When I was in high school, it was popular for the radio stations to poll your favorite band or musician. I always voted for The Beatles. It wasn't that I disliked Elvis... I wasn't 'in tune' with this talent. Maybe it was the grease in his hair... I dunno.
What I do know, is I used to strum a tennis racket listening to Beatles songs on the radio. That was enough to convince my parents to get me a guitar. On my birthday, my dad took me downtown to a music store and bought me a $17 guitar.
$17 isn't much for a guitar... but it was enough to get started learning chords to songs. Eventually, I ended up with a 'hand-me-down' electric guitar from a friend.
Since, I played left-handed, I would take a right-handed guitar and string it lefty. Some guitars could easily be changed, others were more difficult.
One of my first electric guitars was manufactured by Danelectro. I thought it was a piece of junk. It had a nice feel to the neck, but low quality. Danelectro eventually became a nostalgic collectors item.
In the photo is me playing my first gig with a band called "Son's of Fairchild" and I played lead guitar standing behind the blond female singer. I was still in junior high school and they were all in high school, so it was 'way cool' for me to do this at an early age... We were performing at the BPOE Lodge. Me and my Danelectro about 5 years before Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page made Danelectro's famous when he played one in concert!
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1RockinDude
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Mar 25 @ 7:37PM
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I think my first guitar was a Univox..burgany in color with black trim..It was junk..haha I can relate.  Someone stold it..I just thought good luck !
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luneib
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Mar 25 @ 7:57PM
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I think the guitar I had was from Sears.
Cool photo, I love anything nostalgic.
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summerbreeze916
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Mar 25 @ 10:35PM
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Cool pic! I would have chosen The Beatles over Elvis, too. Choose between The Beatles and The Rolling Stones? Hmmmmm........I don't think I could have. Nor could I have chosen either one of those over The Animals or The Dave Clark Five. 
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hpylady
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Mar 25 @ 10:58PM
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yep .. you were 'way cool' .. pretty big deal ..
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pen4rent
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Mar 26 @ 3:07AM
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Actually, your Danelectro was hardly "a piece of junk" -- if it had been, it wouldn't have had a "nice neck." If you're interested in that early guitar, take a look at this Web page -- http://www.pen4rent.com/pen4rent/tribute.aspx. It's my tribute to Danelectro founder and electric guitar pioneer Nathan Daniel, my dad. I think you'll find it of interest. In fact, it has a lot to say about those necks. Previous commenter Luneib, who had a guitar from Sears, which may also have been a Danelectro product, might also find the article of interest.
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chatillion
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Mar 26 @ 7:48AM
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Pen... thanks for your comment. Actually, the one I had WAS a piece of junk.
No disrespect to you or your dad. He certainly was an innovator. There are probably millions of musical products in the marketplace bearing his name.
While most guitars of that era were made with mahogany, maple, ash and alder, the Danelectro guitars were on the other side of the scale. They looked like construction materials instead of tone woods like the other guitars. They met a price range when people couldn't buy other guitars. That in itself is success... regardless what opinions about the product may be. Certainly there were Volkswagen Beetles in every other driveway. I'm entitled to say they were NOT the most cherished car on the road.
The Danelectro binding was a vinyl wall covering and the front and back of the guitar was laminated with a 1/4" thick melamine laminate.
Yeah, probably every garage band in America had one guitarist with a Silvertone or Danalectro guitar. I got tired of hearing the band members say it was made from the same materials as a mobile home.
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silksox
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Mar 26 @ 3:40PM
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More!! more more!!...of your musical history 
Silk
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goodcatch57
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Mar 26 @ 4:02PM
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Awesome photo! I'm a guitar collector of sorts..just Fenders though...well, one 1972 Epi. Nothing plays like a Strat. and if you don't like the neck, take it off and try something different.
Here is my home studio...do you still play?
My home studio
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