Guitar in your posession the longest?

[QAman]

A 1976 Gibson Les Paul I purchased new from Sam Ash in Huntington NY. I retired the guitar years ago due to excessive fret wear from spending years memorizing all Duane Allmans solos on the Fillmore East album. In the process - I also wore out the album. In the 70's you had to pick up the needle and keep placing it back on the vinyl. Today, with computer technology its much easier to learn this material.

[Cunamara]

The first guitar I purchased was my Takamine F340S flat top. It was built 8/1/78 and I bought it in 11/79 (Gregg George's Music in Elmhurst IL) when I decided I need to learn how to play guitar. I've had it ever since. As I recall I paid $199 and its market value today is about $199! I couldn't afford a Martin then and I still can't. But the old Tak has been a darn fine guitar for 41 years.

[wintermoon]

Wow a 7 year old thread gets a new lease on life.

The guitar that I have had the longest is my Michael Thames classical. I traded a Levin classical plus some cash for it in 1986. It remains the finest classical guitar that I have ever played. I have not played it much in recent years and have in fact, neglected my classical playing. But I am sure that I will get a second wind in my advancing years and will once again tackle the works of Tarrega, Sor and Bach.

My other 14 guitars were all acquired after 2000.

Indeed, my last post was in response to the late Patrick2 10 yrs ago!
I don't even remember being on the forum that long....

[zephyrregent]

I've had this 1951 Epiphone Zephyr Regent since 1970. It came without a pickguard and the tuners had been changed. The neck is very thick and the finish is worn off, but it was my only guitar until 2000 and it's comfortable to me. The pickup died in 1995 and I had the insides replaced by Lindy Fralin. The bass is too boomy due to the pickup case height on the bass side. It would probably sound great if I had the pickup replaced with a humbucker type pickup. Whatever is inside there now gives it more of an amplified acoustic tone than an electric like an ES175. It does have a very loud acoustic sound for a laminate compared to a Gibson ES175. The original Tone Spectrum pickup was difficult to find the right tone setting with and somewhat microphonic, picking up other instruments. One vintage guitar website called this Epiphone's version of the Gibson ES350.

[rNeil]

Cool thread. Must revive it. I still own my first guitar. My Dad gave me a Lyle Copy of an L5 in 1973. Plays great almost in mint condition. Played it today for a bit.

I don’t know if this counts but I have my Dad’s Barker he bought new in 1965 so it has been in family 55 years. I got it from dad in 1983. My own Barker I bought exactly on January 30th 1979. I was still 17 years old senior in high school drove to Chicago in a snow storm to buy. Yes I played it today too.

Would love to see a pic of that Lyle ... my Lyle has a laminate body identical in size/shape to the L5 but with a 24.75" neck.

After having the neck reworked, and putting an early T-top pup in the neck, it's sweet to play and sounds nice.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[citizenk74]

My #1 for many years, the '63-'64-ish Gibson ES-345: Cherry Red, gold hardware, trapeze tailpiece, stereo Varitone, gold patent-sticker pick-ups, mahogany/rosewood neck, parallelogram inlays, thistle headstock. A dream. Came to me virtually mint, an under-the-bed gem. Unplayable past first position due to an ineptly cut nut, it came to me in tune - 0.011-0.52 flatwounds, and hang tags in the gold-lined original case. For many years I kept in the case the equally-antique sheet music of "Sweet Sixteen" with a picture of B.B. King playing an identical 345 on the cover, hoping that one day he would autograph it (the sheet music, not the guitar!). Just behind me now as I type here in my music room. Not to be parted with in this life.<br>Retired from the rigors of the stage only with the arrival of my first PRS Custon 24, an '86 in Antique Yellow, topped with curly Red Maple from my personal stash. Sweet switch, locking tuners; just behind me on a stand here in the bats cave.

[Flat]

When I showed up for guitar lessons at the nice lady guitar teacher's house in 1968, she said my Montgomery Wards Christmas gift was really just a toy. But she and her husband traveled to Mexico each year (from southern California) and would often bring back guitars for her students for cost, $25. I don't know if they went to Tijuana or Paracho.

I loved this little thing. It's just a cheapie plywood box, but it meant the world to me over 50 years ago. It still hangs on my wall today.

[iim7V7IM7]

I have had this 1990 Valley Arts Larry Carlton Standard since 1991 when I bought it new at Medley Music in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Other than the Gibson P-100 pickups being swapped out in the late 1990s for some Jason Lollar P-90s it's original. I don't play it much these days because my taste in necks has moved from slim to chunky and the 24-fret, 24-3/4" scale frankly feels a bit cramped compared to what I play today.

[Jangle Rainart]

any more info on this? My uncle has one with the speaker and is wondering what it’s worth
thanks

Bought it for 180.- swiss francs in a local store in 1985. I've never found any historical infos about this guitar and mine was without the case with the built-in speaker.

