A New Era?

I've been talking about selling my guitar for quite a while. I have a couple of friends who swear up and down they'll punch me in the face if I sell it. (hi Bill. hi Brooks.) I'm conflicted about putting it out there, but now it is...out on the internet for the world to see. Someone could possibly contact me and want to purchase the guitar. Then, I'd have to face the fact that it could go. See, I'm incredibly sentimental. I think of all the shows I've done with that guitar. The from the unplugged weddings to smokey boozy nights at the Red Bear. I think of all the songs I've written with that guitar. Standing Here Together. What I Do Now. Lullaby. Most of Dragonfly was recorded using that guitar. Of course, there are the practical reasons not to get rid of it as well. It sounds amazing. It plays easy. It's sparingly beautiful and understated. But I've had a feeling in my gut for a while. Guitars seem to have come and gone with different eras in my life. When I first started out playing, I was playing an Ibanez electric guitar copied from a Fender Stratocaster. I still have it. The first era for me was when I started playing acoustic guitar. I had a Sigma. A decent Martin dreadnaught copy. When I got to the point when I starting playing in front of people, it was a new era. I sold that guitar to my friend Leif when we were in high school, and he still has it. I moved onto one of those round back Ovations with an on-board pickup system when I started playing out. Say what you will about them being ugly or sounding crappy, I would love to get that Ovation back. It had a great fast action neck and was a fun guitar to play. The next era came when I was headed off to college. I bought a new guitar for this new era. A Charvel. It was fancy. It had a cut away neck. It had mother of pearl fancy inlays. I sold it to my friend and music partner Bill Lempe when we started Flatlands. I wanted a Taylor guitar and sold a Michael Jordan rookie card to pay for my Taylor 422. This was my main guitar from 1995 till I got the Lowden in 2003. I still have the Taylor and it sounds better than ever. I actually do most of my songwriting and playing around the house on my Taylor. When I began to think about making a solo record and doing more solo shows, I picked up the Lowden. It signaled a new era for me. I've spent the past 5 years playing primarily as a solo act. For the past year or so, I could sense a change but couldn't put my finger on it. I'm not sure what the new era is musically for me, but I think it may be time for a new guitar. I'd love to keep the Lowden in the stable, but the net number of guitars in my house is not allowed to increase. So, there is the brief history of my guitar eras. I've got a few ideas for what the new one will be, but part of the joy is finding the right one. Of course, it'll be sad when the Lowden goes. I hope it goes to someone who will play it often.

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