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  #16  
Old 11-19-2017, 05:53 PM
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My first electric was a '68 Gibson SG. I paid $299 at a local shop. This was in '85.
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  #17  
Old 11-19-2017, 06:03 PM
Yamaha Man Yamaha Man is offline
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My first electric guitar was a Gibson Melody Maker with a Yellow sunburst. I hated that guitar, but my dad and the salesman talked me into it. I think I paid $125 for the guitar and $25 for a small Kalamzoo practice amp back in 1966.
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  #18  
Old 11-19-2017, 07:33 PM
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My first electric was a Gretsch solid body w/buckers (1983?). It was a great $200 guitar that performed far beyond it's price point.
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  #19  
Old 11-19-2017, 08:01 PM
MIGAS79 MIGAS79 is offline
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Seems Gretsch back in the day was to electrics what Yamaha is to acoustics. Affordable, legit guitars that many began on.

I vow to get a Gretsch. And for some reason I have always felt it should be orange. They just feel right. And gotta love that Gretsch sound.

Oddly enough, I often think acoustics look unfinished without pickguards but my electric purchase was a pickguardless Tele. The flamed maple amber top just was too nice to cover....

Thanks for sharing your great stories. Keep ‘em coming!
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  #20  
Old 11-19-2017, 09:26 PM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mich Novice View Post
Seems Gretsch back in the day was to electrics what Yamaha is to acoustics. Affordable, legit guitars that many began on.

I vow to get a Gretsch. And for some reason I have always felt it should be orange. They just feel right. And gotta love that Gretsch sound...
As an ex-Brooklyn boy (my grandparents lived three blocks from the old 60 Broadway plant, and just down the block from the warehouse) who cut his musical teeth in the early/mid-60's - that time period when Brill Building/Phil Spector "Wall of Sound," late doo-wop, and surf were intermingling with first-wave British Invasion and the homegrown soul of Motown and Atlantic/Stax/Volt - Gretsch was far and away the first "good" guitar you owned in those days, as Epiphone had been a generation before during its New York era; as you said, affordable and legit, and like no other on the market if you got a good one - in 55 years I've probably played a good few hundred, and let's just say that some models from some periods of production are better than others...

That said, if you're after "that Great Gretsch Sound" you'll be pleased to know that you don't have to pay an arm, a leg, and a couple other vital appendages for a cherry-picked vintage original or the current Professional Series. Check out the new Korean-made Electromatic 5400/5600 Series of hollow and semi-hollow instruments (not to be confused with the Indonesian/Chinese 2000-Series) - I'll go on record here and state without reservation that in terms of fit/finish/QC/tone/playability, they're some of the finest guitars ever to bear the Gretsch name, period, and the fact that they're all priced under $1K street (well under in some cases) is just icing on the cake. FYI I bought a 3-PU 5622T-CB (now discontinued) in May '16, and whoever is responsible for the Korean operation really did his homework - close your eyes, plug into a nice tube amp, and you'll swear you're playing one of the better Brooklyn boxes in both feel and tone; BTW they've also got the entire gamut of classic Gretsch cosmetics covered - White Falcon (single- and double-cut), Country Gent, "Mike Nesmith" Viking 12-string, 6120 (single- and double-cut), Double Anniversary, the rare '64-66 6117 cats' eye (recently discontinued but still available as new-old stock), Duo-Jet, and even the Fairlane Blue Brian Setzer - so unless you just "gotta have that one" (and some folks do) I personally see little if any reason to spend three times as much on the Japanese-made Professional Series, or more for a well-maintained (and playable) original...
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  #21  
Old 11-19-2017, 10:18 PM
Yamaha Man Yamaha Man is offline
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Here's my three Gretsches I bought this year.....very fine guitars !!!!


[IMG][/IMG]
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  #22  
Old 11-19-2017, 10:24 PM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Martin Maniac View Post
Here's my three Gretsches I bought this year...very fine guitars !!!!

I rest my case (pun intended)...
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  #23  
Old 11-20-2017, 09:34 AM
MIGAS79 MIGAS79 is offline
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Korea is sort of the new Japan in terms of quality from the region.

I was impressed with a $399 Pro Jet recently. Had the tone I love.

I’m not a trem guy really. Wish they made more models without it also.

