Catspaw promised a series of these pages, one guitar maker at a time. I don't think the Martin thread will ever die, so I think it is time for a new one and this is it.

It is also inspired by a recent purchase. I have grown wary of taking my vintage Martin every where I go. If I lost it I would be heart broken, not so much over the money, but rather over the 30+ years of memories it carries.

I have been shopping around for a guitar I feel everyday travel; song circles, open mikes, etc.

I was in a local shop recently and there was a Guild D-25 in the consignment section. I tried it out. It wasn't a D-28 (although modelled as one I suspect), but it was a decent guitar for the price. It sounded dead in spots, but I suspected it was the old strings (and they appeared quite old). I went to the Internet that day and found that it was manufactured in 1974. Except for the strings it looked nearly new (perhaps the strings were originals). The end result was a purchase. I nosed around the used guitar sites on the Web and the price seemed quite reasonable. I bartered just a little. I did not get the original case (is there a market for original cases?).

This guitar is not as loud as my Martin D-28 and perhaps has more of the boomy base of the dreadnought style. I am happy so far.

If others post, I will talk later about my Guild 12-string.

Roger in Baltimore