I remember one day I was walking around my house and I saw an applause ovation acoustic guitar in my Dad's closet. I knew it was in there but I had no enthusiasm to learn how to play until I was 16. So I pass by his closet and it was kind of one those spiritual moments where I stared at the guitar and it stared at me. The guitar was completely unstrung, the strings were tangled, the high e string was missing, etc. It looked like a lost puppy in the rain. My dad tried to learn how to play guitar, but he never had time and while my dad was at work my little brother loosened all the strings and accidently broke one. That's how it ended up being in that position. So after years of it being in the closet I finally decided that I would string it myself and learn how to play it. This was around the time where I was listening to a lot of rock music. I go on the internet and learn how to string it and then learn the basic chords. After that I thought I was done and that's all I wanted to know. But I had this overwhelming hunger and passion to know more (I also took a guitar class where there were a bunch of great guitarists that could improvise and do cool stuff with the guitar, so I guess I was a little jealous). I played about three hours everyday and I still have been ever since. It's been two years now and I can finally improvise, make my own songs, and do a bunch of rock numbers. I also got an american deluxe v neck stratocaster with a valvetronix amp as my graduation gift . It still haunts me though knowing that I could've just left the guitar in my dad's closet. That I could've just went on with my life not realizing the joy of guitar playing. I wonder how different my life would be. Anyway, enough about me. How did you start off playing guitar?

My sister and myself got guitars (Yamaha FG 75's) for Christmas 1969. I wanted to be John Lennon. In retrospect, it was the most important day of my life.

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"is that a real poncho...i mean
Is that a mexican poncho
Or is that a sears poncho?
Hmmm...no foolin ...." FZ

I really don't remember. I know I asked for a guitar for Christmas and got one.

The rest is history!

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Chet Feathers

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I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.

Bought a new 65 Mustang and well--------

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The blues ain't nothin but a good man feelin bad.

my sister bought home a nylon string acoustic which she promptly ignored. I seized it and had a bash. A guy lived up the road who i knew played (early manager of martin degville of sigue sigue sputnik and colbet hamilton), i nagged him until he showed me a few open chords (3 string open c,g and e) which i mastered but was unable to tune the guitar because of its collapsed heel. Then i nagged my parents for a electric for chrismas, i got a avon les paul. I was 13.

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No no and no

and later you saw the light and bought a Fender!

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It's a mix between Jazz and Funk, it's called "Junk"

My first guitar was a yamaha c-40 , one year later in my birthday my uncle gave my a electric ESP later i my father gave my a fender stratocaster

I had a plastic Mickey Mouse guitar when I was eight.

Long story short...I was playing piano since 3 and alto sax since 8 and had already acquired many awards for performance and excellence on both instruments by the age of 13. At that time I wanted to play, but my dad refused to get me a guitar. I begged, begged, begged, and begged some more, but no dice. So my uncle had a neighbor that had an old beat-up acoustic and the deal was that I would keep it in my music locker at school and NEVER tell my dad about it. Well time went on and I taught myself in the privacy of the school how to play the guitar from the knowledge of my classically trained background. Even though I'm left-handed, I had to learn how to play right-handed. After about 6 months I got brave enough to take it home and face the wrath of an ex-Marine Core Seargent. Well it didn't go so good and I took a good whoopin', but it was worth it to me. I just kept playing it everyday outside in the yard where it didn't bother him and then one day his buddy said that I was pretty good and I should have an electric. I was almost 14 and for my birthday my dad took me to buy an old beat up no-name electric with a washburn 20 watt amp. I cried that day. Ever since then I've made it a very important point to try to be the best that I can be at the style that I would like to focus on at the time. Even though my dad still thinks that I'm not good at playing guitar to this day, I still love him for finally giving me the chance to play. He thinks Yngwie sucks, but it still hurts that he doesn't understand how hard that I've tried...

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KEEP IT REAL...KEEP IT HONEST...KEEP IT METAL...but most importantly...KEEP SHREDDIN'!!!!!!!!!

When I was thirteen my mother had a boyfriend that played. They bought me an acustic nylon string guitar. Monkeyed around on it for a couple years. When I was fifteen my father bought me a Strat styled electric with a Peavy amp (used) for $75. When I was seventeen I went through several guitars until I bought a 1987 Squire HM III HSS with the Floyd Rose tremelo and a Crate amp. My friend who was a bassist and I started a band; however, we never could have all the members. We were always missing either a drummer or a singer. The band broke up when I joined the Army in 1992. I've been mostly playing solo since then.

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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

I actually started out playing piano myself. But I kept going on and off on it though. In the end however, I ended up being a fairly decent player on the piano. Piano helped me train my ear and guitar helped figure out what chords sounded good together, which helped immensly in my piano playing.
I hope your father see's how hard you've tried, but even if he doesn't it's still okay. Remember, you don't have to prove to him that you're great as long as you think you are. And maybe this resentment is a good thing because in a way it kind of pushes you to be a better guitar player. We all need that sometimes. Anyway, best of luck to you.

I borrowed my friend Pete's Fender acoustic whenever he didn't need it and began trying to learn little licks and chords. Needless to say I wasn't very good as a beginner and began losing interest because of this lack of skill. Pete would always try to keep me in the game but to me, it seemed I wasn't getting anywhere. I eventually got around to getting my own acoustic because I figured I would practice more if I spent my own money on a guitar.

Through jamming with people, listening to people solo, etc. I began learning and enjoying playing. No formal lessons, just absorption of things from other people is what taught me what I know today. And then, after 6 months of playing, I purchased my first strat and life has been good.

Because of Pete, I continued my journey into the guitar land. Thanks man!

Hello Blaqdog,

1 neighbor played guitar and 1 neighbor
played the banjo, those guys made look easy.
The Beatles had started their invasion and well
many years and guitars later I'm still playing.

Cheers.

i was 18 and my bestfriend was 16 and playing songs like, pinkfloyd, and metallica. simple versions. and he got better, playing classical and instrumentals like D by randy rhoads. i picked up the guitar and tried to play thinking it was easy. i couldnt play to save my own life.

i asked my parents for a guitar, but they couldnt afford it. so i blew it off.

later got married had kids, fastfoward to my 30th birthday, i bought a fender acoustic guitar w/dvd gigbag tuner. learned basic chords, also thought. ok . i dont want to learn to play stuff like srv, just want to jam alittle.
nope. like a blood thirsty vampire, wanted more. wasnt until 2006 that i got my 1st strat and gdec, that i really started to get into it.
now to present day, that is my relaxation, my zen.
ill go jam out with my 16 yr friend who is now in his 30s.

i know now, i will die with the love for guitar playing.(at least 1 fender stratocaster, and at least 1 gibson les paul in my grasp).

It's sort of history for me too.....

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Are you talkin' to me? Are you talkin' to me?!