I was exposed to guitar playing early in life. I have memories of my father playing guitar in the 1950s. During the Great Depression, Dad’s father bought a used Gibson L5 acoustic guitar for the family to play. Dad loved the sound when his sisters played minor chords on the Gibson. Soon he picked up the guitar and learned some chords.
He had the Gibson for a while, he and his sisters took turns keeping the guitar. I wish I knew where it was now. In the early 1960s, Dad bought a used 1956 Gretsch Chet Atkins model 6120 electric guitar for $100 (I think). This sounds like an excellent price now, but at the time, I think it was a lot of money for my parents to spend. The Gretsch is a hollow body guitar, and Dad usually played it at home without using an amplifier. He used this guitar when playing with bands. I first learned to play guitar using this Gretsch.
Dad offered to teach all three of his children how to play guitar. None of us showed any interest for a long time, even though we loved music, had taken piano lessons, and all played in the high school band. I wasn’t interested in playing guitar, until one day in the spring of 1969, I heard/saw some guitar players on television and decided I wanted to do that. I asked Dad to show me how to play. I was thinking about playing some songs at a party the next week. Talk about clueless, it was months before I could play anything. Luckily, Dad had the Gretsch guitar, which had a good neck. However, he used very thick strings, which were hard for me to play at first. I spent a lot of free time sitting around struggling with Dad’s guitar, forcing my hands to play the right notes. I fought the pain and learned some chords and then songs. I’ve been playing ever since.
I started working with live bands in 1970. I was in eleventh grade.
You might ask how well do I play? What sort of music do I play? My friend and mentor Bobby D stressed playing as many styles as possible, and I mostly play Rock and Roll, R&B, Country, Funk, and Blues. I love Jazz, and I sort of understand it, but my hands sometimes (often?) get lost when I play it. I work with a versatile band (Kidd Blue) that can cover a lot of styles. I mostly play electric guitars, though I enjoy acoustic guitars when I hear them. I’m an above-average player, but not by much. My growth as a guitarist has been a marathon, not a sprint, and I’m still learning.
I played music full-time for a few years in my youth, but I wanted to live indoors and have food to eat, so I played music part-time during the 34 years I worked with computers. Now I’m retired from my computer/network career and still play music part-time. I’d work full-time with the right band or singer, but don’t expect it to happen. I haven’t given up yet.
Although I’m always looking for the perfect guitar (and amplifier), I’ve discovered that the one thing that will improve my sound the most is to practice. I have plenty of guitars and amps. Time to practice.