had). I concider the loss as a learning experience. The brand, price, playability or sound of an instrument isn't everything, there's a lot more to an intrument. I almost immediately lost interest in playing for a year and it took a while to regain it fully again. At first playing on that bass felt like fighting, but now I'm content. What consoles me is that the person who got the bass was incredibly thrilled and happy to start out with bass, and I deeply hope she gets to enjoy it to the same extent as I did when I started out. Besides, how much I love that Yamaha, I think with my current collection I'd barely pick it up anyways. It was built to be played, not to be displayed. Parting ways with that bass has been agonizing but at least now it's hopefully used for what it was intended for...
My first electric guitar was a Red and White Harmony Strat copy. Then I got a fender squire strat that I put new pickups and new paint job on. An old friend has it now, so at least I know who has it. Now I still have my Ibanez RG that I had since I was 16, I'm 40 now. I readjusted it and it plays and sounds awesome. Luckily my father held on to it all these years! Now I have a bunch of other axes for my music, but I'm happy to at least have one of my original electrics! Keep up the good work Trogly.
My first electric guitar was a $120 Austin budget black strat with a white pickguard. I learned all the classic rock riffs on that bad boy, and When I finally got the opportunity to be in a gigging band, I set that one in the closet while I went on my journey of performing, trading up to bigger and better gear. Playing mostly Gibsons now, but for A time I did pull that old guitar out of the closet and heavily modded it. Replaced the neck with a burnt maple one, routed it out to fit some H/S/S EMG's in it, and replaced the pickguard with something flashier, and upgraded the hardware and machines. I used it at gigs as a drop tuned guitar and was great for the nostalgia, but it still had its limitations. A family friend made me an offer and I sold it with no regrets a few years ago. I at least know if I ever want it back, I'm sure he would sell it back to me.
My first Gibson was, and still is a 1979 The Paul. I bought it from a small shop in England for 500 pounds. It was in very good condition and still is. Thanks to Trogly I now know that the pick guard was not original to the guitar. It has the T top pickups. I have owned it for around twenty five years. My second Gibson is a 2000 Black beauty custom with ebony fretboard and the 400r,498t pickups, all hardware in gold. I got a great deal on it new at 1600 pounds. It is in very good condition, yellowing on the binding and a small amount of checking here and there. It has the sixties thin neck and I love it beyond words. It is completely original, why mess around with perfection?
My first guitar was a wine red Hondo Formula 1 Warlock( I wanted a BC Rich) that I got for Christmas when I was 14. I later sold it and bought an Ibanez Rg 120. Kinda wish I still had that old Hondo. It wasn't til January 95 that I bought my first Gibson. My Black Les Paul Standard which I still have and play as a main guitar today. I believe the manufacturer date on it is a 92. Came with the brown hardshell case all under a grand.
My first guitar was a Yamaha Pacifica 112J and I still have it today!!! I modded it out to match the Tom Delonge signature strat and even painted it surf green myself!!!
My first guitar I ever bought was a 1996 Jackson Performer PS4. I learned a lot about guitar repair on that old thing. I've swapped pickups for EMG HZ, swapped tuners for Grover tuners, sanded and stained the maple neck black, installed a Floyd Rose Special in it, and played it for a long time. Now, it's in a state of disrepair. I plan to rebuild it though. I wanna fill in the single coil route and the bridge route using a chunk of mahogany then install an Everyone bridge and a set of Seymour Duncan pickups. For the finish, I want to do either a green or red crackle finish. I honestly miss having that guitar in my rotation.
My first Gibson was a 69 Les Paul deluxe. This was like 2002 and I really wanted a new LP standard but didn’t have the money. I found the deluxe on eBay and won the auction for $550. It needed some work and a full refret which I did myself and I finally had my Les Paul. After owning many expensive perfectly playing LPs over the years, the one that I’ll never part with is that fixer upper deluxe. I love that guitar.
My first guitar was an epiphone es-339 pro in a cherry finish - absolutely stunning - honestly, its comparable to my les paul standard and I absolutely love it, I named it mafu after my grandfather mafuyu yamashiro, he always loved chuck berry and talked about the “335” body shape. the 339 is smaller than a 335 and more of a “normal solid body size.” I still play it to this day, but most days I play my shell pink strat. That being said, I cant stand players who write off epiphone immediately, they make some great guitars in the $500-800 price range, my 339 plays incredible, great intonation (and I am super picky when it comes to keeping my instruments in tune), splittable pickups, and the pickups sound great. Its honestly an incredible guitar and one I would recommend for all starting guitarists, great neck feel, good sound, and it’s beautiful.
my first guitar was a 1967 hagstrom iii in tropical blue with a black pickguard. it was ordered from sweden; it took weeks to get from sweden to cleveland, ohio. i still have it and i’d never get rid of it, ever. i have twenty guitars now, but none of them are like that one. it’s been everywhere i have been for 54 years; its family.
1998 gibson sg special. Ebony. Still own it. Put a 57 in the bridge 5 years later and grovers last year. Needs a dress. Finish is worn on the neck between 5 and 12fth frets. Never sell your first guitar.
He’s absolutely right when he says that your first guitar/bass has its own story. Like four years ago, I sold my first p bass because I figured I already had too many basses. I immediately regretted it and it felt like I lost a friend. Come 2021, I was able to contact the guy I sold it to and ask him if I could buy it back and he agreed. I’m so glad I have it back.
My first guitar was junk
and now thats caused it to have even more of a story lol
I sold my first Les Paul, Sugaree. Have regretted it every day ever since.
My first guitar happened to be a Gibson. My dad bought an 80 Les Paul Jr. second hand in the early 90s. After he purchased his Les Paul Studio (late 90s) the Jr. went in a hard case and was put away. When I started showing interest in guitar playing he pulled the Jr. out, slapped a new set of strings on it and handed it down to me. Been with me ever since.
Awesome, and you have a smart Dad.
When our Son took an interest in playing guitar I let him use an old 1986 Les Paul Custom of mine.
He played the $hit out of that guitar every day for about 5 years, until it was time to get him a new guitar for his Birthday.
Wow what a folly on my part. Not easy following up a Les Paul Custom.............................
We were Blessed that he is a big Off-Set Fan and wanted a 66 Jazzmaster Reissue! We dodged a bullet for sure.
I love it awesome story. Ya know it's all about the story..
@@hkguitar1984 I'm actually working on a 1964 jaguar it is getting fitted with humbucker z
@@rondobondo6600 Most excellent, you don't see many of those "Z" being used
@@hkguitar1984 I love those 66 reissue jazzmasters. im curious, what colour did you get it in? Mine is surf green.
I've told this story elsewhere. In 1976 some kind soul in a music store in Caracas, Venezuela (Muci Maracaibo Import), recommended an Ibanez Les Paul copy black with gold hardware ("lawsuit era") to my mom as my first guitar. I didn't appreciate it at the time, but that was a great guitar and a big part of the reason I still play today. Thing is ten years later I was coming to the US to get my PhD (at the University of Michigan) and I decided that I was only going to bring a twelve string Takamine and gave that Ibanez to Luis, the other guitar player in my band at the time (Malthus).
In 2018 Luis called me up said he was coming to Miami, where I live now, and wondered if we could meet and play guitar, I offered him to stay at my place he happily agree and told me he "would bring the guitar", I told him no need... I have several guitars here and he said, "no, I'm bringing your guitar, I'm giving it back to you." I didn't even know he still had it.
