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Anyone have one of those rooms you've dedicated to music? Any interesting story to go along with it? Post it up!
Just as a fair warning, this post is yet another "book" of a post that I'm quickly becoming notorious for writing.
I'd started playing guitar when I was about 13, and had a really crappy one, therefore the guitar and I just got off on the wrong foot. It probably effected my entire attitude towards the instrument for years to come. Despite taking lessons and "playing" for nearly 10 years, I was probably no better than someone who'd been playing for about 6 months. I finally gave up playing altogether, and my guitars and amps sat comatose in a closet for over a decade, until...
In 2008, we'd purchased a new home, and we had a few rooms which were not being "used" or "utilized, so to speak. We aren't big entertainers, so we hadn't a need for a "dining room," so that left it open. We scratched our heads about what to do with it, when I suggested we make it a music room. The wife agreed, and it was a done deal. Our "Dining Room" became the "Living Room," and the "Living Room" became the "Music Room." We figured a chandelier would look a bit odd in the Music Room, so...
Out came the few guitars I had at the time; my 1990s Epiphone acoustic, Fender Telecaster Plus, and B.C. Rich Mockingbird. I went out and bought a real nice Hercules "triple stand" for them, had got them restrung, and made some repairs to the Mockingbird, which seemed to go ignored years earlier.
Now that I had my Music Room set up, it inspired me to start playing again, and so I did. I'd been playing again for a few months, and then decided I wanted a new, American-made, custom guitar. I'd looked to B.C. Rich for that Custom Shop Warlock I'd always dreamed of, but that quickly came to an end when I was quoted nearly $6000. There was no way in Hell I was going to spend $6000 on a guitar, especially since I'm not exactly what I'd refer to myself as being a professional musician.
At the point of my defeat, I recalled seeing ads for "Warmoths" years ago, and gave them a look. I pulled the trigger and ordered the body, neck, and hardware. Ironically, it turned out to be more fun to purchase stuff on my own than to just check a few boxes and wait for a fancy guitar to arrive in the mail, however, what I didn't expect was to search for a qualified builder for the better part of a year. In the end, I wound up having Neal Moser do the assembly and setup on it, after someone on another forum suggested giving him a call. Frankly, I'm amazed he took on the job, but whatever the case, given his knowledge and reputation, I knew I was going to get a very high quality build...and I did.
While waiting for my Warmoth to return from California in assembled form, I remembered the Ibanez EX180 that was stored in my parents' closet, which happened to be an "inheritance" from an ex-girlfriend. I got it repaired, and then bought another guitar stand.
My Music Room was quickly taking form, and at this point, I had stands for all my guitars, all my guitars repaired, and decided I needed a stool, so I hit a local store who unfortunately just shut their doors a few weeks ago due to the economy. They had a "Fender" stand, but, I didn't like it, so I talked them into selling me one of the promotional stands that Fender had sold them. The deal was made, and I took home my $50 stool. They made $50, and I was happy to get my stand.
At this point, things took a total 180 degree turn, and my wife decided she wanted to start playing the piano again. Since we have cats, I chose against getting her any type of piano, and figured she'd have just as much fun with a keyboard, so I picked her up a Casio WK-3800. While it only has 76 keys, it does its job well. Unfortunately, I've used it more than she has, and has disappointingly mostly collected dust.
Well, things never seem to end once we get off on the "music kick," and they continued. I decided I wanted to get an Apple Computer because of not only their reputation for reliability, but discovering GarageBand, plus all of the recording software.
Now, I was beginning to do some home recording (just for fun, of course...), and I realized I had hit my limits with GarageBand, and now I needed either some new software, or a drum machine and a bass guitar. At this point, I told my wife I wanted a bass, and I got one for Xmas 2010.
I'd been using my bass and GarageBand's less than stellar drum beats for far too long, and then wound up with a DR-880 drum machine for my birthday back in March. It's been great, and music's coming along fairly slowly, but decently.
Now, of course, I have give my requisite "plug" for my JS Series Warrior.
The Ibanez EX-180 was crappy and falling apart, and just taking up space. It just needed to go, and needed to be replaced with something cheap, but something I would enjoy. I mean, we all love new guitars, right? Well, you all know the story, and I wound up trading it in on my JS Warrior. 
Well, with the addition of the Warrior, I now had 3 guitars (bass, Warmoth, and Warrior) in my already cluttered computer room, along with wires everywhere, and amplifiers. I've finally given into my defeat, and purchased a nice-sized desk this past weekend, along with a new chair, and have spent the past few nights setting everything up. I'm pretty close to finished, but still have to bring down the bass amp.
Anyway, here's my Music Room, and I gotta say, I think it kicks ass.
