My first guitar, built by my father in 1958. He fitted a cheap microphone across the sound hole. My first electric guitar. I still have this today.

My second guitar was this Rosetti single pickup cello guitar. The fingerboard was completely flat and it was a bit of a pig to play.

My first brand new guitar, a Futurama 3, probably the first strat copy ever. Made in Czechoslovakia. Bought from Universal Music in Hatfield 9th August 1961 and cost £45
Click on link for Futurama story .

I bought my first "good" guitar, a Gretsch Tennessean on 4th January 1964 from Universal Music in Hatfield, it cost £147. A  few days later on 12th January George Harrison used a Gretsch Tennessean for the first time on "Sunday Night at The London Palladium. I was quite pleased.

I'd always wanted a Rickenbacker 12 string like George Harrison. On the 12th February 1968. I finally bought one from PAN Musical Instruments in Shaftsbury Avenue, London.
There were two advertised for sale and when I arrived at the shop the manager told me that they had both belonged to Pete Townsend, which in those days didn't mean a great deal apart from the fact that they were a bit battered about. They were both 1993 models which were the first Rickenbacker 12 string guitars imported into this country by Rose Morris. They differed slightly as one had the R tailpiece and the other had the trapeze tailpiece like George Harrison's. I ended up with the R tailpiece model as it was by far the better of the two condition wise, paying £110.
I kept this guitar for three years and during that time my band "OCTOPUS" supported "YES" at The Marquee club a couple of times and Steve Howe borrowed it to record with. 
I finally sold the guitar (I needed the money at the time) to the "CARLSBORO" shop in Mansfield for £150.
You should never have regrets in life but I do have one and that is selling that guitar. Whoever has it does not know it's history and I don't even have the serial number

Click on Link for Pete Townsend's Guitars.

THE RICKENBACKER 1993 SAGA

Pete Townsend with what would become my 1993

A short while after selling my Rickenbacker 1993, I purchased a second hand FENDER X11, which I never really got on with and sold it after a few months

In 1968 I decided it was time for a change, so I sold my Gretsch Tennessean and bought a second hand Gibson Cherry 335.

My Gibson SG Standard No.007360 (1967) bought in 1970 and replaced the Gibson 335. Left in it's original condition with Gibson Vibrato (The arm was missing so the one you see was  made by my father).I had it resprayed white and a Bigsby Vibrato fitted in the mid seventies. Above how it looks today.

 My 1963 Fender Stratocaster No. L14322. I purchased this in 1976 from a friend of mine called Alan Shacklock (A member of the band Babe Ruth). It originally had a rosewood neck but Alan had a Maple Neck fitted in 1972, hence the large headstock. He also had individual micro switches fitted for each pickup. After I had bought the guitar I had it resprayed and a new scratchplate fitted and removed one of the tone controls leaving it with just one volume and one tone. I always found the control knob  nearest the srings got in the way. Photo on the left from 1976 and Right how it looks today.

1981 Washburn Eagle No. 811641 My Favourite Guitar.
I had Seymour Duncan Pickups and Grover Machine Heads fitted a few years ago.

1985 Washburn Tour 24 No 520298.I had GL Pickups fitted a few years ago.

1982 Monteray Studio Custom No. 825306 Unusal in the fact that as well as an under the bridge tranducer this guitar had a magnetic pick up which can just be seen in the 21st fret.
This was a passive system that never worked very well so I had  a Washburn Equis system fitted a few years later.

My recently acquired Rickenbacker 360/12v64 (Just Like George's) 
No. GO 8580 built in 1987. I fitted a 12 saddle bridge to help intonation.

I took a gamble and bourght a strat neck from e.bay. I intended to replace the neck on my 1963 strat. but I ended up buying a new body and then new gold hardware and wilkinson electrics from those good people at AXESRUS.COM. I finished it off with one of Rick Parfit's  facelifts.
One homemade strat. and it's much better than the 1963..