Well... I can breathe again! UPS showed up around 6:30... we had the outside lights on. The driver looked tired; I looked relieved. No scuffs, scratches, or dings on the box...
I held my breath again and carefully opened the box. I was expecting a bunch of padding and packing... nope, formed plastic top and bottom, with the case fitting in there nicely. I pulled the case out (brown, if you're keeping track) and carefully put it down on the floor. Then, the unveiling...
OH MY GOODNESS! The photos on Guitar Rodeo's site are very pretty, but this beautiful instrument has to be seen in person to appreciate the depth and beautiful finish. I ran my hand along the neck... after playing the GSmini most of the day, this felt a bit different. I ran a pick across the strings... it could not have been more out of tune... kinda made the sound of the whanging guitar from Quick Draw McGraw/El Kabong (anyone else here old enough to remember that cartoon?). No, not particularly pretty.
I clamped on the digital tuner... the guitar almost seemed like it was in a sad state of drop D tuning. With "everything in the green", I strummed a few chords... yes, it spoke to me. OK, a bit more than that: it grabbed me by the ears and said, "We were made for each other!" No, not subtle - after this past week, it was relief, joy, and gratitude all wrapped up together.
My wife said, "It looks and sounds beautiful, and you sure look happy. Is it all you hoped for?"
"Absolutely!"
I sat on the couch (I rarely play guitar there) and played all up and down the neck... great action, easy playing. This guitar makes me want to be a better player; it was the same feeling when I was 13 years old and got the ES-335, after having a $25 Sears acoustic guitar when I was 11, followed by a $49 Recco electric guitar when I was 12. This is a beautiful instrument. The beautiful gloss finish looks wet! I will get some better photos over the next few days, but I wanted you folks here to be the second to know. I appreciate the encouragement, advice, and enthusiasm you have freely offered.
A splendid chorus of highs, lows, and mids. She obviously favors a light touch, where the GSmini is fine when I put a little punch in the chords. I took it into the soon-to-be music room and plugged it into the Fishman Loudbox Mini... rich and full, with everything on the guitar and amp set neutral. Nice! It'll get more of a workout with the Bose tomorrow.
I know many of you know what I am experiencing. New guitar euphoria? Maybe. Relief that it didn't come in as a box of expensive kindling? Sure. I can't rate this up there with the birth of our daughter... but, that was a LOT of years ago, and I'm pretty sure this guitar won't get married after college and move half way across the country. I'm digressing again, aren't I?
It was a long day. And a beautiful ending. Thankfully, she doesn't sound like Fran Dresher; more like the sweet harmony of a family band. I see a long relationship blossoming here. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Best wishes,
Jim
