Hello all,

New here, my name is Doug.

I've been playing for, oh...about one day now.

That is: not at all. Not ever. Nothing. And I'm no kid, I had just passed my second birthday when Greetings from Asbury Park was released. I'm afraid the really young guys may have to look that one up!

-Until yesterday. Yesterday I took action at the goal I've set for myself to learn to play. Yesterday I bought (stole, as far as I'm concerned) a new American Standard Tele from the local GC.

I went in with an open mind and tried Teles, Strats, Les Pauls and SGs. There came to be no doubt, this one was perfect for me.

Now I just have to learn to play it.

Anyway, glad to be here and looking forward to learning a lot.

Hi doghandler, and welcome to the forum. Awesome! As someone who started relatively late in life myself, I hope you have a lot of fun!

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I really like all them "Aster" guitars. You know, like the Stratoc, Telec and Jazzm.

hello and welcome to what i call the realm of the most tortured musicians of all (aka electric guitarists). we are the ones who toil day after day to find the holy grail of guitardom, so we can feel secure hitting up the local blues jams and know our sound is as good as can be, when all the while no one in the audience actually cares, yet we like to think they do

but don't let that scare you, it's just a nature of the thing. see there's this thing called "tone", and it haunts us in our dreams. it's a metaphysical entity that just takes control of you when you don't realize it, and you then find yourself on a never-ending road, on a journey to find the perfect sound from your gear. meanwhile, all your practicing goes to the wayside, because you're too busy hounding around ebay auctions for new gear, or sitting in a lowly guitar shop down the road plinking away at some vintage guitar, or perhaps looking for the next stompbox that's gonna "hit the spot".

you've a lot of ground to cover before you can relate to our sentiments and loony nonsense... i'll let you cross the bridge when you get there at your own pace

doghandler,

Welcome to the Forum. Congrats on deciding to play and another congrats for choosing a Fender guitar. There are a few other items you may need as well, Picks, strings, tuner, wire cutters, and a tool box full of tools dedicatd to guitar. They also have books out there on how to fix and repair guitars (that can get expensive if you let the music shop do that stuff for you).

We here at the Forum are a plethera of information. Most of all have fun and enjoy playing.

RK

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

Welcome to the world of guitarists!!!!

Pull up a chair(or sling your strap over your shoulder), grab ahold of your guitar, and start strummin', a'cause it's gonna be an awesome ride from here on out(with many, MANY frustrations, but don't worry!! You'll get through them, and the good things VASTLY outweigh the bad. ).

If you get stuck, don't get in a huff and quit (unless your fingers and/or mind are bleeding). Just look at it as a challenge and work through it. The feeling of accomplishment will be almost overwhelming once you finally get it down.

I also find that when I'm really working hard at something to get it down pat and I become VERY frustrated, I listen to some songs with great guitar on them. That's what inspired me to play in the first place, and it always will be the thing that continues to inspire me to play.

And just remember--the most important thing is to HAVE FUN.

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"If it's planned, it's boring." - Freddie Mercury

rkreisher, msvolpe, and russianracehorse thanks so much for the kind words and encouragement.

We all have to find our own perspective. I'm thinking that, for me, this may be the right time. I remember, twenty-five-some-odd years ago, my mom offering guitar lessons.

I said, "Absolutely not!" I was adamant. Today, naturally, I wish I had. Of course, the same could be said for medical school, or buying Google cheap.

But, at the time, I had visions of an acoustic being "forced" on me; "Kumbaya" stuff, when I would have chosen an electric. It seemed like that was what was done at the time.

I don't know if that's even true.

It doesn't matter, I thought that it was. In other things, sports, etc. I was equally non-committal. If I didn't absolutely love it, out of the box, I couldn't be bothered expending the effort to get good. Mountain biking vs. skiing, for example. The bike came naturally, and I was willing to suffer and bleed to develop my skills. Skiing was okay, but just "okay"' and certainly not enough fun at the novice level to warrant the dedication to become a better skier.

Fast forward a couple of decades and I hope I'm now self-actualized enough to understand. I can't do anything besides make some noise right now. That's okay. I shouldn't be able to. But I can learn.

And I want to. And this guitar is awesome!

Your advice is exactly what I hope to follow. Like I said, I'm expecting that a bit of maturity will get me through rough patches that might have derailed me in the past.

Thanks!

Welcome to the Forum!

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.

>>>>>[quote="doghandler"]Hello all, New here, my name is Doug.
I've been playing for, oh...about one day now. That is: not at all. Not ever. Nothing. And I'm no kid, I had just passed my second birthday when [i]Greetings from Asbury Park [b]was released.>>>>>> [/b][/i]


Ahhhhhh....but how old were you when Peggy Sue was released, and was that the reason you came to own a '58 Stratocaster

Welcome Hang out You are just going to love this You're going to meet people here who literally grew up with these guitars.

Doc

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"Another day in paradise!"

SolidBodyLoveSongs thanks for the welcome aboard!

zzdoc, that one's got me by about thirteen years. I grew up with the music, just not the tools.

-But I have stayed in the Johnny Cash suite at the Berkley Carteret, twice, so you know, I'm trying.

Doc, we may even be local. On that front, can anyone tell me how to add a bit to my profile. When I click on "Edit Profile" it just gives me the same page as the Register, and nowhere to add a location, etc.

Welcome. I hope you stick with it. It is the source...

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Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I have a desperate plan ...

There are a few of us in the NYC metro area. Long Island, Brooklyn, Central New Jersey for example. Click on your name on the left hand side of the posting box, over the guitar picks. It will open up a window where you can start to access your personal information. Click again on profile in the upper left hand corner. Scroll down to where the 'public' info is and enter what pleases you. Your 'signature' is what some of us have added below the sold black line in our post responses.

You'll get the hand of it eventually......and call me 'Doc"

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"Another day in paradise!"

Reimnds me of the movie Point Break, where the kid tells Keanu Reeves that a lot of guys his age are learning to surf. Reeves answers, "I'm twenty five...!"

Kid says, "Yeah. I hope you stick with it. Surfing's the source, it'll change your life."

Of course, when I was seventeen, I was surfing...

Well there's been a lot of 'change of life' around here. We share more than our common interest in FMIC and music. It's been a genuine support group for some. A world-wide network with heart and, I venture to say, something the folks in California didn't bargain for, but are rather proud of.

You'll learn more as you interface with the differen Forums, postings, and meet the regulars.

You should make it a point of following Mike Eldred in the Custom Shop Forum. He is our main guitar point man with Fender. Brad Traweek, our Forum Administrator, runs the whole show, and we interface with him from time to time.

Doc

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"Another day in paradise!"

Outstanding Doc. Thank you. I've resolved to try and keep up, and I will do my level best. I'm really pleased to be here.

For now, the hour's getting late.

-So, before I turn into a pumpkin, good night new friends.