The guitar was already beaten when I gave it to him and in all these years it had oxidized. Another friend cleaned it up and gold plated the hardware. I'm very proud to have my first guitar and this story to tell.
What a great story.
Good to have real friends like Luis.
Thank You
EDIT, did you specifically choose Miami AFTER living in Michigan?
I live in Northern Michigan and wouldn't blame you if our Winter's drove you South.
Awesome story! I’m from Michigan and moved to florida in 1984 never turned back lol
@@1000poundsguitar I can understand that! Lol
@@1000poundsguitar I'm envious of both of you..................
I have a 20 mile commute to work, this morning due to ice and snow it took me 40 minutes! And that is not counting the time it took to warm up the car and clear it from ice and snow. Each of you, please grab some sunshine for yourselves and think of me when you do! ;-)
@@hkguitar1984 stay warm and GOD bless!!
Yes, I still have my first guitar, a Harmony classical guitar built in 1970 in China, which I bought new that year as I started guitar lessons at Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music, where I still study today.
Parents talked me into the classical saying it would be easier on my fingers; I wanted an archtop from the Sears catalog. Oh well.
One of the tuning machines failed about 30 years ago, and as I had moved on to other guitars, I never got it fixed. That’s my only mod; finally got around to it about a year ago, I replaced the tuners myself.
Finish is heavily checked, but otherwise it’s functioning well and has a lovely, if rarely used, sound.
When I was a kid, my dad had Harmony acoustic. It had the f holes. I think it was a red and black sunburst. It was a beater and he would let us take outside and play with it with our friends. We were like 9 0r 10 years old. If it was a nice a guitar I don't think it would have been let out of his sight. Thats why I say it was a beater. I can hardly remember it.
My first Gibson was a 1979 Les Paul Deluxe Tobacco burst. Bought it in 2006 from a retail store, I was 18 or 19. My dad and I had just stopped into the shop to have a look around and I zoned in on this guitar immediately. They let me play it and I literally couldn’t put it down. Basically love at first sight. The problem was it was $2200 and I did not have that😂. Somehow… someway… my dad negotiated them down to $1400… so I obviously had to drop almost every cent I had on it.
Fast forward to when I’m 25 and In some financial difficulty. Being my only valuable item I had to sell it. Had a guy come and take a look & he also fell in love with it. Confirmed the sale. $2500. He sent a bank transfer to me. The transfer took forever and while we were waiting he started having second thoughts… he decided to back out of the sale, no hard feelings between us. Thank goodness he did because the next day my (then) girlfriend’s mother offers to buy it from me and give it back as a wedding gift. I burst out in tears when she told me. I’m 34 now and I still have the guitar. Still happily married and forever grateful to my mother in law.
I was selling a Washburn N2 on Craigslist. It had been signed by Nuno twice. I got a response from a guy on the other side of the state with a picture of himself with that guitar when he was about 8 years old. His mom had taken him to the Extreme shows when he was a kid where he met Nuno and got it signed. He said it was his first guitar and he would like to get it back. He was now a grown man with kids of own. He didn't have the money for my asking price but I worked out a trade and some cash so he could get his guitar back. He was super happy to get it back in his family.
Your videos are part of my routine! Greetings from Brazil, where we will never buy a Gibson without selling a kidney!
Greetings Fernando!!
Aqui a gente só compra Gibson se vender a casa
Aqui a gente vende a casa pra comprar uma studio
Yes, I understand your pain here in the states. A Good Gibson is hit or miss. However, the Les Paul was not designed by Les Paul. It was designed by O.W Appleton. The story about the Les Paul is a fabricated story.
@@kevinolson1710 bro, here a Gibson os so expensive even a rich person wouldn't or can't buy it, 2021 flying v and explorer are 20000 reais (BRL)
My first was a 1989 black Korean Squier Stratocaster. It's a great guitar that I still have to this day. This is the guitar I did my first gigs ever on and I don't think I can let it go. I've modified it a hundred times and I always just put it back to stock because it sounded so good. I must have played 20 of them that day that I picked it out and this one was just different and I knew it was the one as soon as I grabbed it. My first Gibson in a 2017 Les Paul in worn bourbon. Thanks Austin for what to do, I've learned a lot from watching your show.
My very first guitar is a 1964 mustang 24" scale .. I routed it for a humbucker in the bridge position and refinished it from Lake placid blue to black and my Dad got it for me in 1975 from a pawnshop...and I still have it ... I do have a video of it on my UA-cam channel....
So cool that you have it RONDO
LOL, of course you have a short scale Fender with a humbucker, totally BOSS with that Sir.
My first guitar that I actually learned to play on is a 93 Japanese Strat and yes I still have it. I blacked the plastics but everything else is the same…still a great guitar.
My first real guitar was one of these and I swapped it for a les paul copy. Japanese strat was worth way more.
I got my first electric guitar 2 months ago! Its a Jackson Dinky JS22 with a matte black finish. I used to play my mom's acoustic guitar for about 4 months and figured the action/shape was too weak for my metal playing! I saved a good $500 and bought the guitar along with a BOSS Katana 50 amplifier.
Awesome, I got the same guitar in blue two years ago when I started playing.
My first guitar (a Yamaha classical with a cedar top) is sitting on a stand, no strings, no tuners even, but it has followed me everywhere since I was 15. It was 30 years ago when my Grandmother gave it to me and started me on this journey, and even though it's in unplayable shape, it still means the world to me.
Those 2011-2012 Les Paul Special II’s are actually pretty great guitars! Mine has been modified to within an inch of it’s life, but I still very much love that guitar. That was my second full scale guitar.
My first guitar was a cheap 1/2 sized strat knockoff, which has also been extremely modified. Made the horns more point, refinished it in a matte black, installed a locking nut because I thought I lost the original nut, added new contours. Plays as bad as it used to, but looks way worse.
First full size guitar I had was a pre headstock change Tanglewood t57s strat knockoff in sunburst. That’s the only guitar I haven’t made any real mods on. I knocked down the gloss on the neck and it plays pretty fucking great. Does need a refret though, because the frets are just terrible nowadays.
And shockingly (not really if you know me) I don’t have a Gibson.
My first gibson was a 1977 deluxe goldtop I found at a local music shop with my dad for $1,400. I ended up selling so I could get a half stack, an epi les paul, and a set of emgs to start playing in a band.
I miss that thing everyday... but it was probably better to sell it than butcher it. I'm still on the quest for it... specifically now that my dad is no longer with us. So if anyone has a mahogany necked 77 with an extra hole drilled for the upper strap button... I'd love to find that again. Unfortunately I can't find a serial number or any pictures... so it's down to my memory of it.
I still have my 1st electric guitar. It's a 1980 Japanese set neck Les Paul copy by a company called Cortez. After that company moved to Korea they changed their name to Cort. I put a ZW EMG kit in it but everything else is original.
There's also the little chip of paint right below the neck pickup that is in both the reverb listing and in the pictures from the magazine. As well as the tiny speck below the stop-tail piece.
Noticed that myself. It’s his.
My first guitar was a B.C. Rich warlock, that I gave to my son, but the one I’m most fond of is an Electra. Looks like a Gibson, but used to have on board plug in effect that could be swapped out. Put a Seymour Duncan invader bridge pickup and had a buddy set it up for me and he says it plays just as good as his Les Paul juniors. I paid 50 bucks for a neck through guitar, doctored it, it plays great!!
I agree, never sell your first guitar. I almost made the mistake of selling my first guitar (Epi-Les Paul), posted up for sell and had some people interested in it but never sold it. Im so glad I didn’t, 10 years later I’m still in love with my Epi. My first Gibson, a Pelham Blue Gibson Studio ….. love it and will not part ways with it.
My first guitar was a Univox hi-flyer i’ve never bought another one. I have bought back a few of the early guitars but usually sell them quickly. First Gibson was a 1973 les paul deluxe I bought for $400 in the 80’s
Hey Trogly,
Oddly enough I had a very similar first run of guitars. I started out with the 2006 Epiphone Les Paul Special II for 7th grade Jazz Band. The next year my dad was in a pawn shop and bought me a 2001 Epiphone Alleykat that I still play today. Thanks for the stories and filling my head with guitar dreams and information.
Zakk Wylde and Dimebag Darrell are the reason I started playing guitar
Excellent choices
Nice choices Sir, a couple of amazingly gifted Players.
Great video and it brought back a lot of memories. My parents couldn’t afford to spend too much and they bought me a cherry red Kent guitar. Believe it or not, they bought it from Sears. I no longer have it. I bought my first Gibson in 1973. The best I can tell it was made in 73 by verifying the pots. I cannot figure out the date since the serial numbers were not easy to trace. I have seen other SGs in the same date range as mine with similar serial numbers. It is pretty much in mint condition but I made the same mistake of leaving on a guitar hanger that messed up the neck where it was in contact with the hanger. I play it more now though since I finally retired and have mote time to play now.
my first was a Kent Stratocaster copy in natural wood color. It was a toss up between an SG copy of some sort but my bro convinced me to get the Kent Strat. I had a SG copy after that and was a Gibson fan from then on. I bought my first real Les Paul 60s Standard in late 2019 from AMS at a 300dollar discount due to some BS issue and installed a bigsby via vibramate. Since then i have baught a 2021 Gibson SG tribute natural and pulled the circuit board stuff and installed a handwired 50s stye set up and also put a bigsby B5 via vibramate system and som witch hat knobs. I like the SG for some stuff and the Les Paul for other stuff but it is still a learning game. TY Trogly for everything you teach us. Id really like to have that 72 SG you have
I still have my first guitar a Hofner from the mid 60:s. I got it in 1973.
1956 fender telecaster I bought for $50 and for another$50 he threw in a fender champ - I was in 9th grade New Orleans 1966. I was 15 years old. It was that painted blue color - the frets were worn down - had a regret job and refinished job - tobacco burst done in 1980 by a shop on New Orleans - Foster’s. The serial number on the plate is 42266 - I know it is a 1956 because when I took the pick guard off and the neck pickup 1956 was carved in it. Also ebony fret board.
I thought well it will do until I can get enough money together to get a Rickenbacker. Some people are just lucky and have no idea of what they have.
My first Gibson was a 1963 or 1964 SG Special, traded a Guild Acoustic for it in 1985. It was by far the best Guitar I ever had. Sadly traded it in the mid 90's for a lousy forgery of a Telecaster. The SG had a repaired input jack. I'm always looking for it, but it'd be too much to buy back these days.
Great video, Trogly! I still have my first guitar! I got lucky and got a 1962 Fender Musicmaster (3/4 size) for my 8th birthday along with a Princeton Reverb amp (which I also still have and play through)! My Grandpa got these for me. He got the amp for $150 and the guitar he got in exchange for some electrical work!
My first electric was a Gibson Les Paul Deluxe, bought in 1971 theoretically new. I kept it until I had to sell it in 2014 for ~3 mortgage payments while unemployed. I had it inspected by the dealer who sold it for me. It was his educated guess that it was a ‘69 NOS build. It was NOT pancake. It had the classic G-never-stays-in-tune problem with non-wound G’s. On it, I learned Clapton, Cream, Allman Bros, Hendrix, Beatles, Stones, Steppenwolf, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, T-rex, J Tull, Yes, all the 70’s icons. Since it had the mini humbuckers, I would replace it with a Standard or similar SG.
My first guitar was a sunburst Harmony Strat copy my parents got me out of the Fingerhut catalog when I was 12 or so. I don’t have it anymore, but I do still have my first proper Gibson, a 05 Alpine white, gold hardware LP Studio that I recently got back after 10 years. That one means the most to me, even though I have others I play everyday and are worth way more. I remember it was a dream to have a new Gibson, I never thought I could afford one so I saved and saved until I could get it.
My first guitfiddle was a series 10 tobacco sunburst strat style and I sold it to a friend and convinced my mother to buy me a 94 Gibson Studio ebony with gold hardware. So the shop ordered me one and I went back a week later to just look around anf they had the one with chrome hardware. So I canceled the order of the gold hw to just buying the floor model with chrome. I unfortunately don’t have that exact one anymore but just recently purchased another early 90’s ebony/chrome studio to fill the void.
My first Gibson guitar was a 2002 Les Paul Voodoo. I remember staring at that guitar in Musicians Friend catalog for months until I walked into Big Apple Music and suddenly saw it hanging on the wall above the cash register. It was hanging with the complete set of Explorer, SG and Firebird. I bought it as soon as I saw it but those bastard charged for a generic hard shell case at that point. It wasn't until recently that I realized I should have received a genuine Voodoo case with the purchase of the guitar. I still have it to this day and it still growls. I'm a happy man.
My first guitar broke down literally Today, January 18th 2022, it's a really cheap Mitchell guitar, but it had a decent sound when plugged in into my Blackstar ID Core 10! My 2nd Guitar, "Misty" was a wholesome gift from my friends after playing and proving myself for about 3 years, it's a Beautiful Epiphone Les Paul Standard Pro in Blue color, I was stunned when I saw her, I literally cried...
I learned everything I could with the Mitchell, but sadly the electronics are 100% broken and I'm sure "Dave" which is that Guitar's name, will never be the same... I thought about selling it for parts but then you posted this video as soon as I had those thoughts... I will keep Dave, I learned everything with that Guitar, maybe someday I will restore or mod him! for that I thank you! I will buy my 3rd guitar very soon, since I think only playing Misty will feel dull lmao
It's very easy and inexpensive to replace the electronics in your guitar. Potentiometers, capacitors, wire, solder.
My first was and is a 81 sg with the big SECOND stamp on the back. It's a wine red. Pay $600.00
Brand new( probably got scammed) still have it after the neck break , everything is original and it sounds great. I named it," sugar"
I was 16 when I got, now I'm a few weeks from 57, time flies. I love this git fiddle.
My first guitar was a 1984 Ovation Ultra GS2F. I do still have it but I need to give the frets a level and recrown. I have changed pickups on it and had to do a complete restore after a house fire in the early 2000's. She still sounds like a beast.
when i moved to The Netherlands i sold all of my equipment except for a Frankenstrat that i built from two existing Strats. half Fender, half Squier. i brought that with me althogh the Fender neck is now on it's third body. it's a great neck. i do however have my first Gibson that i bought new in 2013: a 2012 LP Studio Satin Series Satin Yellow. got it shockingly cheap from a big dealer in Germany. cheap enough i could afford to mod it if i didn't like it. cheap enough that i could have flipped it as soon as the package came to the door. it just so happens i love it. it's not the nicest Gibson ever made, nor the nicest i've ever played but i like it for what it is. chunky neck, not too physically heavy, ringy bridge pickup with a but of an edge, neck pick up is a bit throaty, middle combo has a good woody chime ala Jimmy Page or possibly Peter Buck. can't complain at all. i don't have plans to sell it and only plan to either install other tuners or buy a backup set of klusons. otherwise i intend to keep it stock. thanks to Trogly i do worry about whether the pickups are the ones advertised. i will maybe check next time i change strings... it's a pleasure to play and own.
