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Totally agree that Tony Rice is a flat-picker of the highest order. Some of the work he did with Dave Grisman back in the late-70's / early-80's really showcased his versatility, stepping outside of his normal bluegrass place and into the world of jazz fusion.

Instrument value can be sooooo subjective, as the value is in the eye of the beholder ... depends a lot on whether or not it's being viewed as a guitar to play or a collectible to own.

All great ones, Beamer! And who could forget:

Mal:  "The 'verse iz gittin' too crowded for us naughty men to hide anymore."

Or ...

Mal: "You wanna run this ship?"

Jayne:  "Yeah!"

Mal:  "Well ... ya can't."

Now that's a cool piece of info I'd never heard before, Phill ... thanks!

It's inspiring to learn how artists have overcome personal adversity to rise to the top of their profession. A Nova Scotian bluegrass/folk  guitarist named Moe Brown lost a finger on his fretting hand years ago (ring finger, if I recall) and subsequently reinvented his playing style. He was already very good before the accident, and most would say he's even better now. Ian Anderson's deformed pinky on his right hand also comes to mind, which he's said made learning the flute challenging.

Didn't Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath) used to wear metal thimbles on his fretting hand? It probably wouldn't be wise to use these in conjunction with Super Glue ... just a thought.

Sounds like a blast, Fire Art!

My brother recently sold his electronic drums for a set of Gretsch all-maples, and we've been whacking away at everything from Dire Straits to Rush. He's no Pick Withers or Neil Peart, and I'm no Mark Knoplfer or Alex Lifeson, but there are moments when we actually sound half-decent, and we're ALWAYS having fun ... the main point!

After listening to the nice growls coming out of the PRS guitars that Porcupine Tree uses, I got to try one Saturday at a music store about an hour's drive away. It was the SE 245, which is on the low end of their scale @ $650 CDN. However, I was very impressed with the build quality, sound, and feel of the guitar. It was the first time I'd had a PRS in my hands, and it's easy to see why they're making a solid name for themselves.

Another way is to simply cover all 3 strings in the normal A chord with your index finger, leaving enough slack by inverting the first knuckle a bit to mute the high E. Then your ring finger should reach over for the C# on the A string without a lot of trouble which would look like:

X4222X

Hope this helps.

I agree with you that Levy's makes great straps, Beamer. I use a 3" wide black leather one with my Les Paul, and although it has no padding it distributes the weight just fine. I was having a laugh at the store where I bought it, because they had at least 100 various straps with assorted KISS logos on them ... must have been expecting a convention or something!

I personally find that how a guitar is held affects playing style & ability to a fair degree. I'll play the acoustics while sitting, and usually have the neck angled upwards at about 25-degrees. Most classical guitarists will sit with the lower bout of the guitar between their knees, and the neck angled up much further than that.

When standing to play the electric, I find I have to maintain that same angle in order to play comfortably, so that the wrist of the fretting hand isn't bent too much. And I also discovered right away that I needed a strap lock on the peg nearest the neck ... fortunately without damage. I agree that a Les Paul is a tad heavier than some guitars, but a good strap certainly helps with comfort.

Welcome aboard, Russell ...

I also just joined at the start of the year, and have really enjoyed the considerable level of "humble expertise" from the members of Chordie. Have gotten great advice here for making several choices, and there have been some enjoyable discussions on a whole variety of things.