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my brother wants his guitar back.
the affair:
jimmy, my older brother, wanted a nice guitar for his graduation present. since he didn't play and know the first thing about guitars, (well, i didn't know that much more, but i had at least been playing for 3 yrs then, and had begun to at least get a feel for the sound of guitars and what i liked) i told him i'd do the searching for him.
so i did some research, asked ppl for their experiences with their martins, taylors, seagulls, takamines, etc, for help. then i tagged along anytime someone went to a guitar store so that i could try these instruments out.
it became clear to me that of the mainstream brand guitars, martins and taylors sounded the best. they were both very different, and even different within the brand for the model type.
i liked the full sound of the martin, so i chose the Martin DCME (DM + cutaway + electronics). + electronics cause i figured this guitar would eventually see some hooked up action (little did i know how MUCH), and cutaway purely for looks (i don't really play that much up there, i just think it looks cool).
but after it was purchased, jimmy didn't play it that much. jimmy and i were rooming together, so i played it often. and practiced and practiced. and so the affair began...
at some point, the guitar got recruited for some church use. (i was playing bass on the worship team by then) jimmy and i were no longer roommates and it became more convenient for the guitar to stay with me. i continued to play it pretty much everyday. albert, my roommate, had started something up with a laravee, about which i was very skeptical at first, but that turned out to be a great guitar. (low action, great sound).
after some time, i was leading praise at times at the college fellowship, so i actually needed the guitar.
during the entire time the guitar was in my care, i polished it with martin's polish, made sure no human oil nor sweat was left on it. i took CARE of my baby
i knew it wasn't mine. but i knew it like no one else did. i knew its strengths, its weaknesses, the way the low E has a tendancy to slip. i knew just where to strum to get a clear strong sound. i knew each little nick and bump it had. (it has since accumulated many, many such scars)
i remember the first time my heart broke for it: when Pastor R was borrowing it during a praise night, and had been playing vigorously. with a belt on. which had a buckle that was vigorously leaving marks all over the guitar. i really, really struggled then. i had to ask myself, is this guitar your idol? do you care about it more than God? isn't it more important that it serve God than be blemish-free? where is your heart?!!
for a good 15 min, i think, i struggled with this...(while other people were praising God)
i stopped short of naming it. just because one day, i knew i would have to part with it. it would be really hard, if i had named it.
and so, that day has come.
jimmy has some time now (after 5 years since the guitar was bought) and wants his guitar back...
i had prepared myself for this moment long, long ago, when i became aware of how attached i was becoming. still a little hard. well, the affiar is coming to a close. i am no longer a guitar-adulterer.
along with sadness, there is some freedom!
/affair
my lustful eyes have already latched on to what i hope will be my next guitar: the taylor 614ce
(pic removed so that my page would load faster)
isn't it beautiful? i don't know if you can see or fully appreciate the flame back and sides that maple wood gives to this guitar. i've played this model many times before, so i know how it sounds. OOOOO!!!!!!
problem is, it costs somewhere in the $2000-$2500 range. ouch.
i'm going to have to wait until residency, when i make money (however small the salary). first 10% to God, 2nd 10% to parents, 3rd priority goes into this baby.
meanwhile, i need to get a low-cost acoustic-electric for practical purposes. anybody see anything good out there for a low cost? (i'm talking LOW)
i leave you with these pictures...look at the different cuts of maple that will give you that scalloped, wavy action vs the stripes of flame...oh! it's too beautiful...
(pic removed so that my page would load faster)
comments
tim @ 07.49.pm | September 26, 2002
if you're going to make a good $1500+ investment in a guitar, if you want a really good one, you shouldn't go to those big chain stores. They sell decent guitars, but they sell some of them for TOO MUCH. I saw some pretty crappy guitars for $2000+ at guitar center when i was shopping for my guitar.
Lowden's aren't in those chain stores, because they're made by an independent luthier from Ireland. You'll have to look online to find resellers and distributors in the area. But i'm sure NYC would have some.. it's NY!
but MAN, when you find one, you'll know what i mean. it is just incredible, unbeatable craftsmanship, and its sound is just... the fullness it has literally makes taylors and martins sound like toys.
they play very very nicely as well. I got my first taste because the agape guys ordered a couple together to save on shipping costs and whatnot, and i tried it out... hoo man. I am dead serious, i have never played anything like it before or since.
jimmy choi told me all of this, and i didn't believe him. I played one, now i do.