TO everyone who commented about their first guitar, totally cool and thank you for sharing.
My first guitar was a 1972 HONDO II SG copy. I upgraded that to a 1974 Fender Mustang. In 1977 I'd saved up for a Gibson Les Paul Deluxe, Cherry Sunburts.
Back in 1977 that Les Paul only cost $585!
I agree, never sell your first guitar..
I mowed yards all summer at $5.00 per yard to pay for my 1977 Yamaha FG412SB. It cost $275.00 with a used Gibson Hard Shell Case. I still have it and it stayed in great shape. It has lived in its case and only comes out when it wants to play. You tend to take care of things when you work hard for them. Learned all of the Eagles and Bob Seger songs on this one. Great memories and still a great guitar.
My first guitar is a Sunburst Strat copy by a brand called Sparkle, named it Sparky because of that and also because I'm pretty bad at soldering and it didn't always work 100% lol. Currently have a super microphonic hot rails in the bridge, a cheap epiphone humbucker in the middle, and an alegree hum cancelling strat pickup in the neck. All installed myself with a lot of trial, error and burns haha. It's in a sort of sorry state, the frets buzz like crazy and the bridge and tuners are garbage. Would love to get it going again, get it professionally set up and replace all of the electronics. Maybe replace the pickups with some Duncans if I can afford it. It's the guitar I spent my first year on, and the reason I love Fender shapes to this day. Ended up replacing it with my current main guitar, a Squier Super-Sonic in Shell Pink, at first just because I preferred the smaller scale length, and I love that guitar to bits too. Would love to mod it too some day. But I'm never gonna sell Sparky, it holds so much sentimental value to me and I don't think I'll ever part with it.
@Cody Truesdale haha yeah its so hard at first
My first guitar was a late eighties 'Fender' basically a squire before they were called squire. I wanted to be like Clapton or SRV. It was cherry red and came with a tweed case! My dad and I bought it from a classified ad in the news paper. The guy we got it from was a huge Yngwie fan and had just gotten a 'shredder' Ibanez. I was so excited to get it home and play through my champ 110. Unfortunately the electronics were crap and it was hard to keep in tune cause it had a bad nut. Like you, I never bonded with that guitar. My dad and I made some basic repairs just to make it work, then sold it through the classified ads again (keeping the tweed case of course), making a decent profit! So I went to prosound and bought a brand new Mexican standard Strat that was my constant companion and real learning guitar for the next couple years. I love that guitar and have it to this very day some 27 years later.
Squier started in 1982 alongside the Fenders from Japan.
I have a Mexican Telecaster ( my 2nd guitar) I bought off of my tinbasher foreman back when I was about 20 years old for $200 , 34 years ago now. I still have it and somewhat surprisingly to me even though I own 12 other guitars at this point from various brands and prices etc. it’s is still one of the best playing guitars that I own and I still play it all the time ! I had to pawn it for a few bucks years ago for some Megadeth concert tickets 🎫 in about 1996 ( only about $30 each back then !) and the pawnshop owner called it a Tacocaster🌮 😄 so ever since that day that’s what I call it ! that or Mad Mex ! 😄 it’s just a tobacco burst normal Tele but I’ve gotta say after I took my time to do a real good setup on it and get it dialed right in perfectly 👌🏻it’s still one of my favourites to play and it’s usually within 5 feet of my couch at all times even though I own a number of fairly nice guitars. My #1 favourite is an Ibanez SZ-720FM (flame maple) Mahogany body and set neck in trans grey burst into black outer with Abalone and white binding, and flames 🔥 on the fretboard 😊 that I was lucky 🍀 enough to have autographed by Joe Satriani! 👍🏻 when he did a show where I live in BC Canada 🇨🇦. I still play the Ibanez the most everyday for about 25 years and it’s by far my favourite , just something special to me about this guitar… the best looking and the best playing guitar I own as well (paid $800 cash on sale ( at the time it listed for $1150 normally) about 25 years ago at a local music store. Mad Mex plays surprisingly close to as nice as the Ibanez especially considering I only paid $200 Canadian for it! 😄 the old Mexican Fenders were actually really well made guitars or at least mine sure was 👍🏻 and I have heard other people say the same about these Mex- Fenders from those years. I have zero problems buying another one if I come across one in the future. I would like to find a Mexican Stratocaster from that same time ( roughly about 85 -95 ish? Not sure exactly what year the Tele is ) I’m sure a Strat from those years would play just as nice. 😄👍🏻 It just says Fender Telecaster made in Mexico 🇲🇽. I think that was basically a Squire Tele back before “Squire” even existed as a lower end Fender model name on the headstock. Someone else like perhaps 🤔…Trogly 😄 himself would know a hell of lot more than I would about serial numbers and manufacturing dates and models released at that time etc.
I’ve been playing for 38 years now and still own my very first guitar from when I turned 14 it was a birthday 🥳 present from my Mom 🕊️❤ and D❤D ,
a tobacco burst Harmony Strat knock off with stickers and car pin striping all over it ! 😊 it looked far too Country 🤠 for my 14 year old 🤘🏻head banging self 😏 it’s got belt buckle rash and chips , dents and some really severe paint wear on the forearm section it’s polished right down to the wood from playing it constantly for many years! The one pickup has got rounded down edges from my sloppy picking 🤭 Eventually the Tele took its place after about 8 years as the frequent player. My advice to anyone starting out or even someone who just wants a good playing guitar to have around constantly and just laying around but not so expensive you have to be ultra careful with it all the time is this…
If you’ve always wanted a Fender Tele or Strat but don’t have big bucks for an American 🇺🇸 model. To tide you over until you do have the loot 💰 … go for the old Mex Fender! 👍🏻 They are Easily worth it if you can find one for a few hundred bucks !🎸🤘🏻if not just buy a Squire and set it up extremely well with some good strings. I like DR coated Dragon 🐉 skin or the Black Beauties they sound ridiculously good for a really long time and they are my favourite strings for about 20 years now and I run them on almost all of my electric guitars. If DR’s can take Dimebag Darrell level punishment then they can easily stand up to my playing!… If you can call it that 🤣
My 1st Gibson was an early 70's SG. Cherry. Bought it new...and sold it when I got feed up with not being able to find anyone around that was "serious" about being in a band. Later, after getting over that and back into playing I got an L6-S natural. Loved the guitar....except it had a neck problem. Even with the truss rod completely loosened it had too much relief to be able to get the action to where I wanted it. I moved over to Hamer guitars, then got a custom T.C. McInturff made fro me. It's amazing!
With my first paycheck I earned I bought first real guitar which was an Ibanez RG440 Roadstar II in the sea foam green with original Floyd Rose in it’s original hardcase. I got it out of the back page on the Elderly Instruments catalog for $149. I thought I was getting a “korn” guitar and was let down when I opened it up. After a couple weeks later I was in love. It was the greatest playing guitar, especially after Tony Martinez (Pensacola) set it up it was a lucid dream to play. Fast forward to 2011 and a group of pill junkies in Massachusetts decided they wanted my PA, guitar collection, and almost everything else I had worth any value. Wiped me out. Devastated me. Had to move to Florida after my savings dried up. Never got it back. If anyone on cape cod ever finds an Ibanez Roadstar II in sea foam green, I have a few marks on the guitar that I intentionally put there (the serial number was recorded on a spreadsheet in a computer that was also stolen) I’ll pay market value to get that back. NO QUESTIONS ASKED.
