How old were you when you started playing guitar?

46......2 year ago and enjoyed it all........My motto is grow old disgacefully.....may get old but will never grow up

Started at 37, just five months ago.
I see it very encouraging that alot of beginners are over 30, so I want to speak up and add to those numbers. Its refreshing to see thats its never too late to start. I seriously almost didn't get into it because I thought that I may be too old to start learning guitar at 37 and that my window of opportunity had passed me by at 17. Boy am I glad I was wrong about that, like someone said earlier I'm probably a much better student than I would have been 20 years ago.

42
I think we are mostly about this age because there are no more family games. Youi have instant reaction computer shooters and x rated social interaction games running around. As rock climbing and free falling becomes more difficult music becomes a hobby.

A guitar is still easier to carry then a keyboard.

I got a guitar when I was 13 but I had no lessons and that was before the internet and all its information was available to everyone. I gave up rather quickly after learning only a few chords from a book.

I started back up again last year at age 36, in part from the encouragement of a guitarist friend. I am really glad I did. I may not be making really fast progress and sure, I would be a lot further along if I had stuck with it the first time, but I am happy learning as I go. It really is something I enjoy.

I first started at 23. My teacher at the time told me I missed my window to be really good because of my late start. I played for a couple of years and then put it down until about 28. I agian played for a couple of years and then put it down until 34 and have playing pretty regular now for the pat three years.

I have a serious hand injury which will probbly keep me from ever being "great" but hey, I love it and I've been told by a few others that they enjoy hearing me play. What else could I want (besides fame and fortune, of course).

I started at 28, unfortunately I bought my guitar 2 or 3 years before that and it became a trophy guitar in no time, course I get plenty of use out of it now though and every day I look forward to going home from work and putting some more time in on it (I recently bought a bass and I'm having a ton of fun learning to mix together a bass line and some rhythm guitar... followed by some frustration trying to come up with lead parts that don't turn the whole mix into mud).

I started last March at the age of 44. My wife was against it at the start. She thought it would be like all my other "bright" ideas. She is now much more supportive because she can see that I am serious about this, especially since I set the alarm clock for 5 a.m. weekday mornings (and 6:30 a.m. on weekends) to get an hour of practice before work and/or family time. She's even become somewhat tolerant of G.A.S.

I don't look at the earlier years as wasted because I had to get my head right. Before, I wanted to "want to" play guitar. Now I just want to play guitar and I am able to recognize the difference.
/Dwayne

Great thread I hadnt realised so many start late in life I thought it was just me. I started last March aged 39, yes another midlife crisis guitarist. I'm making slow progress but it won't deter me.

So whats GAS?

edited to say a quick search reveals Gear Acquisition Syndrome

i started at age 11 and have been playing ever since (22 now). i love it and am beginning to try to do it professionally.

Started at 47, almost a year ago. Been pretty obsessed with it ever since. My wife thinks this is a MUCH better midlife crisis than buying a sports car or ...
She also likes that it's a lot safer than my previous, 20 year long, obsession with motorcycles!

27, started almost 2 years ago. I still think I can get somewhere into a semi-pro level in a few more years if I practice enough. Time will tell.. :wink:

edit: I forgot to say I started due to a quarter-life crisis (thanks, John Mayer!)

Started just before I turned 21, that was just over 3 and a half years ago and still going strong.
Still holding on to the dream that one day I'll turn semi-pro, and work in the music industry in some capacity

46......2 year ago and enjoyed it all........My motto is grow old disgacefully.....may get old but will never grow up

Quite right...your motto is.

16

Almost a year and a half ago at 38.