Some forty years ago I made it a practice to cover the brand stamp at the top of the headstock of my guitars with a Chiquita banana sticker. I was weary of all of the folks who made such a fuss about what brand of guitar one owned.

Flash forward to only a very few years back when, after performing at the open mike at the Getaway, Rick Fielding and I had a conversation in which he told me that if I wanted to be a good guitarist, and he very kindly assured me that I was well on the road to being one, I should get a good guitar. This was undoubtedly due to the fact that the only guitar I had at that time was a Yamaha 12-string.

I took the advice to heart and when good fortune smiled upon me enough for me to afford one, I bought a Martin 12. It was the smartest thing I ever did. Thanks, Rick!