Incoming NGD... Not PRS, but super stoked

[mezzio]

When I was about 12 or 13 years old, I saved up all summer doing chores, mowing lawns, washing cars, etc, to buy a guitar on my own. I eventually got enough money and headed out to the shop to pick out my very own rig, what I felt was a pretty big accomplishment, lol. I ended up with a Peavey Axcelerator, yeah, it was just a Peavey, but it was all mine, and I loved it. It was unique, nobody else I knew had one, it looked awesome, and actually played pretty nice... I also learned I hated Floyd Rose systems, but a small price to pay for a pretty epic piece of wood, at least epic to a 12 year old :rofl:

After a while I sold it like an idiot, and ever since I've regretted it. About 4-5 years ago, I decided I wanted to find one. I searched various sites, lots of eBay and Craigslist, until I got lazy and just searched eBay a few times a week, for years, lol. Well yesterday, I finally found one, so my girlfriend put an offer on it, the guy accepted, and she bought it for me. Needless to say, I'm pretty happy about it. Can't say it's the most epic purchase in the world, but it's already brought back some good memories, and I can finally put that regret of selling it behind me, lol. It'll probably stay cased, don't really know if I want to deal with getting a 20 year old guitar up to snuff, but at least I'll have it, even if it's not the exact same guitar.



It should be here tomorrow, but I have to work, so I'm gonna have to wait til tomorrow night to play with it I suppose this also means I'm gonna have to be nice for a while since I apparently have a pretty cool woman, lol.

 

[vchizzle]

Nice! I can say I wouldn't mind having my very first guitar back. It was a National LP copy. It wasn't a bad guitar that I can recall. Yeah, you OWE her now! Not just any old gift either! Something sentimental! You're screwed!:rofl: That was really nice of her.

 

[László]

Your girlfriend is awesome! :top:

I still have my first guitar, a 1965 SG Special that was bought new for my brother, who, it turned out, wasn't all that interested in guitar after a while. So I kind of inherited it. I'm sure I'd have sold it years ago, but I always felt that it belonged to my brother in some way, so it's still around!

 

[bodia]

She's a keeper....your girl, that is. My first was a Hondo II strat copy. Terrible guitar. I'd never wan to see it again. Second was an Arbor Explorer. Loved that thing. It had no case, so I made an outline of the axe and made a case from ply wood, 2x4s, carpet scraps and a couple of hinges my dad had laying around the garage. I was so proud of that case, until I tried to lift it...must have weighed 25lbs.

Have fun with that guitar, and hang on to that girl.

 

[AP515]

Nice story and nicer girlfriend!

I have a similar experience. My first electric (I learned to play on my mom's acoustic), was a black Squier that wasn't much to write home about, but I loved it because my wife and brother-in-law surprised me with it for Christmas one year. I had to sell it a number of years back and so when I was on my feet again I bought a MIM Strat that looks almost exactly like it for the sentiment. Last year I bought a USA Strat and compared it to my black MIM. The MIM was better so I returned the USA one.

 

[Pinch]

My first was a sunburst Japanese Tele. I never really bonded with it (up until today I still don't bond with Teles) and traded it for a pink Frank Gambale signature Ibanez (oh the 80's!). That was when I also realised that I hated Floyd Rose tremolos and Wizard necks. I wouldn't want any of the two guitars back.

 

[mezzio]

I tried writing this reply earlier, but was using my phone and I screwed up and lost the page, and my response

Well it came today, but for some reason eBay gave the seller my old address, even though my new address has been updated since I moved it. Luckily, I just live right down the road and was able to go pick it up before it was sent back, or worse, stolen!

I should clarify that the Axcelerator wasn't my first guitar, it was just the first guitar I bought on my own. My first guitar was a crummy Kramer strat copy, complete with plastic feeling tuning machines, plywood body and fuzzy pickups, lol.

Nice! I can say I wouldn't mind having my very first guitar back. It was a National LP copy. It wasn't a bad guitar that I can recall. Yeah, you OWE her now! Not just any old gift either! Something sentimental! You're screwed!:rofl: That was really nice of her.

