I started guitar lessons again last week and had my second lesson today (thanks to
Andy!) after about a 25 year break. I took lessons once at a community center back in the OC, but I only fooled around with it from time to time. I don't understand why being able to play has always been such a desperate desire, but not enough to get me to follow through. I guess I'm just not self-disciplined enough to just sit down and figure it out on my own, and having a wife that's so good at both singing and playing has almost made me feel like I could vicariously or something.

Anytime I watch someone else play I have always thought, gosh I wish I could do that. Inheriting my Grandpa's guitar was the incentive that I needed though. I started to check into lessons and there was supposed to be a class at the church, but it seems to have evaporated for the summer. Fortunately, Andy volunteered to work with me in the meantime, and then I got home and Birgit helped me too. Now let's see if I can at least be self-disciplined enough to keep it up!

Speaking of reunions...


Here's a group I'm related to.

Here's the group from my generation (yes, I'm the oldest)

...and here's the group that started it all off!

We went to a family reunion and all I got was this old guitar.

Actually, I inherited it from my Grandpa who passed away almost two years ago now. This is truly a treasure beyond price for me. My grandfather played in a country western band in his younger years and this was the guitar that he performed with. It's a '47 or '48 (as near as I can tell) Epiphone Zephyr Deluxe. It has his name stencilled on the top (Eddy) and it has seen a lot. He preformed as "Eddy and the Rocky Mountain Playboys in Colorado from 1947 to about 1952, and then solo in Arizona for a number of years after that. I grew up watching him sing and play on this guitar and some of my fondest memories of him are of that.

My second cousin from Texas picked it up when my Grandpa passed away and sent it to the Gibson plant (they purchased Epiphone in 1957) and had it restored. They told him they could repair the crazing and scratches on the top, but they would have to take off the "Eddy" stencil to do it. My cousin told them "if you do, I will personally come down there and take off your head!" I wouldn't have it any other way.

From my research I found the following details:

Body: Hollow; solid 2-piece spruce top, laminated 1-piece flamed maple and flamed Maple sides; triple bound top and back

Finish: Sunburst, nitrocellulose lacquer

Neck: 5-piece maple/mahogany, set-in; single bound, maple headstock overlay with pearloid logo and vine inlay

Fingerboard: Brazilian rosewood, single bound; mother-of-pearl cloud markers

Number of Frets: 20

Pickguard: Tortoise, celluloid; single bound

Bridge: Ebony on ebony base with gold Frequensator tailpiece

Tuners: Epiphone, sealed, gold

Pickups: One, Epiphone Master Pickup single coil

Controls: Master tone, master volume (replaced by Gibson)

Scale Length: 25 1/2 inches

Neck Width at Nut: 1 11/16 inches

Body Width at Lower Bout: 17 3/8 inches

Body Depth: 3 3/8 inches

Value: Priceless