When I was stationed in Hawaii, it was like being in paradise; but i was missing having a guitar, and the sheer love from having that musical expression.
Getting a new guitar – it’s like getting new friend!
One thing that was never an exaggeration about joining the U.S. Navy is that you’ll travel. And goodness, that is true. At the time I’m writing this I’ve been to every continent except for Antarctica, and every ocean except for the Artic. For three amazing years I was stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. And that was a wonderful experience. I was so lucky it also happened so early in my career. I made it there just around 2005 so the world was a bit different than what it is today. The internet was nowhere near what it is now, and there were definitely no smart phones like we are so accustomed to have today.
Another thing that factual about being in Hawaii is that you’re literally on an island. And stuff will be expensive and can only arrive in one of two ways. On a long trip by boat, or a long flight. By the time I arrived at Hawaii, I was in the Navy for just under two years or so. I missed having my musical instruments and playing music has always been a way to express myself. There were not many music stores where you could buy instruments either on this Island that I was aware of. However, there was this mall in Pearl City, and they had this one music store. I don’t remember the name, but I went to visit it anyway. There is where I bought my fourth – though technically fifth guitar. If you saw another article, I don’t claim the actual fourth because I have not seen that guitar in more than 20 years, and probably I will never see it again. So, I count the one on this article, because this one is actually in my house.
In this store, some of the guitars were nice, some were fugly. The one I’ve got was not the most expensive one, and for whatever reason I was really missing nylon strings. When it comes to musical instruments, sometimes you just know when they call for you. And this one surely did. I’ve always wanted a classic-looking electric guitar but that would have the cut out to reach the upper registers. This one was also equipped with a preamp, so I could even connect it if I so desired too. However, acoustically it sounded great to me. And that’s why I got it. I mean, all things considered, that was by far the best choice to me. It even sounded better than the more expensive guitars in that store. At least to my ears.
So, what I got was a Salvador Ibanez GA6CE-14-02 six string classic nylon guitar with an installed preamp. Granted this is not a professional level guitar, but to me it sounded great. And it was the best thing I could find at the time in that mall, or the entire island of Oahu for that matter. I remember buying the guitar along this awful hard case to protect the guitar… but that is all that was available, so that’s what I got. There was another hard case, but it was super expensive. So, I got what I got. Also, remember that in Hawaii, especially back then everything was more expensive regardless.
I did not have an amplifier at the time, so this would be perfect just to play acoustically. Also, a lot of the songs I was missing to play were meant for an acoustic/nylon genre. I did put a lot of millage on that guitar, I’ve composed a few songs on it, and it also went with me for my entire 4-year tour in Italy. When I lived in Europe, I was not able to find a place where I could buy another guitar, and frankly I did not want to, because I was not sure if it would survive a trip back to the US along with the rest of my household goods. That was probably a good move, because during those moves there are possibilities of damage. You’ll get compensated if they break your stuff, but when it comes to instruments, you might have something that is hard to replace. I know that to be true for many of my guitars, especially the limited-edition ones. Regardless of the price, I have a lot of emotional attachment with this particular instrument.
For many years, this was the only guitar I had nearby. We made a lot of memories together, and I can’t tell you how many times just being able to strum together some songs kept my sanity. There is something magical about playing music – it’s like your thoughts get amplified and you can express so much that often gets repressed. It is liberating.
When I returned back to USA, I did add a pickguard and bought a better hard case and added a few accessories to the guitar. I don’t play it as often because it does feel a bit harder to play now that I’ve been getting more spoiled by some higher end guitars. However, this guitar will always have a special place in my heart, because it was with me during the entire time I was stationed in Hawaii and in Italy. Together we serenated a lot of times, we’ve performed together in several events, and it has been with through some crazy times. I even used this guitar to soothe Sammy to relax and sleep. She liked the finger picking sounds and that was a win-win.
The guitar itself would not be considered as an “expensive” instrument, but it does not matter, the finishing and the details in this instrument are phenomenal. This guitar looks great, feels great. I will be making a few adjustments to make it a bit more playable – but these little things I’ve only realized after I’ve had the chance to collect professional level instruments and compare them. Will this elevate this particular guitar to that professional level. I don’t think so, but I doesn’t have to. It is wonderful instrument on its own right. True that some of my other guitars feel easier to play now, but this guitar is the one that has travelled the most distance with me. And nobody can take that away from her. HLC