My first guitar was just a Squier Strat from the SE-100 pack, received as a gift while I was in high school. A failed refinish later when I was in college, and I sold it in pieces. My first Les Paul was an Epiphone Studio, that I saved up to buy while still in high school, and sold a little while after upgrading to Gibson in 2014. I was tempted by the Studio Pro, but my local Guitar Center at the time didn't have the Graphite Pearl or cherry sunburst I wanted, and a used 2009 Trad Pro won me over instead. While the Gibson and Epiphone coexisted, I used the Epiphone to try out DiMarzio pickups, and when I realized the DiMarzios were the sound I wanted, swapped the Gibson pickups into the Epiphone to sell it quicker. That Trad Pro is still my number one.
My first guitar was Mayones KTM2B. Before Mayones became famous for their boutique high-end shredding machines, they used to manufacture some pretty affordable guitars. Mine was a black superstrat in HH configuration with a cheap trem. I no longer have it, I traded it buy my first "proper" axe, which I have owned to this day - 2004 MIK Epiphone Les Paul Custom Zakk Wylde model in bullseye finish. I changed the pickups to made in Poland golden Merlin P.A.F., changed the tuners to locking Gotoh and added a push-pull pot to split the coils.
My first Gibson is a 2001 amber flame top with gold hardware DC Les Paul Standard. Went with the DC for half the price of a single. A few years ago I had it Plek'd which made it much better player and had stacked knobs installed to have separate volume and tone controls for each pickup and orange drop capacitors. My first good guitar is an "82 Japanese Squire which has Fender Custom Eric Johnson pickups and an Emerson blender circuit now.
I started in 1975 on a 1972/73 Univox Les Paul purchased at Pearson Music Company in Winston-Salem, NC. That guitar was a screamer and the neck was like butter. It actually played and sounded better than my 1998 Gibson Les Paul Custom. I think I sold it in 1981/82. So many people wanted to buy that guitar. Move from that to a 1978 Gibson L6-S which I sold several years later, a move that I regretted for a long time. As years moved on, acquired several Stratocasters and Les Pauls as well as Martin acoustics AND found a 75 Gibson L6-S advertised in "mint" condition. I took a chance as the price was right. The guitar was actually featured on Trogly's guitar show as "they don't usually look like this". This guitar is as close to mint as you would find one. It actually had the original strap and the warranty card with it, and the case is like new, really! The story is, a lady bought it, tried to learn, became uninterested and slid it under the bed for 46 years. I learned my lesson with the Univox and the first L6-S and will not sell anything now to my wife's dismay........
I still have mine. It’s a 1998 Epiphone Les Paul Custom in Alpine White. It’s all still original except I swapped out the pickups for a set of Seymour Duncan P-Rail humbuckers. (I kept the old original Epiphone pickups just in case I ever want to put it back to 100% original)
The first guitar I played was my mom & dad’s acoustic Silvertone from the 1960s or 1970s. My mom still has it. The first electric of my own was another Sears guitar from the 1980s with a built-in amp & speaker. That got “traded in” on a Westone Spectrum ST, which I do still have. That’s the one I think of most as my first even if it wasn’t technically. My first acoustic of my own is a Washburn 12-string, and I still have it. I’ve never had a Gibson, though I did get my first two Epiphones last year. I got the Guitar Center exclusive Les Paul Special with P-90s. I got it mainly as a dirt-cheap guitar to practice maintenance & modding on. It’s really grown on me as I continue to improve it. I also ended up getting the Sweetwater exclusive Radio Blue Metallic version of the Les Paul Modern. I personally didn’t think a carved-top Les Paul would ever really appeal to me, but that one did.
i gave my first guitar, a sigma martin, to my daughter. she still has it and plays it, along with quite a collection she's gathered
My first guitar was a late 80s Korean Squier II. I sold it to a kid at school when I got something better. I think he ended up painting it like the EVH Frankenstein. A few years ago I got another one off Craigslist that is the same, only pearl white instead of black. I realize now how bad it is - compared to the USA Fenders and Gibsons I have now. My first actual Gibson was a 60s acoustic that was terrible. That action sucked and it needed work. Sold it. My first real playable Gibson was a 2010 LP Studio - black with gold hardware. It is one of those really great middle-of-the-week guitars. The only thing I have done is add a bone nut. It could use a new tailpiece because its pretty tarnished.
I bought that guitar from then Jeff for 225 USD.
He tried to acquire it back a few years before we put it on Reverb and sold it to his band mate.
The original deal was to be a trade.
I wanted a Gibson J200 and a 61 VOS Pellum blue SG.
Zakk agreed.
I asked him if it was too much?
He said no.
When the guitars were presented at the table they were not what we agreed and I backed out of the deal and he never countered never contacted me so my good friend did all the work and Zakk got the Pellum Blue guitar.
It’s not a very good guitar it just looks kool.
I owned it and played it since 1983 so yes he played it a lot but I played it more owning it for 30 years.
That’s the skinny on Zakks acquisition of his first Gibson after 30 years.
It was my first Gibson too.
Great video. Brings back alot of memories!!! My first guitar was a 1981 Gibson Sonex 180 custom. I wanted but we couldn't afford a Les paul which is what I wanted. God bless my Mom the Sonex is still in the collection and it plays like a beast with the original dirty fingers in it. I have 3 LPs now but still grab the old '81 once in awhile, especially if it's heavy. Great video Trogly!!!🤘🎸
My first guitar was a Jackson JS11. I was a big Def Leppard fan so I wanted a Jackson like Phil Collen. I ended up giving it to a friend when I got a Fender Strat.
Yep, still got my first. it is a cheap classical that was a hand me down school guitar that was bought a few years prior for my brother. I also have the first guitar I ever saw, my dad's from when I was under 4 years old, tracked that one down. I have my girlfriends first guitar, and never sold any I've bought. No Gibson yet but I come closer to pulling the trigger on one at the time.
I still have my Ibanez RS335BK. In the 80s I installed an original floyd rose on it. I also to a drill to it and routed out a hole for another humbucker in it between the original 2 pickups. It is not my first guitar, that was a hondo strat. But, it is the guitar that I did most of my early stuff with.
My first guitar was a bolt-on ElDegas copy of a Firebrand The Paul. No branding, just the Logo silk screened on. It's from the late 1970s, solid mahogany body and neck, rosewood fretboard. Bought it from my guitar teacher for $100. The tuners had been upgraded to Gotoh crownhead ones and it had only one pickup installed in the opening, but not wired up. I learned a lot of the repair things that I know now on that guitar. It's had several different pickups and paint jobs, and I have even replaced the neck. It was damaged in a fall and was never quite the same after the repair. I still have it. It currently has upgraded gold hardware and a Duncan Nazgul/Sentient pickup set. I'm looking to restore the original hardware, repair some of the wood damage and try to replicate the original finish as best I can. Considering filling in the neck pocket and building a set neck to install.
Great video Trogly love these stories .
My first guitar was the same as yours the Epiphone special, played that for nearly a year and it's still my main practice guitar, play it every day.
My first Gibson is a 2011 SG Standard in "Bullion Gold" it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen and from the first second I touched it I realized why people love Gibson, sounds like a piano almost in the high end and just rings forever. I love it so much, I'll never sell it got such a good deal.
I do have a question tho, I'm in Manchester in England and can't find much info on them, I know they're a Sam Ash limited edition run of 400, have you heard of these or is there anything to enlighten me about it? I can't dig up much on the internet
My very first electric guitar was a red Epiphone SG, then I got an Epiphone Les Paul Custom in Cherry Sunburst which I really played to death; both of them actually. My first Gibson was a Les Paul Studio 60's Tribute with P90s. I sold all of them and don't really regret it now because after I got my first "professional" high-quality guitar, a Fender Stratocaster (2007 American Vintage 70's) in 2009 I knew that THIS would become MY guitar and it has become exactly that. It was the one I played my first important gigs with and it's been my main live guitar ever since I got it. Most of my bands history is connected to that particular Strat; every ding, every scratch was my doing. It's just become a part of me really. So I consider my very first ones as great entry-level + guitars which I am still very grateful for, but in the end I made the right choices for me personally; to keep my first "professional" guitar as my "first".
Still wish I had my first guitar.. A '77 or '78 RD Standard, Walnut finish with Dimarzio Super Distortion p'ups, which my dad gave to me when I was 10 or so. Then he gave me his old '85 Explorer a few years later, but I had to give the RD back, which he ended up selling on ebay & I think it ended up in Germany, IIRC. Still wish I had that '85 Designer Series Explorer too.. It got stolen in the mid 2000's. 😕
I would absolutely love to own an old white, black or silver ? ( not sure if they even made them in silver back then) 85 Gibson Explorer! 🤔 Just curious what colour was it? ( Silver burst would be my favourite #1 Explorer if I ever ordered a custom one)
I bought a black Dean -Metal Man bass about 10 years ago just because I love the explorer body style so much! 😊 that and the fact it was only $350 and also looks so bad ass! Kinda looks like a long gloss black 57 Chevy tailfin ! She’s a very long beast ! ( the case costs almost as much as the bass did! So I never ordered a case for it ) 😄 I like to warm up on bass and then switch back to electric ⚡️ 6 string as it feels super easy to play then! 😄
My first 6-string electric was a Rogue HSH super-strat from Musician's Friend with a Floyd Rose trem. I didn't mind the finicky tuning because I liked the feel of the trem and the tuning stability, but the sound of the pickups was so "blah" that I didn't like it at all. I sold that on eBay, went though a couple of other guitars after that (buying, then selling), until I landed on a handful that I enjoy in my permanent collection. Now, I do have my first Gibson - a 1998 Gibson The Hawk. It lives in its case (mostly) safe from being battered until I finally bear down and get good at guitar. Till then, she's a case queen.
I started playing on my dads Les Paul copy, a 70s hohner lawsuit guitar that was made to look like a black custom. He still has that one and I play it whenever I go over there, nowadays though I have the 3 pickup Gibson version in my collection! My first guitar was a black epiphone SG. It was unique because I am pretty sure it was neck-through in construction because there was no visible neck joint. I sold that one to a friend who had his equipment stolen from a gig and I really wish I hadn’t.
My first Gibson was an ‘06 SG. My siblings and I got an inheritance when we were teens from a distant relative who passed, and while my siblings spent theirs on school and a car, I went straight to the music shop and picked out an SG. I actually had a matte red one picked out and decided to sleep on it, but when I went back the next day there was a beautiful gloss red one there that I hadn’t seen before. I played about 6 notes on it, fell in love and bought it. That’s still the first one I reach for to this day!
my first official guitar was in 2014 for my 20th birthday from my mum a squier 70s standard strat in cream color with 21 frets rosewood board and black pups/volumetone knobs. My first gibson was the chick magnet one pickup satin finish that i got from the same store in 2016 (big music shop) and i sold the cm because I never played it it sat new in its gig bag under my bed for 5 years, but the squier i still use to this day i have a 24mm arcade killswitch on the tone pot and put seymour duncan humbucker on the bridge and a hot rail in the neck, no middle pickup hole on the pickguard
My first "Real" guitar was an early 70s Les Paul Deluxe Goldtop. Super beat up and played to death. I bought it at age 12 (1992) for $350. As you mentioned in the video to never sell your first guitar, i DID sell the guitar in 2002 after graduating college and couldn't find a job. I had put P90s in it (seymour duncan), but the frets were toast, a few of the OG tuners were bent and all the silver plating on the tailpiece had just about flaked off. It had tons of buckle rash and the arm area stained green from thousands of hours of use. in 2021, I ended up finding an early 70s Deluxe goldtop in ALMOST the same condition, but with new frets, Nut, tuners, a Dimarzio DLX-1 bridge pickup (OG neck) and a fairly well done top repaint job. It feels a lot like my one from when i was a kid but even better.
My first guitar was a late 70s early 80s Cort LP Effector that weighed as much as a Gibson at over 9 pounds. My mother bought it for me for my 15th birthday in 1984 from a Sears surplus store for $80. After the onboard effects stopped working a year later, that's when the makeovers and modding began; in fact, you did a review on one a few years ago! I replaced the plastic button tuners with a a set of $10 Keystone tuners, bought Schaller strap locks and paid $45 for a new Gibson TP6 tailpiece ($160 now). Long story short, Bosslady's living the best makeover 37 years later as i now have Tonepros Kluson Deluxe locking tuners that makes more vibrantly solid, all new components including a Gotoh bridge and actual humbuckers. I have Strats, Teles and Maestro Les Paul & SG Juniors all modded and upgraded of course and they're all #1 in their own right but the LPX (for ex-Effector) remains #1!
My first guitar was a MIJ Squire Strat that I bought in 1993. Still have it and play it most days.
Still have my first, it’s a 1987 Vester Stratocaster, sunburst, maple neck, before they changed them to the thinner body & non-Fender headstock. I got it used in 1992. In the mid-00s I turned it into a counterfeit 50s reissue style Fender with decals & neckplate. Also have upgraded some of the electronics & hardware over time. It’s great, every time I go back to it it just feels like home. It’s still very much in rotation as a play guitar in my collection.
My first guitar is an 1980 Gibson Artist hybrid. Purchased new at Sam Ash in Hempstead N.Y. Paid $325 with an off brand case. I was 18 and in a band with high school friends. After graduation we began to play out at local bars. The band name was Attic Feedback. We actually rehearsed in an attic room above my drummers garage - hence the name. It has some wear and worming on the back due to my brass led Zeppelin belt buckle I use to wear. I still own this very unusual guitar. It has the moog preamp electronics installed in it (just like the RD and GK55 models). Nothing has been changed or modded. It has a bolt-on neck with a nice dark ebony fretboard. A sonic style resin body. All Black with no pickguard and an additional preamp switch on the tail. This is one that Trogley should document and video on as it is quite unusual and not very well known out there.
The guitar I learned on was a 1952 Gibson Les Paul that was my dad's number one. A few years later in '08 I got my own Gibson, a 1992 SG Special in Ferrari Red with the ebony fretboard for $400.
Then a '97 SG Standard, a '01 SG Standard, a '79 SG Exclusive, another '79 SG Exclusive, etc etc. Now I'm up to my neck in SGs and couldn't be happier!
Just like you, a black Epiphone Les Paul special II made in 2011. My first acoustic was a Mitchell MD100 in trans red I bought from Guitar Center in Rancho Cucamonga in 1999. I still play them both every day. The Les Paul got the neck straightened, the pickups raised, lowered the bridge, raised the tail piece, complete fret level and recrown, reintonation and polished the frets and fret board. It sounds great, plays like a Gibson. I won't ever get rid of it.
