Leadfingers posted this thread last week, but I thought it might be nice to tell the story behind it.   My first guitar was from Sears and Roebuck. It was clunky and hard to play but I did learn the chords. When I was 14, a couple of months before Christmas my brother showed me something my parents had hidden in a closet - it was a Mark III Guild Classical Guitar and I thought it was the most beautiful guitar, the most wonderful guitar, I'd ever seen. Every day before they came home I'd take it out and play it and then put it carefully back in its hiding place so they wouldn't know I'd found my Christmas present early! That was the guitar I played at my first gig (I was sixteen and was booked to play Christmas songs for a dental office's Christmas Party). I took it everywhere - all over Europe - it went with me by plane, train or bus. It accumulated a few scars - I lent it to a friend who took it out in the sun and the bridge popped off, my ex husband played it roughly with a pick and scratched the front (it didn't have a pick guard), and the ultimate - he dropped it and put a big crack in the front. I had it repaired even though the luthier told me it probably wasn't worth it. It still played well although it was starting to look pretty tatty. I gigged with it all through the eighties and early nineties, till in 2000 I bought my Martin with steel strings and a Fishman pickup. But I still played the Guild at home when I was relaxing. Then I took it to Scotland and it must have been banged around on the plane - the crack opened back up. I didn't bring it back - I figured that was it. I always really missed that guitar. I had thought about buying a classical to replace it to have at home even though the Martin would still be my 'working' guitar. I missed it's gentle sound and the feel of the nylon strings. I often wished I'd taken better care of the Guild. I didn't think I'd find another one - they haven't made them for years.

Well, Leadfingers was here towards the end of April. We went out to a local Chinese restaurant and he spotted a small music store that I'd forgotten about - it was tucked way back in a shopping center. While I was at work he went over and struck up a conversation with the owner. It's a one man operation and his hours are very irregular. He said he'd be glad to put up posters and hand out flyers in his shop about my regular pub gig and about the Richmond Folk Music concert series. We were setting out to do some sightseeing and Leadfingers wanted to stop by and drop off posters. I really didn't want to stop - I told Terry the guy probably wouldn't be there anyway, but just to humor him I went. We chatted with the owner for a while, and just before leaving Terry went over to look at the guitars on the wall.   I glanced over and gave a start and stammered "Is that a Guild guitar up there?". Terry took it down - it was! It was a Mark III Classical. It looked, felt and sounded exactly like my old Guild! Everything was the same - even the decoration around the soundhole. And it was in perfect condition! As I babbled on the owner of the shop said "The price on it is $350 but that guitar needs a home and I think it's found it - $250". Terry already had his wallet out. We got a vintage case too, and as we were leaving the owner gave me a guitar stand (which I needed) and said "That's just to thank you for making my day".

What an amazing series of coincidences that led me to that guitar! It's like an old friend I thought I'd never see again - turning up looking better than ever! It's my old guitar brand new again!

Looking at the information on the Guild guitar site I think it might have been made in 1975 - a few years later than my old one. But it feels the same, plays the same - to me it's like the old guitar came back into my life. I don't really care what the value is...I won't be selling it!