How many years have y'all been playin'?

[broadcaster]

I started guitar lessons back in '69 and switched to bass in '73.

Man am I gettin' old, (even though I don't feel it).

[Tim Armstrong]

I started hacking at the guitar in 1974, and bass in 1976.

Sigh...

Cheers, Tim

[BritishBluesBoy]

My Dad bought me a 3/4 size classical guitar for my sixth birthday in March 1974.

Cheers!

BBB.

[dolfan19]

In '84, a friend found my acoustic collecting dust in my closet. I've been playin' ever since.

[ducatiman]

apparantly, a few too many.


really, guitar around british invasion '64 . 1st song i learned was "love me do" beatles. 1st bar gig (underage) about '67.
bass about 72 or so till now, still bar gigging. and i still play acoustic guitar, i'm a hopelessly addicted fingerpicker.

throngs of people picked up the guitar during brit invasion.

-----------------duc

[sax4blues]

I played tenor sax for 30 years in jazz combos, big bands, and blues bands.

I started guitar 3 years ago and never pick up the sax anymore even though I'm obviously way better on sax. But I'm able to gig the guitar now and just love playing it all the time. My James Burton MIM tele is my 90% go to axe.

[Gilamnstr]

Started playing guitar about 28 years ago as a teen, then laid it down for 25 years, just picked it up again last year. Started playing bass about a month ago - first time I'd ever even picked one up, and am havin' fun with it. Yamaha RBX170 into a G-K Backline 110 for now.

[Oster]

I'm 37 playing since I was 12. First bass then guitar then back & forth ever since.

[Steve G]

i think about fifteen years (guitar).

Bass for about the last five.

[bobthecanadian]

started playing guitar in '77

piano, keys, bass, and drums in '90

[Dennis_UK]

Guitar in '70, over to bass a year or so later...

[Fatmanstratman]

I started playing guitar almost 40 years ago. During my teen years, I played quite a lot (only steel string acoustic - never owned an electric), then stopped for a few years.

In the early 80s, I went to work for Aramco in Saudi Arabia, where I met a guy called Dave Rooney who became a good friend (last heard of living in Canada many years ago) and - as he owned both a Les Paul and an acoustic - he inspired me to take up the guitar again. I owned about 5 or 6 acoustics back then.

When I came back from Saudi to the UK, I became a dad and had little time for playing. About 7 or 8 years ago, I became friendly with a gigging guitarist who has been playing for around 45 years. At the same time, I was doing some signage work for a music shop, and they talked me into buying a Strat.

I played it for about a week (never could get on with it), and a few months later bought my first Tele. I fell in love with the Telecaster, and now own 10 of 'em, along with 23 other guiatars (335s, Rics, etc.). I don't have time to gig, but about six months ago I bought myself another bass - a Rockwell Jazz bass clone. All I have done is upgrade the pups & pots, and fitted some new Rotosound strings.

Guess what? I'm now hopelessly addicted to the bass guitar - so much so that I rarely pick up any of my others! I practice every day, and if somebody invited me to join a band tomorrow I'd snap their hand off.

Fancy getting to be such an old fart before discovering the joy of the bass.....

[Darrell]

Piano at 8
Guitar at 12
Bass in college
Then Piano in college
Picked up guitar again in my 30's
I am almost 50

[Vince a]

Guitar since I was 13 . . . bass for the last year.

Don't look, not act my age!

Now in a five piece band - strictly writing and recording originals, but that allows me to play both the guitar and bass - though not at the same time!

[magicguitar]

Started playing in 1964.

[Chris Callahan]

Started in '78. Should've started earlier!

[Chris S.]

I've been playing guitar since 1960 (age 8), started playing in neighborhood garage bands in '64. Got my first Tele not long after that. Took up bass as a "2nd instrument" in '72. Been playing both ever since. (Played bass on a gig this past Friday night, played my Tele on a gig Saturday morning into the afternoon... )

Given the sheer length of time I've been playing, I expect to hit a few good notes someday soon. Heck, there's only twelve of the suckers; I figure the odds are in my favor. (X number of monkeys times X number of typewriters 'n' all that... hehe) CS

[Larry F]

A little complicated. Played guitar from 1966 to 1984. Due to tendonitis, I quit playing professionally and went to school, earning a PhD in composition and theory. Sold my 1954 strat for tuition in 1985. In those guitar-less years, I would still visualize the fingerboard when composing or reading a score. Last year, I was hospitalized with a rare neurological disorder (Guillain-Barre) that left me almost completely paralyzed. As a form of mental entertainment, I started playing blues solos in my head. One night, around 3:00 AM, I was able to twitch my fingers. I called out to my wife, who had been sleeping on the hospital floor for over two months, to show her. Happiest moment of my life. After getting out a month later, in October last year, I bought a Telecaster on ebay and have been playing 2-4 hours a day since. Straight blues.

[johnreardon]

Picked up a guitar in 61/62 and was playing paid gigs 6 months later. Played a lot until around end of 1970. Then took a 22 year rest, whilst serving in the RAF. Started playing again in the late 90s, no serious stuff, mainly playing with regular people at jams. Would love to get back with a serious band again, probably too late.

[J-Twang]

About 17 years now... finally got tired of being the only one in my family that DIDN'T play.