Hello, and welcome to My Guitar Lair or maybe I should say OUR Guitar Lair!
Regardless of what type of music you play, you are welcome here. Maybe rock or blues is your thing. You could be more of a jazzy, folksy, or classical person; it’s all good.
It doesn’t really matter how well you play guitar or if you even play guitar. This is a website for everyone to learn and have fun.
If you love playing, collecting, adjusting, modding, building, and pretty much all things guitar, then this is a cool place to hang out!
Do you drool over vintage guitars and have guitar magazines all over the house? How many bands have you played in? Are you a “Strat-Cat” or a “Tele-Whacker,” or maybe you are a “Gibson -Man”?
MY STORY
I have a guitar obsession! I’ve always loved music, but from the first time I heard Jimi Hendrix play the song “Fire” at a junior high school party, I was hooked on the whole electric guitar thing. Genius really has a way of inspiring people.
I raided my savings account and bought a Sears Silvertone electric guitar and practice amp that same day. I can still remember the lacquer’s fresh smell that covered the guitar’s two-tone sunburst paint job.
I accidentally broke the high-E string and thought the guitar was ruined! I brought it to my local music store to see how much the repair would cost.
The store owner started laughing, then sold me a new string for 25 cents and showed me how to put it on. That may have been one of the happiest days of my life!
I took 2 to 3 weeks of guitar lessons and then began learning everything I could from guitar books, record albums, cassettes, and 8-track tapes (remember those).
Back then, I learned guitar solos by slowing down the album’s speed on a record player. Today you can do it digitally without lowering the pitch of the notes.
Learning how to play the guitar seemed more challenging back then. There were no guitar websites or instructional guitar videos on YouTube to guide you through the various nuances of playing guitar chord progressions and solos.
Fast forward about 50 years and here I am still learning and loving everything about the guitar!
I WANT TO HELP YOU PLAY AND SOUND BETTER
It took me years to become a decent guitar player, and I still practice every day. Along the way, I figured out that having an awesome sound involves a lot more than learning songs, especially if you play the electric guitar.
Your sound is an important part of what makes your playing unique. It’s a combination of things like the guitar, amp, effects, and recording technique you use. Even the brand of strings you buy or the pick you use can make a big difference in your sound.
If guitars are your thing, then I would love to help you be a better player. No matter how much we know, there’s always more to learn.
THE GOAL OF THIS SITE
This website is all about making the guitar a fun and addictive experience. Here you will find guitar and equipment reviews as well as “how-to” articles.
I also enjoy writing about various little-known musical tidbits. You might even find some instructional pointers on guitar playing along the way.
If you ever need a hand or have any questions, please leave them in the comments section, and I will be more than happy to try to help you out.
I sincerely hope you will enjoy this site as much as I do!
Keep On Playing,
Frank10@MyGuitarLair.com (remove the number 10)
Check out this video about Fender Play and get your free thirty-day trial!
Hi Frank
Love the site. We have a lot in common. I was also inspired as a kid hearing Jimi Hendrix. He had just passed away when I started playing. My profile photo is from 1977 and shows me playing my 63 Strat. I flipped the picture around so I am looking into the page rather than out of it. So I am really right-handed. Anyway, I love the look of your guitar collection.
I wish you all success with this site.
Best regards
Andy
Hi Andy,
I really appreciate your comments!
This website is relatively new but I intend to really add lots of cool guitar stuff, as time allows.
A 63 Strat is a great guitar and worth some money! I also have a late 60s Strat in Olympic White. I custom ordered the color from my local music store after I saw Jimi Hendrix (my high school musical idol) playing one in a photo on his “Electric Ladyland” album. I came home from school one day and my mother told me that Jimi was dead. I thought she had confused him with someone else but it was one of the saddest days of my life.
I answered your comment on my Sky Guitar article. Let me know if you have any other questions and I’ll be happy to help.
Andy, please come back and visit often,
Frank
was researching Jorge Garcia on the web and discovered you and your site. having no musical talent whatsoever, i choose to be an avid listener and fully appreciate both the person as well as the player that Jorge is. a wonderful human being and a great guitar player. thanks for what you do.
Hi Gary,
Thank You for your comments!
I’m totally psyched that you discovered Jorge and delighted to hear that you enjoyed my article! Jorge is obviously a monster guitar player with his own very unique style. I plan on doing more articles on jazz and jazz fusion guitar players, so please come back and revisit my website.
Happy New Year and all the Best in 2022!
Frank
Hi Frank, I want to thank you for the article you wrote on me. This is Guitarist Jorge Garcia. Great work you do and humble that you chose me to write about. I will like to send you my next album officially coming out in February, Dedicated To You is the name. Let me know how I can get it to you.
