In the Key of K

I don’t remember what my first guitar was, all I remember is it was cheap. It was 1995 and I really wanted to play more than just drums and percussion. So I went to a music shop in southern Missouri (where I lived at the time)–maybe it was West Plains or Mansfield or Marshfield–I don’t remember—there was only one music store nearby, the next closest was a two hour drive to Springfield, MO. I paid $175 for an electric guitar, small amp, and a laminated two page chord chart. I still have the guitar and amp but they are tucked away in storage. I haven’t played them in years.

My friend had “borrowed” or “acquired” or stole a chord tablature book for Black Sabbath’s We Sold Our Soul for Rock and Roll from another of our friends and he let me borrow it indefinitely because he got rid of his guitar (or something like that–I don’t remember all the details). Anyway, I still have the book. The first song I learned to play on guitar was Black Sabbath’s Paranoid. That was a very long time ago. Now, I have 5 go-to guitars in my arsenal and probably 20 others that I’m hoarding for no reason.

My most cherished is a YAMAHA AEX500N. I bought it around the year 2000 from ebay and it has been my main instrument since then except when I had to be fully acoustic for college recitals or it needed some minor repairs. It has nylon strings and three band eq. It’s black and has the typical “f” holes you would see on violins. It is semi hollow but doesn’t really work acoustically. You really need to plug it in. I love the slim neck (compared to traditional nylon string guitars), the black color, the shape, everything!

In contrast I recently bought a Hadean EA-100 CSB, nylon strings (it doesn’t make this list). It claims to be semi hollow but the thing is heavy like a solid body. No way is it hollow at all–unless it’s filled with rocks. It’s okay but my YAMAHA is SO much better. It’s honestly like a cherished pet or another member of my family or a long-time lover. I would be lost without it. It only cost $200-$300 and has given priceless joy to me in return. It has been witness to the absolute best and worst of me. I’ve recorded numerous album and played countless shows with it.

My number two is a cheap acoustic nylon string ‘classical’ guitar that I bought for college. Again $200-$300. It’s a Sonata YSC C40. Everyone was always telling me to buy a real guitar, that I would sound like a much better player with a grown-up instrument. Well, it’s what I could afford. Honestly, I get more enjoyment playing that guitar than $1000-$5000 guitars I’ve borrowed for performances or played in guitar stores. It always shows up once in a while when I record.

Around 2008 I nearly bought a really nice gypsy/jazz acoustic nylon guitar, it was so much fun to play but the action was really high and when you played in the VII position or higher it was out of tune. I live by the guitar philosophy that if the intonation is out or the frets buzz at the guitar shop, it’s going to be that way again when it is the least convenient for you. So no matter how much I think I want an instrument, if it has mechanical problems at the guitar shop, I walk away.

I digress, my number three is my trusty Ibanez RG 470. I bought it at a music shop in Hagerstown, MD in 1997. I am cheap by nature so this is my most expensive guitar—in 97 it cost around $600. An interesting feature that didn’t seem to catch on are locking tuning keys. When you pull the string through it clamps down so they don’t slip (this is not like the ones that clamp the nut—it clamps on each individual tuning key). You can pound the tremolo and never go out of tune. Almost all of my guitar work from the 90s was on this guitar. All of the current re-release old music out currently and coming out soon were with this guitar.

I still love it but I damaged it in the mid-aughts by putting super heavy strings on it. I put more springs on it for the tension but it wasn’t enough. It sat in the case for a month or so and when I opened it the bridge was pulled out and the paint/finish was cracked from the tension. Miraculously, it didn’t seem to damage the neck. Everything works great but there will always be that crack in the paint to emphasize my shame and guitar tech ignorance. 😱

Number four is my Celebrity Ovation CC057. It was bought at a music store inside a mall somewhere in eastern Maryland in 1997 for $300 or $400. The whole reason I bought it was because the touch harmonics were so easy and loud. I was in love with it in about five minutes of playing. Every fret sounded true and the harmonics were screaming. I didn’t know anything about steel string acoustic guitars but that was the one for me. Still is. It has a three band eq and plugs in or is plenty loud to play unplugged. Also, the controversial spoon shaped back is comfortable but you really need a strap because it slides very easily.

Despite the fact that my number three and four guitars are steel string, I don’t really like to play them very often. I exclusively play fingerstyle, with nails, and the steel strings just shred your nails. I will play them for recording but not daily for prolonged periods.

The fifth and final work horse is my bass guitar. My first bass was so bad that I sometimes had to play everything on one string to keep the volume level and the music in tune. Sometimes it worked great but it’s probably what you should expect from a Frankenstein guitar that cost $75 at a pawn shop. Sometime around 2006 I traded it and my PA system (that I only used once or twice) for credit at a guitar shop where I was teaching private lessons. I used the credit to buy a cheap bass that worked. I don’t know anything about it other than the name on it is Arbor. I don’t see a model number or anything. It is definitely a cheap instrument but it plays well and it stays in tune. I love it. I really wanted this nice Ibanez five string but it had a few mechanical issues so I walked away and got a reliable cheap instrument. No regerts! 😎

I have a lot of other guitars and weird little instruments but these are my favorites.