your instrument journey and current point along the path

Thanks for all of the responses guys. Fun read.

[Photojeep]

I started around age 12 when I bought a little 3/4 size steel string guitar with mile high action and a Mel Bay chord book.

I then bought a "Drifter" model dread (probably all laminated) because it "looked" like the guitars I saw everyone else playing. Played it from age 15 to 25.

I fell in love with, and my wife bought for me, an Applause (affordable Ovation) which I played from 25 to 59ish.

Beginning around 50 or so for the next 10 years, I bought and sold about 8-10 different guitars ranging from Ibanez to Alvarez to Epiphone to Seagull.

I bought my Gibson J15 2 years ago:


Then sold some of my solid top, laminated b/s guitars early this year and bought my first Martin- DRS2:


And finally, shortly after getting my DRS2 I bought my second Martin, a GPC-16E:


Funny thing about the GPC, I pick this one up after playing my Gibson and find myself less than enthusiastic about its tone so I think about selling it. Then as I play it more, I find I don't want to sell. Rinse and repeat... Just this past weekend I took it to GC to A/B it against a Gibson HP415 they had and the tonal quality of my Martin was head and shoulders about the Gibson so I brought it back home.

Anyway, these are the three I now have and play.

Maybe someday I'll find a Martin D18 I could trade my GPC for...

Best,
PJ

[Mandobart]

Originally Posted by Kh1967

......Unfortunately, after a couple of months I realized that I was not getting along with the SC neck profile. Mind you, the tone was everything I had hunted for and more but, the neck was giving me trouble. I was heartbroken.

So, I "fixed" the issue and traded the OM in for the Collings you see in the picture. And, just a sweet, wonderful tone in this one. Could not be happier.

Yet, the tone from the SC haunted me...I could not get it out of my head. I played it every time I went into the shop where I traded it. People would stop and say, "wow...that sounds amazing." That never happens for me! I knew they were right and ultimately, I bought the guitar back. I realized it was too soon for me to have traded it in. The neck is still a bit much for me but, I no longer miss the tone because it lives with me, again. The guitar gets played....not as much as the others but, I can give it some time and when I do, I smile ear to ear....

You know you can actually really fix it by re-profiling the neck. Many luthiers do this.

[Kh1967]

Originally Posted by Mandobart

You know you can actually really fix it by re-profiling the neck. Many luthiers do this.

I do and had that conversation with a few. However, the neck is bound making this more complex.

[Mandobart]

To respond to the original post...

1. Started classical violin at 10 years old, on a Roth full size student model.
2. Started picking acoustic guitar at 11 when a minor surgery prevented me from playing violin for a few months.
3. At 13 I bought my first acoustic guitar, an Applause 6 string. Start to learn bluegrass fiddle.
4. At 14 I started electric bass, a cheap used Japanese P-bass copy.
5. At 17 I joined the USN and did very little with music for a while, just picked guitar occasionally and gave a few lessons on base to a chaplain to get out of pulling less enjoyable duty.
6. At 18 I bought a second hand Ovation 12 string. Still mostly just played for fun; no disciplined practice.
7. Sold the old electric bass around 19 or 20.
8. At maybe 21 I bought a sweet Ibanez Musician electric guitar and Peavey 130 amp.
9. Started going to sea a lot, sometimes took the old Applause out with me to pick on the sub.
10. Got married at 23, hardly playing music at all.
11. At 26 I got out of the navy, moved to Seattle, started college. Studied engineering. Not much time for any music.
12. At 30 I had finished college, moved for my first engineering job, started our family. Guitars and violin are spending almost all their time in the cases.
13. At 38 we moved to our current place. Kids, career, dogs and marriage are fine. Neighbor across the street plays guitar...we start to get together to pick tunes now and then.
14. At 44 I accidentally picked up mandolin. Started going to weekly bluegrass jams. All the stuff I learned 30+ years ago comes back to my brain and fingers. I started really practicing nearly every day. Got interested in other mando instruments (mandola, octave mandolin, mandocello). Started playing out at open mics. Over the next 10 years I got pretty good - played with a few local bands, landed some gigs with them and solo, contributed mandolin and fiddle on a couple albums. Finally realized I'm not an electric guitar player so I sold the Ibanez. Bought about 15 other mandolins, guitars and fiddles, 3 custom builds. Playing better now than ever, and having a lot of fun.

[rmyAddison]

These are cool threads hearing other journeys............

Let's see !!

