Yes its terribly sad. thers no real equality amongst humans when it comes to acoustic guitar instrumentals.

Theres not many who've got the whole package - great vision, dazzling technique, devotion to and interest in the nuts and bolts of guitars.

When I lived in the midlands I used to go Acoustic Avalon, a guitar exhibition every year in the autumn - organised by Sheehans music shop at Leicester Racecourse Building. I bought a beautiful Yamaha cpx15cm - the only cedar topped yamaha - there one year.

Anyway the top guitar makers get the top guitar players to play and demonstrate their stuff. One year they got ralph McTell - but usually its these guys like that chap with the twin neck - doing clever stuff - you often buy a capo and set of strings out of sheer boredom. The audience are all male - trainspotter types, guitar anoraks.

in all the time I went - Steve Hicks and Eric Roche were the only ones who really had that whole package and could sustain an hours listening. To them I'd add Gordo Giltrap and Clive Carrol - then I think you're searching. Not singing mind - just instrumentals.

The great accompanists are something else - top of that tree, I'd put Paul Downes.