I don’t know where my first guitar came from. I suspect that my mom got it from the music store where she bought sheet music when she gave piano lessons. I remember getting a Mel Bay guitar instruction book that showed some simple instructions and chords. As with most other instruments, I would teach myself how to play. But I wouldn’t take to the guitar as easily as I did either the ukulele or the baritone ukulele. For both the ukes, I always played chords. And on all the chords, I would strum all the strings. On guitar, you don’t always strum all strings when playing chords. I found it difficult to only hit the strings that needed to be played.
The type of guitar was also an issue. This instrument was a no-name brand. It seemed huge like one of those Guitarrón Mexicano instruments, also known as the “Big Mexican Guitars” that are used in traditional Mexican bands. I know that my guitar wasn’t that big, but it seemed like more than I could easily handle. The neck seemed too wide for me to easily reach around. The strings were also higher off the fretboard than was necessary. When people asked me about getting guitars for their kids, I encourage them to get something they can handle. A guitar with a narrower neck like the ones on an electric guitar can help a kid learn to get the feel of how to form chords. An electric guitar also has strings with a thinner gauge which can be easier on little fingers learning to fret a guitar. Having a guitar that wasn’t set up correctly was discouraging enough that I was slow to transition from my baritone uke. A year or two later, my parents would buy a cheap, small-scale guitar at an auction that was easier to play. I would continue to improve my technique and continued to play these cheap guitars.
When I went to college, I took my baritone uke with me instead of my guitar because I was more comfortable with the uke. At the fraternity house, I would occasionally entertain but would borrow a guitar if I ever wanted to play anything other than my uke. My son would have a “good” guitar before I bought my first good one.
2 replies on “My First Guitars”
First guitars. Similar story. Mine was a 3/4 size Framus acoustic. Truly a beginner guitar! If you could manage the high action, it would be out of tune by the time you reached the fourth fret. Do you remember the red ’65 Strat with the ’57 tele neck I had in college? I bought it at Cecil’s in Jackson. Wes Henley had traded it for something. That was a much better guitar than I was at playing it.
Is that the guitar you played at all-sing? I’m not sure I had ever heard you play until then and it was absolutely great!