rmchrgr said

I always enjoy guitar threads on car forums. Gearheads are gearheads no matter what the discipline.

I started playing in the '80s when I was a teenager so I guess it's around 35 years now. Truthfully, I'm a basement rockstar though and pretty much a total hack. I played in bands when I was younger and recorded plenty of times but that ship sailed a long time ago. Regardless, I still play guitar pretty much daily and feel weird when I don't. It's almost meditative.

I have not read through the whole thread here but I do agree with the idea that you should buy the best guitar you can afford. When I bought my Les Paul it was night and day compared to the crappy Ibanez shredder thing I started with and my playing improved much quicker. It's like trying to make power with a 318. It can be done but it's easier with a 360 and the results will always be better.

Since we all love a picture show, here's my junk.

'79 Les Paul. I've had it 30 years now. Heavy MF'er. Mahogany slab body with maple top and neck. Sounds guttural.
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'75 Gibson Flying V. Not a copy. Also sounds guttural. Had a '70s DiMarzio Super Distortion pickup in the bridge but I swapped it out for the original T Top that was in the neck position. I'm a simple guy, I don't need a neck pickup.
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2011 Les Paul Junior "Guitar Center Special". I stripped the crummy original tobacco burst finish off, grain filled and tung oiled the wood, changed the pickup, ditched the stupid coil tap and upgraded the tuning pegs to Grovers. Rock'n'roll machine.
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Here are my "lawsuit" guitars. Both are early '80s Grecos and are really nice players. Japanese copies are actually very good options for vintage guitars since they usually sell for much less than the originals and in some cases are even better made. Very hard to tell much difference between my '75 V and the Greco.
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Couple of my amps. My '78 Marshall 50W JMP is the one on top of the 4x12 cab without the head box. I have one for it though. The 2x12 cab sounds amazing with the '70's Celestion 25W Greenbacks that are in it.
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Killer 18W Fender Champ II, almost sounds like a mini Marshall. I turned it into a head last year.
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Here's a clip of me noodling. I like Black Sabbath. A lot.


Bottom line, just play and do it for the enjoyment. There's no rules except that it should be fun or at least satisfying on some level. If it's not, you're doing it wrong.

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