Lets see... I was 14 when I told my Dad, "I wanna play drums". There in the shopping center we were at had a music store going out of business, so we walked in for a look around. While I drooled over drum kits Dad talked with the sales rep... and after a few bugged eyed looks in response to the prices my hopes were all but dashed.
But the sales rep went into the back of the store and came out with a box... more like a crate... with guitar heads and necks sticking out of it. For $10 we got the five dead guitars lying about in the repair area... and a cool soldering gun.
With the keys off the 12 string with the split neck, and the soapbar type pickups from an Epi body I managed to get the strings tight on a Global brand semi-acoustic.
The next year Pre-Christmas I was helping Grandma get decorations down from the attic and saw an old guitar case and amp. She gave them to me... a
Danelectro and a Fender Champ amp.
For some reason it didn't help me sound like Jimmy Page at all.
When I joined the Army at Age 18 I plunked down the hard cash for a Kramer Pacer.
Remember, wherever you go... there you are.