Mid-life crisis beginner guitarists?

So last night I was talking to a guy who says that there a a rash of mid-life crisis guys buying electric guitars who have never played before (but always wanted to, or something) -- sort of analogous to the mid-life crisis Harley phenomenon.

Said I'd never heard of it -- all the mid-life crisis guys I know are playing guitars they'd had stored away in attics for 25 years -- these guys all used to play (some of them pretty well, too).

So am I behind the curve (as usual)? He was saying I could clean-up doing weekend workshops teaching these guys (my main qualifications being a) I am already able to play guitar, and b) I am already middle aged (WTF?!?).)

This doesn't sound like a serious business proposition to me (although I imagine there could be some scope for a good comedy sketch or two), but the basic premise underpinning all this has got me intrigued.

Is there suddenly a rash of 40- and 50-somethings going down to the music store and buying their first axe?

-Mark

Oh, yeah!

Doctors, Dentists and Lawyers seem to be the folks I run into when I go to Elderly's. When I lived in Palo Alto, it was computer geeks who were at Gryphon's checking out the nice Martin's and Sage's.

While I did play acoustic since the early 70's, I finally started "collecting" guitars (and my first really good guitars) starting about 5 years ago... Mid-life crisis - maybe partly, but more because I finally was financially independant and my (new) wife supports my music purchases - hell, she bought most of 'em for me... :D

I can finally afford some nice stuff...

WOW!
Reading this thread is so bizarre!
Honestly......
I was in the guitar store today (Saturday) and I asked myself, "What are all these middle aged guys doing here buying guitars?"
No kidding.....

...but personally, I think that "middle aged crisis" label was invented by a bitchy, female head shrinker who, after mistreating her husband for decades found him gone one morning and didn't want to accept even part of the responsibility for his abrupt departure.....


.....Then again...where would we be without LABELS?????

Maybe they're just mid-life crisis returning guitarists... sold off all their stuff years ago when they got a 'real' job... or their parents hauled the Epi in the attic out to the curb for a garage sale when the nest finally got empty and they moved to Florida... maybe the pursuit of money has proven unsatisfying (or, alternately, rewarding) and they're returning to their roots in the arts.

Cheaper than sports cars (barely).

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Originally Posted by gibsonjunkie

my (new) wife supports my music purchases - hell, she bought most of 'em for me...

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damn, i gotta find me one of those.

why call it a crisis?

It's probably more self indulgence than anything, like buying a £1000 camera when you are never going to use all the features, just great to have a £1000 camera!


..trouble is it is so hard learning ANYTHING new over 40!

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Originally Posted by clayville

Maybe they're just mid-life crisis returning guitarists...

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There are lots of guys like these, and some of them are (or were) pretty good musicians... the thing I'm surprised to hear is that there are supposedly all these mid-life guys buying guitars who have never played before...

-Mark

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Originally Posted by Dr Fene

..trouble is it is so hard learning ANYTHING new over 40!

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Exactly. Learning to ride a Harley is probably hard enough, but learning a musical instrument from scratch?

-Mark

Huh? Are you talking to me? Are you talking to ME?

o.k.,so maybe im not the best musician in the world...but i played as a teenager,put the axe away for a few years,and then one night i saw a good local group that inspired me to pick up the guitar again.being a little older i can spend a bit on musical instruments when i want to.yeah,also got a 66 pontiac hot rod and a sports car to drive every day,2 grandkids to spoil and a wife thats still hot...lifes been good to me so far...

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Originally Posted by mgade

Huh? Are you talking to me? Are you talking to ME?

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Yes, I am. Turn on your hearing aid! :D

-Mark

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Originally Posted by Plugger

Yes, I am. Turn on your hearing aid! :D

-Mark

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WHAT??



( :lol )

I'm too young to have a mid-life crisis.

