The Les Pauls that got away

I've owned guitars since I was about 11 years old. That's 26 years for those who are counting (like me). I've had many guitars during that time, and of course I don't still own all of them. Over the course of those 26 years, I've thought back to my guitar decisions and regretted some of the transactions. There are three guitars, in particular, that I wish I still had. Ironically, they're all Les Pauls of some sort.

Here they are, in chronological order:

1. My first guitar - I've posted many times about my Hondo and how it was my first ever guitar, but that's not entirely true. It was my first brand-new guitar ever, the first guitar that was mine and mine alone, but it wasn't the first one my parents bought for me. I usually don't count this one because I only had it for a few months, but the first guitar my parents bought for me was a no-name Les Paul copy that belonged to the father of one of my friends (who I haven't seen since junior high school).

It was a standard Les Paul style guitar, but from what I remember (it's getting fuzzy) it was a light natural wood color, most likely maple. I don't know if it just had a maple top or if the whole thing was maple, but it was kinda nice. But, of course, being a thick-headed child I needed a Strat style guitar so my parents brought the guitar to my local guitar shop and traded it (plus some cash) for the Hondo. In hindsight, the LP copy was probably the better guitar. Because it had no name on the headstock, it was probably a lawsuit Japanese copy, which are coveted today (Gibson and Fender sued Japanese companies like Tokai and Ibanez for making guitars that looked too much like theirs). I never got to find out how it sounded through a decent amp or anything. I think about this guitar and wonder what would've happened if I would've just kept it, especially after what happened with the next Les Paul that got away.

2. Hondo Les Paul copy - When I got back into playing the first time (around ninth or tenth grade) I didn't like my Hondo Strat copy anymore. I was frustrated with my progress and I think I blamed the guitar. Now that I have the Hondo Strat again, I have to admit it probably did have a role in my lack of progress, as the neck is relatively thick and was probably hard to play back when I was smaller. So I sold the Hondo Strat to another friend's dad and bought another guitar, my second foray into the world of Les Paul copies, this time a used black Hondo Les Paul copy I bought at the same guitar shop (for the record, this guitar shop was about a four-block walk from my house and was also where I went for lessons).

Thinking back, this was also a pretty nice guitar. It was a Les Paul copy, for sure, but it had a gut-cut on the back and was a little thinner than a standard Les Paul, which was pretty nice as it was more comfortable to play. It also said "Hondo II" on the headstock, which are considered to be superior to the regular "Hondo" models. I played this guitar for a few years, even during the early days of my first (and only) band, Amethyst, up until I bought my Charvel. To be honest, I have no idea what happened to this guitar. I thought I'd left it at a friend's house, but he said he never saw it. Maybe I traded it in on my old Epiphone Flying V (which will make another appearance soon) but I don't really remember trading it in. Then again, I've killed many a brain cell since then, so it's entirely possible that I did. If not, if anyone sees my old black Hondo Les Paul, please let me know.

3. Epiphone Les Paul - I got this on an even-up trade with a friend of mine for my Flying V. I didn't like my Flying V so much. Not that it didn't play well - it did, very well in fact - but it had a horrendous non-locking tremolo that would go out of tune if you breathed on it too hard. Knowing what I know now, I could've blocked it off and it would have been a good guitar, but back then I couldn't wait to get rid of it. The trade was what I needed, as I got a great guitar for no money.

This was my first non-copy Les Paul, as Epiphone is owned by Gibson and could make Les Pauls without them being considered copies, much like Squier guitars are genuine Strats and Teles because Fender owns Squier. I used it for years, going back-and-forth between it and my Charvel during the Amethyst years, depending on the song I was playing. One of the plastic tuning knobs got broken off during a fall while it was at my friend's house where we practiced, but other than that it played well, looked good and sounded good.

It was a very nice guitar, and I sold it in a fit of commerce. I wasn't trying to sell it. I was selling my old, crappy Sunn amplifier and the person who came to look at it while I was at work asked my wife if he could also buy the Les Paul and my Ibanez Fat Cat distortion pedal. She called me at work, I said "sure," undoubtedly with dollar signs in my eyes like an old Tom & Jerry cartoon, and before I know it, it was gone, and I was like, "What did I do?" I should never have sold it (or the pedal, for that matter) but what was done was done, I couldn't go back.

I haven't had a standard Les Paul style guitar since (my LP Special is a flat-top, so it doesn't count as standard). It's the one style of guitar that I would even consider purchasing, even with the moratorium in place. Worst thing is, I've had three of them in my life, and I'd have any one of them today.

What an idiot I was.