I kept asking until my parents gave in. My first guitar was an original Danelectro Convertible without the pickup.

One day I woke up and just though to myself "I'm going to learn guitar"

And here I am

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Rock n' Roll Will Never Die
Music Is Life

well yes, but it took 10 years of me maturing and being left guitarless then having a cheap strat copy given to me before i realized that i wanted a strat.

Even the hard times can provide a place of blessing eh?

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No no and no

It was the '60s and everyone wanted to play in a rock band. I listened to the Beatles, watched the Monkees, and wanted to play guitar. Chicks really did dig guitar players back then (though not necessarily me ). Got a $9.99 acoustic guitar for Christmas 1967. It changed my life.

THE STORY

It was during the second semester of my 7th grade year, when i met my best friend for life (No not a guitar...yet). We met in band class. He played the French Horn, and i played the alto sax. Since i was last chair sax(haha) i sat right next to him. We got to talking one friday and he invited me over to his house. I figured that we would just hang out and that would be it. But little did i know that that very night would change my life forever!
I got over to his house and we messed around, ate food, and i hit on his sister. We went into his room and low and behold, there was the shittiest guitar of all time hanging on his wall. Being in the 7th grade, it was the coolest thing i had ever seen. I asked him if he played and he said,"Sure do." He brought the guitar down from off the wall and played a watered down version of Sweet Home Alabama for me.

FLASHBACK

I had always liked the look of a guitar. I remember going over to my cousins house and just staring at his (my mom said i couldn't touch it). I definitely thought they were cool, but that was about it. I had no intention whatsoever to play one...yet.

BACKTOTHESTORY

So, i asked David if it was alright if i played it. I took it from his hands, the clouds parted, and a chorus of angels came down and sang,"AHHHH!" Of course then i completely sucked $@!. But from that moment on, i vowed to myself that i would buy a guitar and that i would learn it. About 4 months later it came time for my birthday. I had been talking to my parents non-stop for these past few months about guitar and how i had to have one. For once, they actually listened and they gave me money to go and buy a guitar. I went to Guitar Center that same day and skipped school for it. I walked in for the first time and played on a few hundred or so. I really liked Gibsons. I F'n loved a Fender American Vintage '57 Olympic White Maple Fretboard with Noiseless pickups and a hardshell case, but it was out of my price range. I had made my decision, so it was only a matter of time.
That summer the only thing on my mind was getting that Strat. Every weekend i would go in and make sure it was still there (I think that one of the managers there knew that i wanted it, because they moved it and kept it kindof hidden). I mowed lawns, i helped around the house, i sold my nintendo and my stereo. About 2 weeks before school started i went back and i prayed to God that the guitar would still be there (It would be just my luck if it was gone). I walked in, went to the corner, picked up the guitar, and bought it. No regrets.

BACKTOTHEPRESENT

I am now 17 years old and there is nothing in this world that is more important to me than my guitar (other than my friends, family, Jesus, ect). Whenever im in a bad mood, it's like a dog and it jumps in my arms and i stoke it and well you know what im talking about. All i have to say now is that i thank you, Fender, from the bottom of my heart for doing what you do. I dont know where i would be at today had i not found my one true love...Stratocasters.

It was a year ago, I was playing Guitar Hero and a thought came to mind..."That person on stage, my character...he looks like he's having quite a bit of fun, even though I'm missing notes everywhere." So then I looked back in a corner and found my dad's old Epiphone acoustic guitar. I asked good ol' dad about learning how to play and that was the start of a new magical life.

That's also the day I remember being disappointed that my dad had an old Gibson 61 Melody Maker instead of something V-Shaped. Looking back on that, I feel very, very...VERY foolish.

I feel like not only the luckiest, but the happiest person on earth.

I started hacking around with an old acoustic when I was about 15 or so, but didn't take it seriously until I was about 18 after seeing a local band "live".

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

Don't leave home without it!

