I don't believe I have ever thought of my guitars in gender terms.

My classic was made in Japan. It has a red cedar soundboard and Brazilian rosewood back and sides. The label says it is a "Guitarra Artisana," but pasted right by it is another label stating that it was imported, inspected, and approved for sale under his name by José Oribé, a luthier in San Diego who makes concert quality classic guitars. The Guitarra Artisana is not as expensive as the ones Oribé makes, but it was fairly expensive. Like a lot of guitars made at the time (mid-1970s), it looks exactly like the José Ramirez 1a that Segovia played after he retired his Hauser. I played it once before the Seattle Classic Guitar Society (where some of the folks have some really expensive guitars, including a Ramirez or two), and because of its full, rich sound and its appearance, they assumed that it was a Ramirez. It wasn't anywhere near as expensive as a concert Ramirez, but it's one helluva guitar! I usually refer to it as "the Oribé," although it wasn't actually made by José Oribé.

I have a genuine flamenco guitar that I ordered from Arcangel Fernandez in Madrid (unlike the one in the photo, mine has clear golpeador—tap-plates). I got it in 1961. Absolutely outrageous guitar! Spruce soundboard and cypress back and sides. I learned a couple of years later that Fernandez's flamencos were regarded as the best, and guys like Carlos Montoya, Mario Escudero, and Sabicas were playing them. I paid less than $200 for it, and I'm told that "Arcangels" from the early 1960s in good condition are worth as much as $20,000!! I refer to mine as "The Arcangel." Not for sale!

I also have two small travel guitars, one nylon-string and one steel-string, made by Sam Radding of San Diego. They are Go-guitars, and they look more like canoe paddles than guitars, but for small instruments, they sound amazingly like full-size guitars. I used the nylon-string "Go" in a concert recently, and some folks thought it was a period instrument of some kind.

Gender? No. "The Oribé," "the Arcangel," and the two "Go" guitars.

"Go?" Perhaps they have a bladder problem?

Don Firth