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Heading to Stuttgart, Germany on Monday.

I find it both unbelievable but heartwarming that MB is just experiencing these songs. I am happy for her.

MB,
I cross the Atlantic Ocean about six times a year. so far this year I think I've flown 50k miles or so. Today was my first day back in the office, i looked at my calendar and I have about five more trips to Europe between now and November. While I like traveling, flying has become the worst part.
dj

Zurf,
I am sorry to hear about the stress and turmoil you and your family are facing but good things will happen to good people so I am sure you will be fine. In fact, it sounds like you may already have a good situation to contemplate.

I was fired from my job in 2002 in response to the downturn in the market after 9/11. At the time I was terrified. I had a young family and a mortgage and it was damn hard to find a job in that economy. I really had a good helmet-shaking during this time.

However, it turned out to the one of the BEST THINGS THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ME! What I did not know at the time is that my firing set the course for me to ultimately get to my current job - the best job I've ever had and I think one of the best jobs in the world! Of course, it took several years for the "plan" to be revealed to me and several more for me to put myself in a position to help make it happen. But I've never been happier and I look back on those "dark" dark days for 2002 with a pleasant thankfulness.

One of my theories: Good will always prevail.
My accompanying corollary: Not necessarily on YOUR time schedule.

Keep you head up and stay focused on continuing to be the man you are. Things will work out. And all of your friends here at Chordie are hear for you.
dj

Did you say "castle"? This is the Narikala Fortress in Tbilisi, Georgia. The legend it this was the original city walls. The church was added within the last 50 years or so.

I wrote this "primer" for my brother about two years ago when he was considering buying a guitar. Some of it's dated now but you will notice the FIRST website I bring to his attention. Of course, I have pre-empted this by giving him a guitar.

Acoustic Guitar Primer
1.    Consult with Dave Xxxxxx and take him shopping with you. He is your local expert and since you probably cannot play anything on a guitar (I couldn’t either at this point), he can help. Have him play the SAME chords, scales, riffs, songs, etc. on each guitar you are considering. This way you can hear the difference. You might even ask to borrow one of his 16+ guitars to learn on. I know this is not as much fun as owning your own but it will be helpful in determining what you like. You do not want to buy something you end up hating or outgrowing in a short time.

2.    Focus on the construction and materials not the brand. This may be harder than it sounds when you see some of the sexy offering and recognize the brands but some are more flash than bang and you may be disappointed as you become wiser. Decide if laminate construction is acceptable for you or do you want all-solid, or maybe only a solid top. The top is by far the most important piece of wood. I strive for at least solid top but some (if not both) of my old Yamahas are all laminate construction. I’m still happy with them. There are few “sleeper” brands out there that you may not have heard of and you may have a hard time finding: Seagull, Crafter (Korean), Recording King, Johnson (yes), Washburn. Many guitar “brands” are built right alongside other “brands” not unlike the old outboard motor analogy of Johnson versus Evinrude – same motors, different paint color and decals. But people will FIGHT over which one is better.

3.    Unless you plan to be on stage or in the recording studio soon purchase a pure acoustic guitar – no pre-amp (electronics). Let all your dollars go towards quality materials and workmanship not towards electronics. I own four acoustic guitars and none of them have a pre-amp. Dave may disagree but he’s on stage where he needs to be heard.

4.    Embrace a global perspective. Don’t get (too) attached to “Made in America”. If you have visions of sitting on the front porch strumming a Martin D18 like Andy Taylor of Mayberry fame plan to spend thousands not hundreds of dollars. And these thousands will allow you to purchase a “American-made” guitar. The biggies are Martin and Taylor and they sort of approach sound from opposites sides. In my amateur experience, generally speaking Taylors are bright and Martins are mellow. This is a gross generalization I’m sure but all the rest - and there are many imitators and an equal number of lawsuits - fall roughly into those two camps. So, expect to purchase a guitar manufactured in Asia. There are many high quality guitars made in Asia. All of my guitars except the Seagull are made in Asia. The Seagull is made in Canada but resellers use the euphemism “made in North America” to make you think of the good old U.S.A. And for some people that is enough. I’m pleased I bought mine but the country of origin wasn’t in the top five (or ten) purchasing criteria.

