What an enjoyable evening I have had reading the erudite and knowledgeable posts on this thread. I have been playing guitar for some 27 years the past 22 on my faithful old Fender F3 acoustic bought for £79 in the early 80s. Always a bit of a dog to play, but got much better with age; it did make it onto a couple of major label albums in the late 80s as well! This year I decided I needed something decent for home recording so I budgeted £300 and started looking for a replacement. I had no idea what to get but being more of an "ears" rather than "eyes" buyer – if you get my drift – I blind tested a number of new guitars but never found anything I liked; and that included £1000 Martins. Then a friend of mine brought a 1980s Sigma around and I fell in love with its tone and playability. I decided that I might as well see if I could get a second hand Sigma to try out and a quick net search found an advert for a "1980s DM5" in a nearby city. I sacrificed a day and took the train to Nottingham (yes where the sheriff lives) on a speculation. What I was confronted with was a completely different guitar from the one I expected. At first it seemed "uglier" and older than my friend's but from the moment I picked it up I knew it was the guitar for me. A tone as sweet as a virgin's kiss, and a feel like sugared almonds…..I'm getting carried away here! Well, £220 exchanged hands and she's mine. I now know that she is probably a 1979 dreadnought made from pine and mahogany of the 5th best quality! She has a gold Sigma logo on the headstock with the sigma "M" sign in mother of pearl above and has hardly a scratch anywhere. I have no interest in what she is worth as value is a slippery concept and beneath a true gentleman; however, I would be interested in any information on her making and age. Her back is in one piece and - as with her face - one solid piece of wood. A label inside reads: (M) SIGMA CF Martin and Company, Model DM-5, Serial No. 73103540, Made in Japan. Many years of pleasure await, I have not been able to keep my hands off her since we became one! Indeed she brings the poet out in me as every artiste needs a muse!
Yours prosaically
Alex Peach.