Also have my eye on a Washburn HB35 USM. Great reviews
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Last edited by MIGAS79; 11-20-2017 at 02:20 PM. Reason: Typo
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  #24  
Old 11-20-2017, 09:42 AM
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My first guitar was an electric. It was a used GTX bolt-on Les Paul copy. Good tone, sure. Horrible action due to a very poorly planed fingerboard and putting frets on top of the lumps on the fingerboard. The funny thing is that it corralled me towards metal/shred and boutique guitars because I wanted the lowest possible action after my entry level guitars.
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  #25  
Old 11-20-2017, 02:14 PM
MiG50 MiG50 is offline
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My first electric was a Peavey Reactor (Tele copy), which I never quite gelled with. I traded it back to the same shop for a Peavey Predator (Strat copy), which I played for a couple years. My first REAL guitar was a Dan Smith-era 1983 Fender American Strat in honeyburst with maple neck. Mine is long gone, but this is the same outfit:



Wish to hell I hadn't gotten rid of that guitar, I got royally screwed on that deal. The things you do when you're young, and your band needs you to move over and play bass.
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  #26  
Old 11-20-2017, 10:24 PM
Texsunburst59 Texsunburst59 is offline
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My 1st electric was a '77 Pearl(Pearl drums) MIJ LP Copy.

2 yrs. later I got my 1st "REAL" electric guitar which was my '79 Fender Antiqua strat which I still own.

I'm really into electric guitars and basses and own quite a few now.


Electric Guitars:

'63 Gibson ES-330 TDC w/ Bigsby
'70 Gibson Cherry ES-335
'71 Gibson SG Deluxe w/ Bigsby
'72 Fender Tele Custom
'75 Fender Mocha Strat
'76 Electra MPC X-310 Black LP copy
'77 Gibson Wine Les Paul Deluxe
'78 Fender Tele Tobacco Sunburst
'79 Fender Antigua Strat
'80 Gibson Les Paul Standard (59RI)
Quilted Sunburst "Jimmy Wallace"
'80 Gibson Cream Explorer
'80 MIJ Ibanez Artist AR50
'81 G&L F-100 Series II
'83 Gibson Dot Cherry ES-335
'87 Fender Strat Tobacco Sunburst
'88 Paul Reed Smith Goltop "Special"
'89 Gibson Heritage Cherry Sunburst LP Standard
'89 Fender Old CAR Strat
'90 Fender Strat Plus Pewter
'90 Fender Strat Plus Black (E9)
'90 Fender Strat Plus Blackburst (N9)
'90 Fender 50's RI Strat "Blackie"
'91 Fender 50's RI Tele Candy Apple
'99 Tom Anderson Hollow Drop Top Classic
Cajun Red Quilt
'00 Gibson LP Special Lite Mahogany
'00 Epiphone G-400 LE Korina SG
'01 Gibson Les Paul DC Amber Quilt
'01 Gibson Les Paul Jr. Black/Tort guard
'03 Epiphone Elite Black LP Custom
'07 Fender '57 AVRI Surf Green Strat
'07 Gibson Black SG-3 Limited Edition
'07 Fender FSR "Reverse Headstock" Strat
'09 Fender LTD. ED. Am. Std. Daphne Blue Strat
'09 PRS DGT Sunburst
'10 Fender Olympic White Am. Standard
'12 Fender Candy Cola Am. Standard
'13 Reverend Oceanside Green Jetstream 390
'15 Fender Sea Foam Green Mag 7 Tele

Basses:
'74 Fender Jazz Bass Sunburst/Maple Neck
'90 Fender MIJ '57 RI Vintage White Precision Bass
'94 Fender Jazz V Plus Bass (5 string)
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'09 Breedlove Roots OM/SR acoustic/electric
‘15 Martin Centennial DC - 28E
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  #27  
Old 11-20-2017, 10:45 PM
DupleMeter DupleMeter is offline
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The first electric I bought was a candy apple red Fender Strat (MIJ) that I bought in 1985. It was actually only half funded by me...the other half was my dad. Of course, I wasn't even old enough to get a job...so he was very agreeable to helping me out.

Up until that point I was playing an old Galaxy archtop that (for some reason) we had in the house (we had that kind of house).
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  #28  
Old 11-22-2017, 01:05 PM
MIGAS79 MIGAS79 is offline
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Ok I totally want to hang out at Tex’s place!!
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  #29  
Old 11-22-2017, 05:01 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mich Novice View Post
Ok I totally want to hang out at Tex’s place!!
I don't know man I might get dizzy from moving my head around so fast

In the late 60's I did play some friends electrics ( don't even remember what they were ,Guess I was really there )


But this is actually my "first real electric purchase" a year ago ...PRS CE 24 and Supro Titan Combo and Ext. Cab

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Last edited by KevWind; 11-22-2017 at 05:10 PM.
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  #30  
Old 11-22-2017, 06:36 PM
clintj clintj is offline
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Epiphone Les Paul Standard in Heritage Cherry Sunburst. She sports new wiring and pickups, a very dialed in setup, and sounds great. I've added several guitars and amps since then, but she still gets regular play.
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