Why settle for Outback steak, when you can go for Ruth's Chris? :-)
email | website
caleb @ 07.06.pm | September 26, 2002
i personally love the taylor. it's got crisp sound (low and high end), great resonance, great action, and great workmanship. i bought the k10 a few years back (spent my life-savings on it by the way), and completely love it.
on occasion, i would just take it out of the case, smell the sweet pungent aroma of the koa wood, and just strum a chord and let it ring. that's it and then put it back.
the taylor's are expensive guitars though. and their prices have increased tremendously in the past 5 years. i just saw their pricing the other day, and it blew me away! no way would i ever be able to afford a taylor anymore, let alone my k10!
email | website
caleb @ 07.06.pm | September 26, 2002
i personally love the taylor. it's got crisp sound (low and high end), great resonance, great action, and great workmanship. i bought the k10 a few years back (spent my life-savings on it by the way), and completely love it.
on occasion, i would just take it out of the case, smell the sweet pungent aroma of the koa wood, and just strum a chord and let it ring. that's it and then put it back.
the taylor's are expensive guitars though. and their prices have increased tremendously in the past 5 years. i just saw their pricing the other day, and it blew me away! no way would i ever be able to afford a taylor anymore, let alone my k10!
email | website
yakov @ 06.26.pm | September 26, 2002
i meant to say that i've actually NEVER played a lowden. or seen one.
email | website
yakov @ 06.20.pm | September 26, 2002
that's off the gross. i know there's going to be precious little left. still, it's gotta be a little better living than now anyway, right? and if i've been living like a bum student for this long, i think i can wait another couple of years. the guitar will be worth it.
tim: i've actually played a lowden. for that matter, i don't think i've ever even SEEN a lowden. i'll keep my eyes out for them, but seriously, are they in common stores like guitar center and mars music?
email | website
tim @ 02.56.pm | September 26, 2002
screw martin or taylor. go for LOWDEN! Those are INCREDIBLE. Once you play and hear one of those, you'll NEVER EVER go back to martin or taylor. Matt Redman has one. I think i recognize its sound on his recent cd.
email | website
toile @ 01.10.pm | September 26, 2002
well i sgree with patrick but also i gotta say, you on't live onthis earth very long, and when you die, you don't take the money with you, so don't be frugal... hey, mayb if you pray real hard then god will throw you the taylor 614ce from heaven ;)
email | website
Patrick @ 11.42.am | September 26, 2002
10% to god plus 10% to parents? is that gross or net? if gross, you're gonna be pretty shocked at how little money is left after taxes. if you assume the various governments taking 30% of your income (a low estimate), that's fully half your money gone before you can even think of buying something. on top of that you have various debts to settle and you have to pay rent and eat. so is a $2000 guitar going to be worth it then?
yakob at 10:54 AM
-----------------
the affair:
jimmy, my older brother, wanted a nice guitar for his graduation present. since he didn't play and know the first thing about guitars, (well, i didn't know that much more, but i had at least been playing for 3 yrs then, and had begun to at least get a feel for the sound of guitars and what i liked) i told him i'd do the searching for him.
so i did some research, asked ppl for their experiences with their martins, taylors, seagulls, takamines, etc, for help. then i tagged along anytime someone went to a guitar store so that i could try these instruments out.
it became clear to me that of the mainstream brand guitars, martins and taylors sounded the best. they were both very different, and even different within the brand for the model type.
i liked the full sound of the martin, so i chose the Martin DCME (DM + cutaway + electronics). + electronics cause i figured this guitar would eventually see some hooked up action (little did i know how MUCH), and cutaway purely for looks (i don't really play that much up there, i just think it looks cool).
but after it was purchased, jimmy didn't play it that much. jimmy and i were rooming together, so i played it often. and practiced and practiced. and so the affair began...
at some point, the guitar got recruited for some church use. (i was playing bass on the worship team by then) jimmy and i were no longer roommates and it became more convenient for the guitar to stay with me. i continued to play it pretty much everyday. albert, my roommate, had started something up with a laravee, about which i was very skeptical at first, but that turned out to be a great guitar. (low action, great sound).
after some time, i was leading praise at times at the college fellowship, so i actually needed the guitar.
during the entire time the guitar was in my care, i polished it with martin's polish, made sure no human oil nor sweat was left on it. i took CARE of my baby
i knew it wasn't mine. but i knew it like no one else did. i knew its strengths, its weaknesses, the way the low E has a tendancy to slip. i knew just where to strum to get a clear strong sound. i knew each little nick and bump it had. (it has since accumulated many, many such scars)
i remember the first time my heart broke for it: when Pastor R was borrowing it during a praise night, and had been playing vigorously. with a belt on. which had a buckle that was vigorously leaving marks all over the guitar. i really, really struggled then. i had to ask myself, is this guitar your idol? do you care about it more than God? isn't it more important that it serve God than be blemish-free? where is your heart?!!
for a good 15 min, i think, i struggled with this...(while other people were praising God)
i stopped short of naming it. just because one day, i knew i would have to part with it. it would be really hard, if i had named it.
and so, that day has come.
jimmy has some time now (after 5 years since the guitar was bought) and wants his guitar back...
i had prepared myself for this moment long, long ago, when i became aware of how attached i was becoming. still a little hard. well, the affiar is coming to a close. i am no longer a guitar-adulterer.
along with sadness, there is some freedom!
