I wish I could afford a Laskin. (Sounds like a good first line.)

I love this Martin 00-17, but it's lacking in a few respects: the neck's just a wee bit too fat (could have it shaved), it's got a decent amount of sound for the size, but I'd like a little more, and the bass end doesn't stand out very much. The other thing is that saddle placement thing that all Martins seem to have. You get the 5th and 6th strings in tune, and then they get sharper the farther you go up the neck. I think a lot of people don't hear it or don't notice it (without using a tuner) but it drives me nuts. Rick Fielding used to cut a new slot in the bridge and move the saddle back a bit, and it worked. I am NOT about to go sawing away on a Martin, though.

The Guild D-4 I bought when I couldn't play, the one that inspired me to learn, has a great sound at a bit more than half the price of the Martin. Not quite as good as the Martin in most respects, but the bass is actually better. It's just too flippin' big, though.

There's a Vermont luthier who makes (not just) small-bodied, small-necked guitars   that sound BIG: Running Dog Guitars. If I win a lottery...

I cruise the shops looking for the guitar of my dreams, or at least one I like better than the Martin. There was ONE Larrivee that had possiblilities, but I wasn't sure enough to put my little Mollie up for sale. I still remember that beat-all-to-hell 00-18 that Rick let me play when I was in Toronto in 2001. I made a lot of jokes about sneaking it home with me when I left, but Rick said "this isn't the guitar you want." He eventually sold it to get one he felt comfortable playing hard. I miss that guitar very much, but it's probably nostalgia. You know - the 'one that got away' is always better than the one you manage to land.

Onward with the search. When I find 'it', I'm gonna have a small representation of the Holy Grail inlaid on it someplace.