In this world, there are all kinds of nerds. It’s not a bad thing. Everybody is a nerd for something, whether its sci-fi, computers, or video games. Heck, I’ve seen ketchup nerds (I’m not judging).

I am no exception. I am a guitar nerd.

Why else would I subscribe to Guitar World magazine?

Why else would I know what a Floyd Rose does?

Why else would I know that Led Zeppelin didn’t really start sounding good until Jimmy Page ditched his flower-power Fender Telecaster for a Gibson Les Paul he got from Joe Walsh?

And why else would I have a goal to name my first-born son Stratford just so I could call him “Strat,” as in Fender Stratocaster? (All prospective wives should disregard the last sentence).

I suspect you already know the answer to all those questions. It’s because I’m a guitar nerd.

Here at Tiny Strings, I’m going to embrace my nerd-dom by celebrating all things that go “Meedely meedely mee” in the night. You’re going to see a lot of “High Fidelity”-style lists about guitarists. You’re also going to see me geek out over cool guitars I’ll never own. I’ll examine the intricacies of the way the guitar is utilized in different genres, and I’ll throw in the occasional review for shows I’ve attended. Hey, and if you’re lucky, you might pick up some tips on how to start down the slippery slope of guitar nerdery along the way.

“So, Mr. Smarty Pants, what makes you so qualified to talk about guitars?,” you may ask. Well, nothing really, except an extreme desire to rock all day, every day.

Like most teenage boys, I became infatuated with the idea of playing a guitar at very loud volumes to annoy my parents and sister. Unlike most teenage boys, I never grew out of the habit.

It’s been about eight years since my parents wrangled my grandpa’s old “Playtime” acoustic guitar from my uncle for me, and about seven years since I first strummed the throbbing power chords of Green Day’s “Brain Stew.”

Since then, I’ve picked up a dreadnaught-style Washburn acoustic (my prized possession, known as Marky Mark), a folk-cutaway style Alvarez acoustic (Ray), a gloss-black Schecter C-1 electric (the versatile Darkness), and a beat-up pawn shop Lotus bass (Eddie, named after Iron Maiden’s mascot).

Somewhere along the way, I decided I should learn to sing (we’re still working on that) and write songs (ditto). When work permits, I hit up the monthly open mic nights at Caffe Mela, where I bust out Neil Young and The Who covers in addition to my own folksy white-dude-with-a-skewed-view-of-the-world songs. I also used to play in a folk-rock troupe known as The Constant Tourists, making two self-produced CDs along the way (Shill City!).

My musical tastes are all over the map, but I especially love the “Seattle Sound” of the early 90s (OK, fine, I’ll call it grunge), late 60s British blues (and anything that replicates it), country-inflected jam rock (especially Wilco and My Morning Jacket), and early-70s progressive rock (a little King Crimson in the morning never hurt nobody). I’ve also been known to rock the devil horns for a little heavy metal (if you don’t like Metallica, you don’t like America), and I have a soft spot for orchestral indie pop genius Sufjan Stevens and the immortal Johnny Cash.

Ah, but enough about me. What I’m really interested in is you.

If you’ve got a favorite band or guitarist that you think needs some Tiny String loving, or just a question or thought about guitars, I’d love to hear about it.

I am here for you, my blossoming guitar nerds.

Before the end of the week, I’ll hit you up with some high-quality guitarocity courtesy of YouTube, and next week I’ll start my 10-part series, “Tiny Strings’ 10 Favorite Guitarists.”