And, of course, I couldn't help myself, but to post a closer-up of the "Arsenal!"
Just as a fair warning, this post is yet another "book" of a post that I'm quickly becoming notorious for writing.
I'd started playing guitar when I was about 13, and had a really crappy one, therefore the guitar and I just got off on the wrong foot. It probably effected my entire attitude towards the instrument for years to come. Despite taking lessons and "playing" for nearly 10 years, I was probably no better than someone who'd been playing for about 6 months. I finally gave up playing altogether, and my guitars and amps sat comatose in a closet for over a decade, until...
In 2008, we'd purchased a new home, and we had a few rooms which were not being "used" or "utilized, so to speak. We aren't big entertainers, so we hadn't a need for a "dining room," so that left it open. We scratched our heads about what to do with it, when I suggested we make it a music room. The wife agreed, and it was a done deal. Our "Dining Room" became the "Living Room," and the "Living Room" became the "Music Room." We figured a chandelier would look a bit odd in the Music Room, so...
Out came the few guitars I had at the time; my 1990s Epiphone acoustic, Fender Telecaster Plus, and B.C. Rich Mockingbird. I went out and bought a real nice Hercules "triple stand" for them, had got them restrung, and made some repairs to the Mockingbird, which seemed to go ignored years earlier.
Now that I had my Music Room set up, it inspired me to start playing again, and so I did. I'd been playing again for a few months, and then decided I wanted a new, American-made, custom guitar. I'd looked to B.C. Rich for that Custom Shop Warlock I'd always dreamed of, but that quickly came to an end when I was quoted nearly $6000. There was no way in Hell I was going to spend $6000 on a guitar, especially since I'm not exactly what I'd refer to myself as being a professional musician.
At the point of my defeat, I recalled seeing ads for "Warmoths" years ago, and gave them a look. I pulled the trigger and ordered the body, neck, and hardware. Ironically, it turned out to be more fun to purchase stuff on my own than to just check a few boxes and wait for a fancy guitar to arrive in the mail, however, what I didn't expect was to search for a qualified builder for the better part of a year. In the end, I wound up having Neal Moser do the assembly and setup on it, after someone on another forum suggested giving him a call. Frankly, I'm amazed he took on the job, but whatever the case, given his knowledge and reputation, I knew I was going to get a very high quality build...and I did.
While waiting for my Warmoth to return from California in assembled form, I remembered the Ibanez EX180 that was stored in my parents' closet, which happened to be an "inheritance" from an ex-girlfriend. I got it repaired, and then bought another guitar stand.
My Music Room was quickly taking form, and at this point, I had stands for all my guitars, all my guitars repaired, and decided I needed a stool, so I hit a local store who unfortunately just shut their doors a few weeks ago due to the economy. They had a "Fender" stand, but, I didn't like it, so I talked them into selling me one of the promotional stands that Fender had sold them. The deal was made, and I took home my $50 stool. They made $50, and I was happy to get my stand.
At this point, things took a total 180 degree turn, and my wife decided she wanted to start playing the piano again. Since we have cats, I chose against getting her any type of piano, and figured she'd have just as much fun with a keyboard, so I picked her up a Casio WK-3800. While it only has 76 keys, it does its job well. Unfortunately, I've used it more than she has, and has disappointingly mostly collected dust.
Well, things never seem to end once we get off on the "music kick," and they continued. I decided I wanted to get an Apple Computer because of not only their reputation for reliability, but discovering GarageBand, plus all of the recording software.
Now, I was beginning to do some home recording (just for fun, of course...), and I realized I had hit my limits with GarageBand, and now I needed either some new software, or a drum machine and a bass guitar. At this point, I told my wife I wanted a bass, and I got one for Xmas 2010.
I'd been using my bass and GarageBand's less than stellar drum beats for far too long, and then wound up with a DR-880 drum machine for my birthday back in March. It's been great, and music's coming along fairly slowly, but decently.
Now, of course, I have give my requisite "plug" for my JS Series Warrior.
The Ibanez EX-180 was crappy and falling apart, and just taking up space. It just needed to go, and needed to be replaced with something cheap, but something I would enjoy. I mean, we all love new guitars, right? Well, you all know the story, and I wound up trading it in on my JS Warrior. Well, with the addition of the Warrior, I now had 3 guitars (bass, Warmoth, and Warrior) in my already cluttered computer room, along with wires everywhere, and amplifiers. I've finally given into my defeat, and purchased a nice-sized desk this past weekend, along with a new chair, and have spent the past few nights setting everything up. I'm pretty close to finished, but still have to bring down the bass amp.
Anyway, here's my Music Room, and I gotta say, I think it kicks ass.
And, of course, I couldn't help myself, but to post a closer-up of the "Arsenal!"
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