Guitar quests you wish you took

[mike1100]

Most guitar quests I've passed on, I haven't given a second thought. This one I do think about.

There was a 2006 D40 Bluegrass Jubilee (adi top) posted on Craigslist for sale in Warrenton, VA. I can't recall the asking price, but it was reasonable. I've had to travel to VA quite a few times over the last 12 months, but I believe it was last August.

My work had me jumping and the long days wore me out. I did have two days off while there and I opted to rest instead of driving four hours round trip to check out that guitar. On my next trip there, two months later, it was no longer posted.

The searching is part of the fun, but I wish I went on that drive.

 

[ezstrummer]

I wish I would've bought a 59' les paul back in 1970.......

 

[Brad Little]

Sometime around 1978/9, I was on a vacation in Maine with my then GF. I visited a small upstairs guitar shop, in Brunswick, IIRC, that had an early '50s ('54?) ES 175 in nice shape. I had enough money that with the Ovation as a trade that I could have swung it, but that would have killed the vacation. Oh, well, no use crying over spilt milk!

 

[Rocky]

Passed on a mid 50's goldtop, refinished black like NY's, with a bigsby back in the late 80's. $1,700. Sat in the store for months.

 

[walrus]

Not really a quest, but I definitely remember it.

A friend once offered me both a '68 Les Paul (black!), and/or a "Pre-CBS" Fender Stratocaster he was selling. I remember him emphasizing the "Pre-CBS" although at the time I had no clue what that meant.

Today, the weight of the Led Paul would be to much for me, but why I did not buy that at the time - I was in my early 20's - I'll never know. I do remember that I had the money to pay for it, so that wasn't it. Just youthful ignorance I guess.

walrus

 

[chazmo]

Oh, hindsight can be so painful...

I actually don't have any guitar quests that I gave up on that I wish I hadn't... I have one for cars, though... On my 30th birthday (1993), I was considering getting myself a Jaguar E-type. I was living in California, and I'm certain I could've managed it. I really wish I'd done that. Mind you, I love the cars I've owned, but always regret never laying my hands on my all-time favorite! Not to mention what it'd be worth today (if it had lasted, that is ).

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

F'd up a deal to obtain the Guild Mandolin.

Had a shot at a really cool prototype SB-202 bass at a music store somewhere in either South Jersey or Philly. (Things are a little fuzzy from those days.) The cool thing about it was it had a body shape matching headstock like the later X-79's. It looked a little like antlers. Didn't have enough cash and they wouldn't take credit!

Imagine this bass with cut-away "horns" on the headstock like the top end of the body.

 

[Nuuska]

1975 - my first summer in MN

Next door neighbour was nice old man - he was retired musician - had been playing w Benny Goodman etc - he had a Gibson banjo that he was willing to sell me - and I did have enough money - but it was a 4-string - not 5-string - gold-plated hardware.

Thinking back now - maybe I should've jumped on that deal . . .

Oh well - I've had mostly happy life anyways.

 

[dreadnut]

'94 Martin D45, on consignment at Elderly prob 15 years ago, $2,500. I played it. Shoulda borrowed the money to buy this one.

 

[guitarslinger]

I had the money to buy a D’Aquisto, spoke to him on the phone, I was ready to pull the trigger, but, then he said the wait was two years. The money was burning a hole in my pocket and I didn’t want to tie up the money that long with nothing to show for it. @#$@

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I wish no one had stolen my Travis Bean Artist.

 

[Guildedagain]

I always got every guitar I wanted, so I can't think of one.

The way I did this is to only lust over a guitar you can afford or get right now, the other ones are pretty but out of your reach and you know it. Like you don't lust over the prettiest girl in school unless you're a masochist. Set your sights on something attainable and love the one you're with.

I used to go quite regularly to several impressive vintage guitar stores, walls of Gibsons ES's from the golden age (NOT the 70's), Martins, Fenders, Danos, and I'd only look at one guitar. I might try a bunch, but that would only be to reinforce that I wasn't interested in them at all, and I'd have to say my biggest regret was never buying on of Red's ES 175's, several in a row hanging by the pegheads. Nothing was labeled or priced.

I'd always have to ask "How old is this one" and "How much is it?"

And he'd say 1959, or 1961, they looked exactly alike.

And I'd play one, carefully, and then carefully put it back.