I picked up the guitar 5 years ago yesterday. I had always wanted to play, my brother is a very locally accomplished bass player, but I never made an actual effort to learn. I made the decision to mentally tough it out and learn. I went to Guitar Center and bought an American Standard Strat. I went big on my first guitar thinking if it were an expensive purchase, I'd be more apt to stick with it and if it didn't work, I could get a reasonable return selling it.
As an adult learner, I was right about the mental toughness part. It's tough, probably one of the toughest things I've ever done. Sticking in your typical wheelhouse, lots of learning comes naturally through past experience. Starting to play guitar was a completely different type of challenge to anything I had ever done. I think this is a huge difference between adult learners and young learners. After I became familiar with the instrument and could muddle my way through open chord changes, I started in-person lessons that I still attend today (with a covid hiatus).
My guitar heroes are all blues musicians. Delta blues, electric blues, and British blues are what I enjoy listening to and playing. If I had to choose one that I most try to emulate and influences my "style", it'd be Freddie King.
For gear, I have the already mentioned American Standard Strat, a MIM Telecaster, two Epiphone Les Paul Standards, and a Gibson Les Paul Standard. I have owned and sold a couple acoustics over the years and am currently without one. I typically play through a Fender Mustang GT100 for sheer convenience. I also have a Fender Blues Junior and I build a Champ clone. I have a pedalboard, but don't use it with the Mustang amp (which is the convenient part), but I have an OD, a delay, a multi-effect pedal, a looper, and a tuner on it.
My Gibson LP is the most beautiful guitar I own (and remains one of the best looking LPs I've ever seen, but I may be biased), but I always reach for my Strat first. I like the neck better and I feel more comfortable on it. I have a set of Seymour Duncan single coil-sized humbuckers on it in an attempt to get it to sound like a LP. That didn't work, but it's a little fatter than a typical Strat tone.
I do really want to add an acoustic. I try to like acoustics but I always end up selling them. The body is too large, the neck isn't right, I something just makes them uncomfortable for me. I am looking at a Fender Acoustasonic. I keep picking them up and playing every time I stop by the guitar store but I haven't pulled the trigger. It has the familiar Fender neck and that's a good start for me.
