Newbie from Iowa waving a hand.

Hello from the frozen midwest. The name here is Joe, but I go by 911JB, or just JB.
Since its a balmy -21 actual temp, with a windchill of -53 right now I thought I would jump in and introduce myself.
I am a 50 year old newbie to guitars. Well actually that is not exactly true. There was a spell in the mid 80's that I thought I would teach myself to play. Then one day while working in the oilfield I cut off 1/2 of my left index finger, so I put the old Kay away and never looked back.
That being said, here I am once again. Trying to teach myself a new hobby.

Hope to see you all around the forums.
Respects, JB.

Welcome aboard JB!! Yeah, we are bracing for what you are dealing with now arriving here. -21 degrees - it's been a REALLY long time since I've experienced that! Ugh!! It won't be as bad here, but it's gonna be cold!

I saw the picture of the guitar you picked up that you posted in another thread. It's certainly a nice looking guitar - I can see why it spoke to you. I remember Hammer guitars back in the 80's. OK, I take that back - it was Hamer. I never played one, but I remember them being popular back in the 80's. Here's a quote I found in a forum post:
"Highly regarded by professional musicians it boasted a plethora of big names among its users including The Police, The Pretenders, Dire Straits and a host of others." So you may have found yourself a good one there!

That's a bummer about your finger. I have a feeling though that you'll be able to accomplish quite a bit even with that limitation. Jerry Garcia was missing a good amount of one finger and Tony Iommi chopped off one of his fingertips in a sheet metal shop when he was young - both went on to become pretty accomplished players.

Hopefully somebody with experience can chime in with specific advice for you. All I can say keep up your positive attitude about it and go for it!!

Thanks for the reply maggior as well as the words of encouragement. Good to hear that Hamer is a decent brand. I have seen hundreds of guitars come through our shop, but this is the first one that talked to me.
Time will tell how well I adapt and overcome the injury. If it is anything like the other hobbies I have I will work around/through it. I do know I am having problems hitting string six with that short finger so I may need to adjust my hold.

Thanks again, JB

JB, welcome! And, yep, I can relate. -41 windchill here this morning when I went out to horse chores. Good weather for staying indoors and practicing which is exactly what I am doing.

What part of Iowa are you in? Northern? I am your neighbor to the west.

I also saw the photo of your guitar. Really pretty. Keep us posted on your progress.

Hello motonanjin, thanks for the warm welcome.
I am actuall on the east border of Iowa. Right along the muddy mississippi river.
I just ran outside and fired up the trucks and I now have a air temp of -16*f . God only knows what the wind chills are right now.
So , like you, I will be spending the day inside, Practicing/building up my finger calluses. I may need to head out for a little bit today so I can get a strap. That way I can get this guitar up off my leg and hold it a little higher. Maybe that will help me to hit string six with that stubby finger, hahahaha.

Respects, JB.

Hey JB - I can relate , I live in Florida and when I went out to get the paper in my bare feet this morning the driveway was kinda' cool. Really sucks, right? :) Good luck jumpin' back on the guitar. When I was a kid (mid 70's) I sliced my right thumb real deep on a meat slicer. It healed but the last joint off my thumb is completely numb so I can't feel the pick on it. The pick tends to roam on me quite a bit. Not much impairment compared to a missing finger, but there again, I can relate. Best Wishes, Welcome Aboard.

Thanks for the welcome fretsmith.
I have some relation in Florida so the keep me up to date [rub it in] on the temps. Hahaha. I just smile and wait until late July and repay the favor when its about 85 up here and , oh a million down there. Hahahahaha

Thanks again for the welcome. JB.

Welcome from a fellow Iowan, western side of the state.
I've decided it's time to quit procrastinating and do this for real.
My wife got me the Rocksmith 2014 system for Christmas so that was a swift kick in the pants to get going.
I went out yesterday and purchased an Epiphone Les Paul Junior and spent about an hour this morning playing. Man is this going to be fun

Don

So Don, where in western Iowa? As I said above, I am your neighbor to the west.

Originally Posted by: matonanjinSo Don, where in western Iowa? As I said above, I am your neighbor to the west.

Council Bluffs

Hey Jon,

I just wanted to chime in and say welcome to GT! I'm glad you've picked your guitar up again and you've come to the right place. I'm very sorry to hear about your finger, but I always remind myself and others that some of the greatest guitar playing was done by people with limitations, whether those came from their life circumstances, physical limitations or limitations that had to do with gear. Django made guitar history with 2 1/2 fingers and came up with a whole new sound because he couldn't play the chords that everyone else did!

Please let me know if I can do anything to help along the way. You can always drop me a line in my forum:)

All the best (From sunny California... Feeling a bit guilty!)

Anders

Thanks for the welcomes everyone. I havent checked into the forum in a few days, sorry. Between work , life and picking at the guitar I have ben rather busy.
Well I feel like I am doing OK, but that is about it. I am having real problems with that shortened finger. So much so that I brought a bass home from work yesterday just to see if that feels better. I will give it a try for a few days and make a decision on what rout I should go. If the bass is easier on my hand I may just go that route first.

Thanks again for the warm welcomes all.
JB