When/How did you decide to spend the Big Bucks for that special guitar?

rgrice

I love the feel and sound of the 3.5 mm Wegen. Tried a few others but am pretty satisfied. My problem is not the sound my guitar makes, it's the sound I make my guitar make!

Jazzaferri

Yeah that is such a sobering realization

Steve Elliott

I went to a jam with a friend and mentioned that I was thinking of upgrading my guitar. He gave me some advice, then on the way home, my cell phone rang and it was him again. He just about ordered me to buy his friend's guitar which was being sold in Madison WI. It was a Rodrigo Shopis, D hole, which was what i was looking for (D-hole, not necessarily Shopis). I wanted something with a fuller tone, and more volume than what I was playing. After speaking to the guy, I realized it was what I was looking for, and I bought it sight-unseen. I am very happy with this purchase, the guitar never ceases to amaze me.

rgrice

For many of us folks without access to GJ guitsr shops, sight unseen is about the only way to buy them!

mandocat

By coincidence, the recently sold 2009 Shopis D hole and 2013 mentioned above ended up with 2 lucky SOB's about an hour apart in Northern Cal. My 2009 is on the left and Steve's is on the right. Both great guitars with unique little differences.

Gene Rawe

I recently got an AJL; a spectacular guitar and Ari was great to deal with. Decided to spend the money on an instrument of good quality that I would grow into. Being left handed, I've not had a chance to try many guitars and ended up buying on reputation-extremely pleased! Very dry sound, excellent craftsmanship, finishing, and set up. Highly recommended.

rgrice

Very nice @mandocat (and Steve). I got rid of those type stands when I had several mishaps, one with my 74 Tele Custom and one with my 65 Gretsch Double Anniversary. Both have fallen over; miraculously, neither was damaged. I got Hercules stands and feel much more secure.

mandocat

Good call rgrice. Maybe it's time to upgrade the stands.

rgrice

Don't want anything happening to those beautiful instruments!

Chiefbigeasy

To put a final coda on my part of this discussion, I started it sometime before Thanksgiving for what I think now are a number of reasons. If I was looking for affirmation and encouragement, I sure came to the right place.

Beyond that, though, this is the only place I was going to get this much knowledgeable information and the subsequent benefit of the experience from actual players of these guitars and this music. For that, I'm grateful that this place exists. It's all part of a new world of shared information unbound by geography that I've been fortunate enough to witness in person.

Simply put, the time to put down the big bucks for the guitar that you want is the time you deem you can afford it. All the other personal reasons you have to motivate you will always be there.

I think we all know that a fine instrument is not going to make you a demonstrably better player. It is only the mechanism that allows the expression of the inner work and talent you've brought to the table. I can't imagine any of the great players of today and the past having the funds for fine instruments, at least when they began.

That said, I'm very happy to have this wonderful guitar in my hands. The craftsmanship and work that went into it are immediately apparent. Now, I need to adapt and retool myself to the new elements it presents. For example, this guitar has the fret markers in different places on the neck than my Altamira; that's been throwing me off for weeks. Also, as Jazzaferri has noted in another post, different picks make completely different sounds, not to mention that a D-hole sounds different to the player than does an oval hole guitar. I'll be working this out all over again over the coming months.

Thanks, everyone, for your helpful comments and encouragement.