Thirty years ago today.

It was thirty years ago today that the relationship started with this guitar. I was all of 14. I had been slinging newspapers Monday thru Saturday mornings. Alarm clock would go off at 4:45am. That is correct I was up long before the grown ups and any other kid in my neighborhood.


I started the paper route when I was 13. I had just started thinking about playing guitar about the time I got the route. So like any kid I asked around and found this cheap Telecaster copy along with a Sears & Roebucks amplifier. The guitar had been passed around five other kids about my age before I got it. It was a package deal cheap guitar and amp. Ready for this it was a whopping thirty five bucks to own it. Of course I did it!

I came home to my parents house with this guitar in hand no case just the amp in one hand a the guitar in the other. I plugged it in and it was out of tune. I barely knew how to tune it.

I was reading some magazine, most likely Creem there was a article about, The Kinks! Oh I had been loving their music for a while at that point… Dave Davies was talking about how he got his sound for their big hit “You Really Got Me.” I read how Dave, slashed his speaker with a razor blade to get the crunch he wanted from his amp. I thought… “Hey!!!” I immediately went to the kitchen found a sharp knife and put some slits in the speaker on my little amp. The screen did not pop off so I had to cut the screen off. Turned it on with the on / off / volume switch. No tone controls, and hit that “A” chord that Dave Davies hit and played the riff! (Sing along if you know the song!)

Suddenly I had distortion and crunch and sounded all dirty! Rock & Roll! Rock & ROLL!!! It must have been a weekend Dad was home and came charging down to the basement where I had set up shop. He was yelling… “Turn that SHIT DOWN!” Then to my fathers absolute horror he saw what I had done to create such beautiful music.

Now understand my father was all about perfect sound with his hi-fi system. Yep not a stereo but a hi-fi. He saw I had purposely slashed the speaker. He was horrified by my action. He bellowed, “how could you do that?!?” I smiled and said Dad… “It sounds great!” He shook his head and left the room and I went back to banging every song I had learned at that point. My own brother came in and asked what the F**K? For the first time in my life that I can remember I think my brother was actually a little bit jealous of me. Me!

I had a raw crunchy sounding guitar! Not some record but my own electric guitar! Needless to say after many months I was starting to understand that I needed to up grade.

The 10 inch speaker and the solid state Sears & Roebucks amp just was not loud enough. So like any kid of those days I found that Peavey made some affordable gear. Here is a name many might remember ‘Backstage 30.’ It had multiple knobs! And a big ass speaker! The problem was the guitar sounded like poop. So I saved my money from slinging papers every morning.

Despite some dancing with chemicals I was able to save my earnings until I could venture down to the big ol’ city of Seattle. ( not even a hundred years old yet)

Hopped on the bus and ventured down to a big city music store (Please somebody correct me on this point if I am wrong.) My memory is a bit fuzzy I think that place was called Guitars Etc. I recall it was on Lenora, maybe on 6th & Lenora? ( Any corrections are most welcome.)

I walked in at 14 years old with a wad of cash in my pocket! I held five hundred dollars and was ready to make the purchase! Think about it fourteen years old, rode the bus into downtown Seattle in 1980 with $500.00 in my hip pocket. I was thinking how cool and hip I was… Hell aren’t we all at fourteen?

I looked around the store. It seemed huge! All the folks around me were much older, Well at least much taller. They looked at me with a puzzled look on their faces. I remember there was this one guy, hair down to his shoulders and kind of spiked on top. Cool leather jacket some faded jeans and some pointy ass cool boots. He looked at me and said right on kid wish I started when I was as young as you. I suddenly felt some acceptance. ( I thought I was pretty damn cool after that.) I walked around the store no clue what to look for or what to do. I just remember that, KISW 99.9 FM Seattle’s Best Rock!!! Always advertised this store, that and Tom Shane. So my logic said this is the store to buy from. Never ever did you hear about Music West on Seattle’s best Rock!

So there I was I was in the guitar Mecca as far as I was concerned. I knew that I wanted to up grade and being that I was really into Jimi Hendrix amongst others who lived on the Stratocaster, I spotted the Fender wall and headed in that general direction weaving my away around the tall folks and the piles of equipment. Gibson was out of the question economically. Funny how things still have not changed much now that I am taller and my feet touch the floor when I sit down.

To say I was nervous is putting it mildly. So I stood and stared at all these shiny new gems hanging on the wall. Eventually one of folks who worked there came up and asked from behind, “see anything you like?” My heart started pounding and I turned and just pointed to this sunburst Stratocaster with a white pick guard and rosewood fret board.

Now this guy saw I was out of my element or nervous any way, he saw that it would help the sale if I could take it to a back room to try it out. So he lead me thru another maze of equipment. Mostly amps. I would need to save again for the next acquisition another story later.

In this back room I sat with this brand new guitar in hand and plugged into some sort of amp they had for just this situation. I started plinking around with it and I must say was not all that impressed. It sounded weak. Even after making the adjustments on the amplifier. I was not sure what to think and was pondering getting up when the sales guy came in with another guitar. It was a sunburst Stratocaster with a maple fret board and a black pick guard. I looked at the machine head and noticed right away it was not a Fender. I thought “oh no not another cheesy copy.”

Now as I had been inspecting the Fender in hand I noted the neck was only being held onto the body by three screws as opposed to four. This 1980 brand new Fender seemed flimsy overall. The pick guard was not even flush with the body. It was bowing up on the top edge. Most importantly it sounded weak.

The sales guy said, “Here try this one out you might find you like it better.” With reservation I traded guitars with him. I immediately noticed it was heavier and the neck was bolted on by four screws. The pick guard was flush the maple neck felt much better and once I plugged it in I heard the tone I was hoping to have heard from the Fender. I knocked off some standard chords and little riffs I had in my fledgling repertoire. The tone the sound was full and crisp. Now mind you I had not changed anything on the amplifier at that point just fiddled back and fourth with the pick up selector and was very impressed every time I changed the position of the pick ups.

After about fifteen minutes the sales guy came back and asked how it was going? I asked why is this copy sounding so much better? He pointed out that it had Dimarzio pick ups in it and that he thought I would be happier with a more traditional sounding Stratocaster as opposed to the Fender of 1980. Oh and the topper was it was a hundred dollars less then the Fender. I fell in love with that hunk of wood and wires instantly. I asked if this guitar came with a case. He laughed and said of course it does. So not the Fender I thought I was going to get I bought the Hondo II Professional. $400.00 out the door! I had a new case with a brand new guitar inside.

We went to the front counter for the transaction of commerce. Should have seen this guys eyes bug out as I was peeling out the twenties and fifties. He grabbed his co worker and said, “Hey check this kid out in came in ready to buy a guitar!” They saw the money and asked if I was sure that I did not want to look for more stuff? I quietly said no thank you. We finished our transaction and out the door I went. I was walking proud back to the bus stop and held on to that guitar with all my might. I boarded the bus and found my way back home.

I got home that clear crisp veterans day thirty years ago, and to this day I have that hunk of wood and wires. It has gone thru some transformation over the years but, haven’t we all in the last thirty years? It all happened on a day of remembrance for the fallen and for the those who are serving to defend those precious moments of freedom that we look back on and look forward to each day.

Chris…