Our third entry into the Guitar Bucket List series shows off the guitar that started it all… Okay, well it certainly didn’t start my love affair with guitars! And it wasn’t the first, second or even 10th guitar I purchased! But what this guitar did was open the floodgates that turned my grouping of guitars into a “collection”. Or, put differently, it went from “wow, you’ve got a lot of guitars” to “wow, you’ve got a problem”. 🙂

The Gretsch Sparkle Jet was a guitar that I saw in an article online and instantly showed it to my family. I couldn’t tell which one I liked more- the ocean blue turquoise or the champagne. All I knew is that this was the perfect looking guitar and I really wish I had it. Of course, that’s when I saw the price tag of $2,999!

So that wasn’t going to happen. I put it aside in my brain for a long while- probably close to a year. And then it happened. I don’t exactly remember how, but the guitar came back into my mind and I did a little research. Turns out, this thing was limited-edition and it wasn’t available on most websites anymore. In fact, I could only really find it at Musician’s Friend. So, I gave them a call. They had (conveniently) one left in the warehouse. After that, it was gone. They even took it off the website after I bought it.

Oh I remember the reason now- it’s because Musician’s Friend had a promotion where you got 16% back in gift cards when you purchased a Fender/Gretsch instrument. That was double the normal 8%. So, I ended up getting a gift card for a huge amount that was enough to buy another guitar! And that’s what kick-started this whole thing. One comedic error after another lead me to pile up the guitar purchases, one after another. And it all started because of that 16%. I can’t tell if it was a good thing or a really bad one…

But, I love the guitar and it certainly checks a lot off of the bucket list- check out the video to learn more!

The second installment of the Guitar Bucket List series features my 2014 Gibson Les Paul Classic in seafoam green. Now, there’s nothing “classic” about this model at all. It has a host of specs that no one would consider “classic” on a Gibson Les Paul. First, there’s the striking (and beautiful) see-through seafoam green finish. I mean, just look at that thing! When I first saw it hanging on the wall at a Sam Ash, I knew I had to have it. Of course, I had never purchased a Gibson before and something like that was WAY out of my price range. I actually had to sign a “contract” with my wife saying that I wouldn’t buy anything else for a whole year after it…and now that I’m thinking of it, it might’ve been a longer commitment than that!

But, it was worth it- I truly love that guitar. But…there are some quirks that let you know it’s from that 2014 era of Gibson. The finish ain’t that great- it has some flaws. And remember those non-classic features I mentioned? Well, it has uncovered zebra bobbin ’57 classic pickups (those are on the list), a 120th anniversary banner on the 12th fret, clear champagne gold speed knobs, a boost switch instead of a second tone knob, and a weight-relieved body (that’s on the list). Problem with the weight relief is that…well, it didn’t work. This thing weighs a TON.

I actually like the Tronical robotic tuners- so much so that I put a set on my Gibson! Yeah, the interface is weird and clunky, but I love not having to bust out a tuner and make everyone around me sit in silence while I struggle to read a tiny screen. In all, this is an all-time favorite for me and one of my “signature” guitars!

This guitar checked off the following on the Guitar Bucket List:

#10 – Gibson ’57 Classic Pickups
#15 – Nitrocellulose finish
#24 – Weight-relieved

The Ibanez AM73T electric guitar is not one you’ll easily find on a web archive. I saw it in a music store catalog in the early 2000’s and instantly fell in love with it. I loved the look more than anything- I didn’t know how different pickups and woods affected the sound of a guitar! I just thought it looked like Chuck Berry’s guitar and my love of early rock’n’roll made me gravitate to this model.

I bought this with my own money (tough to do when you’re a broke college kid) but this was my first good guitar. But, when I played it, I realized that I didn’t like the sound very much! That happens when you don’t really use it for the right purpose. I was more of a rhythm player trying to play this import guitar to sound like an early Beach Boys record. Oops!

So, I did what anyone who doesn’t know much about guitars would do: consult the internet! I decided that I needed real Gibson pickups. I didn’t know why, but I knew that’s what I needed. So I bought some Gibson Burstbucker pickups (the ones in those clear plastic cases) and had them installed in my Ibanez. I thought I was ready to rock!

Only I still realized that these pickups weren’t what I was looking for. Now I had pickups that were worth more than the guitar itself!

But I could never get rid of this guitar- I’ll always keep it, as I still think it looks perfect and is aging nicely, too. Now that I appreciate and can play using Gibson Burstbucker humbuckers better now, I can get more use out of the guitar, as well!

This guitar checked off the following on the Guitar Bucket List:

#29 – semi-hollow guitar
#52 – volute (on the back of the headstock)
#60 – Gibson BurstBucker pickups