Maybe Its that crappy drop D tuned stuff thats out today,at least the hair bands of the 70's and 80's could play thier instruments,I cant even listen to what the kids call rock now and im only 38.
Maybe Im having a premature crisis,But when you can go see Dio at 58 and he wipes the stage with blink 189,its kinda comical,
I saw him at the warehouse in clarksville TN,He opened for blink,and when blink took the stage after about 3 songs everyone was leaving,
Bet they wont take a midlife rocker out again.Dio's guitarist,
Craig Goldy was really good and Dio's vocals were excelent,and he hung out with all us old kids after the jam,

I'm in a constant state of mid-life crisis, probably since I was born! :bonk
I just don't havet the dough to fuel it. :slap

Yes, it's true. And their wives should rejoice! The top ten reasons why guitars make up the best mid-life crisis:

10. Guys with guitars are cool.

9. A guitar is cheaper than a 'Vette.

8. If they're at rehearsal, they're not at a bar.

7. When on stage, getting hit on by a hot babe is statistically less likely when you're 55.

6. Most old guys won't crank the amp. (present company notwithstanding)

5. It's good for their libido.

4. Focusing on guitars makes a bad combover much less likely.

3. A properly chosen guitar and placement can hide middle-aged spread.

2. You can keep him in the basement by saying his band doesn't sound 'ready' yet.

And the number one reason:

1. It's better than becoming a drummer.

I found myself in a bar holding an acoustic "buskers night" a couple of years back. Lots of expensive 4wd vehicles parked outside, lots of 50+ professional guys inside carrying guitar cases. When the guitar cases were opened, out came vintage Gibsons (Hummingbirds, J45s etc), Guilds and Martins, nothing less. Vintage, mind you :wow

Apart from the guy hosting the night, they were all "beginners".

No comment, just fact ;)

I don't know if I fall into this category or not, but I started playing in my late teens. I noodled around though college and got fairly serious about it in my 20s. I was never sure I was good enough to make it in a band, but did go on some failed auditions, and regularly sat in with a band for a few songs on a weekly basis (my best friend was their guitarist).

When kids came along in my 30s I played only infrequently as my guitars kept moving around the house (finaly ending up in a closet) to accomodate the growing family.

Several years ago I decided it was time to break things out again. Since that time I have bought/traded guitars numerous times. I have also started to take lessons again from a top local teacher. I have also sat in with another friend's band, attended a couple of OA jams, and still hope to maybe gig on some type of basis.

I play because I just love the damned thing. Sometimes it's frustrating and I wonder if I'll ever get it, but sometimes it falls in to place and that provides the drive to keep going.

Geezer rock ain't so bad.

Midlife crisis? Not here.

My wife and I had a family very early on. Three wonderful daughters. Food, clothing, braces, cars, college. I could not afford to pay attention for many of the last 25 years. When I was 19, I would have loved to play guitar or have other hobbies…but Pampers and formula were more important. Don’t get me wrong, I never missed a thing…it has been a blessed life. My wife and I never sacrificed…we prioritized.

As years have gone by, things have gotten much better financially. I can now afford a guitar or two, and not have to worry about making payments to the orthodontist. I took up guitar 3 years ago…many years too late to ever be any good. I have no aspirations other than just having a good time, and playing acoustic at church now and then.

It is fun, relaxing, challenging, and fulfilling now and then on the rare occasions that I play something that sounds almost good.

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Originally Posted by FenderBoy

...but personally, I think that "middle aged crisis" label was invented by a bitchy, female head shrinker who, after mistreating her husband for decades found him gone one morning and didn't want to accept even part of the responsibility for his abrupt departure.....

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Can I have an AMEN brother!

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Originally Posted by telecast

Yes, it's true. And their wives should rejoice! The top ten reasons why guitars make up the best mid-life crisis:

#7. When on stage, getting hit on by a hot babe is statistically less likely when you're 55.

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:ahemWell........I'm not so sure about that...statistically, I suppose...