Started playing in 1964
First Band "Crazyfut" in 1969
Touring out of Phila. Musicians Union early 70's
Day jobs/careers, band goes part-time for 30 years
Work move to Texas 2000, no band !~!~!
Go solo singer/songwriter, join DSA (Dallas Songwriters Association)
Acoustic journey....37 Martins, 1 Collings, 1 Bourgeois
Retire from work 2015, mostly retire from gigging

Guitars in my signature and pix become the lifetime keepers, best of the best I've touched...guess I do like bursts

Palomar (Palie) my 13 year old yellow Lab waiting for me to play so he can sing...he's a tenor
IMG_0231L.jpg

Custom shops, Authentic and 42/45 series
IMG_0235L.jpg

[justonwo]

Originally Posted by rmyAddison

Let's see

Started playing in 1964
First Band "Crazyfut" in 1969
Touring out of Phila. Musicians Union early 70's
Day jobs/careers, band goes part-time for 30 years
Work move to Texas 2000, no band !~!~!
Go solo singer/songwriter, join DSA (Dallas Songwriters Association)
Acoustic journey....37 Martins, 1 Collings, 1 Bourgeois
Retire from work 2015, mostly retire from gigging

Guitars in my signature and pix become the lifetime keepers, best of the best I've touched...guess I do like bursts

Palomar (Palie) my 13 year old yellow Lab waiting for me to play so he can sing...he's a tenor
Attachment 11922

Custom shops, Authentic and 42/45 series
Attachment 11923

Great story and photos.

[jaymarsch]

I always enjoy these kind of threads. While I will have to add the photo later, my journey basically falls into two parts. Before I had ever attended a guitar festival and after.

Lyon and Healy classical that I saved for and purchased when I was 15
Traded the L & H for a Yamaha F140 in 1971
Had the Yamaha for 20 years and traded it in on a Martin M-38
Played the M-38 for 12 years and sold it to make room for a hand made guitar by Kathy Wingert. (This was the year of my first guitar festival.)

Acquired a used Wingert 00 in 2003 while waiting for the custom order
Received my fabulous Wingert E at the end of 2004
In 2011 I was traveling more and wanted a travel guitar so tried out a bunch and ended up over the next couple of years buying a variety of low-end parlors - Alvarez AP70 (sold it to a friend), Alvarez MPA66shb (still have), Pono OP-30 (am selling) and a Wechter Nashville (still have, may sell).

In early 2018, I purchased a 2013 Kramer Prairie Grass and love the guitar but I am selling it because tone-wise it is very similar to my Wingert. But, I have ordered a custom Kramer Prairie Grass which will afford me very specific neck specs and it will be my first spruce/mahogany guitar. It should be ready in summer of 2019. I am looking to find the right buyer for the rosewood Kramer by the end of this year.

So that will leave me with 4-5 guitars with the Wingert E and the Prairie Grass my number 1 and 2. By the time I retire in about 4 years, I imagine that I will just have those with the Alvarez all-mahogany parlor for travel and the Wingert 00 for the couch.

I am very fortunate to be able to go through the process of having two custom guitars made for me. They are above my current pay grade but I am so inspired and work every day to become a better player. It has definitely been and continues to be a memorable and enjoyable journey.

Best,
Jayne

[gfirob]

These guitars are like signposts on the roadmap of my guitar life. I have been a long-time Martin fan and have lost a number of guitars to various thefts and burglaries (sad to say).

German steel string guitar (can’t remember the name) age 14
Harmony flattop, age 15
1942 Martin D28, with a hole in the lower bout, age 16
1928 Martin 0028, age 17, purchased from John Fahey and later stolen
1928 Martin 0028, age 20 (an attempt at replacing the stolen guitar), disappointed, sold it
1898 Martin 028 “New Yorker”, age 26, stolen
1942 Gibson Banner J45, Mahogany top, stolen
1947 Martin D28, refinished, disappointed, sold it
1983 Martin custom 0028, (another attempt at replacing the stolen guitar) played it for 30 years, gave it to my son after I got the OM42.
1934 National Type O, sold when broke
1983 Martin custom HD 28, very heavily played and battered, (bought used from a Canadian country music player) played it for 10 years, gave it to my son when its size became a problem for my old bones
2003 Martin OM42, current main player, the best of eight OM42's that I auditioned.
1936 Gibson L4 round hole (sold to pay for the National)
-> Retired
2017 Les Paul Studio (sold to pay for the National)
1932 National Type O, to replace the one that was sold when broke (I love these things)
1935 Mastertone (Gibson) square neck, lipstick pu, for lap-slide
1936 Kalamazoo KG-14, ladder braced, great compliment to the OM Martin
2005 Warmoth Telecaster

[Ozzy the dog]

Just about all of my guitars have been really cheap crappy things that have come and gone over the years. I have owned a grand total of three electric guitars (just one remaining). The first half decent guitar I had was a Suzuki which I bought from a friend when he upgraded. I loved that guitar and still feel it’s one of the best I’ve had but alas it died.

