Hi from the old world

Hi you G&L enthusiasts, who keep this forum alive and provide help to all of us G&L
newbies.
In the past year I looked for information on my guitars several times and almost all of my
questions could be answered with your help. To give back some of this spirit I thought it
might be time to introduce myself and tell you my little story - how I started playing
guitar, how I came across G&L instruments and so on. Maybe you enjoy this or your story
is similar - anyway. This is me:
Some 45 years ago as a kid I took part in a celebration of my school. I saw some guys
playing electric guitars and instantly I felt I want to know how to make music like this.
Next christmas my parents bought an acoustic guitar with nylon strings and presented it
to me. For about half a year I took lessons. After that I was fed up playing waltz themes
and learning german folk songs composed hundreds of years ago taught by a teacher who
- in my imagination - must have known the composeres personally - and I quit.

I went for modern music and looked for a modern teacher. I found one, playing rock and
looking like my long haired guitar heroes. First thing he did was upgrading my guitar with
steel strings - I felt I was on my way to become a star. Next thing I felt were the blisters
on my finger tips. The neck of my warehouse acoustic did not accept the change of my
musical orientation and went skydiving faced with the load of the steel strings. Again I
realized the road was rougher, than I thought it would be. And I would quit again.

A couple of years later I bought a reasonably priced (this means CHEAP) 12 string western
guitar made by EKO, an italian company. Just played some strumming on that, listening to
the songs of John Denver, Crosby Stills Nash and so forth. There was no internet where
nowadays you can find the lyrics, no youtube to easily find free lessons showing which
secret chords those superstars engage to sound as they did. That made me spend hours
and hours in front of my tape recorder listening to the same ten seconds of a song. My
sister and my parents must have gone nuts - looking back I can understand them. I could
not at that time, though. I only played my guitar in my room in my parents house; no
teacher, no friends to listen, no fun after some three or four years remaining at the same
low level of skill. I put my 12 string on the top of the wardrobe where it stayed untouched
for 10 years. Not living at my parents place for years I told them to give away the EKO to
someone who might like it.

Two years ago - after 35 years not having pulled a string - I listened to Jimi Hendrix
"Little Wing" on the radio and wondered how many guitarists were necessary to play that
wonderful intro. Well, of course all of you could have told me. And there this feeling was
again: I wanted to be able to play this on guitar. The crucial advantage I meanwhile have: I
can choose by myself how much of my money and time I invest. No mom or dad to depend
on or working after school for little money.
So I went into the small shop of a local luthier and bought my first electric guitar ever at
the age of 50 years. The shop owner being a guitar coach asked my musical preferences
and in the end of the day I bought a G&L Tribute Legacy HB in black. Maple neck,
rosewood fretboard and swamp ash body were the features. Since that day I have been
taking lessons once a week. And - the number of my guitars increased profoundly. The
electrics all being G&L guitars: first my black Tribute Legacy HB, then a blueburst Tribute
S-500, a USA made Comanche with quilted maple top, and within the last year a 2013
black Tribute Comanche, a candy apple red Tribute Legacy and a black Tribute S-500. Only
the 12 String acoustik is an Ibanez.
I will upload some photographs in the coming days. Especially my quilted maple
Comanche is extremely beautiful.

Again thank you all you G&L experts for sharing your knowledge and for investing your time and energy for us.

Matthias

Thanks for sharing Matthias. That's a great story. It certainly rings true for me as a kid trying to learn guitar in a small town at the bottom of the world, in the pre-internet age.

My first G&L's were also Tributes and I love them just as much as my USA models.

Looking forward to the pictures

Great story Matthias. It sure brought memories for me as we all started somewhere. Like you I got out of it for many years and did not start again until 2000. Getting back into it was the best thing I ever did. In 2004 I had a total of 2 bass guitars and one acoustic. I now have more than 45 with 16 of them being American G&Ls. Being retired gives me time for this. Looking forward to you photos and your posts. Welcome!-- Darwin

45 Guitars?? I only have got six!
Thank you for this statement. It provides a solid position for the negotiations with my wife when talking about the next 39 guitars.
No - just kidding. She's wonderful and leaves me all the freedom I think I need . Guitarwise !

Matthias

It's never too early and never too late to learn to play guitar. And as you've learned, it's a lot easier learning on an electric than an acoustic.

Welcome aboard!

Will

Welcome aboard fine sir. We'll be waiting for your shared input on the crazy important things that happen here.

Larry

@ helle - man: certainly right. Compared to my old 12 string EKO the electrics are so easy to play on. Wow - why haven't I started earlier????

@zippy

Okay lets start with the input. How about the promised photographs?

First a glance in one corner of our living room. I think the G&L's easily beat the pictures when it comes to decoration. AND which sort of music can you play on photographs? None!




Next: lower line of guitars hanging on the wall: the 2013 Tribute Comanche in black. I really like the matching headstock





Next: the tribute Legacy in Candy Apple Red. Sorry for the reflections of the flash. It's definitely winter now and I will have to update the pictures in summer to be able to use daylight.



The intensity of the colour is a bit nicer in the photograph of the headstock:



Now my beauty: a U.S. Comanche with a Quilted Maple Top, Maple Neck, gun oil tinted:



The pattern of the quilted maple is really nice:




The 2013 Tribute S-500 Vintage White, one of my favourites to play on:



O.K. enough input for today,

Matthias

Hi Matthias,

Welcome to the forum and 'G&L nut'-dom. Like Will said, you're never too old to learn the gee-tar. Nice wall of guitars you got there. Looks like a swell music room.


- Jos

Hi Jos,

yeah, I like to have the guitars ready to be played. Just grab one from the wall, plug into one of the amps - there are two in the livingroom (Marshall 6101 LM, Blackstar HT1-R) - and start playing. 60 seconds preparation and off you go!

Matthias

Hi Matthias,

Thanks for sharing your G@L wall of sound, mighty fine instruments ya got. Although I am a hard core ASAT guy that quilted top Commanche could possibly convert me to that body style.

Great story, keep sharing stories and any playing updates often.

Pictures are awesome, especially that Comanche!-- Darwin

Nice wall !! ....... you are not alone ...lol