5.    Have fun. If you aren’t you are doing something wrong. I’m a year into my guitar odyssey and still can’t really play a song BUT I love trying and I have fun every time I pick up a guitar.

Useful Websites

http://www.chordie.com/ -one of the best sources for tablature (tabs) and pretty good discussion forums. I view the “guitars and accessories” and “Acoustic” forums the most.  (You may see me on there with the handle NAOLSLAGER. My last post was entitled: Fretting the Epiphery[1]: The Year of Misdirection) This website offers superior printing capabilities for tablature as well. The tabs show the chord charts.

http://www.justinguitar.com/ - Justin Sandercoe, a Tasmanian who now lives in London. Justin’s website and information are BY FAR the best I’ve found. In fact if I had to pick only one site for instruction this would be it. His instruction is logical, thorough, and he STRESSES mastering the particular material before moving on. Instead of practice makes perfect it’s more perfect practice makes perfect. It helps that he is charismatic as well as knowledgeable. I actually enjoy his lessons.

http://www.seagullguitars.com/intro.htm - the website hasn’t been refreshed since I started looking over a year ago but it offers their most current catalog which has excellent information on how the guitars are made and a good introduction to their product line. By the way, the guitar I own does not fit neatly into their normal product line. It is a commemorative model which borrows across product lines. I do know it is an all-solid construction guitar.

http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Acoustic+Guitar –extensive user reviews of many makes and models of guitars. Use as ONE gauge to assess the desirability of a particular guitar. Listed by manufacturer and model. Not all inclusive but it has many of the more popular guitars. There are some errors however but with cross-referencing you will be able to detect them.

http://www.craigslist.org/about/sites - Craig’s List. Available in virtually all cities of interest. A great source for used guitars. I search this everyday looking for the next bargain. I’ve bought and sold with success off this site. For advanced users, search with misspelled words such as “Alverez” instead of “Alvarez” or “Acustic” instead of “Acoustic”. Yes, I’ve spent a LOT of time on this site.

www.eBay.com – needs no explanation. I visit this site daily and have six or seven “saved” searches to help me find specific models, e.g. Yamaha SJ400S or specific features, e.g. Sunburst or 12-string.

If you narrow down to a one or two brands I can offer additional information especially if they are Alvarez or Yamaha. These are the two I researched the most. My original intent for my first guitar purchase was an Alvarez RD-20, a good entry-level Dreadnaught body guitar. A new one is less than $300 and used ones are all over eBay for $100-200. My friend has one and he swears buy it.

I bought my first guitar from Guitar Center, the aforementioned 25th Anniversary Mahogany Spruce HG. Prior to that day I had never heard of Seagull so I left the store, searched the Internet and concluded this was a great deal at $350. It had been traded in and was only about one year old. It was (is) also in perfect condition.  Beautiful, solid-wood, and made in North America!

I prefer guitars that are natural in color, i.e. they look like wood. I am also partial to a Spruce top (versus a Cedar top – the general opinion is the Cedar yields a mellower sound). I also like the non-cutaway bodies although I can see where the cut-away looks “sportier”. For me it’s aesthetics as I do not play that far up the fretboard…yet.

Body shapes and sizes. Each manufacturer may use their own name for a body but the most common is the Dreadnaught, Jumbo (think big body, big sound as the name implies), Parlor (or 00, 000, or OM, Grand Auditorium, etc. Think small body, small sound). I could go on and on. You will probably end up with a Dreadnaught. They are common and they are what most people think of when you say “acoustic guitar”. The Seagull catalog will explain their bodies and characteristics as will most other manufacturers catalogs.

Foornotes:
[1] Epiphery – from Steve Carell-as-Michael Scott on "The Office".

NELA,
Will do. This IS a great place to hang out!

I bought two of her albums from iTunes. Very enjoyable. Check her out.
dj

Sorry I'm afraid of Facebook.

I did have a Pocket Fisherman. Probably still do over at my dad's house! His garage looks like the set of "Sanford & Son".
dj

I consider the S6 the VW Beetle of guitars. My brother taught me to drive a stick shift in our 1974 ORANGE Super Beetle. So I think it's one of those "Lion King" moments, you know, circle of life.
dj

p.s. I must give Zurf a hat tip as his stories of giving guitars to people provided inspiration.