I Received my first electric guitar as a fiftieth birthday present from my wife, { A little late for fame and fortune} She'd listened to me ramble on about Les Paul's for years, though I'd never laid a finger on one. I liked the look and the sound.
She got me a second hand Epiphone LP Standard, blue. Not the gold top I'd been dreaming of.
I cried when I saw it and cried more when I played it, Such a fine sound, weight and balance just right.
After a few months I understood this was not a top quality guitar but, man, it still sounded great. Been playing it for eight years now and you couldn't pry it from my cold dead arms if you tried.