Should I even bother responding by mentioning, as always, my one and only guitar since 1969, my D-18 Martin?

Probably not worth repeating; but this time I have something to add:

Over the past month, while my baby was at the luthier's getting new frets and neck surgery, I spent some time in guitar stores "test driving" a variety of guitars (just so that I could get a little playing done ~ I'm a monogamous guitar owner, and was left high and dry without my one and only). I was mostly intereted in checking out resonator models, but one store I went to only had one steel-body National to play, so I tried out a number of their regular acoustic guitars as well.

One of the available floor models was a a Lowden, the first I had ever seen or touched in person. I have no idea of the model number, etc.; all I can say is that it was absolutely beautiful, and it sounded even better than it looked. I can't say that I would *trade* my D-18 for it ~ there's just too much sentimental attachment there ~ but this Lowden is the first and only acoustic guitar I'd even played that seemed to me to be objectively *better* than my own. Made me a Lowden believer!