My Guitar Hero

Something NEW is lurking in this corner!

It was 1975 when I met my hubby. He was older than I, already into adulthood. Aside from working on a career path, he liked to play guitar - alot. When we met he owned many musical instruments and accompanying items. I'm told the following points of technicality are absolutes, so here's what he owned ;

• an Ovation 618 acoustic guitar
• a Gibson Les Paul Standard electric guitar
• a Fender Telecaster Hollow body electric guitar
• a Fender Stratacaster electric guitar
• a Gibson SG base guitar
• a Blonde Fender Tremalo amplifier
• a Marshal double stack speaker system with an acoustic main drive - with graphic equalizer (state of the art in those days, believe me)
• a reel to reel with scads of taped music to isolate and learn from
• multiple guitar and equipment casings with stands to protect his investments
• ...and a whole host of assorted and varied smaller necessities.
• Even a guitar pick collection, over a hundred were included in his collection.

He also had a whole host of guitar playing friends who shared the same musical passions as him. The goal was to play continuously when able, either alone or together - for hours and hours a day to perfect their talent on their individual instruments and then to practice their musical repertoire as a group in between.

"Take but degree away, untune that string, and hark, what discord follows!"

~ William Shakespeare

They were all part of a band making their way through cities while on tour playing to audiences everywhere. Money was involved, oh yes, they made GOOD money doing what they all loved to do. All hoped to become super successful by getting a break in life one day if they could only cutt just "one" 45rpm hit record, just one.


There was one problem with all this dedication to his work and guitar commitments when we became a couple and ended up serious over where our relationship was heading. Out of town work travel and road trips for playing music ... well.... it seemed exciting to my hubby when he was single, but eventually he noticed there was no time for "us", without conflicts occurring in his time schedule. When thoughts of marriage and having a family began to creep up in our conversations, he knew in his heart this lifestyle would have to change.



A few months before we married, my hubby made the decision to sell some of his equipment, (now considered to be collector's items) in exchange for a hefty sum he was able to slap down as a deposit on our first home, the one he shopped for, the one we moved into as newlyweds. We were so incredibly blessed for that great beginning all because of his musician's booty.

Alas though, just for the record, other guitars have passed through our home to keep him happily strumming. :-)



Fast forward to today, many years later...

Our son is headed off to higher learning in just a few days. During appointments with his counselor, he decided he would like to pursue a guitar class for a pleasure elective. After ten years of piano and music lessons, learning to make music on a guitar would seemingly be a swell change for him. There was one wee drawback to his decision. In order to be able to participate in the class he required his own guitar.

“The guitar is a wonderful instrument which is understood by few.”

- Franz Schubert

The big guitar purchase was made by his father, our guitar man, my personal and favorite guitar hero (blush and giggle). Our son wasn't present, not that he couldn't be, he just wasn't (LOL). As my hubby is fixated on guitar quality, he wanted input into the purchase of the instrument. Luckily the first shop we entered had a large selection of previously owned guitars, resting on stands, easy to grab for a trial strumming.



My hubby passed by many quickly citing trashy quality without much value, BUT, alas at the end of the line he noticed a GK manufactured-E125 (tobacco sunburst cutaway body for easy high neck access....he's dictating this, can you tell?) that was at least a few hundred dollars below new list value, and was in excellent shape albeit preowned. After inspecting the body, the tone and the neck action, he declared it mighty fine and announced all we needed now was a case (and picks as that collection has been long gone with children losing them everywhere). Trusting in his expertise, it was a good buy.


I've been quite happy to sit back and absorb being witness to many hands strumming on the strings since our purchase of the guitar. The sudden surge of interest in this instrument has actually been quite something thus far. Um, maybe their dad can teach the rest of them to play? Yes, what a GRAND idea! After all, he's been steadily strumming on the thing since we arrived home too you know.

"Nothing is more beautiful than a guitar, save perhaps two."

~ Fredric Chopin

Of one thing I am sure; our home will definitely be filled with music during our retirement golden years. There's just no doubt about it in my mind because one thing my hubby never sold was his reel to reel collection of music we've been lugging around for 33 years now, a music collection worthy of transferring over to CDs someday. Anyone know of a system worth using to perform this monumental task with?