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I bought a Pro Tools system in 2009 with a nice apogee interface. I could do sixteen track at a time. I could actually record bands.

Similarly to many my first functional guitar was a strat copy (black metallic 2000 Squier Standard with bridge humbucker). I finagled some sort of deal on it as the music store accidentally sold the older cheaper model and peavey practice amp I had arranged to buy. Wound up with a bigger peavey that was just phased out for those new ones with red trim. For some reason my parents wanted me to have a class ring (wtf?). I convinced them money towards an electric guitar was far less stupid but n some feat of argumentation they were grumpy about for a long while. Not a bad beginner guitar. I rewired that thing a half dozen times. Swapped pickups, etc. I actually just recently resurrected it from a heap of parts. I’m just not a strat guy. I like short scales and the nut width on that thing is way too narrow.

Prior I had a cheap fender acoustic that was falling apart. Worst thing was that I was so eager to buy it in the school parking lot that I left my art portfolio on the guy’s trunk and I lost all of it as he drove off.

First really nice gear came in 2008. Got a good price on a 68 or 69 Fender Champ. Still have it, love it. And after years of wanting to upgrade from the strat and missing the affordability window on things like Hagstroms or whatever sleeper guitars I kept never having money and timing line up for, I spent my Obama check on a Burny Les Paul custom in amazing shape. Fantastic guitar. A keeper.

At the age of 19 I dropped out of first year university midway through the first term and spent all of my school funds to buy a Gibson Chet Atkins Country Gentleman. It was a good way to go all in on life as a working musician. I never went back to school and I still have the guitar. It's the only new guitar I've ever owned (even though it's over 30 years old now). I don't play it as much as I used to but It's the still one guitar that I feel like I know inside out. It feels like an extension of me.

When I was 18 I had a marshall Valvestate 100 because I knew people that sounded good had marshalls with large boxes under them. Mine didn't sound as good, and it took me awhile to figure out why. Eventually a super old guy that was 25 or something explained tube amps to me, but they were really hard to find in Sudbury Ontario. I had started lurking on this forum and Electrical put a bunch of things up for sale - there was a Sovtek Mig 50h that was the smallest thing being sold and I thought the shipping on that might be less. I called the studio and someone asked FM steve in the background if it was cool to ship to Canada. My mind was blown. A couple weeks later the amp showed up. It was beautiful. The glowing glass tubes were mesmerizing and the second I turned it on in my garage, it just sounded different and it FELT different - I was hooked. That amp completely changed the direction of my life. That was 2003 and my spouse still plays it all the time, like this past saturday.

TylerDeadPine wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 10:20 pm marshall Valvestate

Guilty here as well. Saved up for it mowing lawns one summer. I did trade it in (+ $350) for a plexi a few years later, not that I really knew what to do with the thing. "How do you get more gain?" Dude at the shop kindly brought over a Vox tube screamer as well..

penningtron wrote: Thu Mar 02, 2023 6:49 am

TylerDeadPine wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 10:20 pm marshall Valvestate

Guilty here as well. Saved up for it mowing lawns one summer. I did trade it in (+ $350) for a plexi a few years later, not that I really knew what to do with the thing. "How do you get more gain?" Dude at the shop kindly brought over a Vox tube screamer as well..

ha! I did the same, mowing lawns and refereeing soccer. Bought it from a pawn shop - an experience that I wish the internet hadn't diminished. I eventually blew it up by playing through the headphone jack with nothing attached, so I learned about speaker load...

TylerDeadPine wrote: Thu Mar 02, 2023 9:40 am I eventually blew it up by playing through the headphone jack with nothing attached, so I learned about speaker load...

hah, I did that to a silverface Bassman: the line out going directly into a portastudio..

penningtron wrote: Thu Mar 02, 2023 6:49 am

TylerDeadPine wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 10:20 pm marshall Valvestate

Guilty here as well. Saved up for it mowing lawns one summer. I did trade it in (+ $350) for a plexi a few years later, not that I really knew what to do with the thing. "How do you get more gain?" Dude at the shop kindly brought over a Vox tube screamer as well..

I embarrassingly went the wrong direction. Had a silverface Princeton Reverb I hated because it was too clean. Traded it at a pawnshop for a solidstate Laney halfstack because distortion. DUMB. Luckily I traded that Laney for a silverface Pro Reverb a few years later. Order restored. Wish I still had that Pro Reverb.

TylerDeadPine wrote: Thu Mar 02, 2023 9:40 am

penningtron wrote: Thu Mar 02, 2023 6:49 am

TylerDeadPine wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 10:20 pm marshall Valvestate

Guilty here as well. Saved up for it mowing lawns one summer. I did trade it in (+ $350) for a plexi a few years later, not that I really knew what to do with the thing. "How do you get more gain?" Dude at the shop kindly brought over a Vox tube screamer as well..

ha! I did the same, mowing lawns and refereeing soccer. Bought it from a pawn shop - an experience that I wish the internet hadn't diminished. I eventually blew it up by playing through the headphone jack with nothing attached, so I learned about speaker load...

I'm confused about this. You're talking about the Valvestate, correct? Why would this blow up a solid state amp? Or a better question might be: why on earth would a MFG add a headphone jack to an amp & still require the player to have a speaker load on it?

penningtron wrote: Thu Mar 02, 2023 9:45 am

TylerDeadPine wrote: Thu Mar 02, 2023 9:40 am I eventually blew it up by playing through the headphone jack with nothing attached, so I learned about speaker load...

hah, I did that to a silverface Bassman: the line out going directly into a portastudio..

Happy little accidents. http://www.garnetamps.com/zog_story.htm