A very raw beginner! Just up and deceided to by a guitar(use to have a Jap Strat when I was in the U.S. Navy back in '92). My buddy at the time had a second guitar that he didn't play to often. It was supposedly given to him by Kirk Hammet while he was playing(my friend)in downtown Waikiki. It was brand new still in the box.I checked outa few of the music shops here on Oahu, and they said that Kirk has been seen in Waikiki, and that he lives on the island somewhere. So, I deceided what the heck, it's a nice guitar, although it wouldn't really have been my first choice if I had gone out shopping and had the money to get what I liked. I'm still in the process of finding an instructor. Along with that, I'd like to pick up a Dean Vendetta 4.0 in the tigers eye finish I seen a local shop. Looks fabulous! Feels nice too! I'm not much of the flying V style but, I don't like The Les Paul style either. Wish I would have kept that Stratocaster I bought in '92. Heck, I might even know how to play by now, L.O.L.!!! My email is ramikels70@yahoo.com. Shoot me an E if you have any ideas, recommendations, opinions on the guitar I have and I'm interested in. I live on the west end of Oahu, in Kapolei (16 miles west of Honolulu). I'm a 38 yr. old guy from Chicago, grew up on heavy metal and still listening to it(the new stuff that is). Favorite bands are the Red Hot Chili Peppers, H.I.M., Metallica, Slipknot, Disturbed, just to name a few. So, of course that's the stuff I want to learn to play. Go figure, the hardest stuff to learn. What a knucklehead!