Now I was only 14 and had a guitar and was teaching myself with a book on how to play.  I was terrible actually.  But I managed to learn to read music and play a bit.   I began taking paid lessons at 15 with a pro studio musician.  A real old timer.

On with the story.  Phil which played rhythm guitar, vocals and keyboards bought a Gibson GK-55 a few years later.  Actually he still has it to this day.    He loved it so much and played it all the time.  Where the pick guiard on a guitar would normally be, there was a deep hole worn into the body of the guitar from his finger resting there.  That's how  much he played that guitar.  I was now 17 and the year was 1979.  I saved some  money and looked all over for that Gibson GK-55 and could not find one anywhere.  I went back to Modern Music in Ft. Lauderdale Florida where I usually shop for strings and where I bought a new Music Man HD-130 head.  I remember it was the day the keyboard player (Ian McDonald) from Foreigner was there checking out a keyboard.  Anyway I talked to a guy there I became friends with (later he played bass on one of my original tracks I recorded) and he said he would search the warehouse down the street where they keep their overstock.  We both went there and searched all over and after and hour out popped one brand new Gibson GK-55 with a nice hardcase from Gibson.  I paid a whopping $400 including the case. Complete with a fine tuning tailpiece.

I bought a townhouse in Lauderdale and later sold it in 1986, played in a few bands, recorded some original tunes.  Went on to make a move to California with a good friend and start a new life.  The closing on the townhome which was a total loss of about 17,000 bucks after owning it for five years was delayed by something stupid with the lady's loan that was purchasing it.  I already gave notice on my job and at the end of the day he canned me.   A closet case gay dude that didn't like something quitting on him.  Anyway I was unemployed for three months waiting for the closing.  Finally it closed and we packed up the week before Christmas, what a time to move.  We hit snow in northern California it was two days before Christmas and nobody would talk to us or rent us a place.  We stayed at a hotel and on Christmas eve some people decided to steal our 24' U-Haul with everything we owned including my GK-55 among other guitars and my PA System as well.  Lucky for them I didn't wake up or I would have shot them for sure.  So that was the sad day I lost my GK-55 in Sacramento. They were caught selling things out of my friends car in Green Valley but almost all items were never recovered.  At that time I couldn't even get the serial number registered with Gibson because of a fire they moved their records.  Even years later I tried but they did not have them entered into a database and I always got the run around everytime I called.  I missed that GK because I was so careful with it.  It never had a scratch on it.  Well I take that back a small one on the headstock when Mark played it in a club one night wireless and jumped of the stage and tapped  something with it.  But I buffed that out polishing it. 

One thing with the GK's the nut was never very good on it.  I had to get a custom one made to get rid of some buzzing.  Well I eventually settled in San Diego.  Put another band together and kept searching for a GK.  In 1995 I got an email from a Guitar shop in Texas and they had one.  I bought it sight unseen and had it shipped.  There was a gouge of wood missing on the side of the neck into the fretboard.  Terrible.... i took it to a craftsman in San Diego that fixed other guitars I had.  Said it would take 2 months to get to it.  So I left it with him.  I told him how many years I was looking for this guitar...nine years.  After a few months I went to pick up the guitar after he finished repairing it.  It was awesome... could not even see any lines in the repair.  You could not even tell it was repaired.  So I paid him and he asks "How long you been looking for this guitar?"  I said I told you already, why?  He said well the shop Jeff's Guitars next door has one.  Shit... I went right over there and sure enough he had one.  It was a real piece of shit though.  Someone butchered it.  Not original hardware, all beat up.  I asked how much you want for it?  He said $325.  So I left.  I bought a Fender Strat six months later and took it in to get it setup.  The guy wanted to buy it from me for  twice  what I paid for  it.  But I didn't take it.  So I left it and decided to go next door and see if he still had the GK for sale.  It was still hanging there.  I picked it up and said how much?  He said $350.  So the price went up?  I started to leave and he said "How much you give me for it?"  I thought a second and replied "a hundred bucks".  Started to leave and he said ok.  So I bought it. 

I cleaned it all up.  Ordered new Grover Tuners and a tailpiece .  My GK didnt have a case and neither did this one.  So I checked everywhere and coudln't find one.  The neck is a bit different from the Les Paul so that case wouldn't work.  I called Gibson numerous times and coudln't find one.  I called one day to Gibson and spoke to someone else and they said they had two old demo cases for it.  Hmmm... from 1979?  Anyway I bought two of them and had em shipped.  Fit perfectly.  So when I visited Mark in Alabama I brought both GK's with me.  Mark always wanted one and they are hard  to come by nowadays.  Phil came over with his GK and as you can see on the website a picture of three GK-55's a nice family.  Mark wanted the GK so I gave it to him at my cost or less.  I can't remember all the details.  But still Mark is my best friend and longest for sure.  I will have to talk to him about putting up a website on his old band.   But someone has that domain sitting there.  Actually they bought the domain a few months before I thought about doing it.  But check back here, hopefully something will work out on that.  You will want to hear Mark play for sure.  Now Mark plays keyboards as well.  Over the years he taught himself.  Oh and I forgot to mention he is a good vocalist too.

Unfortunately when I was robbed back in '86 all my photo albums were lost as well.  But I do have recordings from Stainless Steel Band which I converted to CD's and sent Mark copies.  All my studio tapes were lost too.  Though I still have some cassettes from the era.  But some of my originals are gone forever with that original GK-55 in mint condition I use to have.  Thanks for reading my story.  The wheels keep turning and check back for updates often.   Peace and keep rockin'.

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