My boy and I were at our local GC last night, just checking out what was new. After a while I found myself telling my son "I remember when you used to be able to only have one choice of Strats" or "all guitars came with a case", or "used to be you couldn't just pick up a guitar and try it out-you had to ask", or" I remember buying a new Twin Reverb for $400". He finally told me that this is 2010-things are different now.
What do you old guys (like myself-52 years old), remember about the music stores and the way things were in the music world back when you were younger? Not just music stuff, but everything.

No cell phones-your parents didn't worry about where you were.

Everyone in the band played thru the same Fender Bandmaster or Bassman 2X12 amp.

The big Bogan horns we used for a PA

Going to the Drive In at night

My old band pictures with me in my Nehru jacket and Beatle boots

The Mom and Pop music stores that treated you like family. Just don't touch the guitars!

The one kid in town that had the first Strat or Les Paul.

Having to take out the backseat of my Malibu to haul my Fender Dual Showman with the 2X15 bottom around.

Your first paying gig at some friend's patio birthday party, and making $5 each.

Practicing in the garage and having the grumpy meighbors call the cops on you.

more later

_________________
Life is like a sh*t sandwich. The more bread you have, the less sh*t you have to eat.

I remember when all lower end guitars were barely playable with action an inch off the fretboard and almost impossible to keep in tune. Today for a few hundred you can go gig and record a cd. Also it was really just a two gun town with Fender and Gibson the two giants and everything else inferior, boy have thing changed. And last but not least Block Parties in the summer that always had a band playing before Disco and DJs came and ruined the fun.

Sounds like you got a dose of the blues masterhacker.
going even further back I can remember when Wagon Wheel biscuits were just that , the size of wagon wheels sadly them days are gone, prissy little two bites at most now

ALL Fender Strats had a nitro finish and a steel trem block, and ALL Fender amps were tube models with point-to-point wiring and lock-joined pine cabinets.

And they were ALL "Made In The U.S.A.".

Those were the days!

Arjay

LMFAO!

Just caught that.

Try it with a '67 Plymouth Valiant.



Arjay

In metro Chicago, Fenders were fairly rare and so were dealers who sold the F brand, at least until the early-mid 70s.

Gibson, Gretsch and Martin were on the local stages. Here and there a USA Epiphone and Guild. A very occasional Rick or Vox.

Low end guitars mostly came from catalogue stores like Sears, Wards, Aldens and were either barely-fairly playable Harmony rebrands (made in Chicago) or truly, truly awful Japanese stuff.

Ibanez came into Chitown about '73 and was the first hot Japanese guitar, mostly bolt-neck copies of Gibson LPs, Firebirds and doubles. Yamaha acoustics came to town about the same time.

There were NO big-box music stores in northern IL, to this knowledge.

THESE are the good old days for musical instrument, amp and accessories shopping!

i remember kids not having to wear a helmet while riding a bicycle.

Gallon of gas-31 cents

Seeing that guitar under the Christmas tree

Mel Bay chord books

Play along with the Ventures albums

Going to gigs out of town in the Winnabego

Empty Glass Pepsi bottles worth 2 cents

Watching the Beatles on Ed Sullivan

Battle of the bands at the high school gym-and losing

Victor's House of Music in Des Moines Ia-rows and rows of new Fenders

buying my first Strat in 1968. A used, beat to death guitar with no case for $100 (a 1960 )

My first amp-a Sears Roebuck portable record player with a instrument plug in and a 6" speaker

my dad telling me to put that da%n guitar away!!

_________________
Life is like a sh*t sandwich. The more bread you have, the less sh*t you have to eat.

Your friend's '67 Valiant seemed like it would last forever.
Used cars came with rust, new cars within a year or two, starting a car was an adventure, but new cars came out every and were really cool.
Great new songs on the radio every week.

Heck, the trunk space alone on the Valiant could house a whole bands of gear!!! LOL

well i'm not old enough to remember as far back as some of you fellow forum members, and i mean that most respectfully, but i do remember the small guitar shops BEFORE the big franchise shops moved into town.

I bought my first real guitar from them, you had to ask for them to take one down for you. I loved those guys. I was short some money and Greg took a couple of fishing lures and some loose change i had in my pocket and called it even. He even sent me a thank you card for the purchase later on and had one of the fishing lures taped to the register for a long time after.

When the big music store moved in, i refused to spend money there... always went to Gregs store... i hope he's still in business.

Damn near!



Our rhythm guitarist's Super Reverb, our Bogen PA amp, the bass player's Sunn 200S head and a Farfisa compact organ rode in the back. Of course the poor Plymouth's rear end dragged on the pavement like a chihuahua with a bad case of worms but we didn't care. We were musicians!

Arjay

imbalance99 wrote - Great new songs on the radio every week.

yep and mostly all with a unique style, instantly recognized

Back in the day...

Didn't worry about what grade guitar cables were...just as long as they worked.

Couldn't find your tortoise shell pick when dropped on a dark stage.

You bought a Strat or Tele and it came with a G&G case.

B3 Organs were moved with dollies and lots of muscle. (now most high end synths have a decent B3 sound.)

Your choice for strings was plain or wound "G".

Just about every amp had tubes and people knew how to use the standby toggle.

Sometimes there was even a few dollars left from a gig after expenses.

Ah, yep, the good ole days.

_________________
Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

-My 1963 Valiant
-no bottled water
-records only
-gas was .20 a gallon, and they were having a gas war. The station owner was pissed because the pumps wouldn't set @ .17 a gallon.
-4 track tapes
-8 track tapes
-a ticket for Jimi Hendrix, $4.00 (40 years ago July, RIP Jimi)