About 3 years ago is when the addiction started. My dad's friend was storing a Hammond organ with the Leslie speaker at our house. Having a top of the line organ sitting in my living room I decided to learn some songs. After a few days of playing songs on that or the piano I became addicted. I would play small parts of songs when walking past. Since I knew some songs I decided to learn them on guitar. We had a cheap - somewhat broken - classical guitar that I started learning on. 

Throughout that time I was getting more interested in music itself and started learning more difficult songs. After learning a Hendrix song or two on acoustic I convinced my dad to get an electric guitar. We went to the nearby music store where I found a great starter guitar. It was a low end - Squire version - of the almighty Stratocaster. 

The makers of the Strat, Fender, created a starter pack using their beginner guitar company. It included: the guitar, an amp, cable, a strap, and a few picks. After a few months of playing I had convinced my dad that we needed a nice acoustic guitar. 

Rather than going to the small music store, we went to a Guitar Center in Brookfield. They had a Martin guitar marked off by $200+ due to a small crack in the guitar. It was perfect since I have a carpenter to fix any problems with it. 

After getting the Martin I got more into Nirvana; who’s singer was a large Martin user. Kurt had multiple during his life but his most famous is the one used during MTV Unplugged. 

Once I heard some; I had to hear more. I listened to nearly all Nirvana albums and concerts I learned some. The great thing about their songs is most are played with very simple power chords. It really helped with confidence in playing. But it still didn’t sound right. I needed a pedal. 

This was a hard task as there’s thousands of different pedals. And some artists went through dozens so picking just one is a challenge. But one used by many is the Boss DS-1. It is also on the cheaper side so it was perfect for me. It allowed me to more closely emulate the songs I was playing. 

But it still wasn’t right.

I needed a wah. Again there are dozens of different versions used by big artists. But one often seen is the Cry Baby. It is also on the cheaper side so I got one. I first learned Voodoo Chile which is the most famous wah pedal song. Except for maybe Harrison's “Wah-Wah.” 

From there, I couldn’t stop and we started expanding our collection. I started with some electric guitars. And then my dad fell in love with an acoustic guitar. Despite only knowing 2 chords he purchased his 1958 Grestch Rancher. 

A beautiful guitar which is now worth about double what he paid. With a curved back displaying an immaculate quilted piece of wood. Looking like an orange sunset painting the clouds. Allowing bright oranges peaking through here and there. With most clouds a dark orange, almost red. There is none as beautiful. 

But unlike a sunset, my love for music will never set.