Show of hands: Who here plays guitar?

[TGO David]

Who here plays guitar and for how long?

As if I really needed another hobby, I recently decided to scratch a 30-year itch and start learning to play. So far it's been a total blast and I spend at least 30 mins a day practicing, but frequently it's more like 30 mins in the morning and an hour in the evening.

Feel free to post guitar porn if you've got pics of your axe(s) to show off.

[extremescene]

Guitar and mandolin... I just got a Collings mandolin and sold a bourgeois dreadnought to fund a new Collings d1a... hope to make that happen by next week. Been playing for about 17 years.

I work at artisan guitars down in Franklin... while we sell mainly handmade instruments, we have a few killer entry-level guitars that sound incredible with solid spruce tops, i would be happy to show them to you or anyone here if you can make it in. They are $199... samick by greg bennett is the brand.

Edited March 28, 2011 by extremescene

[Sandman]

I play a Taylor I got for my 21st birthday. I have a few other guitars but none compare to that one.

[USMCJG]

I've been playing for about 16 years, off and on, and I still suck. I sold my beloved Martin D18V a couple of years ago when money was tight. I'm down to a Les Paul Standard(love it) and an old Fender Kingman now.

[TGO David]

@Extremescene -- Thanks for the offer. I am always up to see new guitars. I have a Les Paul Studio Deluxe (Vintage Sunburst) and an Ibanez AEL30SE (Dark Violin) that I bought to learn on. The Les Paul was sort of my "holy grail" guitar and drives me to practice daily. I may upgrade to a higher end LP down the road, but this should end up staying with me for the rest of my life being that it's my first.

The Ibanez was the result of several weeks of reading reviews, playing guitars at Guitar Center, and finally deciding on an acoustic-electric to use when I don't want to be tied to an amp. I picked it up this morning and have been pretty pleased with it so far.

[Caster]

Humph! I hate every one of you guitar playing buttheads. I'd gladly trade 10 years of my life for the ability, but I can't even play a radio. I couldn't carry a tune if you loaded it in a wheel barrow. Sad but true, I come from a family of some of the most talented musicians anywhere, and most of them don't even like to play. My father used to play the guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle and could make a steel guitar cry. Me, I can play one hell of an air guitar. And for the record, I practiced hard for years. Wasted years I should have made myself into a better shooter.

So play on you bunch of heathens! I'll be here lamenting my tone deaf, no rhythm having lack of talent, listening to Joe Satriani make fools out of most everyone who ever picked up a guitar.:rant:

[Chief07]

My oldest played the violin, my youngest plays the clarinet.

I play the harmonica and the radio.

I could never figureout the "Geetar"

[mav]

I havent really played in the last 3 years, but before that I played for about 7 years. I ended up getting bured out. I would practice everyday about 3 - 4 hours constanly working on techinque. My favorite guitarists were Satriani and Malmsteen, so if I wanted to play their stuff I had to build up the chops. Anyway, sitting at home and playing along to a cd or working on scales eventually got pretty boring, so I ended up quitting.

At the peak of my hobby, I had 12 guitars, 3 amps, and a nice rack. I sold off most of my stuff except 3 guitars and my half stack. All I have left is my Ibanez J-Custom RG8270, pre-Fender Jackson Soloist SL-2H, Fender Jeff Beck strat, and my Marshall TSL-100. I regret selling my Taylor K-14ce. It was the best acoustic I have ever played and it was absolutely beautiful.

I might pull one of the guitars out of the case from time to time and fool around for an hour. I am hoping I will get bit by the bug again and start playing more regularly.

This is my J Custom. I always hated Ibanez, but some of the guitars they make are really great. Oh, by the way, if you are planning on buying a LP, I would defintely buy a used one. I owned a wine red 98 Gibson LP Custom, which was a fantastic guitar, but Gibsons have always been way overpriced.

[Raoul]

I sorta play at the guitar. I sorta adopted a couple from my oldest daughter. I always wanted to be a guitar god but didn't really have the chance to learn. I did pick up one of these so my wife would not complain.

VOX | amPlug | Headphone portable guitar amp

[gregintenn]

I can play a bit. I have a few guitars. I also have a piano, but I've let that kind of slip away for several years now. I need to get back into it. I thought if you lived within 100 miles of Nashville, that you were required to be able to play a guitar.

[Steelharp]

Harmonica and steel guitar, for a living... harp since '74, steel since '80.

[Guest BEARMAN]

Fender Precision bass for me. Since 1978. Once had on staff; a Fender Jazz, Kramer custom, Hoffner Beatle bass and a Peavey bass guitar.

