[New 12 String Mike]

Speaking of Martin guitars...

Saturday my wife and I stopped by the guitar shop. I wanted to pick up a copy of "The Sounding Board," Martin's newsletter. They are available free at the dealers. Honestly, that was ALL I intended to do.

Yeah, I was feeling some GAS after reading the "Clapton's Guitar" book, but I felt I had the syndrome under control. I was happy with my Alvy 12 and my DXM Martin and although I had read lots about rosewood guitars and pre-war Martins, etc., I was cool.

But since I was there...

I played a couple of guitars anyway.

Now my wife, being the daughter of a string musician knows something of wooden instruments and how they sound. She's a woodwind player herself, and I shared with her much of the Martin guitar lore from the Clapton book as I read it. She's been listening to me play for some time too.

It was then I picked up and began to play a D-28. Now for those of you that don't know, a Martin D- 28 has sorta been the "standard" for 6-string dreds since Martin began making them in 1931. Gord doesn't play one now, but did years ago. In fact, he's holding one on the Don Quixtote cover.

The guitar just sang as I played it, almost playing the notes before my fingers touched the strings. I was in heaven, but my wife...

Maybe some of the old Martin lore, from the book, had rubbed off on her, or she could really hear the difference as I played it. When the salesman checked back with us, SHE ASKED HIM THE PRICE!!!

I hardly said a thing.

The price was a good one, and half an hour later we walked out of the shop with a copy of the newsletter and a new Martin D-28.

I've been married to her for 30 years and yet she can still surprise me!