[Big.Al]

This last weekend, my wife and I did a little fall color drive through a couple of the state forests, starting not too far from where we live. Late in the day, we came across a small church in our denomination and decided to stop in for their Saturday evening gathering. There was just a single musician there, playing a McIlroy guitar. It looked like a small-ish jumbo, probably in walnut. The tunes were mostly ones we do at home. He interpreted them a little differently than we do (which I liked and appreciated) but his guitar playing style was reasonably similar to mine.

His guitar sounded great, with a warm but clear and balanced tone. Its shape and tone reminded me of an old Larrivee L that I wish I never sold. Having a high-end hand-built guitar made him seem like a more serious player . . . at least to me . . . but I may have been the only one in the church who had any idea what kind of guitar he was playing. Last night I went off to my own choir rehearsal with my 35 year-old Yairi. It plays easy and it sounds absolutely fantastic to me, but playing a pretty beat-up (some might kindly say "vintage") instrument now has me feeling sort of second class. I’m sure it will pass, but why do pickers like me get that stupid guitar envy?