Tried to play in High school - couldn't afford ANYTHING

gave it up until I was 36
bought a cheap electric and then a better one and learned a little more.....found I was in a mindset to allow learning more and tinkered, toyed with, bought and sold (buy and sell) lots of stuff trying it out and trying to find what "I" want/can afford. (Still working on the afford thing)

almost seven years later, my wife calls it a problem, but supports most of it. If I was doing High-end stuff, she would be more pissed than she is now on most purchases.

Some she does like though, and a few have worked out for me.

I'm not quite mid-life (or at least I hope not anyway).....but don't deny that I hope it helps me feel younger.

Still -
Quote:
Originally Posted by telecast
Yes, it's true. And their wives should rejoice! The top ten reasons why guitars make up the best mid-life crisis:

#7. When on stage, getting hit on by a hot babe is statistically less likely when you're 55.

I still have a llittle time on this one......

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Originally Posted by FrankJohnson

Still -
Quote:
Originally Posted by telecast
Yes, it's true. And their wives should rejoice! The top ten reasons why guitars make up the best mid-life crisis:

#7. When on stage, getting hit on by a hot babe is statistically less likely when you're 55.

I still have a llittle time on this one......

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Me too! You don't think I'd have posted that about someonw as young as ME, do you? I still have a good 8 years to go.... ;)

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Originally Posted by FenderBoy

Well........I'm not so sure about that...statistically, I suppose...

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Yeah, well, just keep telling yourself that! :rl

I started playing guitar to meet girls. By the time I was good enough to be gigging, I was married. Playing guitar has been both a source of joy and deep agony in my life. About 5 years ago I found myself auditioning for band after band after band and only being offered the ones I didn't want. I got serious about playing at the ripe old age of 42 and have worked very hard since then to improve so that I might get the auditions I wanted. I suppose the timing is right if you want to call it a mid-life crisis but all of a sudden, the effort seems to have paid off. I am busier now as a guitar player than I have ever been, and I'm enjoying it more than I ever have. I have also become a total gear whore with more guitars and amps than I'll ever use so I'm beginning to thin the herd and selling off a good 2/3 of my collection. I'm going to use the money to buy a few very select pieces that I will probably die with. I want the best at this point in my life, crisis or not!

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Originally Posted by Tele-Bob

Playing guitar has been both a source of joy and deep agony in my life.

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yeah, hard to tell sometimes if it's a blessing or a curse :band

but something keeps us going :blbros

kinda hard to type with a squirrel helping me :bonk

i think it's great that that is a *result* of MLC.....

EVERYONE SHOULD PLAY GUITAR.

at least they were smart enuf to choose guitars over hogs!:lol

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Originally Posted by frank thomson

i think it's great that that is a *result* of MLC.....

EVERYONE SHOULD PLAY GUITAR.

at least they were smart enuf to choose guitars over hogs!:lol

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Amen Frank and double amen Mr tele-Bob!!

TB - I'm five years behind ya. Better start looking over your shoulder. LOL

that's me :ola

Ha! We will jam! yes!

Well being I'm only 24 I can't really relate to you guys. But I do share your passion for guitars. After reading all this theres 2 things I hope I never do. 1) Give up and put my guitar in a closet. 2) Close my mind to certain types of music. I hope someday I can have the ability to play every style.
But as for the mid life, picking up the guitar now thing.. All I can think of is the fact you never know long your gonna live. So why not? So if your 36 and a 20 year old can play rings around you big deal.. that 20 year old might only live to being 21 and you might live to 80.
And i was wondering maybe do you think so many midlifers are now picking it up.. cause there so many geeezers still rocking out on tv? So they see this and think.. hey I still have a chance ? eg the rolling stones

I'm sort of one of them. but I fit the other profile, where I played when I was a kid and pulled them out again later. I'd love to teach these older guys just starting out the "Photoweborama method of guitar teaching"...

Basically, put on some distortion, go straight for the Barre chords and play something familiar, like Smoke on the Water.... To start, that is... when you can play something that rocks right from the start, then it's much easier to keep playing.

but Then again, there is another side to it. If they buy these great guitars and then find out how hard it is to learn when you just start out, they will end up in the closet, and in a few years we will all have a fresh supply of hardly used high end guitars for CHEAP!

