35 - Wesley Baier
Wesley is a 15 year old from Lisle, Illinois, who enjoys collecting and playing unique guitars. He got the idea to try out the guitar when he was 8 years old, and listening to the songs his mom and dad would put on the radio in the car.
His first guitar was an Epiphone Les Paul, that came in a Slash themed starter kit.
Wesley started out playing '80s rock and '90s grunge, but grew to be more interested in bands/guitarists like Jimi Hendrix, SRV, The Beatles, and Led Zeppelin. He also has been influenced by some jazz guitarists like Wes Montgomery, Django Reinhardt, and Joe Pass, as he is getting more involved with his school's Jazz band.
While he does not write his own music, he does try to give the songs he plays his own twist, or play them in different styles.
Wesley’s guitars:
Fender player Duo-Sonic
The Duo sonic I have is what I'd consider my first "nice" guitar. I got it for around 500 bucks from my local music store, and have loved it every minute I've played it. It's like a go-kart, it's impossible not to have fun playing it.Squier 40th anniversary Stratocaster
This is my guitar pf choice if I would have to travel with one, because it's cheap and sounds as good as any other strat I've played. For only 230 dollars, these guitars are too good to be trueFender Mexican Stratocaster
I honestly have no clue what model this stratocaster is, but it is a great guitar. It's one of my favorites due to its versatility, being an HSS pickup configuration with the ability to split the bridge pickup.1966 Fender Musicmaster II
This is one of the more unique guitars I have, mostly due to its neck. It gets extremely thin up by the nut, which many people that have played this guitar say they hated, but I quite like it. According to the guys I bought it from, the guitar previously belonged to Willy Porter, who used the guitar in a nashville tuning setup.1963 Gibson ES-125TC
This guitar was my great-grandpas from when he bought it in 1969 until he passed in '72. The guitar then remained with my great uncle, who played it very infrequently. One day, however, he contacted me and asked if I wanted the guitar, to which I said yes. It is in very good condition, with all original hardware. I wouldn't sell this guitar even if it were worth a hundred grand, and plan to pass it down to anyone who plays guitar in my future family.
What was your first guitar and do you still have it?
My first guitar was an Epiphone Les Paul special that came from a Slash themed starter kit. For a first guitar, it was pretty good. What I especially liked about it was that it had a digital tuner built into it located on the bridge pickup, that worked surprisingly well. As I progressed as a guitarist and got better guitars, the Les Paul saw very little use and was just collecting dust for a few years before I sold it to fund my Strat which I still have.
What’s your favorite guitar right now and why?
Currently I'd say either my HSS Strat or my Musicmaster. The Strat because it can fill pretty much any role you need it to, and the Musicmaster because of the exact opposite reason; there's next to no controls on the guitar except for your volume and tone knobs, which just let you get right into playing instead of flipping through pickups trying to get the best sound possible. I also like the narrow neck on it.
What’s your newest purchase?
The newest guitar I've gotten would be the Gibson ES-125TC
How often do you play?
Daily. I try to play for at least a half hour on most days, and during the school year I play even more often because of jazz band practice for 45 minutes.
How did you learn to play the guitar?
After I got my first electric guitar, I took lessons at naperville music for a while. My favorite instructor there was Paul. Most times when I went for lessons with him it felt more like a jam session than a guitar lesson, which I enjoyed thoroughly.
The #1 guitar learning app
Learn how to play the guitar in no time, with fun and easy courses, tutorials, and songs.
If you want to showcase your collection, or have a friend who might want to, just send an Email: