Hey Folks - I've been a lurker the past several months, and I figured it was about time I introduced myself. I'm still a relative beginner, having started 18 months ago, but I'm a long time amateur trombone, euphonium, and baritone player. I started playing guitar when my kid started taking lessons, and soon the father was even more into it than the kid! My kid is playing a 1970s era Penco nylon string guitar that was given to him by my aunt, who is still a choir director in her late 70s. It did not take me long to figure out that I wanted a steel string guitar, and I got what seems to be a very well made beginner instrument for very little money, the Yamaha FG800. About 6 months after my kid started lessons, his teacher insisted that we get his old Penco restrung, since I'm sure it hadn't been touched since it was purchased ~45 years ago. I took the guitar and my kid to my favorite music store since I was a kid, Chuck Levin's Washington Music Center. And it was that day that my love for Taylors began. Not only did these guitars exhibit better tone across the board, but the playability was on a completely different level. My FG800 has a decent tone, but I found it isn't forgiving if you don't form many chords perfectly. In less than 2 months I was a proud new owner of a demo'ed plain 310 and in the coming months I really acquired GAS and picked up a 414ce-R last month. They are both really great and between the two of them I think I can find the perfect sound for almost anything that I can imagine. Although I admit I still have the case of the GAS, the only thing that has been calling to me recently are those mahogany topped Taylors....they look gorgeous, and sound amazing. But I've promised the wife I will wait at least another year before diving into that. I'm looking forward to learning more from this great site!
