Gordon. Catspaw is holding it in pretty well, but he is definitely the most sensitive Mudcatter around here, as far as taking offence. Perhaps if you told him you were a BIG FAN of his favourite lyricist Neil Young, he'd feel better. Some folks prefer Shakespeare, some Keats, but when our Spaw first read the lyric "I am a child, I last a while"...well he knew he'd found a poet for the ages.

Now as far as Captain Kendall Morse goes.... obviously a seafarin' man who blames his "Capslock" because he can't spell the word "like" is hardly someone you want opinions from. I'm afraid sometimes MY capslock fails to operate as well, but I just have a cup of Ginseng Tea, and try again.

What I really want to talk to you about though, is "BODY SIZE". Here in the folk music world, we don't discriminate against any body size. Most people around here have only ONE label on their evening wear...XXXL.

As far as "sound" goes though, it's damned hard to get a consistant feel unless a very skilled player is playing the same passage on several (different wooded) instruments of the same vintage. A lot depends on whether the player uses fingerpicks, flatpick or no picks, and whether they play "tight chords" (no unwanted notes ringing sympathetically) or not. One of the biggest variables is string brand and guage (and how often you change 'em)

Having said that, if someone wanted to loan me a 1950s D-28 for Bluegrass playing, an early sixties J-45 for Blues, and a forties 000 45 for the rest of it, I wouldn't turn 'em down.

Rick