I'd begged my father for a guitar from the very first time I saw the video for Quiet Riot's rendition of Cum On Feel The Noize. My father, being ex-military and a hater of all things rock-n-roll as was the average parent of the 1980's, I waited five years. I was 14 when my grandmother finally gave me a guitar, realizing my father would never encourage the skill. She bought me a 3/4 scale jazz guitar right out of the Sears catalog.

The year was 1987, and I took to it like a duck to water. I would play in my bedroom after school until my fingers bled, and then I'd fill my fingertips with super glue so I could keep practicing. Three years later, my guitar teacher "graduated" me because I was teaching him 8-finger techniques.

I played in various bands from 1989 to 1995, when I went to college. Engineering degree. My guitars sat in cases for years. I picked them up again in 2001 when I had a chance to do some work on a local radio station, where I did backing tracks for commercials they produced in-house. It was there I met a producer, who was also a singer and lead guitarist. We formed a band and played together until 2004, when he got married and moved away.

And again my guitars sat. By 2004, my career dominated my life... 50, 60... sometimes 80 hours weeks.

A while back I had a chance to go into business with a friend. To slow down. I took it. Now I have a quiet office job in the middle-of-nowhere, and I've moved one of my old guitar rigs and my 1991 Ibanez RG770DXLB out to the office where I can literally crank it up to 11 and the nearest neighbor (a quarter mile away) probably wouldn't hear much. I have all day here to practice, something I'm sure most guitarists my age wish they had again.

BUT...

... my skills are WAY rusty. I was reading the exercises and lessons - and I made the mistake of starting to try some things on Level 6+, after 7-8 years of not having touched an instrument. I'm currently working in the 3-4 area to get my hands to work like they used to. The muscles remember and it's quick to return, but I'm still a much duller blade than I once was. I require a lot more sharpening!

Musical influences? Vai, big time. Dream Theater/Petrucci. Anything Paul Gilbert, Green-Tinted 60's Mind is my all-time favorite song to cover. Iron Maiden. George Lynch. Lots of late 80's pop-metal influences. And a few of the classics... Les Paul/Mary Ford, Zep, Ronnie Montrose, etc. If it involves rock music and a guitar, it's probably music that'll interest me.

I am an Ibanez collector, save for my first really good guitar (an '89 Charvel 375 Deluxe) and my hand-made custom twin-V. The rest are all Ibanez.

- The afore mentioned 1991 770DXLB (LG = Laser Blue) ... my first Ibanez, purchased new in Rockledge, FL in July 1992. Been enamoured with this guitar for almost 20 years now. In excellent condition, never been in anyone's hands but mine.
- 1992 RG570EG (eg=emerald green)... mint condition, my wife's guitar which I've inherited. She never learned to play, had it since July '92.
- 2001 UV777BK - The "Universe" Vai model that's been around for a decade. Awesome guitar, but I never really got to use it. My band at the time was a little too limited. Hoping to get to know this guitar better after 10 years in my collection.
2004 RG2770FMTB - The prize of the collection, it's a Japanese market super-strat I managed to import to Florida. Documented 1 of 12 made. Ultra-rare, currently tied w/my '91 for favorite all-around player.

I also got into building guitars. I built a replica Vinnie Vincent "Double V" in 2009. This is actually the guitar that really inspired me to play. Couldn't own an original (most are owned by Vinnie himself)... so I drew one in AutoCAD, cut it out on a CNC wood mill, and did the rest by hand. I "kind of" cheated. I used a neck off a Jackson DKMG, I just glued a block of wood to the bottom of the neck and reshaped it to fit the Ibanez neck pocket. This is me building it the day it came back from the paint shop. The guy who painted my Mustang coupe painted this guitar to match my car.



The finished result.



Its "shrine" at my house. Who knows... I might have played the tuba were it not for this guitar!



So... that's me in a single post. I'm looking forward to getting my skills back where they should be... and beyond. I have to go practice now. I saw Ben playing in the chat and I feel an extreme need to slink into a corner and practice.

A lot.

-Roger (aka Bluestreak)

You're in the right place. I have a feeling you'll sharpen your skills quicker than you think!!

Great intro ,and welcome to GMC ,man ! Here is another Ibanez collector . Give me some pictures to look at !!!

Welcome! awesome guitar you have there. Love the colors! GMC is the place to be for activities to sharpen your skills. you will of course have to apply what you learn, but lots of collaborations, online chats and tons of great info in the forums. Get involved to get the most out of the site. Welcome aboard!

Welcome Roger! I really like your attitude and the will to learn, with that approach you'll surely go far with the guitar playing. Rushing the hardest lessons a mistake, getting down all the basics is what makes a successful guitarist. I'm sure you'll find here everything you need to achieve your goals, and I wish you the best of luck in that.

Hi Roger! It's nice to meet you! I love Quite Riot version of Come Feel The Noise! It's originally was done by an English glam band called Slade! For some reason they've never made it big in the US but had a lot of great songs!
I absolutely love your guitars you have a great collection! And I am sure you will be in shape very quick! It's great to see you here!