Yeah, figure I owe her pretty big now, although I don't know how I'll make it up to her. She's not materialistic at all, it makes it a real pain in the ass shopping for Christmas or her birthday, I never get ideas. So I gotta get creative somehow, lol.

Your girlfriend is awesome! :top:

I still have my first guitar, a 1965 SG Special that was bought new for my brother, who, it turned out, wasn't all that interested in guitar after a while. So I kind of inherited it. I'm sure I'd have sold it years ago, but I always felt that it belonged to my brother in some way, so it's still around!

I actually still have my mom's acoustic from when she was a teenage hippy. I've thought about selling it several times, but I can't find any information on it, and I still kind of like it. Now I just need to remember to bring it back from my dad's one of these days.



I'm still debating on how I want to mod it... I have to wonder what I would have done had I never sold the first one I had... maybe since it's got a pickguard it would be a good candidate for a sustaniac system. I do think I'm going to upgrade the bridge to an original FR in black and gold, do new tuning pegs in black, and maybe even get a black pearloid pickguard. I don't know if I want to replace the pickups since I'd likely lose part of the features (the bridge pickup is actually 2 coils, I guess kind of how the 408 is), maybe I'll just get them rewound to sound better while keeping the stock look.

 

[Goldtop]

The first few guitars I ever had were junky no-name specials. You know the type; in some cases little more than particle board and pot metal, with actions about half an inch high. My first real, serious guitar was a Peavey T-60. A pawn shop special for (I think) $225.00. I'd had some Gibson and Fender copies before that (LPs and a Jaguar that was metallic Gold of all colors), but that Peavey was the first one I wasn't ashamed to call my own. I still have it somewhere, although it's all in parts now. I don't miss it, but I understand your feelings about getting 'yours' again. Those memories are what it's all about.

Kudos to you and your wonderful girlfriend. She may need a special evening or a trip to a spa or ???

Goldtop Lloyd

 

[markintime]

I had all but forgotten my first electric. I was going to say the Oscar Schmidt Delta King that I traded a fly rod to my friend, but nope. It was, and Les' pic reminded me, a really cheap copy of a Gibson SG that I bought while overseas during my stint with Uncle Sam in the early 70's. Looked just like the one above, but sure didn't play like it and I never could do anything with it. Wouldn't stay in tune worth a flip. Got rid of it and the ditto el cheapo amp and stayed with acoustic until 3 years ago. What a journey! But look where I ended up - 3 PRSi later....

And oh yes, mezzio, lest I forget:

Yeah, figure I owe her pretty big now, although I don't know how I'll make it up to her. She's not materialistic at all, it makes it a real pain in the ass shopping for Christmas or her birthday, I never get ideas. So I gotta get creative somehow, lol.

She may not be materialistic, but she is definitely sentimental. That is a good clue!!! :top: Major brownie points opportunity there.

 

[Pinch]

While I read all the replies in this thread I realised that a core PRS will almost never be anyone's first guitar. Apart from the cost being unrealistic for someone starting out it will take years if playing crap and good guitars to appreciate the quality, consistency and tone you get from a PRS. I still use my Strats and Gibson because they fulfil a specific recording need, but I always go back to my PRS when I play for pure enjoyment.

 

[mezzio]

I figured out yesterday why it's not always good to buy guitars from eBay. I finally plugged in, and got nothing... Zero output at all. I was kinda disappointed, but figured it's probably the output jack (troubleshooting from in bed, lol). I wasn't planning on tearing it up so soon, but there's no time like the present.

What I found was the wire that goes from the volume pot to the output jack was broken. There was evidence that this either wasn't the first time it's happened, or one of the previous owners was screwing around and didn't know what they were doing... Judging by the big ass 1/4" blob of solder dangling off the volume pot.

I found the shielded wire used in fire and security systems will be a perfect substitute to rewire that, so got enough of it, at $0.17/foot, to do 50 guitars if need be. Also, since everything is torn apart, I decided a deep cleaning is in order. I found something pretty neat under 20 years of grime on the fretboard, probably one of the coolest "figured" rosewood boards I've ever seen, lol.



Once I get everything back together I'll try and get a shot of the full board, that super dark strip kind of flows through the whole board from the nut to the 22nd fret like a wave.