Wise words Kendall. You DON'T have to pay a huge amount to find that "special" guitar that just "speaks to you". But you DO have to hunt for it and keep your eyes peeled. One Mudcatter e-mailed me asking whether I thought the Gibson that Tucker bought was superior to his axe (which I'd raved about). The answer was "yes and no". If I played instrumentals and did not sing, then I'd probably be looking for a narrow neck low action Martin (or Taylor, or Collings). Since I sing on 80% of what I play, the way a guitar responds to chords (from almost inaudible to crashing loud) is important to me. If I'm playing with a band that has a bass player, I'd be looking for something different than if the band was "bassless". If I was playing lead AND rhythm, I might go for a cutaway (although I don't like the "look" of them)

So it all boils down to compromise, and that "great fun search" (for me, anyway). Bottom line is that Wilf Carter made great music on a fancy Martin 000-45, and Sam McGee recorded his masterpiece "Buckdancer's choice" on a 3 dollar Stella. When Sam got his expensive Martin, he may have played better....but not 100 TIMES better!

Rick