Your first Acoustic Guitar

[DeepEnd]

My 1st was a "Norma", from the Edison's catalog, that my Grandmother bought me for my 11th birthday. $19.95, and case with a red string tassle "strap", a tutor book w/ 6 songs, a pick and maybe a spare set of strings (44 years later, my memory's faded). Made from only the finest plywood, with a generous 1-1/4" action at the 12th fret! . . .

^ Essentially the same guitar except with a slotted headstock and no name. Same price and accessories from Montgomery Ward in 1970.

[gurutoo]

I got an old used Harmony for 5 bucks in 1960-what a beast it was. In 1962 I got a brand new Sears Silvertone in tobacco sunburst. god it was beautiful and cost $ 36.00, a handsome sum in those days, Thanks Mama.

[kujozilla]

That, but with 6 strings. Something like a 1930's Martin 0-18. Needs a lot of repair now though.

 

[jamesp]

Mom helped me save up enough Green Stamps to get a Decca classical that actually came with steel strings, IIRC. It imploded within a couple of months and I replaced it with a Yamaha FG-180. That one was my first real guitar.

[Tony Burns]

I can't even give you the brand name of my first guitar ( dont remember -dont think their was a name on it ) - but i can tell you it was made of poplar plywood and bought it used for 10 dollars used from a music store that use to rent the darn things out -- its action was so piss poor it gave me frankenstien fingers , but regardless of how bad it was , i still caught the bug from that Piece of Crap . just to put it into perspective an Esteban guitar would of shined compared to this guitar ..

 

 

By the way when i visited the Rock and Roll hall of fame in Ohio they had James Taylor's first acoustic that he painted and killed the tone ( think his brother gave it to the museum ) I believe it was pretty much the same as my first guitar.

[BLUtunes]

My first was an Epiphone. I don't recall the exact model number, but think it was a something, something 150. It was a pretty nice guitar, actually!

[guitarcapo]

Alvarez Yairi DY45. I bought it with money I made working digging graves in a cemetery for $4 an hour one summer. It cost $400 including the case and the year was 1980.

[Steadfastly]

I don't have any pics but mine was one of those cheap Sears plastic guitars. My dad bought it for me when I was 3-4 years old.

[Michael Martin]

This is not me and this is not my first guitar, but my first guitar was very similar.

 

[MDLMUSIC]

In 1959, and I was six years old. My dad got me a Stella Harmony from the Sears Roebuck catalog for Christmas. It came with a Mel Bay instruction book. I played around on it for a few weeks then stuck it in the closet because it hurt my fingers.

 

When I was 11 I started Junior High and discovered girls. I also discovered that girls didn't respond particularly well to trombone players (which is what I was in the school marching band), but they sure seemed to dig guitar players. So I got the guitar out of the closet, opened up the MelBay book and started learning basic chords. A few months later I was playing my guitar on hayrides and scoring pretty well with the ladies (well, as good as an 11-year old can score).

 

Then an older kid (8th grade) told me he wanted me to join his band, but I needed an electric guitar. So I saved my paper route money and bought a cheap Japanese Zim-Gar and I've been gigging steadily ever since.

[Satchel]

1970'2 Crestwood nylon string. Bought it 10 months ago. Bought a steel string since. Haven't been at this long, but it sure is fun.

[lefort_1]

 

In 1959, and I was six years old. My dad got me a Stella Harmony from the Sears Roebuck catalog for Christmas. It came with a Mel Bay instruction book. I played around on it for a few weeks then stuck it in the closet because it hurt my fingers. When I was 11 I started Junior High and discovered girls. I also discovered that girls didn't respond particularly well to trombone players (which is what I was in the school marching band), but they sure seemed to dig guitar players. So I got the guitar out of the closet, opened up the MelBay book and started learning basic chords. A few months later I was playing my guitar on hayrides and scoring pretty well with the ladies (well, as good as an 11-year old can score).

 

 

 

 

BRUTHA....just about the exact same beginnings, 'cept I was born in '58

 

Stella = hand cramps + put away

When I grew a bit more, my mother found a used Sovereign = more hand cramps (thanks mom)

 

...but I plugged away on the Sov....got ok, even with small hands I was able to crank out some SimGarf, early James Taylor and proto John Denver.

...when was that scoring thing supposed to happen? Damn..knew I missed out on SOMETHING bitd. Even played the T-bone, too.

My ZimGar was an even crappier Crown Professional (in retrospect, I think it was their baritone). That longass neckscale totally destroyed my drive to play electric for over 20 years...just figured it wasn't for me.

 

...Then I bought my '77 Ehlers Jumbo in '79, and the world changed.

[garthman]

. . . . It was stolen a year later just a few months after I moved in with my friend (my first time on my own). My grandma and my brother (the one with the Yamaha) went together and bought me a replacement, a Hohner 12-string. I still have it but the bridge is lifted:

 

Rob

 

A couple of bolts and some exopy resin would sort out that bridge for 50 cents.

[fatback]

I think it was a late 70s washburn dread of some description - must have played that hard because I looked at it a couple of years ago (before giving it to a local school) and it had deep groves in the centre board.

 

Phil