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Some of us started on super el cheapo guitars, others a little better. I was thinking how much fun I've had trying and buying, upgrading and modding guitars to get to where I am now.

What have been the highlights, or lowlights of your gear history?


I learned on a kawai nylon string. Borrowed a Yamaha Nylon string to learn on.

Then I bought my current MIJ Squier which has been tweaked a little, but not too much. I've changed pups about 3 times, to some unknown brand, then back, then the Noiseless, then the MIA standards in there now.

I've had a few Ibanii electrics, a Jackson I regret selling and some Epiphone LP (Special, 100 and the Zakk Wylde custom)

It's been an interesting journey to what I have now, and I still have a way to go.
    Getting new toys is great. Let's see... I did:

    2000:
    Learned a few chords and things on a real crappo nylon for a month or two.
    Got my Epiphone Les Paul + Marshall VS15R

    2001:
    Swapped the pickups with Seymour Duncans cuz they squealed easily

    2002:
    Got Washburn acoustic, sold Washburn acoustic. Don't like air inside my guitars.

    2002-2011: Played played played played played.

    2009:
    Bought Peavey Valveking 50Watt
    Bought Blackstar HT5

    2010:
    Sold Valveking, too loud
    Bought DD7, Hardwire Overdrive

    2011:
    Bought wah, Korg Pitchblack
    Got Tokai Les Paul
    Got 18 watt head + Cab
    Installed Bareknuckles in Tokai

    2012:
    Swapped Epi's Seymours for Tonerider Rebel 90s. Epi is now my slide guitar.

    Highlights:
    Building my own amp, playing with Hellfire, getting my first valve amp, getting my first real Les Paul

    Low point:
    2008 in which I didn't touch my guitar once. ☹



    I think I'm doing rather well, seeing I can remember after 12 years every guitar toy I bought, ever ?
      You got time for 30 years of intense GAS addiction? ? Up to 28 at my "worst", down to 1 at "best" and currently hovering around five. And that's just the guitars...

      Why "paradox" though?
        There goes Koos, a Boxer on one leash and a German Shepherd on another. Now. that's a real paradox !





        Sorry, couldn't resist it ! ? ? ?
          After reading Don's and Ez's list... I feel like a Mika ? or an Alan
            Alan Ratcliffe wrote: You got time for 30 years of intense GAS addiction? ?
            well you did mention that you are writing your second book, no?

            ?
              I started playing on a 70's Epi acoustic.

              First electric guitar was a samick LP into a Peavey solidstate amp, followed by a Epi LP into a Marshall Valvestate. Sold the Marshall and got a vintage Fender bandmaster head and 2x12. This lead to a tweed Fender Bues Junior, which I traded towards a Silverface Deluxe reverb. The bandmaster was sold. Then I got a 1969 plexi Marshall Super PA, Peavey classic 30 which I eventually sold, an early 60's Vox AC30, a blackface Super Reverb and a Ceriatone Matchless clone. Sold a little Champ 600 along the way too.

              Guitarwise the Epi made room for a Japanese strat, then I got a 2003 LP std which I sold, a 1997 ES-335 that was ripped off, a '99 59 reissue les paul and a 62 reissue SG. Then the vintage bug bit and 3 60's archtops were added and a modern Hummingbird.

              So I guess it went from solidstate, to valvestate, to all valve, to vintage.
              Guitars went from solidbodies to archtops.
              I think spending waaay too much time on the internet funded most of my GAS tbh. I would lvoe to scale down, but how do you sell your children ?
                I see no joy in GAS or the journey and is nothing but a waste of time , and money, it's a curse most of us share An addiction. I'm cursed with it and wish i could have been like wes montgomery who is on record as being gas free and played his one L 5 most of his career and when if needed a ES 175 he loaned one and used whatever amp was handy and was iconic tonally but it was his technique of using his thumb only to play with and only the fleshy bit that made his distinctive tone not his gear . His famous quote was when he was asked why he didn't want gibson to make him a custom guitar which they offered to do , he replied , ' i like using a standard model cos if i ever drop my box ( what jazz guitars were known as ) i can just pick up someone elses and play ' so if i could do it all over i would buy one descent top end guitar and another for backup and one good amp and never buy again ? but thats just a fantasy world ?
                  I've never sold only bought.
                  I guess it's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n roll.
                    Buy: 1/2 half sized nylon which I kept for waay to long. (2004 maybe) Turned out to be a decent brand.
                    Borrow: Pacifica
                    Buy: Jackson Kelly JS30 (lol, I typed "Jackson Jelly" the first time) (2006)
                    Buy: Roland Cube 30
                    Buy: Ibanez RGA32
                    Borrow: Full sized bad nylon string.
                    Sell: 1/2 sized nylon string
                    Buy: Ibanez RG7321 (2011)
                    Buy: Hiwatt G100R (meh, haven't grown to love it unfortunately) (2012)
                    Wanting to sell: Jackson Kelly

