joeware - never stop exploring...

I just did something I don’t normally do.

I decided to spend money for something that I have no real need for and actually did it.

Another guitar.

I have had a 1978 Fender Accoustic guitar now for some 15 or so years. I actually got it in trade for a couch during one of my spring terms when I was at Michigan State University forever ago. The couch I found on a curb during fall term and was going to have to either put back out on the curb or figure out a way to store somewhere. I didn’t much like the couch anyway so the chances were it would make it to the curb after falling out of a 4th story window. So when I had a chance to trade the couch for a very transportable guitar, you can guess how thrilled I was about the prospect.

Anyway, I am not that great of a guitar player but I like music. I was a band geek (but not a marching band geek) when I was in middle school and played cornet (it is a short better sounding trumpet - much more mellow). I was half blind then because I refused to wear my geeky glasses so I learned to play by ear versus reading the sheet music. I was usually 2nd chair until we had new songs to learn and then I would drop to like 13th or 14th chair until I had picked up the new song by listening to everyone else play it. Anyway, I stopped playing horn because it makes my lips sore and it is hard to pick up chicks when your lips are bright red and numb. Plus guitars are far cooler.

So anyway, I am not good, I can sort of pick away and just have fun making up my own general sounds. Well one of the things that happened when I was still at MSU was the roomate of the guy I traded for the Fender ended up picking up an Ovation acoustic electric. Once when he wasn’t in the room I picked it up and tried it and fell in love with it as it was much easier to fret the chords and generally play. The sound wasn’t as mellow as the Fender full body but it was easier to play overall and still had a good sound. Well I promised myself I would get one the next time I had spare money.

Of course as a college student, you don’t have spare money. You have money you owe to the school and you have money you owe to the bookstore and you have money you use to go to parties with. My main expenditures for things outside of those categories for all the time I was in school back then were a pair of the original roller blades in like 1987 but that was for transportation and a Pioneer stereo because I like music.

So scene fades to present day from my long hair hippie days at MSU (yes hair was half way down my back or so believe it or not compared to my #1 on the sides and #6 on the top cut now) and a friend of mine who is like my sister but isn’t shows up at my place with a guitar her police officer husband picked up at a police auction. A nice garrison acoustic electric. At that point I realized several things. First was that the guitar was almost as large as my friend Dawn and it was a toss up who would carry who around. Second I hadn’t played my guitar in over a year as I put it away when I started focusing on my new job. So I dug out my guitar, ordered some new strings (Martin Phosphor Bronze Light if you care) and started playing again. As I played I started thinking back to my friend Bob whom I got the guitar from and that led to thoughts of his roommate Surfer Dude (quite the character) which led me to recall my promise to myself to buy an Ovation guitar when I had some spare money. Well heck, I sort of have spare money now so I went ahead and fulfulled my 15 or so year old promise to myself and ordered an Ovation acoustic-electric guitar from MusiciansFriend.com. It is a black CC057 Celebrity.

Oh I ordered some picks too.