First guitar, I have a plywood harmony S style from the 80s. Took it apart as a kid - it's still apart 25 years later. Finally have plans to make it my EVH style with 1 bucker in the bridge. First Gibson was a made in Canada acoustic - I regret selling it.
2006 Squier Standard. Remember the day my dad bought it for me and how excited I was to finally graduate from nylon string to electric guitar. Looking back it's got literally the worse pickups and electronics. The tone knobs aren't connected and the single coils buzz like crazy (but it's playable in position 2). But it's my first electric and I love it.
I then bought an Ibanez rg421 used, a hot rodded Squier affinity, Squier deluxe, a player series HSH Strat and then a used Gibson Studio. Of those 5 I kept the fender and sold the other 4 at very healthy profits and bought a PRS SE custom 24-08 with the profits, had to return cause defective on arrival and ordered a SE Standard 24-08 that I have to wait 4 months for.
Had a washburn kit guitar that my folks bought for me (thanks dad!) but the thing was uncomfortable af, so it got sold. Later a friend of mine gifted me a dinged up yamaha eg 112c that got its relic job on his cupboard under the stairs of his house and man that one is a keeper. Right now is being repainted, rewired and getting the tlc it deserves.
I still have my first guitar an Epiphone Dot 335 in Cherry. I bought it at a Best Buy with my second credit card back in 2012. I modified that guitar put 2 pick guards one right and left, replace the knobs with black and silver ones, added a Bigsby B7, a tension bar for the stop tail piece, and a Epiphone hardcase. Its here with me always in my heart and hands. I wouldn't never sell it. Not even for a Gibson alike.
My first guitar was a Guyatone LG-130. Given to me for my 13th birthday, by my oldest brother, in 1967. He was in the army, based in Korea, at the time. I played that guitar for about 20 years, in a couple of bands. And I still have it, though it's been (badly) "refinished", and is currently is parts. He also included a Teisco 71-C tube amp, that I replaced early on. It sounded fine, but just didn't have much volume.
My first guitar in general was a $150 dollar Ashton 3/4 size nylon string, I still have it & still play it from time to time, it's in no way a great guitar but it's worth far more to me in sentimental value than it would ever be worth to sell. My first electric was a circa 2006 Epiphone G400 that I also still own, the headstock broke off when I was around 13 after I stupidly left it leaning against the amp and it fell, I remember being absolutely heart broken, but I got it fixed (not the cleanest repair, but the guitar tech at my local store did it for free so can't complain) I still own that one as well and was playing it all the time up until I got a PRS SE about a year ago. I will never get rid of either of those guitars, although the G400 could probably do with some work at some point.
Mine was a 1993 Wine Red Les Paul Studio. I bought it used in 1995 at the House of Guitars. I sold it to a friend for about a decade and gave him a early 90’s PRS custom 22 to get it back. The first one is special!!!
I started learning to play on my dad’s Aria Pro II superstrat when I was nine. After a couple of years I got my first own guitar: an Epiphone SG G-310. I played that guitar for a couple of years before putting up all my savings to buy an alpine white 2003 Gibson Les Paul Studio. Still have both guitars today. The Epiphone now sports a tele pickup in the neck position and a big white racing stripe across the body (not overly happy with those mods today, but it sort of felt right at the time).
My 1st guitar was a Memphis Les Paul Custom, plain natural top. It had a plywood body, bolt on neck. My dad bought it for me in 1980 for $120. Even when I thought it was not playable anymore, I could never get rid of it. It sat for years w/it's bowed neck, shot truss rod.
But, coming up on our 40th 'anniversary', I took to Amazon, found a neck (took several tries), got S.D. P- Rails for it. Nothing much original anymore, but it's sweet now, and sounds great. I'm so glad I kept it!
I still have my first guitar, which also happens to be my first Gibson. It’s a 1967 LG-0 that my dad bought in the late 70s or early 80s for 50 bucks off of a friend that played it in a bluegrass band. My dad tinkered with learning to play but never really got into it so he put it in a crawl space under the house I grew up in. There it sat for many years until my 7th grade music class where they taught us basic guitar. It was one of the few things in school I honestly enjoyed and has stuck with me. I told my dad about how I was interested in learning to play and that’s when he told me about this old Gibson he had stashed away in basement. He said if I could get it out of the crawl space, which was just a hole under the stairs that led to a dingy space under the house, then I could have the guitar. Well I fought my way through all the spiders and dust and managed to pull this cardboard case out of the abyss. That guitar held up remarkably well and is still in good shape and is responsible for my love of Gibsons to this day. Over 20 years later and that guitar still puts a smile on my face.
My first guitar I still have is a Peavey T-60 that my uncle Joe bought at the NAMM show in LA toured Europe with it with his band the Renegades. I got it as a graduation gift in 1985.
My first Gibson a 2011 firebird studio with p90s
My first guitar was an 80s Hondo Fame 7601. Similar to the Kramer DX1. All White with a chinese letters "graphic" on the body (I guess it said Hondo in Mandarin). One pickup, one nob. I didn't even KNOW it had fine tuners until I recently looked closely at a picture and saw it had a floyd rose. This was before I even knew what a floyd rose was, I owned this guitar at age 7! I sold it for a Squier Strat, at the time I assumed that was a step up; more nobs=better, right? Looking back, I had s really unique 80s shredder that I really wish I kept. A well made 80s shredder with a Floyd and an interesting look easily trumped my squier any day. Now I'm desperate to find one like it. I've only seen one picture of one online, a pic from 2011. I've seen a few similar models and I'd scoop one of those up if I could..one had a cool wizard on it, one has a dragon. Wish I could turn back time and tell younger me that more nobs doesn't mean anything.
The first electric guitar I learned on was my sisters telecaster. And for 6 months I went from a beginner to an amateur, playing mediocre guitar. Im mostly a drummer and picked up bass 4 years later and never saw myself playing guitar. But on my birthday I got an Epiphone Les Paul Traditional with a gold top finish. And every day since I practiced and practiced and eventually I got so much better than the first time I’ve played electric guitar. I even learned how to do maintenance on my first guitar. There were times were I’ve said “man this guitar sucks” mostly because the times the strings need to be changed. But every time I clean it up and make it new again. I realize no matter what guitar anyone has, cheap or expensive, Fender or Squier, Gibson or Epiphone. Your first guitar will always be your special one. And after seeing this video I %100 percent agree. There is no way in hell, I’m selling my first guitar, not even someone wants a million bucks.
My first guitar was a 1994 Peavey Predator I bought brand new for $250.00. It's candy apple red with a maple fretboard, made in the USA, and I still have it to this day. I replaced the pickguard with a pearl white one and installed Fender Lace Sensors in it, which I thought was a good idea at the time. I ended up selling it to my cousin, then bought it back. I just couldn't live without it.
My first guitar was a red Peavey Razer, it was stolen and to this day I can't get another one. They are all either broken, fubar'd with "at home" mods, or stupidly overpriced. I don't care what you have it on reverb for, a Peavey Razer isn't worth $1000.
My First Geetar was a a 1972 Fender Bronco, bought in a combo deal with a 1972 Fender Vibro-champ. Later I got a Morley Fuzz-Waw and I played that rig from the age of 13-15 than I added a Peavey 2x12 Classic, which was LOUD. In highschool I routed (with the help of my good buddy Billy Paine) the Bronco and threw in a DiMarzio Super Distortion! - Yes I wish I still had that monster.