[Zina]

My Ibanez AFS-75T. Has it been 16 months already? Indeed it has; where does the time go..?

[Stringswinger]

Indeed, my last post was in response to the late Patrick2 10 yrs ago!
I don't even remember being on the forum that long....

Everytime one of these zombie threads gets revived and I see one of Pat Amato's (Patrick2) posts. I think of him. especially because the guitar in his avatar (A Heritage built DA replica) in now in my possession (Thank you JD!). When I first joined this forum Pat gave me a warm welcome and he mostly agreed with my views about guitars, but he once locked horns with me when he did not. I miss his presence here. I know that he was a big fan of Heritage guitars. I hope that in the great hereafter, Pat and JP Moats are having a lively discussion about guitars. RIP Patrick2!

[sgcim]

I came out of the womb to my father's '35 D'A, and I still have it. First picked it up to learn Beatles songs when I was a kid.

[wintermoon]

I heard Benny Cintioli, whom I referenced earlier in this thread passed away last month.
I don't think there's a musician around here that wasn't in his store @ some point.
He was quite the character!
rip Benito...

[TedBPhx]

‘79 D-35 bought new for $600 mail order from an advertisement in the back of a guitar magazine from some place in Rockville, Maryland.

This one of the D-35s with the bad intonation due to a sloppy machine at Martin. Not really a keeper guitar but it’s been with me so long I want to be cremated with it.

[gitman]

I bought my ‘63 Gibson ES-345 in 1982 but my first „real“ guitar (Yamaha Nylonstring classical) my parents got me in 1973 is also still going strong ....

[P.J.]

I have had my '92 Am. Std. Tele since...wait for it...1992. It has 3 Joe Barden pickups, a 4-way switch for the neck and bridge pickups and a separate volume pot for the middle pickup. I gave it a belly cut with a Dremel early into owning it. (Not the best tool for the job!)

[EarlBrother]

1970 Yamaha acoustic i think a FG 160.$140.00.Brand new.i think.Shouldnt i be smarter with all this thinking going on?1980 took to local shop to get new tuners ect set up to sell.Store owner when he was done advised me to not sell it because it now sounds like a Martin D 28 or something i think.oh there i go again.2020 a few weeks ago took it to a local luthier had a set up done new strings etc.Sounds good.Havent played it for a while because it was difficult to play so he adjusted stuff and put lighter gauge strings on it and i started noodling i will try to send a vid.taking incredibly long sorry but it sound really sweet.

[lukmanohnz]

An old Martin D-16H from ‘91 or ‘92. I went through so many damn guitars working my way up to this all-solid wood, US made Martin. This incarnation of the D-16 was only made for a few years, mostly for NAMM show floor orders. Often referred to as a poor man’s D-18, because they had dovetail neck joints and in most respects matched D-18 specs other than the satin finish. Mine has aged beautifully and feels like slipping on an old, perfectly worn-in pair of jeans when I pick it up. I bought it when a local music store was going out of business and liquidating their inventory - $800 out the door. It’s priceless to me now.

Where is the thread on the one guitar you wish you never got rid of?

[Mecena]

My first guitar, acoustic guitar.
Sapele body, spruce top, random wood on neck.
Random acoustic 200$ guitar.
Nothing special.

[takefive]

I have an old flat top acoustic that I rescued from a garbage can about 40 years ago. My Harmony Monterey is my oldest guitar, around 75 years old maybe.

[deacon Mark]

[QUOTE=rNeil;1007608]Would love to see a pic of that Lyle ... my Lyle has a laminate body identical in size/shape to the L5.


Here is picture I posted it once. Had it a long time. Plays great pretty much retired but cool Gibson Geib case worth itself a decent amount. I finally refretted the guitar a few months ago. The old ones were just low and I have lots a fretwire. I used bigger frets guitar plays great really.

[rNeil]

Yea, that's it! Identical. Except you still have the original pups installed. I could never get a sound I liked out of them, so they're in a box here. I've an early T-top in neck that sounds luscious.

What does your rig sound like through which amps?

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[Zguitar71]

1981 Gibson ES347.
I bought it in ‘91 for $900, that is equal to $1715 now, not bad. Changed the pickups to Lollar Imperials and got rid of the coil tap also changed the tail to a stop tail from that huge heavy original tail.

[busujiujitsu]

All guitars in this thread are beautiful!

[JazzPadd]

There's two, one gone and one still with me, each possessed for around 20 years. One was a mid-60s Telecaster that I had from the mid-70s until I sold it in the mid-90s. So maybe 20 years. Next is a Taylor 712CE that I bought new in 2002 and which I still play, so that one's going on 18 years.