I started playing at about 12. Acoustic until I was about 25. Six more years and I hit a period where I put guitars down, got sober, changed jobs and moved across country (south to north), got engaged, moved back south, got married, started a family, changed jobs again and thanks to my new boss who is a guitar nut, bought a Les Paul at 45 and am rehearsing with a band. I'm 47 now and ready to make it happen. I'd like to get to the place where I can gig occasionally with other 9 to 5er's and leave an audience wih smiles on their faces.

I missed the whole spandex-hair metal thing in the '80s as I was into alternative and punk.

No crisis here, just rediscovering the thing that gave me peace, joy and true re-creation. The guitar.

TT

PS. Nice looking 'bird there Plugger! Nothing says "Baddass" like a Firebird. I had a FB V for a while and they're great guitars.

not a crisis here... just can't play golf like I used to (back) and always dabbled in guitars..now I can afford them and I like having them around as my sons pick them up and play and really that is a blast... I am enjoying the intellectual, emotional, physical, and combined creative challenge of guitar. As you all know you can learn something every day and the challenge is always there to improve and grow... can't get old doing that :sun

Back when I could hardly walk and hardly talk my uncle walked in with a few of his friends and some guitars and amps on a cold winter January Saturday. He pulled a Blonde 335 dot neck out of the case and a 57 Strat that he just bought, and complained he had to pay the guy $100.00 because he wouldn't take $75.00 LOL !! Played till the moon went down (and a bunch of beers downed!!) !! I have been hooked ever since.Learned to play and taught my younger brothers how to play, then stopped playing for about 5 years. They got better than me and one got a Gold Record now.So now I am beating myself up trying to catch up !! But until I catch up to them I still have more and better guitars than them,Well almost LOL . I don't know why they call it mid life crisis when you buy what ever it is you want.I call it a crisis when you CAN'T buy the things you want !!!!

[QUOTE=Constellation80] Give up and put my guitar in a closet.

I didn't give up, but even the best laid plans can go south. I had a room in my house that was supposed to be forever dedicated to my guitars. That works great when you have no kids and plenty of spare room. Add a couple of kids and family responsibilities, and time and dedicated rooms just evaporate before your eyes.

I still played, just not every day, and sometimes unfortunately the guitars could sit untouched for weeks.

I do regret that I let those playing years slip away, but I've also got three great kids who do well in school, sports, activities, and all have an interest in music. Now as they are getting older it is becoming somewhat easier to have time to play, and I'm using every bit of it I can grab.

And as the kids grow, low and behold, my dedicated space has returned.

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Originally Posted by Plugger

Is there suddenly a rash of 40- and 50-somethings going down to the music store and buying their first axe?

-Mark

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That would pretty well describe me. Actually, I did play a *little* when I was 14 or 15, but I never got anywhere with it (not that I've gotten any good now that I'm older).

I have fun with it. And it led my son to pick it up; he's 17 now and getting pretty darn good.

I tottaly understand where your comming from guitar ray. It sounds like you didn't give up. You just had to prioritise> it's just I've meet quite a few guys latley even my age. That have simply given up. they have sliped there guitars under there bed or what ever and have forgotten about them for 30 years. And I think it's kinda sad. I know one older gentleman who bought a Les paul in the 50's. And literally hasn't played it since the 60's. When you see the poor guitar it's literally just covered with decades of dust
Heck I even got my 1959 Harmony stratotone. Thats like brand new, Cause they guys son gave up on it in the 60's and it sat in his garage the entire time. So he sold it to me for 100$ bucks when he was cleanin out his garage. Even workin my self I have a hard time finding time to play, I just hope Ill allways pick it up when I can

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Originally Posted by Stratoblaster 63

I don't know why they call it mid life crisis when you buy what ever it is you want.I call it a crisis when you CAN'T buy the things you want !!!!

