Wired Wood
Guitars
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Columbus El Paso
The busking started when somebody suggested that my friend Claire and I should have a go. This was a Friday night and we were drunk, so we agreed. The following day, neither of us wanting to be the one to chicken out, we set up in Manchester and played. It was the early 1980's. A time when James Galloway reigned supreme in the charts. He played flute. So did Claire. A couple of dozen renditions of "Annie's Song" and the cash started to rain in to the case. We did play other songs. I even sang a bit. We only got coppers for the other songs so it had to be "Annie" again. And again .. And again... Our favourite pitch was the covered bridge between the Arndale centre and Marks & Spencer. This was prior to the IRA re-modelling of Manchester City Centre, so buskers were allowed. The echo really helped in the days when your average busker didn't use a full PA and backing tracks! We only did it half a dozen times, and even then we only played for a couple of hours before retiring to a coffee shop to count and divide our money, which was then spent primarily on beer and wine respectively. The Columbus was my only acoustic guitar for over 20 years. I don't remember where I got it, though I think I bought it from a school friends Dad in the late 1970's. Eventually I sold it on e-bay when a better guitar came up at a boot sale. |
This is my first professional guitar. By that I mean is is the one and only
guitar which I have ever used to make money! I busked with it when I was a
student.
