I'm a transplant from Germany, living in the Bay Area since 2002. I started playing guitar at age 12 when my parents gave me my first nylon-stringed concert guitar as a christmas gift. After 3 years of classical guitar lessons, I picked up my first electric guitar... a white Hohner Strat copy as I remember... and joined my high school's band. The band reformed a number of times throughout the years, but we pretty much played together until I left for the US in 2002...