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:yay :yay

I am currently in the market for a '69 Camaro Z/28 302 4spd, number matching in Garnet Red. Being a pony car with a smaller engine, I should stay alive longer...I don't think I am quite mature enough for a true muscle car. I am thinking that this would qualify as my midlife crisis...

with the price of dz-block camaros going thru the roof i have just two words for you;big block.nothin says muscle like a 427 or 454...

"In the market" means that next year I'll pull the plug on a 2002 Honda Accord or a Mazda 323 or something.

I see things that relate to me personally throughout this thread. I took a 25 year hiatus from music and a few years ago got back into it. It was like riding a bike, within a month I was back up to snuff and I'd say, well actually most people that know me will agree that I am greatly improved over where I was in college. I guess the "not daily" ingestion of whatever has allowed me to progress as a geezer.
Some people can call it a mid-life crisis but to me it is just having more time, money, etc. than I did before. Also the guys I play with have played regularly out for 30 years and although they still want to play out they don't want to do it regularly so that works for me. Plus now I got daughters that can be roadies. Save my back, ya know!

This has all been very illuminating. I regret now putting the "mid-life crisis" in the thread title... I can see that is quite a perjorative label, and doesn't adequately describe the range of motivations for people seriously getting into their music (and fun generally) mid-life. I think it sounds all very positive and healthy, overall... the connotations surrounding the notion of the "mid-lfe crisis" involve denial and desperation, none of which seems to be applicable here.

But there does seem to be something of a trend in progress, and so the guy I was talking to did seem to be onto something I hadn't picked up.

The only thing that worries me if all us geezers start rockin' out, where does leave rock'n'roll as the principal art form of youthful rebellion? What are the youngsters going to rely on to differentiate *their* generation? Haiku?

Oh well. That's their problem, I guess.

-Mark

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Originally Posted by Plugger

What are the youngsters going to rely on to differentiate *their* generation?

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I think they call it Rap ;)

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Originally Posted by Ayns

I think they call it Rap ;)

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Oh, yeah. Forgot about that. Poor sods. They'd be better off with Haiku.

-Mark

The 302 is the way to go. The big blocks have a serious hookup issue unless you run 10" tires on the back. That means cutting the tubs and/or running bars to transfer the weight.

That is, unless you can find a Pontiac 400 with 4 bolt mains and solid lifters from a 1979 Trans Am WS6 (the four speed version only, the automatic had a 403 Olds motor) and drop it in. That's the hot setup. Proper launch torque and good revs on the wind-out.

Fellow gear heads:
4th generation F body with the LT1 (94-97)
1) reasonably priced
2) they handle
3) faster than most sane people need to go
4) They have all the cool stuff as standard equipment

Played classical guitar from 12-16. Royal Conservatory exams, etc. Got my drivers license, got into hot cars, discovered my penis, lent my guitar to a buddy who left it in the high school locker. My next door neighbour burned the school down ( a she - true story). Got back into electric in 85. Bought a pointy Ibanez, bought a Marshall. Tried to be Yngwie, Duane, SRV, EVH, Beck, Vai all rolled into one. Quit in frustration. Didn't look good in spandex pants, anyway. Got married in 89. Took up the guitar in 2002 and am making real progress. Started at the beginning - classical, moved on to acoutsic steel string, then electric and bass. Play at church and for myself. It's a blast. All MIM and Chinese guitars except my Larrivee and Spanish Aria classical. Still don't look good in spandex. Look alright in a Hawaiin shirt.

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Originally Posted by RedRoom

I am currently in the market for a '69 Camaro Z/28 302 4spd, number matching in Garnet Red. Being a pony car with a smaller engine, I should stay alive longer...I don't think I am quite mature enough for a true muscle car. I am thinking that this would qualify as my midlife crisis...

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Better sell yer house dude-- the real deal goes for upwards of $80,000, up from $8-10,000 when I was in high school 10 yrs ago. D'oh!