Hey man! That's one story which could make a nice biography on a famous band's website

Welcome to GMC! We're one big happy family here and you just joined us feel free to explore and find the good stuff! Have you checked out any of the video chat sessions until now? If not, check out the bottom of the homepage for a detailed view on the schedule each of of us instructors are hosting one session each week and you can ask us anything you wish to know live

My session happens each Thursday at 8PM London time and I'd be honored to have you as a guest!

all the best

Cosmin

I've been addicted to Ibanez since I got my 770DX. I'm a smaller guy, 5'6" and 140-lbs. holding a bag of bricks. My small hands and thin fingers just fit the Ibanez necks best, so they're really all I play. I've owned a ton of them over the years - notables? A 540PII (red), a S540FMTT, and more RG's than I can possibly count have passed through my collection. Most are gone now (sold off while I wasn't playing over the years) but the ones pictured below are the keepers. All bone-stock except the RG570EG, it has a DiMarzio Evolution in the bridge because I couldn't STAND the stock V-pickup.

The Ibanez collection.

L to R: 770DXLB, 2770FMTB, RG570EG, UV777BK

I've got an RG7621 (fixed-bridge 7-string) that is currently torn apart, too. I'm customizing it to match my other car. I also have a car fetish, I have three muscle cars at home. And a VERY understanding wife.




Ha! I've just lived a lot for a 38-y/o guy. I never got famous, other than hearing my guitar riffs in the background of used car lot ads on the radio stations. I never wanted fame, but I was addicted to playing on stage back in the day! And the girls, but that's another story!

I had a chance to watch part of Ben's chat yesterday. Out-freaking-standing stuff. I'm amazed at the high quality of pro-am guitarists who've come along in the 8 years since I stopped playing. Let's think... if you're on @8pm London time, that means 3pm here. I'll probably be sitting here in my office practicing anyway, so I'll make sure I log on.

Warm welcomes appreciated. I'm off to practice now!

-R

Hey Roger, what a cool intro ! Love that guitar !!

I also wanna hear about this Mustang of yours......





Yes, I need to see these !!

This post has been edited by Ben Higgins: Jan 25 2012, 07:04 PM

I need to take a break anyway. I don't have the callouses I used to have, either. Wow they're achy at the moment!

My Trans Am. Purchased new in April 1999, this is the 30th Anniversary Edition. It was my present to myself for graduating engineering school. I bought it with 0.9 miles on the odometer. It has an LS6 ('02 Corvette Z06) engine, ported LS6 Heads, custom cam, long tube headers, Corvette Z06 hydraulics, makes 441-hp/421-tq, 11.88s@117mph quarter mile. This is the car I'm building the RG7621 guitar to match.



My Grandville. Bought it from the original owner in 1992. A rare Pontiac convertible, sister-car to the 1973 Cadillac Eldorado, but with Pontiac markings. Only car known, documented by Pontiac Historical Services, 1-of-1 with the Trans Am 400 motor and triple white color (int, ext, conv. top are all white). This car is so rare and valuable I basically start it once a month, move it out of the garage, clean its parking spot, lube the car up, put the top up and down a few times.... then put it back in the garage under its cover.



My Mustang. I hand-built this car from the ground up from 2002-2006. 1985 Mustang chassis, 1992 body panels, GT40 crate 302 engine, ported X heads, shorty headers, custom EEC-IV chip, Steeda suspension, Tremec TKO600 5-speed trans, 8.8" Moser rear end, Baer claw brakes, full interior sound-deadening, stereo w/iPod, Bluetooth and phone connectivity, AC, full power group (seats, windows, mirrors, etc). That doesn't scratch the surface of this car... too many mods to list. This is my daily driver so it has ALL the creature comforts and still runs a high 12-sec quarter. The chassis has over 238,000 miles on it, about 150,000 of those miles put there by me.



I also happen to be a Ford Motor Co. factory certified technician. I tend to take my hobbies to the extreme.

-R

It seems we have a collector soul on GMC! Welcome aboard man, those are some fine items, respect for you! That's a very nice story too. I'm sure you will manage here at GMC, if you don't we are here to help you with anything you need!

Nice wheels R ! Anyone who has a Mustang as a daily driver has my respect !

Hey man and welcome! I haven't been here long but it's a great site! You anywhere near Ocala?

The white Grandville is a jewel! I always wanted a car like that

I've driven that car literally from one end of Florida to another, Pensacola to Key West. Never once left me stranded. And I haven't had a car payment since 2002.


Central Orlando near the university, and I work in south Orlando/St. Cloud.


That's my "land yacht", as I call it. It's so big it fits in my garage with about 2-inches to spare. I bought it from the son of an old lady who'd passed away in 1992, she bought the car new in November 1972 (a year before I was born!). Complete with adjustable air shocks, it's like riding around on your living room sofa. It still runs great (never been rebuilt) and doesn't burn or drip the first bit of oil. They just don't make cars that durable anymore. Of course, with a 6.6L V8, it's lucky to get 10-MPG... but like I said, it hardly ever leaves my property except to go down the street when I need to put some gas in it. I'm moving into a bigger place soon with an out-building to use as a workshop, at which time I'm going to strip it to the frame and restore it to original condition. I have boxes upon boxes of parts I've collected over the years for the restoration, but I've never had the space or time to do it. You wouldn't believe the space required to disassemble a car that big. When I built my Mustang it took up three garages for over a month, and that car is tiny in comparison.

Off to do some work then practice. I think there's a chat at 3pm (my time) I want to try to catch, too.

-Roger