Well, danged if don't see my buddy Tweed up there with his shiny almost new Regal resonator. Well, if he's going to get into the fray then I guess I can, too. I've been playing since '67 and since '71 when I traded my Telie for a Yamaha 12 string and a few bucks, have played acoustics since. My main instument is a 1964 D-18 which when I was doing coffee house gigs was the instrument I played. I have just recently broken my vow to not play it in open tunings and pretty much leave it in a "G". I also have a 1932 Gibson tenor that has never seen anything but a variety of open tunings in the 20 years I've owned it. Like Tweed, I recently acquired a Regal resonator and it stays in various open tunings and played mostly with a slide and occasionally two slides, one stubby and one full, that I've been diddling with trying to get a Fred McDowell sound. I have just ordered a J.B. Player acoustic bass from ebay but it isn't here as yet. The rest of the beaters are just that. Without counting them all I guess I've got about ten other acoustics and tenors and one 12 string and two dulcimers. Most everything is in one open tuning or another but I keep the 12 string and one of the better beaters in standard tuning and try to force myself to play standard tunings a couple of hours a week. Sorry to be so lond winded but the Tweedster hisself will tell you that I can't help myself... I'm just a long winded guy. Nice thread, Bob. I enjoyed reading it.