The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #139610   Message #3204745
Posted By: GUEST
09-Aug-11 - 02:19 PM
Thread Name: Two Guitars or Just One?
Subject: RE: Two Guitars or Just One?
I have several:

My darling baby never-to-be-parted-with, 1968 Martin D21, acquired from George Gruhn's store in Nashville in 1990.
Price was marked as 1200 dollars. When I paid for it, the great Gruhn himself said it was mislabeled--should have been 1500 dollars. I offered to pay the difference, but he said a deal's a deal: 1200 it stayed. It's been a good guitar for all the types of music I have played: bluegrass, folk, Irish/Scottish, Newfoundland, Quebec fiddle tunes, and more...

It's been adjusted several times over the years, as it aged. The work was always done by Bruce Dowd, a supremely experienced and talented luthier in Toronto. This one will go to my son, if he is interested, or one of my two granddaughters if they show any interest. Otherwise, I expect it will be a down payment on a vacation home for my wife after I pass on...

I also have another Martin: A D-18 12fret-to-the body model based on Norman Blake's similar Martin (a 1933 guitar, if I recall correctly).
A wonderful warm and very full sound! This one is my number two, but only because as a singer, I capo a lot, and need those extra two frets sometimes.

I have had a 1984 Marc Beneteau Dreadnought since the late 80's. It has a Baggs soundhole pickup. I used this one for Irish music gigs.
Very well balanced sound.

My go-to unfamiliar or potentially rowdy jams, guitar is a Blueridge BR-73, a nice smaller body guitar. This one I do lend out at jams. The others, not so much unless I know and have confidence in the borrower.

Hardly ever played is a 1962 Gibson B25-12, a small body 12 string guitar. Also a cheap classical guitar purchased on vacation in Spain in the 70's.
Lastly, a mexican 3 pickup (Nashville style)telecaster purchased on Ebay some years ago...

As a former bass player, I have several electric basses, and my wife and I share two upright basses.

If you are a guitar player, you can never have too many guitars.

One last one, I sold several years ago: a nice 80's Larrivee with cutaway. Nice guitar, I played it for about 20 years.

Oh yes, the one that got away: a 1964 Gibson J50, gifted in the 70's to a songwriter friend, who needed a guitar. It really blossomed soundwise after he had the Mill Wheel in Toronto re-brace the top in standard Martin bracing style. What a cannon it now is.