A copy of a Martin alto sax.

My Dad started me on piano before I entered kindergarten, but the big old upright with the baby grand harp that stood in my grandparent's house where I was born wasn't "mine" if you know what I mean. It was "ours"...

Pop was a Dental Surgeon who also played Trumpet and Piano.

What I wanted more than anything was my own big shiny gold Trumpet.

Dad said I would have to wait until my permanent front teeth for that.

8th birthday, I had kind of given up on the asking, Dad came home with a black case and handed it to me. No wrapping or anything, and he said, "I suppose you're ready for this."

Inside was an Olds Cornet, a Bach 10-1/2CW mouthpiece, a small vial of valve oil and a little music manuscript book that Pop had taken the time to write out the first Schlossberg study, the ye olde chromatic descending and ascending from middle C down to the low G# and back, in whole notes.

More important than the shiny horn, the constant time with Dad and his tutelage as I learned to make my first notes became the priceless part of the thing. "Don't PUSH" (Yeah, he was one of those "non-pressure" guys...)

Man, I was happy as a pig in slop.


--Mac

In the mid 50's I bought a used cheap guitar for $10.00 from a friend. Don't know the brand. I still have it. The name was painted over. In the summer, we had parties at each others homes on the outside in the yard. I would bring my guitar and thought I was Elvis. I now have an Alvarez jumbo body style and it is the easiest playing Guitar that I;ve played. A couple of years ago I cut the tendons in 2 fingers on my left hand and that put a stop to my guitar playing. occ

Would be fun if you could post a pic of that guitar, plus perhaps a closeup of the headstock, occ.

See if we can identify it.

Might be a bit of a collector, certainly would be a piece of guitar history, no matter the brand.

But I still pick up the occasional guit made by the luthier capitol in the US, the many acoustic archtops and such from days gone by and most all of them are still able to be turned back into playing instruments, built like tanks, they were.

Stella, King, Airline, Harmony (!), Silvertone, the number of store brands is too numerous to remember or name here, many were much the same model but branded differently, all are just plain fun to me.


And yesterday's "cheap" guitars can indeed be found to be made of wood that today is unobtanium -- Spruce tops, or even some hardwoods in the archtops, Oak, Curly Maple, carved, steam formed or whatever, not a piece of plywood in the lot.

Got an old Harmony Master here, refretted it over a decade ago, I keep bronze acoustic strings on that archtop and its sound and playability is rather startling considering. I named it, "The L-Zero Point Five" as a joke, but maybe the joke's on me.


--Mac

In my early teens during WW2, I was allowed to play on a piano owned by a neighbour as a reward for walking her dog - until it died. Later, I played Flugalhorn in a local silver band until the practice hall was demolished by a bomb. This was followed by a spell as a snare drum player in a youth Marching Band. I did not own a musical instrument until I retired and was indulged by my sons who bought me a Casio Keyboard for £100 for Xmas 1995. This was followed by several other keyboards - the last being a Yamaha 3000. I was an average performer but enjoyed playing.


Unfortunately, during the 90s I contracted an illness which caused muscular problems so severe that all activities were curtailed. Ablutions, getting in or out of bed, bathing and walking became extremely difficult. I couldn't play the Keyboard so I sold it and used the proceeds to upgrade my computer and PG software to continue my musical adventure.

Finally, last year, I was diagnosed with an Immune Disease called Polymyalgea (Many Muscle Pains). The treatment was Steriod tablets which have their own risks.

Fifteen months on and I am now virtually pain free and my various complaints are under control. The main problem with this disease was the damage done to the automotive brain responses. It took me a month, walking each day to retrain my legs to work automatically. A friend compared my early progress to that of a drunken sailor.

Last week I was attempting to enter notation via my computer keyboard and, exasperated, I thought "I can do this faster with a keyboard".

So another Xmas and I bought an M-Audio Oxygen 49 Midi Controller and am having fun. The problem is a repeat of the walking saga - fingers feel like sausages and I need to practice to get some fluency in to my keying. The latency between my brain and fingers needs vast improvment, but I do now own a musical instrument - unless having no sounds of it's own disqualifies it from consideration

The PC coupled with the right software and controller qualifies as a musical instrument.