/affair
my lustful eyes have already latched on to what i hope will be my next guitar: the taylor 614ce
(pic removed so that my page would load faster)
isn't it beautiful? i don't know if you can see or fully appreciate the flame back and sides that maple wood gives to this guitar. i've played this model many times before, so i know how it sounds. OOOOO!!!!!!
problem is, it costs somewhere in the $2000-$2500 range. ouch.
i'm going to have to wait until residency, when i make money (however small the salary). first 10% to God, 2nd 10% to parents, 3rd priority goes into this baby.
meanwhile, i need to get a low-cost acoustic-electric for practical purposes. anybody see anything good out there for a low cost? (i'm talking LOW)
i leave you with these pictures...look at the different cuts of maple that will give you that scalloped, wavy action vs the stripes of flame...oh! it's too beautiful...
(pic removed so that my page would load faster)
comments
tim @ 07.49.pm | September 26, 2002
if you're going to make a good $1500+ investment in a guitar, if you want a really good one, you shouldn't go to those big chain stores. They sell decent guitars, but they sell some of them for TOO MUCH. I saw some pretty crappy guitars for $2000+ at guitar center when i was shopping for my guitar.
Lowden's aren't in those chain stores, because they're made by an independent luthier from Ireland. You'll have to look online to find resellers and distributors in the area. But i'm sure NYC would have some.. it's NY!
but MAN, when you find one, you'll know what i mean. it is just incredible, unbeatable craftsmanship, and its sound is just... the fullness it has literally makes taylors and martins sound like toys.
they play very very nicely as well. I got my first taste because the agape guys ordered a couple together to save on shipping costs and whatnot, and i tried it out... hoo man. I am dead serious, i have never played anything like it before or since.
jimmy choi told me all of this, and i didn't believe him. I played one, now i do.
Why settle for Outback steak, when you can go for Ruth's Chris? :-)
email | website
caleb @ 07.06.pm | September 26, 2002
i personally love the taylor. it's got crisp sound (low and high end), great resonance, great action, and great workmanship. i bought the k10 a few years back (spent my life-savings on it by the way), and completely love it.
on occasion, i would just take it out of the case, smell the sweet pungent aroma of the koa wood, and just strum a chord and let it ring. that's it and then put it back.
the taylor's are expensive guitars though. and their prices have increased tremendously in the past 5 years. i just saw their pricing the other day, and it blew me away! no way would i ever be able to afford a taylor anymore, let alone my k10!
email | website
caleb @ 07.06.pm | September 26, 2002
i personally love the taylor. it's got crisp sound (low and high end), great resonance, great action, and great workmanship. i bought the k10 a few years back (spent my life-savings on it by the way), and completely love it.
on occasion, i would just take it out of the case, smell the sweet pungent aroma of the koa wood, and just strum a chord and let it ring. that's it and then put it back.
the taylor's are expensive guitars though. and their prices have increased tremendously in the past 5 years. i just saw their pricing the other day, and it blew me away! no way would i ever be able to afford a taylor anymore, let alone my k10!
email | website
yakov @ 06.26.pm | September 26, 2002
i meant to say that i've actually NEVER played a lowden. or seen one.
email | website
yakov @ 06.20.pm | September 26, 2002
that's off the gross. i know there's going to be precious little left. still, it's gotta be a little better living than now anyway, right? and if i've been living like a bum student for this long, i think i can wait another couple of years. the guitar will be worth it.
tim: i've actually played a lowden. for that matter, i don't think i've ever even SEEN a lowden. i'll keep my eyes out for them, but seriously, are they in common stores like guitar center and mars music?
email | website
tim @ 02.56.pm | September 26, 2002
screw martin or taylor. go for LOWDEN! Those are INCREDIBLE. Once you play and hear one of those, you'll NEVER EVER go back to martin or taylor. Matt Redman has one. I think i recognize its sound on his recent cd.
email | website
toile @ 01.10.pm | September 26, 2002
well i sgree with patrick but also i gotta say, you on't live onthis earth very long, and when you die, you don't take the money with you, so don't be frugal... hey, mayb if you pray real hard then god will throw you the taylor 614ce from heaven ;)
email | website
Patrick @ 11.42.am | September 26, 2002
10% to god plus 10% to parents? is that gross or net? if gross, you're gonna be pretty shocked at how little money is left after taxes. if you assume the various governments taking 30% of your income (a low estimate), that's fully half your money gone before you can even think of buying something. on top of that you have various debts to settle and you have to pay rent and eat. so is a $2000 guitar going to be worth it then?
yakob at 10:54 AM