I bought a little FG150 (the Martin 00018 clone) in late 1972 which has a beautiful voice and has stood the years well. Its tone is not quite Martin standard (though the only 00018s I ever played in comparison were all decades older, so they were seasoned which mine wasn't) but it comes close.

When I moved to England in 1972 I had this guitar with me at Heathrow, and got a GRILLING from the customs & excise officer. He kept asking me "What are you going to do with this guitar?" and my answer - that I was going to play it - didn't seem to make any sense to him. He wasn't rude or nasty, but he really seemed not to know what to do with me, and kept me standing there for ages while he hesitated and agonised. Turns out he was worried because in those days people were bringing Yamahas in and flogging them without paying the duty. But the idea that someone might want to keep this instrument to make MUSIC with seemed pretty low in his probability stakes. He eventually let me in, casting many a doubtful and wary glance after me as I went through the gates.

One thing: The truss rod could do with some adjusting because there's a slight twist in the neck that renders the low E string out of tune from the 2nd fret up. But I've read elsewhere (on Mudcat I think) that this can destroy tone, and a few people have had bad experiences. Is this common? Is there anything less drastic that can be done? I've tried every string gauge known to civilisation. Thanks, Catters -