--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first instrument I had was made in…" description: "\"The first instrument I had was made in the late '70s. Back then they had basically one tuning. I shifted slightly away from that tuning right away (to ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b2/greg-howard-75529_active_the-first-instrument-i-had-was-made-in-t_858593.jpg" --- # The first instrument I had was made in the late '70s. Back… ![“The first instrument I had was made in the late '70s. Back then they had basically one tuning. I shifted slightly away from that tuning right away (to what is now called the Baritone Melody Tuning), because I wanted more string overlap between the two sides.The instrument I currently play has an…” quote by Greg Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b2/greg-howard-75529_active_the-first-instrument-i-had-was-made-in-t_858593.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b2/greg-howard-75529_active_the-first-instrument-i-had-was-made-in-t_858593.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b2/greg-howard-75529_active_the-first-instrument-i-had-was-made-in-t_858593.jpg) > “The first instrument I had was made in the late '70s. Back then they had basically one tuning. I shifted slightly away from that tuning right away (to what is now called the Baritone Melody Tuning), because I wanted more string overlap between the two sides.The instrument I currently play has an active pickup system, Fret Rails, a fully adjustible bridge, adjustible truss, Flaps adjustible nut. Even with all of these advances, I'm always struck when I play the older instrument how good they were even then. Emmett's always been great at implementing his ideas.” Greg Howard ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker reflects on how early instrument designs, despite limited technology, still produced excellent sound, and appreciates modern advancements while valuing vintage quality. **In simple terms:** Early guitars were great despite simple tech; modern ones add many features. Key Takeaway Respect both vintage and modern instrument designs. Themes music instrument design technology craftsmanship Mood nostalgic analytical appreciative Type reflective technical inspirational When to use this quote - Choosing a guitar for performance - restoring vintage instruments - designing new models - teaching students about instrument evolution Key Concepts tonal quality engineering innovation historical comparison Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance vintage tone with modern reliability? - What features are essential versus optional? A Different Perspective Modern features can complicate maintenance and increase cost. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Baritones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baritones/) [Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bridges/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Instrument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instrument/) [Melody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/melody/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Two sides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two-sides/) ## Related quotes > [The body is like a piano, and happiness is like music. It is needful to have the instrument in good order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/the-body-is-like-a-piano-and-happiness-is-like-music-it-is-needful-to-2/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [Government should be a place where people can come together, and no one gets left behind. No one…gets left behind. An instrument of good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-sorkin/government-should-be-a-place-where-people-can-come-together-and-no/) [Aaron Sorkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-sorkin/) > [The harp is an insipid instrument--no good for dancing, feasting, or marching, only for sitting primly in a parlor or on a cloud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-harp-is-an-insipid-instrument-no-good-for-dancing-feasting-or/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [The flute is not an instrument that has a good moral effect - it is too exciting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/the-flute-is-not-an-instrument-that-has-a-good-moral-effect-it-is-too/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [I play the baritone horn - which is like a mini tuba, and is the least sexy instrument you can choose, and I generally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-carell/i-play-the-baritone-horn-which-is-like-a-mini-tuba-and-is-the-least/) [Steve Carell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-carell/) > [Please God, we're all right here. Please leave us alone. Don't send death in his fat red suit and his ho-ho baritone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/please-god-we-re-all-right-here-please-leave-us-alone-don-t-send/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [When I was 9 years old, I wanted to be the baritone sax player in the Little Richard band.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/when-i-was-9-years-old-i-wanted-to-be-the-baritone-sax-player-in-the/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [Consider the number of young people all over the world who are getting married, day in and day out, for no other reason than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-benchley/consider-the-number-of-young-people-all-over-the-world-who-are/) [Robert Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-benchley/) > [The soprano has all those other instruments in it. 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Harry Carney isn't!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pepper-adams/no-baritone-player-should-be-afraid-of-the-noise-it-makes-harry/) Pepper Adams > [I never felt like that in my life. I didn't know human beings played these instruments. I heard them in Chicago and Louisville and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quincy-jones/i-never-felt-like-that-in-my-life-i-didn-t-know-human-beings-played/) [Quincy Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quincy-jones/) > [All music is is what awakes from you when you are reminded by the instruments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/all-music-is-is-what-awakes-from-you-when-you-are-reminded-by-the/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [There're lots of musicians in my family, too. My mother sings incredibly well. I've got to make a record with my mother's voice on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-jones/there-re-lots-of-musicians-in-my-family-too-my-mother-sings/) [Grace Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-jones/) ## More by Greg Howard > [I'm in touch with Stick players all over the world, so I have a unique perspective on what they need from a website. Stick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-howard/i-m-in-touch-with-stick-players-all-over-the-world-so-i-have-a-unique/) Greg Howard > [Morality has nothing to do with sports. Bad people can be good at sports and good people can be bad at sports.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-howard/morality-has-nothing-to-do-with-sports-bad-people-can-be-good-at/) Greg Howard Explore all 3 Greg Howard quotes ## More Active quotes > [Listening is a very active awareness of the coming together of at least two lives. 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Love is not fundamentally a sweet feeling; not, at heart, a matter of sentiment, attachment, or being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-heyward/love-like-truth-and-beauty-is-concrete-love-is-not-fundamentally-a/) [Carter Heyward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-heyward/) > [Studying Sol's interior by looking for analogous patterns on its incandescent face is known as helioseismology, an active - if largely unpronounceable - research…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/studying-sol-s-interior-by-looking-for-analogous-patterns-on-its/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [Science manipulates things and gives up living in them. 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That's always easier once you've made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-brownlee/you-need-to-enjoy-yourself-and-just-get-into-the-routine-of-keeping/) [Alistair Brownlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-brownlee/) Browse all 2,212 Active quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The first instrument I had was made in the late '70s. Back then they had basically one tuning. I shifted slightly away from that tuning right away (to what is now called the Baritone Melody Tuning), because I wanted more string overlap between the two sides.The instrument I currently play has an active pickup system, Fret Rails, a fully adjustible bridge, adjustible truss, Flaps adjustible nut. Even with all of these advances, I'm always struck when I play the older instrument how good they were even then. 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