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Originally Posted by daddyo

Played classical guitar from 12-16. Royal Conservatory exams, etc. Got my drivers license, got into hot cars, discovered my penis, lent my guitar to a buddy who left it in the high school locker. My next door neighbour burned the school down ( a she - true story). Got back into electric in 85. Bought a pointy Ibanez, bought a Marshall. Tried to be Yngwie, Duane, SRV, EVH, Beck, Vai all rolled into one. Quit in frustration. Didn't look good in spandex pants, anyway. Got married in 89. Took up the guitar in 2002 and am making real progress. Started at the beginning - classical, moved on to acoutsic steel string, then electric and bass. Play at church and for myself. It's a blast. All MIM and Chinese guitars except my Larrivee and Spanish Aria classical. Still don't look good in spandex. Look alright in a Hawaiin shirt.

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You discovered your penis after you got your license?

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Originally Posted by boobtube21

Better sell yer house dude-- the real deal goes for upwards of $80,000, up from $8-10,000 when I was in high school 10 yrs ago. D'oh!

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I know...what sucks is that I have at no time in my life ever been able to afford that freaking car. The '96 Caravan with the three wheel covers and partial paint does just fine...gets me where I need to be. I just always had this thought that when the daughters were grown and gone I could finally get my car...

i got my 66 pontiac back in the early 80s and drove it to work,car shows,beaches,etc.for almost 25 years.it currently has a 67 400 pontiac,worked turbo 400,headers/cam and a carb from a 71 judge.total cost was under 15 grand including 2 engines,2 trannies,and 3 paint jobs.the last one was a strip it to bare metal extravaganza that took 5 months.sadly enough between the price of gas and the lack of wide open space to get on it she spends a lot of time in my garage lately.guess i have reached geezerdom when a/c and disc brakes mean more than speed does...

I just bought a '68 Caddy for 900 bucks-the cars are out there, just be patient and keep yer nose in the classifieds. Red room, what you need is a clapped-out '76 cutlass--I'll cut you a sweet deal on mine

I tried to learn the guitar at 12. but I was already playing the trumpet in the band at school, and gave up on the guitar shortly after starting.....



I bought an Indiana acoustic 2 years ago, at 32 years of age, and a VHS 'learn to play guitar' lesson. After learning almost nothing, but having fun and learning by watching David Gilmour and SRV concerts on DVD, I sold a rifle I never shot at a gun show. On the way home my buddy and I stopped in Chambers Guitars in Murfreesboro TN on a whim. I left the store with a '99 Fender MIM 70's re-issue and a Danelectro Honeytone amp....


It's been all downhill from there..........



I soon replaced the Honeytone with a 30 watt Marshall combo, which was replaced with a Carvin X-100B/Peavey 412F half-stack. My middle son and oldest daughter now play guitar, with the son learning classical. I still have the Strat, the boy has an Ibanez Artcore 335-clone(an excellent guitar for the $$!!) , the wife covers her ears when she comes down into the basement to do laundry, the neighbor's dogs bark, the walls rattle,




Cats-n-dogs living together, I tell you......



What were we talking about??


Sad, only 34 and already I suffer from CRS......

went out yesterday and bought a MIM telecaster for $310 brand new.this thing plays great,what bang for the buck!

This describes me. I took a 20 year hiatus. :up

I played classical for 3 years as a lad. A bit of electric in the mid 80s. Got married. Kids. Put the axe away till 1999. Have been playing steadily since. I'm 45. Bought a Mini Cooper S. Have a small collection of mid priced guitars and amps. Still married. My boss bought a new Jag XKR, got divorced. Payed out $100Ks to the ex in cash and property. Has a new younger squeeeze with discrete tastes - Porsche Cayenne, granite flooring, Sub Zero appliances, water front home. You tell me who has a better mid life crisis.

Went to school all through my 20's, playing guitar on a "open mic" level.

Once I finished school, around 32, I decided to do the band thing part time.

Beats the hell out of working and going to school. :Banjo: