So I'm visiting my friends Pam and Don McMahon who live up in Green Creek, North Carolina. Don brings out his new guitar which I had heard about, a Martin HD40, Tom Petty Signature model. He talks about how he feels more comfortable playing his 40 year old Earthwood guitar. He says that when he plays his old guitar it feels like it's part of him. But when he's playing the new Martin he ends up thinking about what he is playing and sometimes that leads to problems. And when you are a performer like Don (along with his wonderful wife Pamela) you can't have that. I can relate in a way because I remember when I had the Taylor, how I felt like it was too much guitar for me. I felt like I hadn't tapped the potential energy which lay latent in the heart of it. I never did pull out the full sound of the Taylor since I only had it for a year and lost it because of gambling. But that's another story.
Well, the HD40 lived up to it's billing, rang like a bell, only I couldn't handle it very well either. Don's brother-in-law, Dave Holder (easily on of the best guitar players I know) played it like a master and gave it a full work out Saturday night. Sunday morning we were talking about choosing a new guitar and I related my current experience which I am totally enjoying. Don's advise was that I should get the guitar that I really want, regardless of price, that the money will come, but the chance to but the guitar of your dreams only comes around once.And that if you don't go ahead and get it, you'll never be satisfied with your choice.


Hmmm, if I really had unlimited funds, I might buy the Lakewood M32CP (pictured above)which I wrote about in a previous post. It is clearly in a class by itself. The cost, $2500, is more than I want to pay for a guitar. But now, after listening to Don, I might have to reconsider.

You know, I just can't believe it! I was all set for choosing my guitar, had narrowed it down the to the three below, had pretty much made up my mind for the Larrivee L09FM when I noticed a Larrivee LV05 at Galaxy Music. It was heavily discounted because of a cracked head stock which had been repaired. The price was $895 for a $2100 instument. Well I looked at it and couldn't see any crack. When I played the it, I instantly realized it had the same deep, deep bass and distinct treble as the L09...for $700 less! It has a one piece mahogony back and believe me, Larrivee has the most beautiful Central American mahogony in the business. So now here I am with a new choice when low a behold I stopped at the Duluth Guitar Center and see a used D05, with the same georgeous light tan mahogony back but without a cracked headstock, for $1095. So now a whole new picture is emerging. The good thing that either of these will save me $600! Cool, huh!

The time for purchasing a new guitar is rapidly approaching. Right now it's a toss up between a Martin Smartwoods Birch dreadnaught,
the Gibson J-185,






And the the Larrivee L09FM

The Martin goes for about $1200, the other two around $1600. The Larrivee is classified as a "blem" because of a slight curl spot on the on the spurce top. Otherwise this is a $2400 guitar with Flame Maple back and sides. It has an infinitely deep bass and clear distinct treble notes. The Gibson, a quilted maple jumbo, lacks the volume and the distinct noting of the L09, but has excellent character and responds vigerously when pressed. New strings would make this guitar boom. The Martin is of course the most mellow of the three, with very warm tones throughout. I think it will come down to the Larrivee and the Gibson and right now I'm leaning toward the former rather than the latter. The Larrivee is clearly an upper case instrument. Oh well, I'll have to put my money where my mouth is in just a coupla' weeks!