The David Schryver guitar page

Electric Bass Guitars

Electric 6 String Guitar

I've played guitar since I was a teenager, but that is not an indicator of my ability. I make no pretense about being good. I call myself a "campfire guitarist". I play for my own enjoyment and my primary goal is to have fun with it.

My first guitar was a violin shaped electric bass. I have no idea what brand it was, nor do I have any pictures of it, but I know it wasn't a Hofner! Paul McCartney played a Hofner violin shaped bass when he played with the Beatles and I have always loved that style.

I soon learned that I wasn't going to do much solo stuff with a bass, so I traded it for a hollow body electric 6 string. Again, no pictures and no memory of brand, but I had fun "jamming" with friends.

When I went away to college, I was introduced to the acoustic guitar. I realized that my style of play at that time was more suited to this type of guitar and traded my electric for a Greco acoustic 6 string. After graduation, I acquired a 12 string Harmony guitar and decided I wanted a little better 6 string so I bought a Yamaha FG-360.

My guitar playing took a back seat to many other activities, such as raising a family, a career and life in general. From the late 70's basically through 2002, I only played a couple of times a year.

I now have a renewed interest in my old hobby. In November 2002, I purchased a Martin J12-16GT 12 string. Shortly after that, I sold both the Greco and the Harmony. As life has a tendency of coming around full-circle, I have gotten back into the bass. Sometime in 2004, I started to participate in a couple of jam groups. There were plenty of rhythm and lead guitars but never seemed to be a bass. I felt that I could offer more on bass, so in January 2005, I bought a Peavey Grind 4 bass guitar. A couple of months later, I purchased a Martin DC-16RGTEP. On November 16, 2006, I ordered a Hofner Icon-B bass. Apparently there was a lot of demand for this inexpensive, Asian built model because it was back-ordered until July 2007. The case never arrived until the spring of 2008, something like 16 months after the original order! It is very light and does play and sound quite nice.

I've had it in my head for quite a while that I'd like to try an upright string bass. On Mother's Day weekend 2009, we were in Albany, New York for Miranda's graduation from Albany School of Pharmacy. I happened to stroll into a music store in a mall there and saw a Dean Pace Bass. It wasn't exactly an upright bass but it was close. I knew I had to buy it.

I play regularly with a jam-group now. We meet once a week and have a regular audience. I'm not much better than I ever was, but I'm having more fun than ever.

I also play occasionally with another jam group in St. Lawrence County. Although still country music, it tends to be a different style than the Jefferson County jam sessions. Most of the regulars there play electric guitars. Since I had been thinking about getting an electric, this put me over the edge. I picked up a Fender Strat American in May 2010.

Acoustic Guitars

Martin DC-16RGTEP

Yamaha FG-360

12 String Guitar

Martin J12-16GT