I also play the guitar. I often joke that me and my guitar have been married for ten years already and that is the most perfect (probably even the only) wife I'll ever have.
Initially I had an old, made in the USSR, 7-string classical guitar which I bought for something like 2.50 Euro. It was a real piece of Junk written with the capital "J". The fretboard was not parallel to the body so in higher positions my fingers had to 'dive' to press the strings to the frets. It made my fingers BLEED, which in turn, was a good test for me and my motivation. If I hadn't been motivated enough, I wouldn't have kept on learning after such painful experiences...but I have and I'm forever happy about that decision.
Besides, I had to remodel the nut. I glued it up and then cut brand new 6 gaps for strings. I was only starting to learn to play and having 7 gaps for strings resulted in string congestion. My untrained fingers were not prepared for the strings being so close to each other.
After two years I bought myself an electro-acoustic guitar -Countryman, or something like that. It works pretty fine up to this day and was such a huge relief after two years of using that Soviet junk. In 2003 I got myself a cheap Fender replica which I used up until April 2009. I was actually forced to buy a new one as I simply loved my Fender like stuff. The string action was incredibly low and I didn't have to hurt my fingers. Anyway, it became useless - the electric insights were not isolated and approaching an amp with the guitar resulted in increasing buzz coming from that amp. The neck started falling apart, let alone the fact I couldn't tune the guitar properly anymore. I made a research on what to/not to buy...I was even praised by a guitar centre seller who said : "You were the only guy who played Sweet Child O'Mine flawlessly - not like those c...s who come here and can't even pluck out the intro...while I have to listen to it all day long".
All in all, a couple of months later I earned some money and in April 2009 I bought an Epiphone Les Paul Standard. I really love that guitar. However, it was a straight-from-shop thing so it needs some adjustments made by a luthier but it works perfect anyway. I finally got the sound I loved for so many years from now. My favourite guitarist is Slash and while I know there are better guitarists, I love his sound and the tone of his guitar. Now I'm able to produce somehing similar to it.
I really would like to do some gigs but I really can't find anyone who plays the stuff I like. Everyone loves punk rock and funky while I love things like good old hard rock played by the Zeppelins or the Guns N'Roses. I'm planning to make an announcement, about my completing a band and needing musicians, in the local newspaper after I graduate and become a free man.
Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 03/04/2010 11:35PM by abdelkader.