My first guitar was also a les paul special II a 2002 one it actually has a really nice rosewood fretboard lol. It's still in my posession even though it's only worth like 100 bucks.
My first electric guitar (started on a Sears crappy $99 acoustic with horrific string action. The strings sat about 1/2" high at the 6th fret) was gotten at a band jam when I was 14- around 1986. A guy trying out for our band decided after the second song that he was no where close to us skills wise. He stood up and said " boys.... nevermind. I suck. Anyone want to buy this piece of crap? It was a 1967 Gibson SG. He wanted $200. The guitarists in my band all turned their noses up and said "No Fender....No thanks"
I just about jumped over my drumset. I gave him the money and he left. Still have it. (Although I had to get the volume and tone knobs replaced and the pickups re-soldered, it has been my favorite guitar ever)
I now have several newer Les pauls and SG's (2000, 2003,2005x2) but none are as sweet to play as my original. I have been offered 3 grand several times for it, yet even during times I was so broke I ate nothing but hotdog weiners and ichi-ban noodles for months, I NEVER EVER WOULD HAVE SOLD IT.
My 1st guitar was a SG copy. Never knew the brand, due to the headstock was painted over. From that guitar, the SG became my favorite guitar. Funny, this week, I bought what I hoped would’ve been my 1st guitar - 1981 Fender Bullet. I like the one Fender had in their Christmas ads, back in ‘81. Can’t wait!! 😉
My first guitar was a late 70's Ibanez LP copy with a bolt on neck. It was ivory in color, and I only learned basic cords on it before I sold it to a friend. My first real Gibson was an early 80's the Paul in walnut.
The first bass I got to play on was my dad's Yamaha RBX270. I can remember he got it when I was about 5 years old, it was the first time I went to a different country (I'm Dutch, we went right across the German border). He eventually barely played on it himself, I got interested in bass a couple years later, so I borrowed it from him for the first 7 years of lessons or so. It was with me for my first lessons, my first band, gigs, rehearsals, recordings, etc. but ventually I got to the point where I was doing quite some serious playing so I wanted something better. My dad insisted I'd sell his bass so I could keep the money, and use the money to buy a better bass myself. I ended up getting a second hand Musicman Stingray and I've played on that thing up until now. It didn't take long for the regret to peek around the corner though. The Stingray is a solid bass and it has opened up a whole new world of music for me in the end, but the Yamaha I really had a connection with, something I just can't seem to build up with my Stingray or any other bass I have (had).
I concider the loss as a learning experience. The brand, price, playability or sound of an instrument isn't everything, there's a lot more to an intrument. I almost immediately lost interest in playing for a year and it took a while to regain it fully again. At first playing on that bass felt like fighting, but now I'm content. What consoles me is that the person who got the bass was incredibly thrilled and happy to start out with bass, and I deeply hope she gets to enjoy it to the same extent as I did when I started out. Besides, how much I love that Yamaha, I think with my current collection I'd barely pick it up anyways. It was built to be played, not to be displayed. Parting ways with that bass has been agonizing but at least now it's hopefully used for what it was intended for...
My first electric guitar was a Red and White Harmony Strat copy. Then I got a fender squire strat that I put new pickups and new paint job on. An old friend has it now, so at least I know who has it. Now I still have my Ibanez RG that I had since I was 16, I'm 40 now. I readjusted it and it plays and sounds awesome. Luckily my father held on to it all these years! Now I have a bunch of other axes for my music, but I'm happy to at least have one of my original electrics! Keep up the good work Trogly.
My first electric guitar was a $120 Austin budget black strat with a white pickguard. I learned all the classic rock riffs on that bad boy, and When I finally got the opportunity to be in a gigging band, I set that one in the closet while I went on my journey of performing, trading up to bigger and better gear. Playing mostly Gibsons now, but for A time I did pull that old guitar out of the closet and heavily modded it. Replaced the neck with a burnt maple one, routed it out to fit some H/S/S EMG's in it, and replaced the pickguard with something flashier, and upgraded the hardware and machines. I used it at gigs as a drop tuned guitar and was great for the nostalgia, but it still had its limitations. A family friend made me an offer and I sold it with no regrets a few years ago. I at least know if I ever want it back, I'm sure he would sell it back to me.
My first Gibson was, and still is a 1979 The Paul. I bought it from a small shop in England for 500 pounds. It was in very good condition and still is. Thanks to Trogly I now know that the pick guard was not original to the guitar. It has the T top pickups. I have owned it for around twenty five years. My second Gibson is a 2000 Black beauty custom with ebony fretboard and the 400r,498t pickups, all hardware in gold. I got a great deal on it new at 1600 pounds. It is in very good condition, yellowing on the binding and a small amount of checking here and there. It has the sixties thin neck and I love it beyond words. It is completely original, why mess around with perfection?
My first guitar was a wine red Hondo Formula 1 Warlock( I wanted a BC Rich) that I got for Christmas when I was 14. I later sold it and bought an Ibanez Rg 120. Kinda wish I still had that old Hondo. It wasn't til January 95 that I bought my first Gibson. My Black Les Paul Standard which I still have and play as a main guitar today. I believe the manufacturer date on it is a 92. Came with the brown hardshell case all under a grand.
My first guitar was a Yamaha Pacifica 112J and I still have it today!!! I modded it out to match the Tom Delonge signature strat and even painted it surf green myself!!!
My first guitar I ever bought was a 1996 Jackson Performer PS4. I learned a lot about guitar repair on that old thing. I've swapped pickups for EMG HZ, swapped tuners for Grover tuners, sanded and stained the maple neck black, installed a Floyd Rose Special in it, and played it for a long time. Now, it's in a state of disrepair. I plan to rebuild it though. I wanna fill in the single coil route and the bridge route using a chunk of mahogany then install an Everyone bridge and a set of Seymour Duncan pickups. For the finish, I want to do either a green or red crackle finish. I honestly miss having that guitar in my rotation.
My first Gibson was a 69 Les Paul deluxe. This was like 2002 and I really wanted a new LP standard but didn’t have the money. I found the deluxe on eBay and won the auction for $550. It needed some work and a full refret which I did myself and I finally had my Les Paul. After owning many expensive perfectly playing LPs over the years, the one that I’ll never part with is that fixer upper deluxe. I love that guitar.
My first guitar was an epiphone es-339 pro in a cherry finish - absolutely stunning - honestly, its comparable to my les paul standard and I absolutely love it, I named it mafu after my grandfather mafuyu yamashiro, he always loved chuck berry and talked about the “335” body shape. the 339 is smaller than a 335 and more of a “normal solid body size.” I still play it to this day, but most days I play my shell pink strat. That being said, I cant stand players who write off epiphone immediately, they make some great guitars in the $500-800 price range, my 339 plays incredible, great intonation (and I am super picky when it comes to keeping my instruments in tune), splittable pickups, and the pickups sound great. Its honestly an incredible guitar and one I would recommend for all starting guitarists, great neck feel, good sound, and it’s beautiful.
my first guitar was a 1967 hagstrom iii in tropical blue with a black pickguard. it was ordered from sweden; it took weeks to get from sweden to cleveland, ohio. i still have it and i’d never get rid of it, ever. i have twenty guitars now, but none of them are like that one. it’s been everywhere i have been for 54 years; its family.
1998 gibson sg special. Ebony.
Still own it.
Put a 57 in the bridge 5 years later and grovers last year.
Needs a dress.
Finish is worn on the neck between 5 and 12fth frets.
Never sell your first guitar.