I made a living playing guitar for twenty some years. I traveled, met great people, and I think I made some pretty good music. However, as much as I loved playing guitar, it was a tool for my job. Now, it’s a hobby.
So, I decided to spend some money on my hobby, and as many over fifty babyboomers are doing, I found a Luthier (this one in Washington State) and I asked him to make me a custom guitar.

It arrived two weeks ago, after 18 months. Over the internet I picked out the wood, the styling, the inlay, the case, the frets, the neck, and everything else. I even had my initials put into the neck. Wasn’t cheap. Actually I found out that playing guitar can be an expensive hobby!

And then, it arrived and after 18 months of anticipation there is that realization that the journey is almost always much better than the destination. And the journey was done. Not a good thing to think about.

And I also thought about expensive wine. If you drink wine, you always think that a thirty dollar bottle or a fifty dollar bottle, or a wine that costs eighty bucks has GOT to be much better than the nine dollar bottle you drink in your home. ( Or five dollar, or whatever) And it is never that much better! Sometimes it isn’t as good as the nine dollar bottle.

With these two thoughts running through my head, I gently removed the guitar from it’s case, stared lovingly at it for two or three minutes, then struck a chord. WOW! It is better than the journey! And it is better than any forty or fifty dollar bottle of wine I’ve ever sipped.

So I have a new love affair with the guitar. It’s mellow, yet has wonderful volume. It’s bright when I want it to be and soft and gentle when I take it easy. It’s 60 year old Brazillian rose wood ( cut 60 years ago, eco people), and 40 year old German Spruce and it literally sings by itself.

If you play guitar, and you want to treat yourself, I’ll give you Dave’s information. He makes a great guitar!

Don