I Miss My Guitar Options

[Darfuria]

When I was 12 years old and first started playing the guitar, I bought a 3/4 size nylon string acoustic from a market close to town - that was my first guitar. Naturally, a few weeks in, I decided I wanted to play an electric guitar, and made a deal with my grandparents that I'd pay them £5/week out of the £7 pocket money I got, if they bought me an electric guitar.

So, off to Manson's I went - it was a tiny little shop 8 years ago, not a nice spacious one they have now. I selected a second hand red Korean Squier Stratocaster that I liked the look of, and took it home with me. It has served me well.

Funnily enough, when I started high school, I made a friend called Gavin, and the Squier I bought happened to be his - he had sold it to Mansons to buy a more expensive guitar. That was quite amusing.

My school years were spent around a lot of other guitarists who seemed to believe they would become better guitarists if they had more expensive guitars, so every time a birthday or christmas came around, sure enough, a slightly more expensive one would be in place. Fair enough, the ones who stuck it out have a better technical ability than myself, but for me it has always been about the music. Since I started playing I have bought new guitars, but I have always tried to buy a different guitar instead of a replacement for the one I have (I have an acoustic, semi-acoustic, bass and 12-string now).

I've always loved my Squier, and a little while ago I didn't know that the Korean ones were actually quite special - or, at least more special than the standard Squiers. I've always really liked its tone (well, aside the typical nosiy pickups that you get in a Squier). Yet, since the day I bought it, I've not once had it set up. When I first bought it, I thought it was set up for gauge 10 strings, and I play 9s - so god knows what it has been through these past 8 years.

I dropped it into Manson's yesterday, for a complete set up. They didn't remember it (of course), but I really can't wait to get it back. I told them to lower the action as much as possible, without compromising the playability or sound of the guitar, fix the intonation, and see if they could do anything about the pickups. There aren't any hardware faults, so none of the pots need replacing or anything.

Anyway, I'm really interested to hear and feel the difference when I get it back. Anyone got a similar story?

You are at GuitarMasterClass.net

Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content!

Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content!

[Canis]

I have a Squier sitting in a dark corner... She was my first guitar. She plays bad, sounds worse, and almost literary dies a little bit more every time I touch her
Still, I'll probably never part with her. I'm sentimental when it comes to these things.. The plan is to change pickups, tuners and bridge to "resurrect" her, so to speak, like you're doing

She's a standard Squier Affinite (or whatever it's called) though. Heavily mass-produced, and yet I feel as there is a special bond with her... I love her

You are at GuitarMasterClass.net

Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content!

Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content!

This post has been edited by Canis: May 31 2009, 10:14 PM

[Ivan Milenkovic]

Unfortunately I have no similar story cause I had to sell all the guitars in order to get a new better one. One guitar that I keep as a backup is my Peavey Generation, it's a cool guitar and served me well, and I always like to play it cause it brings back nice memories

You are at GuitarMasterClass.net

Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content!

Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content!