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Old 12-07-2017, 07:41 PM
Silly Moustache Silly Moustache is offline
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Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: The Isle of Albion
Posts: 22,070
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I am fortunate to have accumulated a modest collection of very fine instruments (although I've never thought of myself as a collector) and I very much consider my self the caretakers of them.

I have instruments that don't get played much because I'm not in a band that requires my modest dobro, mandolin, jazz guitar, Hawaiian etc.

I know I don't "need" my four dreads, and two 12 strings, but I'll play them out in rotation when I have the opportunity (and when I'm well enough).

In the meantime, I keep them clean, ad well maintained.
I am of a generation that grew up without stuff we now take for granted.

I grew up in a country where much of our infrastructure had been destroyed by war and the nation was bankrupt. Income tax was about 50% and purchase tax was up to 100% to pay back war debts (which went on until 2006).
My early playgrounds were bombed out factories and a golf course full of bomb craters.
We couldn't afford luxuries like well made instruments and things like Fenders, Gibsons and Martins weren't even imported due to necessary embargoes on US made goods.
We learned that what meagre property we had needed to be worked hard for and treasured.

I am aware that most of my instruments being late 20th and early 21st century are not yet at their best and won't be until after I'm gone.

They are finely crafted items made of increasingly rare woods, and I don't consider them disposable items any more than well made furniture or works of art.

An aside thought :wouldn't t be great if guitars (etc) had "log books" like cars used to - so you could look back t see who played them and where, when etc.

I have one "older instrument" a '34 Gibson archtop, and it would be great to know who played it. I was told by the dealer in Seattle, that it was owned by a famous New York based songwriter but he wouldn't tell me who ???

It has obviously been played in a band at some pot so he may have lied.
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Silly Moustache,
Just an old Limey acoustic guitarist, Dobrolist, mandolier and singer.
I'm here to try to help and advise and I offer one to one lessons/meetings/mentoring via Zoom!
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