Greetings from Naples

[Matt McGriff]

I first registered for the AGF when it was the TGF back in 2001 after buying my first Taylor, which was a Big Baby.  I've probably owned 30 acoustics in the last 11 years (many Taylors) and enjoyed the expertise from the group there and look forward to continuing to be a part of the Taylor family here. 

As far as playing goes, I primarily play in a church setting, worship band or orchestra.  Other than playing acoustic guitar, I spend a lot of time with my wife and three kids.  I also enjoy attempting to cook on the grill and playing golf.  I work for a large medical device company down here in southwest Florida and travel a great deal for work, which provides me the great opportunity to visit some incredible guitar shops.  My mother-in-law also lives about 15 miles from the Taylor factory so that makes visits a little more bearable .     

[John429]

Hi Matt. Welcome to the forum

My family has vacationed in the Naples area every year for the last 30 years and we almost consider it our second home. Unfortunately, circumstances limit our annual visits to just July/August, so we've never been able to enjoy being there in the winter. We have been renting a guitar from Jon and Sharon at MFG to use at open mics (we don't want to risk bringing our Taylors on the plane with us) and always enjoy seeing the nice guitars they have in their shop.

With all your experience with acoustic guitars (wow - 30!), I am looking forward to you being here at the forum. Glad you're here!

[Cindy]

Hi Matt and welcome to the forum! Looks like you've had an extensive collection of guitars over the years. You mentioned playing in an orchestra setting. Did you play guitar with an orchestra accompaniment or play a different instrument?

[Matt McGriff]

Hi Matt and welcome to the forum! Looks like you've had an extensive collection of guitars over the years. You mentioned playing in an orchestra setting. Did you play guitar with an orchestra accompaniment or play a different instrument?

Too many guitars. Need to make up my mind!  But I have gained a lot of experience with different brands, from Ovation (had quite a few including some Adamas) to Martins, Larrivees, Breedloves, taks, and of course Taylors.
I play guitar in an orchestra setting. Think the key of Eb. Needless to say, my barre chord skills have improved greatly. I also have learned to tune down 1/2 step and play in E and if a song is actually in a guitar friendly key, I capo 1.

[cotten]

Welcome, Matt! (I confess I always have to snicker just a bit when I say that...) You'll like it here, too.

cotten

[Cindy]

I play guitar in an orchestra setting. Think the key of Eb. Needless to say, my barre chord skills have improved greatly. I also have learned to tune down 1/2 step and play in E and if a song is actually in a guitar friendly key, I capo 1.

Wow, this is very impressive! May I ask how you got started playing with an orchestra?

[Matt McGriff]

Our Sunday worship is orchestra so thats the setting I'm playing in now. It is great to be able to learn and grow in a challenging setting. On occasion I'll play on Saturday night, which is more of an acoustic band setting.