Conn Victor trumpet, 4th grade, supplied by the school

Not counting the flutaphone, used in third grade to determine who got issued the band instruments.

Mac, was your Olds cornet an Ambassafor? I have one of those as my knock-around practice while travelling horn. Thing is built like a tank. I bought it from Eddie and fixed it up.

My very first guitar was a Sears Silvertone, F-hole, archtop that played like a fencepost and sounded identical. I later bought a blonde Kay acoustic-electric and a Lyle copy of a Gibson Hummingbird. A very sweet-sounding Japanese copy. About 1957, I bought a Fender Stratocaster with Vibrolux amp for about $700 brand new, complete with hard-shell, tweed case. Today, my Strat would fetch a King's Ransom.

A nylon-string Silvertone mail ordered from Sears in 1964. I loaned it to my brother a few years ago. Maybe I'll ask him to bring it to Thanksgiving dinner so I can see how it's doing.

John

When I was seven, I really wanted an electric guitar and I gave my parents no peace until they finally took me down to the local music store. My hands were still too small even for a 3/4 size guitar, so even though what I really, really, wanted was a Fender Stratocaster in red, I ended up with a Uke.

I've lost count of the number of guitars I've had over the years, but I've still got that same uke.

ROG.

A (used) 1960 Harmony Monterey Leader for my 14th birthday ($25). The guitar Elvis played in "GI Blues" and smashed to pieces in "Roustabout" (No, eddie, not the SAME one). Found it in a closet a few months ago and had to glue the bridge back together. Still sounds pretty good.

It was a used Kay acoustic that had telephone wires (13-58s if I remember correctly) for strings and ultra high action, I forgot what I paid for it but it wasn’t much! Six months later I went to a music store and bought a new Harmony acoustic that still had the telephone wires for strings but the action was good enough that I could play it!

From there it was a Fender Jaguar, a Country Gentlemen, a Carvin double neck 6/12 to now a small collection of inexpensive guitars. But it is funny that today my jazz box is strung with 12-52 flat wounds! That is the best way, IMHO, to get a smooth jazz sound.

on sunday lunch time i heard george Lewis playing "when the saints" on family favortes on the radio and i was hooked first thing monday morning i got my father to take me to jennings a local music store and brought a clarinet on hire purchase sent the fdamily mad practising 20 hours a day and within 3 month i was playing in a new orleans jazzband not bad for a fifteen year old

Dave Hoskins

Richard,

Great question, great topic. In fact so good that it has me on a quest to find my 1st instrument, an old square neck Spanish acoustic that I think came with my ancestors on their initial trip from the Canary Islands. I am told that a cousin of mine has kept it since I gave it to him when we were children . . . the saga begins.

I will post findings as they occur.

Later

Hmm, I was around 8 or 9, and the first instrument I actually learned was piano accordeon - don't panic, being a gentleman I no longer try to make noises on one (apologies to Furry)

But that was my sisters', then I tried to learn a bit of piano on my grandmothers piano, but my teacher wasn't really helping and I was lazy anyhow, eventually I got hooked by the local brass band and learned trombone.

Finally, when I was about 14 my mum bought me my very own trombone, a Besson Academy 403 (professional level). I still have that horn and it still sounds great, shame the slide is so ordinary

Current stable has grown a bit but the 2 horns I play most are my Bach 42A (big bore) and my custom Rath R10F (small bore).

One of the surprises of my collection though is a King trombone from about 1918 - can't be exact about the date - that was made for the US Navy, engraved U.S.N. at the factory. I even have the original case, also with U.S.N on it in what looks like it might have been gold leaf, but someone painted over it

This horn sounds amazing and I plan to use it more often, especially for the odd Dixie gig I do, but my absolute favourite is my Custom Rath - the thing almost plays itself

I guess my first instrument was a violin my parents bought me when I was around ten or so. It was used and I don't remember the brand. I played it for a year or so until I found out violin wasn't a 'cool' instrument.

I didn't play anything until I was in my 20s and wanted to jam with some musician friends. Since there was a drummer and a couple of guitarists I decided bass might be the way to go so I bought an Odyssey bass and started trying to learn to play it. I consider this to be my real 'first' instrument.

I have since owned a number of basses. A Fender P-Lyte and Rickenbacker 4001 both of which I've since sold. I currently have a Gretsch Committee, Tunebass Maniac and Ibanez SR500 and SR300.

My first instrument. I was 4 yrs 10 months old when I started music lessons.

like others have said, I had limited access to family instruments like an old archtop and an out-of-tune piano received from the church that closed down the street. But the first instrument that was mine was a Harmony Rocket my dad bought me in the 70's. The one in the pic looks like it but my first one had only a single pickup. It got stolen from the backseat of my 64 Rambler and I went to a local music shop and replaced it with the dual pickup version. Later gave it to a buddy when I bought my Les Paul.

http://www.12fret.com/wordpress/wp-conte...H54_1969(C).jpg

Just the other day I thought I'd pick one up cheap on the internet for old times sake and was shocked at how much they go for!

Knackered old upright in the basement that had to have been built into the house. We had to disassemble it to get it out of the house.

Never held tune, missing a couple hammers, ivory pieces broken off in various degrees in middle 3 octaves or so. But we used it until we got a Baldwin in the family room upstairs.

3rd grade recorder.

5th grade garage sale Olds trombone.

12th grade Peavey Milestone Electric guitar for graduation present.

Hey you know what?

I forgot about what was my real very own "first instrument".

It was a plastic "Flutophone" -- a late 40's or early 50's marketed thing that was basically a Recorder made of plastic with more of a police whistle type mouthpiece and a large bell at the bidness end.

Worked fairly well for figuring out songs in the key of C that were based on the Major Scale.


--Mac

I used to tell that same joke but mine was "He pressed a key and asked 'What note is this?'" and I said "Oh gee...."

let's see... how to begin...?

I'll start by saying that my dad was a strange combination of inventive, unconventional and um, frugal. So when The Beatles popularity left me wanting a guitar, here's what dad came up with:

1) He took a metal gasoline can and fastened a piece of aluminum tubing from a discarded TV antenna to it

2) then he cut a sound hole in the can using tin snips. Since in his world, smooth edges were for sissies, the sharp snipped metal edges were left intact (which is more than I can say for the skin on my fingers after trying to play it)

3) He took a roll of #10 electrical wire, stripped off the sheathing and screwed it directly to the can with sheet metal screws. (apparently this was to be an ELECTRIC guitar)

4) for a headstock, he screwed a sawed-off piece of 2x4 to the other end of the aluminum tube, and hard-wired the other end of the electric wires to it. No tuners. I had to be satisfied with whatever frequency it generated when I plucked the, um, strings.

Sounds like I'm kidding, but I'm as serious as a heart attack. Mom must have talked to him, though, because eventually a store bought guitar showed up under the Christmas tree. Unfortunately, it was almost as unplayable as the gas-can-tar.

Simply hilarious, Pat! It belongs in my humor thread. Thanks for the giggles.

You've gotta give your dad an "A" for effort. It probably took a few hours to put that thing together.

Great story Pat!

Later,

Based on my own and countless others' experience with substandard axes and well-meaning but ill-informed parental involvement, my son's first personal instrument was a Squier Strat which I picked out of several for sound and playability, along with a used Fender 40-watt amp with a 12-inch speaker.

I took him shopping with me at Guitar Center. He wanted a cheap but cool-looking B.C Rich that we saw. Even though he couldn't play, I made him handle the Strat first, on which the neck and action were very good. The neck on the Rich felt like a 2x4, with action to match. Even he could tell the difference and agreed that the Squier was the better choice. It had a transparent red finish, unusual for an inexpensive ($150) knockoff, even if it was a Fender.

I was famous in my little family for buying Christmas gifts for the children while they were present without their knowing. This was no different, although it was the last time I was able to pull that off. We went out to the car without having made a purchase. I said I had forgotten my checkbook inside, then went back in and did the deal, with my son none the wiser. I picked up the rig a couple of days later.

It showed up under the tree with the amp and all necessary accessories, including a Roland stomp box chorus. The look on his face was priceless. I told him that if he had been able to play he could have started gigging immediately. He still had no idea just how good the guitar was until I told him in all sincerity that I might want to borrow it some time. That impressed him.

Part of the deal was that I would give him lessons. Within a few weeks he was playing rhythm to my blues leads. Not long after that he played in public at a school function. The whole thing was an incredible bonding experience which we both enjoyed immensely.

Way to go Ryszard!

My college age son just informed me that he wants to learn guitar and there's a used Michael Kelly Visionary V5 stashed away here. Very cool neck adjustment capability that I've only seen on Jeff Babicz' customs called the Variable Set Neck. Craigslist buy.

Mine was a Fiddle I got at 6 years old, still have it.

Ryzard, would you adopt me because there is this GORGEOUS Paul Reed Smith Mira on Craigslist and Christmas is coming....

I wish I could, Eddie. There is a sad addendum to the story I told. My son and I have been estranged since 2006. He no longer speaks to me, nor does he respond to phone calls or e-mail messages and I have no idea why. Until that changes all I can do is hope and pray. I like to think he still has and plays that guitar, or a better one.

My first instrument at 10 years old was a Horner Harmonica that a buddy of mine gave me as he had NO interest in music at all. his mother although discovered 6 months later that he "gave" it me and promply repossed it.

My OWN real instrument was a nylon stringed no-name brand guitarthat quite litereally fell of a removal truck. I was 15 and thiught i'll fix itby glueing some pieces back and then thought i will "restore" it by varnishing it. The sound died with it and sounded as if i stuffed it with a blanket!!!!

On the 28th january 1973 i bought an Ibanez 12 string with my first paycheck and it is still my favourite today ....

A teacher came into class and announced that we all had the opportunity to loan a brass instrument, come after school. I joined the queue four hours early to ensure I got first pick. I got that first place, but I was also last - no one else bothered!
I took home a trombone (no trumpets) and I call still remember lubing those slides and the smell of brasso. As soon as I could I switched to cornet.

My first instrument was a recorder that I have learnt to play in first grade. A couple of years ago it went into the fireplace because it was not playable anymore. It sounded like being in vocal break. (It resisted the fire quite some time.)

After playing the recorder for about three years I went to play my dad's Hohner Verdi IIIm accordion. (I still have that accordion.) Later his guitar, a Tellson Nr. 10 (that I also still have). The accordion was huge for an eight year old, as well as that archtop for my tiny hands back then.

Somebody gave me a Hohner Chromonica, but I couldn't get to master that one. I always had too much air in my lungs or not nearly enough to blow the next tone.

The first guitar I bought was a ES 175 look-alike by Maya. It is still in my dad's place -- I'm going to practice with this one while I'm visiting him for his 81st birthday...

After that there was a pedal steel guitar, another guitar and another...

Guido


Edit: added some information.

Like Guido my first instrument was the recorder. I learned to play it in the 1st grade also. The next year I took up violin, which I played until I was 14. When I was 17 I got my first electric hollow body guitar and amp. I spent hours on end teaching myself how to play chords and such.

Later I graduated to a Kay solid body guitar with 3 pickups. After that I got a Fender Strat. (Used) I now own (to make a long story short) a Gibson SG-1, a Strat Knock off, a hollow body guitar which you've heard in some of my recordings and a
Fender MB5 bass. That's about the size of it.

Like Russ, mine was also a recorder. I loathed it and dearly wanted piano lessons instead. Parents said they couldn't afford it

Furry, no one hearing you play today would doubt that you were taught by a master. I recognize a lot of "you" in your playing and that's the greatest compliment of all.

SYNTAX ERROR
SYNTAX ERROR
SYNTAX ERROR

IF ELSE GOTO LINE 870023
DOUBT = MASTER
TAUGHT = NOT MASTER

Student size off brand guitar was my first instrument.

When I was about 13 and all my class mates where getting guitars I nagged my mum endlessly to get me one. She went on holiday to South Africa and brought me back a nylon string Washburn . I think it cost R50 (about 5 dollars) which was a lot of money back then. In those days we were living in Zim and there were all sorts of restrictions on bringing stuff into the country. So my mum put on some hippy clothes and slung the guitar over her back like she always travels with her guitar. I really only started to play so that I could accompany myself singing and even today my guitar playing is a bit shoddy..something I am determined to put right in 2013!!

I somehow got a hold of some cheap no-name acoustic when I was around 6. I taught myself to play with the help of Mel Bay. Won the elementary school talent show the next year with the Beatles "Yesterday".