Greetings from Pittsburgh, PA!!
I’ve started playing, and buying high quality guitars, when I was in my early 20’s. I already had good knowledge of music theory from being in the band all through my school years. I was a beginner when I started and after taking 20+ years off from playing, I’m still a beginner. Boy am I rusty! I’m starting from ground zero.
I followed Justin on and off on his YouTube channel through the years. I always thought he did a great job of making playing simple and not trying to make it too hard.
I have a great story to tell you all about me getting back to playing. It’s a bit long but it’s worth reading!
I recently had been thinking about starting back up to play again. I had gotten some lessons years from a local well-known guitar player here in Pittsburgh when I first started over 20 years ago. About a month ago, I thought that I needed to reach out to him for lessons. I found out shortly thereafter he had passed away very recently at the age of 62. Everybody knew this guy. He taught music at a local high school.
I then began to reminisce about a Fender Blues Deville 212 that I bought brand new back in 95 or 97. Fender just released those amps around that time. I bought that along with my Bonnie Raitt Start that you see in my profile pic. You can’t beat a Fender plugged into a Fender!
I found out that they quit making them and I regretted selling it years ago. I was looking for the classic, clean Fender sound AND THAT REVERB!
I found a used Fender Bassbreaker that was in excellent condition at a local shop. They also had a Blues Junior FSR in excellent condition. After going back and forth with the shop for a day, I had was prepared to make an offer on both for a package deal. I show up at the shop and the FSR was sold 10 minutes before I got there! So, I was a little bummed. They still had the Bassbreaker. I took it for a whirl and even did a A/B test with a Vox AC 10.
I talked with the store employee, who I knew from playing 20+ years ago, and I told him I was ready to do a cash deal on both of them. Then he said, “Come with me.” He took me to another area of the store that the public doesn’t see that much. This part of the building was newly finished during COVID for rehearsals and recording space that musicians can rent.
In that room was quite a few guitars and amps. All used. He takes a Fender amp out and pulls the cover off. It was a Fender Blues Junior. This was an early model since it was made in the US. The speaker had been changed to a Marshall MG series which is a mid-level speaker. I did an A/B test with the Bassbreaker and the Junior. The reverb quit after a few strums. I was bummed again and told the guy I was ready to make a package offer on that and the Bassbreaker.
He told me that he literally just got that amp in, and he hadn’t looked at it. He said they could fix the reverb. So, I made a deal with him which was lower than what I was gonna offer for the BB and FSR.
They pushed it to the front of the line to fix the reverb. I had them text me the back of the amp and a pic of the speaker. I needed to research the speaker and date the amp. He texted me back and with the pics and said that he knew the original owner well. So, this amp was only owned by one person.
The next day, it was repaired. I went down and picked up the amp. I talked with that employee and the repair was simple. He brough the amp out and handed me a guitar cable and pointed to the end of it. It had checkered tape on the end of it. I said, “What’s that.”. He said, “That’s Billy’s cord. That’s Billy’s amp.”.
Billy was the guitar teacher who I referred to earlier. He taught that employee how to play 25 years ago. This employee knew me from that time and knew I took lessons from Billy.
I was speechless. I had no idea what to say. That employee began to tell me that the family asked them to help sell Billy’s equipment. Billy had quite a collection of guitars and a ton of parts. That shop was the only shop, and that employee was the only person they could trust to make sure Billy’s equipment went to the right people.
This employee told me that that JR was the first piece of Billy’s to leave the shop and that he was very happy it went to me.
It’s funny how things just work out!
I was wanting to get back to playing.
I was gonna message Billy for lessons. Found out he passed away suddenly.
I looked for another amp to give me that Fender sound.
Found an early model Fender Blues Junior.
Found out that very amp was owned by Billy, my first guitar teacher.
I now have a pic of Billy playing one of his signature guitars and another photo of the exact same amp with Billy’s hat, glasses and one of this other signature guitars in the back of the amp. Every time I get the power cord out, I will see Billy and this amp. That will keep reminding me to just practice. Billy would have been so happy that I picked up playing again. He would be happier to know that I am playing his old Blues Junior.
I would love to have posted a pic of that amp and the photos that I have in the back of it. Perhaps in the future, I’ll post them when I move up a few levels here in the forum.
I’m looking forward to sharing some of my practice routines here on the forum. I am looking at this forum to hold myself accountable.
I hope you all enjoyed this little story!
Things will probably come back to you quickly with having previous experience.