                    I think the order is right, the Cube may have been bought before the Kelly.
                      If memory serves me, it goes something like this (not including pedals):



                      1985
                      Given an Aria acoustic for Xmas.

                      1988
                      Bought a 2nd hand Hohner “Super Strat” (HSS, Kahler-style trem with locking nut)
                      Bought a 2nd hand Gorilla 15W (I think it was) practice amp

                      1991
                      Bought a new Washburn N3
                      Bought a new Marshall Valvestate 40W combo
                      Sold the Hohner “Super Strat”
                      Sold the Gorilla 15W practice amp

                      1998
                      Bought a new MIA Fender Hendrix Tribute Voodoo Stratocaster

                      1999
                      Bought a new Marshall TSL 2x12 100W combo
                      Sold the Washburn N3
                      Threw the Marshall Valvestate 40W combo away after it stopped working

                      2001
                      Bought a new Takamine G Series acoustic

                      2004
                      Bought a new Gibson Les Paul Faded Double-cut
                      Bought a new Marshall MG15-MSII (the MG series 15W mini-stack)
                      Bought a new Seagull S6+CW after the Takamine took a nosedive that decapitated it (later fixed)

                      2005
                      Bought a new VOX AC30 CC2
                      Sold the Marshall TSL 2x12 100W combo

                      2007
                      Bought a new Fender Muddy Waters signature Telecaster

                      2008
                      Bought a Mesa Lonestar Special 2x12 combo
                      Upgraded the Tele, Strat and Les Paul with new Seymour Duncan pickups

                      2010
                      Bought a new Taylor 714ce LTD
                      Bought a new Mesa TransAtlantic TA-15 head with two black Lonestar 1x12 cabs

                      2011
                      Bought new Fender Custom Shop Custom Classic Stratocaster
                      Bought 2nd hand MIA Fender Hendrix Tribute Voodoo Stratocaster
                      Sold Gibson Les Paul Faded Double-cut

                      2012
                      Bought Taylor GS Mini
                      Sold Fender Muddy Waters signature Telecaster
                      Donated Takamine G Series acoustic to a mate for his son



                      So at the moment my current guitar inventory (not including pedals) is as follows:

                      Electrics
                      Two MIA Fender Hendrix Tribute Voodoo Stratocasters
                      Fender Custom Shop Custom Classic Stratocaster

                      Acoustics
                      Taylor 714ce LTD
                      Taylor GS Mini
                      Seagull S6+CW

                      Amps
                      Mesa Lonestar Special 2x12
                      Mesa TransAtlantic TA-15 Head with two 1x12 Mesa cabs
                      VOX AC30 CC2
                      Marshall MG15-MSII
                        Alan Ratcliffe wrote: Why "paradox" though?
                        We buy because we love it, then sell it because it sucks. We think it's perfect then mod the heck out of it. It's a bit crazy isn't it?
                        MikeM wrote: After reading Don's and Ez's list... I feel like a Mika ? or an Alan
                        I had 12 at one stage. My amp list is less exciting. Actually if you consider the cheap nonsense that's passed through my ranks, which I don't it gets a little longer.

                        I was so disappointed recently, a friend said she bought her husband a Gibson Flying V. I went to see it and it was the Jackson... :-\
                          Ahhhh alright. Makes me feel a bit better ? Yea I've had 4 Epi LPs pass through my hands over the years. Couple of Fenders, few Corts and Ibanez, still got a handful of Yamahas..

                          One thing I can say is that the only way to really learn what works for you and what doesn't, is to test it out yourself.
                            Ok....

                            Around 1978: Steelstring acoustic, no name, bought at a furniture store. Warped neck, I suspect it was catching sun in the storefront window for years. I never actually managed to learn anything with it. I eventually spraypainted it gold, and with a Letraset (remember those?) wrote "Gibson FG95" or some number on the headstock. Don't know what happened to that guitar.

                            Around 1981: Yamaha FG325 steelstring acoustic, brand new, from a music shop...my first real guitar, the one I learned chords on, and still the one I grab first if I just want to check something out.

                            1995: Went to town to buy groceries, came back six hours later without groceries but with an Ibanez RX, basically a HSS strat copy. And a 9V battery operated Marshall practice amp. Bothners had a special that day. The sound was really disappointing, and my playing ability was as much to blame as the kit. I eventually discovered a reasonable distorted sound if I turned the gain and volume all the way up, and plugged tiny earphones into the amp.

                            1999: Regal resophonic, a 1928 model...my first vintage guitar, for all of R400 in an antique shop!

                            2001: Bought a Zoom 505 pedal and a Roland Bluescube amp. It's only around this time that I began playing more. Got a Cort steelstring acoustic with Fishman preamp. Got a very old copy of Cakewalk and began fooling around with recording.

                            And then I joined GFSA a few years ago and my GAS just took off...in relatively quick succession I got:

                            Godin Solidac, grabbed off EBay - still one of two favourite guitars.
                            Yamaha Nylonstring
                            Fender Strat - the other favourite. Upgraded the electronics to David Gilmour's black strat specs.
                            Hamer (from Alan) - also a lekker guitar, nice P90's
                            At least 20 pedals
                            MIDI keyboard
                            Edirol soundcard
                            Software galore....Sonar, Guitar Rig, you name it.
                            Blackstar HT 5 amp

                            Thinking of getting a nice bass guitar sometime. And perhaps an electronic drum kit (I figured drumming is better than going to the gym).

                            I'm keeping a few guitars for a friend who works overseas...all in all, there are 14 guitars in my guitar room now, amongst others a custom shop strat, tele, national steel reso, . I converted the old double garage into a home studio. Acoustic treatment, the lot...

                            GAS can never be cured, it can at best only be palliated to some extent...
                              Paradox? It's a sickness! ??? And it's a sad tale sometimes along the way...
                              1969- at 12 years of age began learning on my dad's Gibson Southern Jumbo
                              1970- Received a Framus for christmas from Grampa
                              1973- began playing drums in a country band in the bars (at 16)- no guitar for 8 years
                              1981- Quit drums and bought a Yamaha SC1200 and a Peavey Classic VTX and started playing lead guitar in a country band
                              1984- Quit playing professionally to make some real money in the real world, but kept my equipment
                              1987- My dad's second wife sold my dad's Gibson for beer money in Nashville (Dad had a heart attack and wasn't the same anymore)
                              1992- Bought my dad's 1984 Takamine (Blue cutaway, handmade) before the b***** could sell that one!
                              1992-2010- Just out there making a living in the business world- only playing at camp fire/braais
                              2010- Fast forward- moved to RSA and I got GAS!
                              In less than two years:
                              2006 Tele mim
                              2009 Tele American Special
                              2011 Gibson Les Paul Studio Pro Plus- red velvet flame top
                              2011 Telebration Flame Top Telecaster 60th Ann.
                              2011 Logan Custom Butterscotch Blackguard Blonde Tele
                              2011 Logan Custom Esquire relic Tele
                              2004 Strat mim
                              2011 Baby Taylor
                              2011 Taylor 114 ce
                              2002 P-bass mim
                              And I just ordered a custom telecaster based on a 52 Hot Rod

                              My wife has started looking for a shrink!

                                Hi Rebel. I may have missed it, but if I haven't, how about posting some pics of your gear in the My gear section ?
                                  If I had all the money I've ever spent on guitars and gear ....








                                  I'd spend it all on guitars and gear AGAIN!!! ?
                                    RoyC wrote: If I had all the money I've ever spent on guitars and gear ....

                                    I'd spend it all on guitars and gear AGAIN!!! ?
                                    Well said that man! :applause:
                                      RoyC wrote: If I had all the money I've ever spent on guitars and gear ....
                                      I'd spend it all on guitars and gear AGAIN!!! ?
                                      LOL ....... absolutely Roy, me too!! ?
                                        the first guitar I learned to play on was this baby (featured in GFSA under "Granny's makeover"), it usually had missing and rusty strings,, and looks a lot better today than back then.


                                        the first guitar I owned my father bought me from a place in JHB called Magnet Music,,sometime in the middle 70's,,, for R75.. its a Hofner Classical,, that I still own today


                                        there's been some guitars I've let go that I really don't mind,,, like my Ovation Breadwinner,, funny looking guitar shaped like an axe, it had active electronics but had a pretty cr@p sound,,,


                                        I should not have sold my Lake Placid Blue MIJ Strat....


                                        but the cherry on the cake was when I got married and decided to swop my 50w Marshall amp with a 2x15" Celestion Cab sometime in the early 80's (yep that was me in the corner... :roflmao?


                                        for one of these,,which I thought was 'state of the art' technology at the time....with Ronnie (Ronnie from Ronniesallbandandstrumit)


                                        Sense prevailed and I still have my '72 Les Paul Deluxe.....
                                        I shall now hang my head in shame and leave the room....... ?