My first guitar was an Epiphone purchased back in 1978 from a local guitar teacher. I played about eight hours a day that summer and eventually moved up to a Les Paul. I wasn't quite as good as I thought, so I went back to acoustic (a beautiful mahogany Guild made close by in Rhode Island) where I could hide my deficiences playing Dylan and Neil Young stuff. I played that until 1986 when life's demands seemed to render playing too time consuming.

The Guild sat mostly untouched for 23 years so I placed it for sale on Craig's list. It sold immediately. When I shipped it to the buyer (after having a local shop restring it and look it over), he called me up and sent an additional check for $100 because the guitar was everything I said it was....looking like it came out of a time machine.

A month later, visions of that store kept popping into my head. I regreted letting the Guild go (hey...guy in upstate NY...if you see this...and want to sell it....just sayin'!). My wife surprised me with a Martin HD28V and I've been playing about 20 hours a week since.

I also picked up a strat earlier this year. Most of my stuff on GT is with the strat...but the comfort level for songs is not quite there yet.