This is kind of a long story but I'll try to boil it down. First off let
me say that I have been a musician since the age of 11. I started off
with trombone, which I learned in grade school and continued with until
graduating high school. At age 15 I got the idea that playing guitar
seemed like the cool thing to do. This
Silvertone (amp in case) was the first guitar I ever owned. By the
time I was 17 I could play the entire Santana Abraxas album verbatim.
Ever listen to Alice Cooper's "Killer" album? I could also that entire
album note-for-note by the time I was 16 or 17. These are only a couple
that I remember, but suffice it to say I've been involved with guitars
for most of my life (I even have a few tattooed on my body). My first
serious guitar was a
'73
Fender Stratocaster with a maple neck.
About the only kind of band that I haven't played in would be a jazz group. I've pretty much played everything else; country, disco, top 40, all genres of rock almost, funk, etc.
I quit playing in groups when it got to be a job. What turned me off to bands completely was when I got on the hotel/lounge circuit. After doing this for a number of years, playing Top 40 guitar became a job . . . a job that I didn't like so much any more. So after all that, I sold everything. I sold my guitars, amps and all the other miscellaneous equipment that I owned. I was sick of bands, and I was sick of playing guitar.
I didn't even own a guitar for several years. Back in 1999, or so, I felt the urge to play returning. I didn't go out and buy a guitar immediately and I wasn't even sure if I wanted to get back into it. Finally in 2ooo, I went guitar shopping and bought a lower-end guitar and amplifier just to practice on. I ended up heavily modifying the above-mentioned guitar and to this day it is my primary guitar. I have replaced almost every part in it and on it.
Sure enough, I've been playing since then and in early 2007 put together a 3 piece group and named it The Southshore 3. You can read all about my group on our MySpace page.