Moonchild,

I agree with most people's comments here. Try different strings first. My new Celtic harp still has the yukky strings on it that the harpmaker put on it (he told me that the string company uses tennis racquet strings - tough, tight, plinky sound, definitely not harp string material) and it sounds ukelele-ish and horrible but when I get some real strings on it it will sound 100% better.

I have sold two instruments: my first lever harp and my first flute. I regret selling the flute - I did it because I needed the money (I thought) and because I had recently bought another one which I thought was better value. The second one is not much different to the first and there was really no reason to do the swap, and I regret it because it was my first real instrument that I learned to play - other than the plastic whistle in primary school - which I still have.

I never really sent a backward glance to my first harp because I was never happy with the sound and even changing the strings made only a minor difference - it made it bearable and not dull sounding, but it never made it sound good. It was built with a big bit of metal pipe inside the sound box for strength, built for the future pedal/classical harpists who wanted to try out harp playing to see if they like it or can do it. It was built for young people to carry around and to withstand knocks and bumps. It wasn't built that way because of the sound it made. It was never going to come good, in my opinion.

Your B-25 belongs with you. Needing money to buy a new guitar is no excuse for getting rid of the old one. Sell a piece of furniture instead. Sell your skills - writing, singing, whatever - for a few extra hours a week. Do whatever it takes. Take up Sorcha's offer to do a short term solution for long term gain. Take Kim C's advice and plug into the Universal Classifieds (my label for it) and ask the Universe *how* you can make your B-25 sound the way you want it to sound or how to find the money and the right guitar for your current needs. The question is "what do I need to do to get a guitar to perfectly fit my needs?" (It's an action thing, not a passive waiting for the answer to fall out of the sky - like most people tend to see prayers etc.)

Look into the future and impagine yourself in a time when life has taken a lot of turns for the better - you have more money, better health, almost everything you want in life. How would you feel, looking back, if you had lost hope now and sold your guitar? Desperation = loss of hope. Be an optimist. Your posting is a cry from the heart. I don't really think you want to sell the guitar otherwise you would not have made this cry for help which says "Somebody stop me, please!"

Helen