However, don't fiddle with it much anymore (pun intended).

[Tempest455]

2 hands!!!

Been playing approx 36 years.

Had more guitars than I can count. Still/currently have '57 Vintage re-issue Eric Johnson Strat, Lake Placid Blue Strat and Paul Reed Smith.

Like ANY style of music as long as it has copious amounts of guitar.

[mav]

This thread made me pull out my guitar and play some. I am absolutely corroded. Here is a pic of my Fender Jeff Beck strat along with the Ibanez. I hate the color of the strat, but it was a free guitar (brother gave it to me a few years ago) and it sure does play. I can't take a pic of my Jackson since it is at my brother's house on Long Island.

TGODavid, I don't know how familiar you are with music (i.e. ever played an instrument before) nor what type of music you want to play, but here is a link to a study series I used when I first began playing. Guitar Lessons. Even though I know how to read music (played trumpet for eight years), the Troy Stetina series does not require you to be able to read. And if you are a rock or metal guy, then this should be right up your alley.

[Guest mn32768]

I learned to play as a teenager and I've always kept a guitar or two around... currently I've got an Ovation Celebrity acoustic-electric guitar and a Michael Kelly Club Custom 5-string acoustic bass.

[Tempest455]

Always wanted a Jeff Beck Strat!

[TGO David]

Eh... I had friends in high school who worshipped at the altars of Satriani, Vai, Van Halen and Lynch. They burned out too. There's nothing wrong with being inspired by someone, but if all you focus on is being like someone else, you're never going to find your own place and be happy with it. Same pretty much goes with anything else in life too.

[TGO David]

Mav, I'm digging the strat. I figure if baby blue is good enough for someone like Beck or Clapton to play, it's good enough for anyone.

[Ropin4gold]

I've been "playing" since 2003. I still suck. I pick it up when things get stressful at work, play a few months, hit the wall and put it down again. It's a vicious cycle. I just picked it up again 2 weeks ago. I took lessions for about 5 weeks but missed a couple and finally quit. I have an alvarez accoustic/electric.

[Guest clownsdd]

Interesting, been playing since '62. My first was at Sears Silvertone I got for 5 bucks. Fingers bled using it. Had to learn upside down seeing as I am left handed (my son still gets po'd that I can play his upside down better than he can right side up). Paid my first house downpayment with a 1952 Martin D.

Currently have ( and my last one) a 1969 Ovation Legend, custom made left handed. Been thru many sessions. Now, it's just relaxing to get it out and "fiddle" some.

[mav]

I've been "playing" since 2003. I still suck. I pick it up when things get stressful at work, play a few months, hit the wall and put it down again. It's a vicious cycle. I just picked it up again 2 weeks ago. I took lessions for about 5 weeks but missed a couple and finally quit. I have an alvarez accoustic/electric.

I used to have an Alvarez Yairi Bob Weir WY-1K. It was a fantastic guitar. To be honest with you, it was almost as good as my Taylor K-14ce even though the Taylor was over double the price.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

I'm a terrible guitarist. Am only skilled enough to barely play keyboards.

To make up for my awfulness as much as possible, got a second-year production USA-made Parker Nitefly that has a real good neck and decent tone. It is a strat-type neck. Gibson necks are too easy for me to pull out of tune with uneven finger pressure.

Have a made-in-canada Seagull cedar top steel-string acoustic that has a good neck and mellow tone. I like cedar-top steel string geetars.

Sometimes spruce is too bright and mahogany is too dark. Mainly got it for a different recording tone option for friends who can actually play geetar. They mostly have spruce top acoustics. One friend plays "too accurate" and if I double-track him on acoustic, if he plays both parts (different neck positions) on the same geetar it sounds like one guitar track not two guitar tracks as intended. There is supposed to be subtle timing differences between the tracks, but he plays too tight and there are not enough timing variations between the tracks. So using different geetars gives some tonal difference between the tracks.

Got an ancient Goya clone of a Gibson 335 semi hollow body, except it has single coil split pickups. A pretty "funky" tone useful for some stuff.

I can almost play bass, but not really. Have a peavey jazz bass clone that plays and sounds good, and a guild ashbory silicone-rubber-string short-scale fretless bass. I really like the ashbory tone, but it is a challenge to play in-tune with such a short scale.

[Guest nashvegas]

A few of 'em...

[TGO David]

A few of 'em...

My pants got a little tighter just now.

[hardknox00001]

My pants got a little tighter just now.