Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I learned to play guitar on an electric. I've never been a fan of acoustic guitars.

My first was a Fender Telecaster Custom in Natural finish with a black pickguard. Didn't like it all that much, and I couldn't even play guitar when I bought it, but the price was right and I knew it was a quality guitar ($250 without a case in `85). I was already playing bass and had a JG 4001, so I ordered the AZ Glo 360 WB that I still own, which I consider my first real guitar-it's the one that I really learned to play on. The guitar shop I ordered it from told me I'd probably have to wait a whopping six months for the guitar, but much to my surprise it showed up after about 3 1/2-4 months. I'd learned a few chords and such on the Telecaster by the time the Rick showed up, after which my learning pace picked up quite a bit.

I had a cheap Spanish guitar when I was 15, but don't remember being able to play it, so it doesn't really count. I remember being disappointed the strings were plastic though!!

My first real guitar is my Mexican 60s Classic Strat in Candy Apple Red and I am looking at now. I still love it. It sounds great! Though i don't play it anything like as much now I have the Ricks.

Looking good Sarah.nice to see youve still got it!

My first guitar was a Hofner Colorama II just like this one less the vibrato arm. http://www.vintagehofner.co.uk/gallery/ ... ga117.html

I soon had it painted fire engine red. Then I had it customised a bit more and eventually sold it.

winston wrote:My first guitar was a Hofner Colorama II just like this one less the vibrato arm. http://www.vintagehofner.co.uk/gallery/ ... ga117.html

I soon had it painted fire engine red. Then I had it customised a bit more and eventually sold it.

Brian,

Very '50s cool. I love the high-tech non-compensated bridge, and I don't think you were missing anything without the whammy arm. I can't see how that would do anything except a little "tuning wiggle".

It was Christmas, either 1957 or 1958. I was the youngest of three boys. I was 4 or 5 at the time. My mom (who played the piano and appreciated music) handed us a Gibson B-25 (we think- we're not sure. It could be a cross with an LG). Good guitar. Cost $175. Ton of money back then, especially for three kids who tore up everything but a hula hoop. I still have the guitar. My oldest brother got into the Kingston Trio stuff a bit but otherwise the guitar wasn't used too much until 1965, when I was sitting in the car with my mom and "When You Walk In the Room" by the Searchers came on the radio. I told my mom "I want to learn to play that song." She signed me up for lessons later that day. I headed off with the Gibson. Today, my son and I occasionally play the same guitar. My mom passed away two years ago, but she lived to see me and my son play guitar together, sometimes using the Gibson. She said several times it was the best investment she ever made.

Tom

Great story Rickosound!

I remember the guitar well. It showed up under the Christmas tree in 1969. My folks ordered it from J.C. Penny catalog, I believe. Like all such guitars, it had the action only a confirmed slide player would love. But by golly, by the time the pumpkin pie was served after Christmas dinner, I had "Blowin' In the Wind" down in the key of A. And man! did my fingers hurt. They hurt so badly I could hardly pick up my fork to eat my pumkin pie! I used to string that old box up with Black Diamond brand strings, because they were cheap.

My folks kept that thing around for many years, and one summer while I was at home between college semesters, I found it in it's case in the back of a closet. I think they sold it at a garage sale when they moved to another town.

JimK

My first guitar (a 14th birthday present) was a Suzuki acoustic..... pretty hard to play as I recall.

I bought my first electric in 1967 - a Teisco. I've been hunting arount the net for a few years now, trying to find the model but with no luck - until today! It turns out that it was a 1959/60 J5.......
I ended up giving it a psychedelic paint job and it served me pretty well for a few years. Wish I still had it.........

I got my first guitar in the fall of 1965 and it was a a Harmony Stella archtop accoustic with a pickup added at the neck.I got my first electric guitar for Christmas that year.It was a red guitar my father bought at Woolworths for $39.I think it looked like this one:

My very first guitar was a little toy plastic thing,red and white 1973/74.

But the first guitar my dad bought me was a Satellite

Like the first one in the pic.

When I graduated junior high school in 1976 my dad got me a Carlo Robelli imitation J Bass, and a Sam Ash combo amp. Not bad, but I worked various jobs through HS, I bought myself a 1979 Rickenbacker 4001JG along with a Sunn Concert Bass amp with 2x15 cabinet.

My first was a Crown, strat shaped, three black pups and a metal pg. Pretty cool guitar.

My first guitar (before I learnt how to play) was a 'nobby no name' acoustic bought from a charity shop for £2 when I was 14 years old.

It had no strings, a really horrible 'sunburst' effect finish that was gouged and scratched to hell, it stank of cigarettes, and when I did put some strings on it, the action was so high you could fit your fingers on the 12th fret under the strings without touching them!

In true Paul W style the first thing I did was give it a new 'paint' job.
My parents had just finished decorating our house and we had half a tin of white gloss paint left over, I didn't waste time sanding down the guitar or even taking the strings off, the white gloss was slapped on quickly and certainly not sparingly and the gouged sunburst finish was consigned to history.

The cigarette smell had now also gone as all you could smell now was the gloss paint.

I had that guitar for 2 years and taught myself how to more or less play a few chords along to my favourite Jam, Who and Kinks records. But in all those 2 years I swear that the paint stayed sticky and never dried, I would guess that this is why Rickenbacker dont use household gloss paint on their guitars, there are definitely drying issues there.

I left home soon after and moved to London to find work, I left the guitar behind at home, and later discovered that my parents had given the guitar away to some poor unfortunate local youngster who wanted to learn how to play.

I wonder if he still has it.

My first guitar was a Segovia(sp?) acoustic I got at Christmas at age 12 in 1976. Really high action on that thing, as far as I can recall. My first bass was a Univox Hi-Flier Mosrite copy I got a year later. I still have it over 30 years later.