Jump forward and (after several more cheapies) my wife bought me the Lowden in 1998. That was it and I felt no need to buy anything else. However, my neighbour’s Care assistant’s father launched Turner guitars a few years later so I tried one of those. The Lag 12 string was an impulse buy. I went into a guitar shop to buy a capo and came out with a capo and a 12 string guitar. It was cheap and sounded great (and I didn’t have a 12 string at that point).

Around that time I started experimenting with building my own guitars to try out some ideas I had and because I wanted a wider neck than normal. Now if I want a new guitar I make it myself.

Electric
Solid body nylon
Fender Strat
PRS Santana *

Acoustic
No name acoustic
No name semi
Honer
Kay 12 string
Suzuki (one of my favourites)
Fender *
Turner
Yamaha *
Fender 12 string
Lowden F12C (My favourite) *
Turner
Lag 12 string *

Home made
Pentagon *
Carbon fibre round back **
Budweiser
Double neck acoustic 6/12 string
Millie (Current go to and most played guitar) *
SS Pegu *

* Guitars I still have (somewhere)
** In bits under bed

[DCCougar]

I played some 6- and 12-string guitar back in the 60s and 70s, but mainly focused on keys. Then 6 or 7 years ago I got a couple Epiphone electrics before getting "back to my roots" with several Epiphone Masterbilts. Good as they were, those are all gone, and I'm pretty much where I want to be with a great Guild 6-string, a great Guild 12-string, and more recently, a great Gibson Songwriter 12-string.

Guild F50R....



Guild JF30-12....



Gibson Songwriter 12....

[AdlGMT8]

Really cool thread!

For my acoustics I started out with a Fender DG8S pack that I saved for when I was 11ish, and have ended up trading and selling a few over the years.

1. Fender DG8S - Gave to a new player
2. Fender 12 string - Sold/Traded?
3. Fender FR48 Resonator - Sold
4. Martin 000X-1 - Sold/Traded
5. Martin X series 12 string - Sold/Traded
6. Washburn R314KK - Traded

Currently have a couple Martin's the one I play the most at the moment is a Dreadnought Jr w/Spruce top, no electronics, it's comfortable and don't need to worry about it.

[LadysSolo]

Started playing Piano at age 9, picked up a no-name acoustic guitar at about age 15, added organ, harpsichord, and recorder in college. Then work and family got in the way until about age 58, when I decided to pick back up the guitar, and added mandolin, violin, and oboe (teaching myself.) Disclaimer: Had to take a woodwinds class in college, so I had a little oboe instruction.) Currently in guitars I own a Simon and Patrick parlor, an Art and Lutherie Ami, a Gibson C-0 classical, an Alhambra classical, a Seagull 12-string, a Larrivee P-09 parlor, and a Seagull parlor (anyone see a theme here as to preferred size?) I also still have my no-name I started with. I will admit to not regretting anything on my musical journey except the missed years. I just wish I had kept things up for those 30 years. Now I just have to live 30 extra years to make it up!

[islandguitar]

thanks for all the sharing!! Very cool!
The musical journey started in Jr. High with trombone.....and by the time I finished high school, I was playing consecutively in 2 symphonies, a jazz band, a concert band, and church solo! That all went away in the first year of college when I heard.....really heard, acoustic guitar for the first time! HAD to have more of that!!
Although never having sung or played guitar with anyone.....I learned "on the fly" from talented friends/bandmates and played throughout college in a folk group known as "The Sandy Hill Exchange". Our high point was opening for the Sha Na Na in the spring of 1970.....what a memory! But.....that's another story!! Here's an OLD promo picture from back in the day! (yikes!)
[IMG][/IMG]
During those years........
An early Gibson J-50, Martin D-18, and Gibson B25-12 string.

For many years, the D-18 stayed with me through raising a family and early work commitments.
As more time became available in about 2006, in came a Martin D12-20, and the D-18 was traded for my Bourgeois JOM which was more comfortable to play while sitting.
Following years brought in a very nice Martin OM-35 (sold),
then a Bourgeois 00(sold)
And then a current series of luthier made guitars........My Tom Doerr, Legacy (custom for me), Tony Vines Artisan, and most recently Jeff Bamburg FSC.

By comparison to many here.......not a ton of guitars over 50 years! But, right now feels like a "sweet spot" for me.....so pleased to have the current group by my side each day!!
Best,
Fred

[Johnny K]

I started late at 19

owned a couple of lawsuit Les Pauls

got a real Les Paul

got better

got a Strat

got better, played in a band for a several years

met a girl got married, quit band

work hard, pay mortgage

play off an on for 20 years

miss playing

start playing again

suck at it

but I got money now

so...buy lots of in-expensive Seagull acoustics

(which i love and still play)

practice every day

get better

go to a Martin trunk show

now I have a Martin HD28V

And I still play every day

But I am not as good as I once was...yet.

But I got a Martin.

So I got that going for me at age 55

Now I am learning to play the drums.