2 years ago i started to get voices in my head

I was in third grade and I told my parents I wanted to take guitar lessons. They said yes. My first guitar was a cheap acoustic Kay archtop. The action was horrible but I didn't know that at the time. It is the reason why I have strong hands. My first electric was a Goya Panther W-II. It had twin minihumbuckers, a vibrato tailpiece, and four push button pickup selector switches. It cost $200. Today, to get a guitar of that quality you'd have to pay about $200.

my fitrst guitar was acually my brothers an acoustic taylor this was a long time ago and this tayloy sounded like crappppp so i got a rock axe crappp
peavy raptor kind of crappy epiphony sg love that guitar then slammer floyd rose love it then my 62 fender stratocaster i live for that guitar

My story has a little bit of mystery in it. Still haven't figured it all out yet.

My uncle played guitar and I thought it would be cool if I did too. He let me barrow one of this beat up semi-hollow bodies. This was not bad but I had no amp, so it was nice that I could play it with out the amp. I liked playing it and figuring out simple songs, but the strings hurt my fingers a lot. I think they where like 11s or 12s. My friend who played said to get an electric becaues they are easier to play. I ended up getting a Washburn Strat look-a-like for about $150 and got a $50 dollar amp from my friend.

The Washburn was pretty cool for a cheap guitar. I only ended up playing it for another month or so and forgot all about it, like an old toy or something. Pretty much like most people after they have a guitar for a couple months or so. There are so many guitar owners out there, but so few players, and I was one of them.

The Washburn sat in my room for about 8 years. Then I just picked it up, dusted it off, and started playing again. I still wanted to learn to play, and I hate not finishing things I start.

I played the Washburn for about six months after that and one of my friends brought his Fender Strat with Lace sensors to my house. I could not believe how much better it sounded compared to the Washburn. I quickly got myself a MIM Stratocaster and put some Lace Sensors in it. Sold the Washburn to another one of my friends for about $70. Now I have been playing almost 2 years; I play about hour a day on average. Continuing to pursue guitar playing is definitely one the best decisions I have made.

I'm not sure what really changed. Why at one point I quickly lost interest in playing, and now I think about it all day.

Maybe you know? heh Well that's my story. Thanks for reading.

CloseYetFar,

I went almost 9 years without playing seriously. It wasn't until 4 years ago I got back into it again. Now I play 1-2 hours a day and 2-3 hours on the weekend. Sometimes life has a different road it tries to throw at you...just keep playing.

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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

Yea, I have found the guitar to be a great way to re-leave stress. I always feel much calmer after playing.

Wow that's cool! I got away from playing for 7 years because of the constant frustration of not finding the other members of the band that were skilled enough to write and perform all original songs. I didn't play the guitar or piano at all for that time. Instead I raced supercross and motocross in districts 5, 10, and 11 and earned an AMA pro license in the 250 class for the last 3 years of racing. My son was born so I quit racing, taking ambulance rides to the hospital, and getting surgeries. Picked up the axe again one day and began to wonder why I ever put it down in the first place. I can honestly say that I won't be taking any time off from jammin' anymore because I've figured out that music is what and who I've become in so many years...

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

well, i saved money and didn't quite know what to do with them.then i asked my dad if he could teach me some simple songs on some guitar on his work. then i realised that i coul use my money to buy a guitar.
i bought a cataluña 3/4 scale and there was no way out of it. my dad thought me some prince song and i thougt it was cool so i ask him if he could teach me some other song. that other song was rebel, rebel by david bowie and i was amazed that i could play it but got late for school the next day... after a while i got a 5 watt vox amp and played it through my dads tokai goldstar sound. then he thought that i should have my own guitar. we couldn't afford a fender and went to every music shop in town. we ended up on ebay looking for parts to build an own custom guitar. we bought some parts from the same guy and he helped us build it.
the guitar ended up about ~ 1000$. - all parts from fender american. now we have a line six pod x3 live and an additional marshall mg15dfx amp.