Hi, Jorge
I’m thrilled beyond words that you read and liked my article! I could have gone on forever with my assessment of what a fabulous and original guitar player you are! We definitely need more musicians like you and your awesome band members! You guys are all amazing!
Please let me know if there is any inaccurate or incomplete information, and I will correct it immediately.
I plan to add more Jazz and Jazz Fusion articles to this website as time allows, especially as I get requests from other readers.
Hopefully, you will come back and visit now and again, and I welcome all your comments!
Thank You for your generous offer! I can’t wait to hear your new album, and I will email you with my mailing address. Kindly autograph it!
With Great Admiration,
Frank
Hi Frank,
I used to play the guitar at university. The piano is my thing, and always will be. My roommate had built his own acoustic guitar and showed me how to play it. I was hooked.
The music we learned was classical guitar. We even went to another more experienced student for lessons. All free by the way because he enjoyed teaching us,
At the end of my studies, I joined a group that played Beatles music. We drove overland to India and gave concerts to small groups on the road. Loads of fun.
Since I grew the nails of my right hand to strum and pluck in a classical way, I couldn’t play the piano because of nail obstruction. When I returned home from this trip, I ached to play the piano. Off went the nails and I haven’t played the guitar since then.
I congratulate you on creating this site to help others get to know and play the guitar. Do you have a YouTube Channel where you perform? If so I’d love to hear you.
Your guitar world is a wonderful contrast to your medical profession. I am sure you will create a side business that will continue to add value to your life in multiple ways.
All the best to you.
Edwin
Hi, Edwin
Thank You so much for your comments! You are too kind.
You can always get a steel-string acoustic and play with a thumb pick and fingerpicks. You don’t have to grow your nails. That way, you can play piano and guitar!
I don’t have a YouTube channel yet, but maybe someday.
Frank ?
Frank, great site and very informative. I have been a guitar plinker for years as a bass player and just really started learning guitar correctly after retirement. I just finished your 10 Awesome Tips booklet and had a suggestion. You mention beginners selecting their first instrument. Considering how learning guitar requires some discipline and many new players just give up when confronted with a horrible “beginner” guitar maybe a future article could be how to select a realistic, reasonable priced instrument. I shutter to think of all the expensive, beautiful guitars locked in a case in the back of a closet never being enjoyed by all those rock and roll wannabes. Keep up the chatting. Love to read them when I should be practicing. Lol
Hi, Ronald
I really appreciate your comments and suggestion!
Yes, beginning players buy guitars that run the gamut from too cheap to be playable all the way to professional gig-quality! Adults tend to buy better guitars for themselves and cheaper ones for their children.
Some people have found amazing vintage guitars in the attics or closets of their relatives.
Most beginners quit playing because of the time and dedication required to learn to play any instrument well. It’s not uncommon for them to blame it on the low quality of the instrument. Some of the best musicians in the world started playing on some of the cheapest instruments you can imagine!
Jimi Hendrix started pretending to play guitar on a broom until his father noticed broom bristles on the floor and bought him a cheap guitar!
You might like the article on my website entitled “When To Buy Your Second Guitar? (With Buyer’s Guide).”
Nice chatting with you, Ronald! Please come back and visit again.
Frank 🎸
Hey my friend I don’t really have any suggestions to add to the 10 step book, because it is actually pretty perfect the way it is. I did encounter a typo.
“To easiest way to do that is to take it one string at a time.”
It’s not a big deal and I’m sure most anyone could imagine that it should have been (the) instead of (to).
Anyways, I’d like to say thanks for the free pointers, and the work you do for everyone.
Shawn
Hi, Shawn
First, Thank you for downloading the eBook and calling the typo to my attention, which I corrected!
I’m so happy that you found the book helpful!
Please let me know if you find any other typos or have any questions about the material in the ebook.
Happy New Year! 🎉
Frank 😎🎸
Hi Frank. JD here. I just took a cursory look at your site and it is great. The only problem I had with it was when I went to the E-book page. There was no header menu to navigate out of it, so I had to back arrow. Not really a problem, just an inconvenience. Other than that your site is great.
Thanks, JD!
I’m absolutely thrilled that you like the site, and I hope you’ll return often. 😎
Rock On! 🤘
Frank 🎸
I have a reverse plate I did years ago but i put the volume on top for easy swells. Good article. Thinking about adding a 4-way switch next.
Hi, Tom
I really appreciate your input!
Yeah, I like the reverse Telecaster control plate configuration too! Reversing the pot positions puts the volume knob right where it should be. I have three Teles that I re-wired that way.
Rock On! 🤘
Frank 🎸