I got lucky. As a 14 yr old kid whose brain was switched on when I first heard the Stones, 'Satisfaction', I had visions of fast tracking to guitar mastery. What a dummy! Music was math to me, and Buddy required the Mel Bay method be learned. I was exposed as a 'memorizer' and lessons didn't last long. I still play by ear 50 years later, but the Merrills became family friends and I got to visit him in L.A. He's 80+ now and told me he stopped playing when sitting in on studio sessions years ago and observed the younger players displaying advanced skills. Couldn't keep up. Oh well.
What I remember most was walking in to their house across the street for lessons and seeing/hearing that 18 string pedal steel, reel to reels on the shelves and Fenders on their stands. That, and my father's band rehearsals in our basement.
I got lucky, but I should be a much better player.