https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/a-english-paper/ Guitar Noise Discussion Board en-US Thu, 04 Jun 2026 22:41:16 +0000 wpForo 60 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/a-english-paper/#post-83729 Fri, 07 Jan 2005 16:17:49 +0000 Guitar Players Discussion silenus https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/a-english-paper/#post-83729 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/a-english-paper/#post-83705 Fri, 07 Jan 2005 12:24:51 +0000 Guitar Players Discussion DayZd https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/a-english-paper/#post-83705 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/a-english-paper/#post-6178 Fri, 07 Jan 2005 11:24:23 +0000
Taylor Romoser
November 16, 2004
American Literature

My First Guitar

I can barely remember the first time I saw a guitar. It may have been when I was 8 or maybe even younger. The first time I remember was around ‘96 or ‘97, I was 9 years old at the time. There was a big neighborhood garage sale that happened every April. This was the time that you got rid of your junk. Our house was always the most popular one to go to because we had the most junk. My good friend Phil had just moved to the big brick house in the neighborhood so at the time they barely had any junk to get rid of. Theirs was taken care of before the move because there is no point in moving junk. The one thing he did have was a fabulous item. It was a mid-90's zebra striped Fender MiM Stratocaster that had a SS Fender 2x12 combo, likely a Princeton but I do not remember. It was the finest thing I had seen at the time. I did not know how to play a guitar of course but I at least wanted to hold it. I held it for a long time, maybe a few hours. There was the occasional real guitarist that came along the way that I had to fend off. I was waiting for my parents to come, if they ever would. I did not want to leave it for one instant for fear that some other shopper would steal it from under my nose. I eventually asked Phil to hold it for me while I went and got my mom. It was a short journey but a long trip, 4 houses down but constantly fearing for that guitar. I finally made it and asked my mom in the best way I could if I could get it. The short and simple answer was no. I argued about it, it was $200 for the whole deal, a true steal. To buy those products at retail value would be well over $400. I did not argue my point very well though. I was young and I did not know how to manipulate my parents, not that I ever do now though. The package was sold to some guy, and I of course was upset. I still regret that I did not purchase it at that time.
In my sixth grade music class there were two activities that I enjoyed. Playing the recorder was one, but the idea of actually playing a guitar was much cooler to me. I had heard a guitar before of course, all you need to do is turn on the radio and you will likely hear one. I had seen and even played, or rather tried to play, a guitar before. But the prospect of playing real tunes and melodies on the guitar was tantalizing. I greatly wanted to learn to play guitar. This was my chance. The guitars were held underneath all the supplies for our games. They were locked up so no chance of pulling one out when no one was looking. I asked my teacher, Mrs. Vass, when we would get to play the guitars in class. She replied that we would get to that unit "if there was time at the end of the year". It just so happened that there was no time left at the end of the year, as is my luck. Nevertheless this event first gave me the concept that I could actually learn to play guitar. Before it was just a pipe dream in which I already knew how to play like the people on TV.
The summer of my sixth grade year, just after my May 4th birthday, my father took me to the site of the best day of my life. The house was not a memorable one, in fact, I do not even remember it. The room in which we spent most of the three hours was phenomenal though. It was a large two-tiered family room gone bad. It had guitars and amps all over the place. Gibson Les Pauls with flamed maple tops, pre-CBS Fender Stratocasters, acoustics, resonators, you name it this room had it. There were guitars of many different colors in this room. The diversity was tremendous. The lighting was less than adequate but I did not care. I was enjoying myself. The collector my dad was friends with was there asking me what kind of guitar I wanted. I replied with a dumb-founded look. A look of ignorance was on my face. It was because I was indeed ignorant. He found me the perfect guitar for me though. It was a 1969 Univox Deluxe. It looked much like the beautiful Gibsons on the wall but this one was in a case. This case was underneath at least 3 other cases. It was apparent that this was not his favorite guitar. I did not care though. This one was going to be my guitar, my favorite guitar. I told my father that I wanted this one and he agreed on a price. A mere $200, much like the strat of the garage sale, except this one was the guitar, a cord, and a 1/2 watt horrible sounding amplifier that almost didn't deserve the name "amplifier". I did not care though. It was mine and I loved it. I played with it for a few weeks, and then I put it away for a long time.
In my seventh grade year I took a "general music" class. It was basically the music class for the musically disabled. That became apparent right off the bat. Around halfway through the year we had a guitar unit. The guitar unit I had desired had finally come. We played on very bad school guitars with very bad strings and very few picks to play with. It was survival of the fittest. We were all given sheets with a song on it and we had to learn it. I had it down fairly quickly and was amazed. This was the first tune I had played. When I had my guitar at home I did not have any music. I realized that my love was not for the guitar but for the music I could create with it. This changed my perspective on how to learn. I focused more on what I played from then on. I learned the theme to jeopardy, jaws, the twilight zone, and a host of other movies and television shows. The love I had reblossomed. At home I got my guitar out and it has all been history since then. My love affair with this instrument and its sounds has yet to cease and I doubt it ever will.


Copywrite Taylor Romoser, 2004]]> Guitar Players Discussion TaylorR https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/a-english-paper/#post-6178