rlwest

About

I started schlepping around an old arch-top at the age of 13 (Boy, THAT was a long time ago!) and played along with a Doc Williams Intro Course. We got a new stereo at home and we wore it out playing along with records, me on the ol' "Marvel" and my Dad on his Silvertone bass.

I had a small Ventures-inspired band in junior high school, and got my first Gretsch at age 15 (A Corvette solid body) and later when one of my local "guitar heroes" traded his '65 Country Gentleman for a White Falcon, my Dad managed to get it from the music store. He knew the owner and they gave us a great deal.

He and I were gigging locally in those days. Later we played with different bands, I wanted a little more challenge than square-dance and polkas. That's how I earned pizza money in college. I was with a pretty decent band of local college students and blue collar guys and learned a lot about playing and being on the road.

Later I moved to Dallas for a while for work and after some years of inactivity got some pickup gigs and a regular jam session at one of the nearby local "Opry" shows with another guy and whoever else we could pull in. After our jam, he and I would climb up into the sound booth and tech for the regular show.

I spent some time trying to comprehend the ambidexterosity of the pedal steel, including a week at the late Jeff Newman's Top Gun School. I still have the Sho-Bud but have gravitated back to the 6-string. (Also a brief flirtation with 12-string!)

I'm back in WV now and until my Dad got sick we hit some of the local pick-up bands together. When he passed away I kinda let it slide.

Lately I've been keeping out an acoustic which I put my hands on just about every night just to keep my fingers from fusing together.

I'm ashamed to admit the Corvette needs some TLC, and the Gent hasn't been out for a couple of years. I'm glad to have stumbled across this group. Maybe I'll get inspired to rebuild the studio.

I'm also watching the Telecaster group tdpri.com. I'll probably lurk here and there, and chime in...heehee like Chet did... on rare occasions.

I'm here to learn and appreciate all the wisdom and knowledge and experience out there...

Cheers, Bob West Morgantown WV

Member since:

Sep 26, 2007

Board post count:

2

Age:

60 years, 9 months

Location:

Morgantown, West Virginia, USA

Occupation:

Computer Nerd (UNIX)

Interests:

Music (many genres but esp country, rockabilly, surf and anything by CHET or DUANE or MERLE), Amateur Radio (WA8YCD), Humor (puns a specialty), Movies, Freemasonry (PM & WM), Computers, Sci Fi...