My fiance gave me an inexpensive nylon-stringed classical guitar 17 or 18 years ago (I think it was from the JC Penny catalog, or is that catalogue?). I learned "Red River Valley" on it, and thought it sounded like a toy.

In my infinite wisdom, I decided what I needed was a good set of steel strings.

Two weeks later I couldn't get it to stay in tune, and, while playing "Tom Dooley", the bridge ripped itself from the laminate top.

I didn't play again for nearly 15 years, when the same woman (now my wife) gave me a Jasmine for my birthday. Not a Martin, or a Taylor, but a really nice instrument which I have been playing now for a little over two years.

Access to music to play is key for anyone just starting out. I had limited resources for buying songbooks when I was a teenager. That was back in the Stone Age before the Internet.  I’m so glad I started to play again and I must say that I wouldn’t have been able to do it without Chordie!

couldn't agree more, recently started to learn on an Encore (the strat lookalike model) which i got off Ebay on a whim,

ok, fair enough, a lot of more experienced guitarists might mock the Encore brand but its not a bad little starter and it will do until i decide to spend out on something a little pricier.

as for the wonders of the web and learning, well, i've spent a good few quid on books, dvds and even cd-roms to learn the guitar and to be honest, after i'd learnt a few of the basic chords i started to look online for songs that are a bit more to my liking than the nursery rhymes you get in the books and my playing is improving at a much better rate

I got my first guitar at age 15, which was 35 years ago. Does that make me an old-timer too?

I am 10 years older than you and I certainly am not an 'old-timer' yet. You are still a kid.:lol:

Roger

My first REAL guitar was a Guild D25 Mahogany. Got that for sweet 16.  In 1976, my first husband sold it for $100 to put a windshield in his '66 Impala.  The guy who bought it still has it and uses it to perform.  (Now that I’ve bought myself a new guitar, I’m no longer “allowed"  to tell that story, which was told with much emotion and full of expletives!)

25 years ago I bought a used 1968 Yamaha FG180 from the commune-dwelling daughter of certified hippies, who were the original owners. I  still have it. I had repairs done on it back then, and replaced the tuning machines with Grovers. My second husband managed to discourage me from playing and I didn’t play for about 20 years.  The poor Yamaha sat in a case that entire time, drying out.  Last year some friends encouraged me to start playing again, and I also had the guitar repaired again. It sounds great but I found it just too big to be comfortable playing it. (Is my age showing yet?)

Last year I treated myself to a new guitar. I was specifically looking for a smaller guitar and ended up buying a Martin CXE Black electric/acoustic. It's one of their least expensive guitars but it has a great sound, even though it's made from a combination of wood composite and laminated wood neck. No endangered hardwoods were used in its manufacture.  It’s very easy to play, sounds like a big guitar, and is much smaller then the Yamaha dreadnought.  It’s a great guitar but it’s cheapness shows. The manufacturer’s mark isn’t stamped on the wood; it’s a sticker, which wanted to come off until I pressed it on more firmly. And the gold lettering on the head is just stickers and one of them came off after I parked a clamp-on capo there. 

Access to music to play is key for anyone just starting out. I had limited resources for buying songbooks when I was a teenager. That was back in the Stone Age before the Internet.  I’m so glad I started to play again and I must say that I wouldn’t have been able to do it without Chordie!

Won 50 quid on the premium bonds when I was 18 so I went out and bought a Fender F3 Flat top accoustic.

Dropped it once and the neck started to split from the body. Fortunately some good wood glue fixed that. Then I leant it to someone and they put a big dent in it. So it's pretty battered but I've still got it at home in the UK. It still sounds great and very easy to play.

It was Christmas 1958, I was 11 and both my brother Colin and I received a 4 string, plastic guitar with Elvis Presley badges on it. It came with an 'autochord', a plasic box that strapped on the fingerboard with buttons to press to play the chords so no sore fingers. We were soon playing "Home On The Range" (the only one that remember that came with it's songbook) until the 'autochord' broke, then it was sore finger time. Unfortunately the plastic frets did not last too long neither and so those guitars have long since been destroyed but I do wish I had kept mine.

Roger

I just gave it to a close friend of mine.  She's playing it every day now, too.

badeye wrote:

Hey DocPhil we are not getting older we are getting better.

Have a great day...Badeye

Speak for yourself.  Between arthritis and weakening vision, I'm just getting older. 

I hear you Zurf, My eyesight isn't what it used to be, have some creeking bones too, but still enjoy my self with friends.
We laugh a lot,and play music .

have a good one...  Badeye

Hey DocPhil we are not getting older we are getting better.

Have a great day...Badeye

Speak for yourself.  Between arthritis and weakening vision, I'm just getting older.