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Screw the Attitude.

My grandmother bought me my first guitar when I was 4 or 5, a cheapo department store acoustic jobbie. I started taking lessons at home when I was 8 or 9 from our school music teacher who was a nice hippie lady that lived on the dirt road way back around the way from our house on another dirt road. I remember learning "Shake Rattle and Roll", "Monster Mash" and some other cool easy tunes. My sister and I played once or three times in front of our church congregation. It was easy to get the gig since the teacher was also the church organist. Truly the beginning of almost, somewhat, sort of, nearly greatness.

The hippie music teacher migrated to some other dirt road too far away to do home lessons in our area and I picked up the High School Music teacher who wanted to teach classical guitar, scales, blah, blah, blah. I couldn't be bothered to practice scales and sort of let the guitar go. He kept hinting at the quality of my guitar and, probably with good intentions, called it a toy. That was sort of the end for almost 25 years.

Last year, my wife decided to buy me a guitar for my birthday and I elected to pick up an entry model Fender acoustic to see how long I would remain interested without blowing away too much money on a living room decoration. I was surprised chords came back to life in minutes of playing around G, C, D, Em, Am, . . . No proper songs yet, but I picked up the old strumming patterns and basic chord transitions. Then I created my own version of "Rumble." I was hooked.

Enter the remorse. I wished I had picked up an electric guitar instead. I found myself going to the guitar shops and coveting used $750 to $1,000 Fender Strats and Les Pauls, which still entry level to some players, were well beyond what I could justify spending. Add an amp, some effects and we're well past the $1,000 territory. No thanks. But geez, I really, really wanted them. Who could say "no" to the Fender reverb unit and a 60's strat so I could wail out "Miserlou" just like Dick Dale?

Then I saw this video on YouTube. It totally changed my perspective, and led me to this site. I will never forget this was the first video I saw on CBGs.

So I digress to the title of this post. I've been into a handful of Guitar Centers, some smaller independent guitar shops and the hallowed House of Guitars in Rochester, NY. The overwhelming response to bringing up the CBG topic is either "aw, ain't that cute" to a smug look down the nose. Well, with no due respect. . . F U and your $1,000 guitars.

My sister was visiting for the weekend and I got to play a little bit through my $79 Fender Champ tube amp. The response was an immediate smile and "HFS Dude!" Yeah, we grew up in the country. We're a little rough around the edges sometimes.

I couldn't be happier since my wife brought guitars back to me and that YouTube video for showing me what a dirty, nasty, awful sound you could make on your own for just a few bucks.

I saw Shane Speal reply to someone's post "Play it like a BAMF." I'd just add to it a bit. "Play it like a BAMF, even if you can't yet." I'm still practicing.

And screw your attitude, if ya got one.

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Comment by ED (Bad Finger) on May 4, 2011 at 9:15am: Well, Uncle John, I've never been accused of having the best attitude anyway. I can be a bit of a cynic and only slightly sarcastic. And I have enough humility for 100 people too. Thanks for the comment and the encouragement.

Comment by Uncle John on May 4, 2011 at 8:57am: Well E.D., screw you and your attittude too! Well not really.... I just wanted to say it back to you.

I am with James, Jon and the rest. I love your story too and have had some of the same experience that you have. There are some high end guitars in the house (not mine) and I would rather play a cbg. I am better on a cbg. I have more fun on a cbg. Hey, your recent video was good too.

Comment by ED (Bad Finger) on May 3, 2011 at 11:24am: Thanks James. My present "attitude" has brought me a lot farther than the guitar snobbery I frequently encounter. And it is so very refreshing when a 6-string play is truly appreciative of the hand made effort, simplicity and, above all, fun in creating music with CBG.

Comment by Slowpaw Steve T on March 1, 2011 at 12:51pm: I have had a number of 6 string electric guitars over the last ten years; Strats, Teles, Les Pauls, SG's and a few Ibanez and Fender copy 4 string bass guitars, ending up today with one Gibson SG Special and one foreign made SG bass, i got only so far with playing them but my real joy lay in pulling them apart, setting up and swapping pickups, switches, necks and parts! I even had guitar playng friends giving me their axes to service and set up, every difficult challenge became a new feather in my hat, i also converted an acoustic drum kit into an electronic kit... but that's another story (-;

I could never get on with 6 string Acoustics, they just seemed too damned awkward to handle for me, though i tried a 4 string Banjo and loved it - then i recently discovered 3 and 4 string CBG's and "got the bug" as they say, now my head is buzzing with ideas for builds, my current one nearly completed, all the skills i learned pulling those axes to bits is paying off!

I still love my SG's - these and CBG's both have their place in the world, CBG's have their own great earthy rustic sound and i'm gaining a lot of inspiration from all the excellent instruments i've seen on this great site, and there is nothing more satisfying than playing your own guitar you built with your own fair hands!

Comment by joe cerroni on February 24, 2011 at 8:27pm: here, here. well put, amigo

Comment by ProfWaldo on February 23, 2011 at 12:42am: Ed and Brickdust, Very Well said !

Comment by Jon Grinder on February 22, 2011 at 9:05pm: Sometimes I wish I could goback in time and start out with a CBG rather than a real, but cheap, guitar. The sound is better, and the music is more satisfying.

Keep on playing!

Comment by HOLLOWBELLY on February 22, 2011 at 3:52pm: Damn str8.

Comment by Brickdust on February 21, 2011 at 10:36am: ED, love the way you've put this sentiment. I always feel that when you play a guitar you're always trying to prove yourself; when you play a cbg you're just trying to express yourself. Keep doing it mate :)