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Understood. I learned in my childhood I was different because I preferred using my left hand rather than my right. No one else in my family was left handed. If I wasn't already mixed up enough, when I first picked up a guitar, I had a beginner's How to Play Guitar booklet and everything illustrated was right hand oriented. I followed the instructions perhaps a bit too closely because a zillion years later, this lefty still plays guitar right handed. I can and do play Barre chords with ease and work hard maintaining hand and finger strength by using some Corona by-pass shears to cut limbs into smaller pieces. Our local waste hauler will only take yard wastes in recyclable paper bags, so big limbs get chopped and whittled down into chips which takes a lot of time and makes my left hand sore from chopping up limb pieces for hours. When I had my first computer in the '90's several family members used it so it was obligatory to keep the mouse on the right side of the keybboard. I adapted to that arrangement pretty well and I know now that helped immensely to develop better right hand fine motor control. That practice took me into digital art for a while including a collaboration with NYC photographer Mark Lentz, a/k/a the Roving Rube, in 2002. Honestly, I hate name dropping, but I've known some pretty cool people over the years. Here's a sample of some digital artworks I did during that hot Texas summer: (can't get the link to not change into an image-how do I fix that?) Getting back to the small hands and oversized neck, you overcame that challenge and probably that made you become a better player. Kind of like the famous Greek guy with a speech impediment who practiced speaking with a mouth full of marbles and later, he became one of the best speakers of the ancient world. I'm convinced at this stage of the game, that life is mainly about overcoming obstacles and challenges-we all have our human frailties and shortcomings but we find creative ways to cope and overcome them allowing us to live a meaningful life. Sounds like you took that love of guitar playing, and continued to grow in your artistic pursuits. I'm sure you've had moments when you thought to yourself, if only I could have played that well when I was a kid, music would have been my life-long career. (assuming nothing here, if it's now your paying gig, then more power to you)

The only acoustic guitar I ever played that handled perfectly belonged to David Pleasance. It was built for him by "a little guy in Spain". My 1st acoustic was very like the Yamaha FG150 in your (SheepDog's) pix. Mine was a FG140 I think. I filed down the bridge to make it playable. It was fine then. My next acoustic was a Fylde Oberon which I got direct from the chief luthier Roger Bucknall. A much better guitar yes, but it was still hard to play and I did exactly the same thing to that one. My Spanish (nylon string) guitar is a pig to play. The action cannot be lowered any further due to its design / construction. It was the most awkward one to play in the whole shop. I choose it because it sounds amazing. So good luck on your quest! I will be very interested to see how you fare.

He taught me how to play lead guitar more than any other player. Major, Mixolodian, Dorian, diminished in Elizabeth Reed intro. The hours I spent picking up the stylus and replaying riffs trying to figure them out. I never quite forgave ABB for kicking him out of the band although I understood the reason. RIP Dickie.

One of These Days I'm Going To Cut You Into Little Pieces - Pink Floyd

Hmmm....somethin' about that log cabin story doesn't quite add up, Forty Years, but I'm no mathematician and not even a particularly gifted guitar player, but I put my heart and soul into it. Ya'll folks down thar in Texas are gonna get baked like adobe bricks in a few days- and, a month later, it's Welcome to Texas time and it's gonna get even hotter. By August, it becomes a matter of survival- Texans don't even listen to the weather people anymore or glance at thermometers in August-by then, they've become like climate refugees always seeking a cool shelter from the relentless Texas summer heat. I should know, I spent 31 years with my home in downtown Fort Worth, a few blocks from the County Courthouse and now the old home-place is swarming with new apartments by the hundreds. My son and his family and my daughter with her family are all still down in Texas and I suppose the old song about not gettin' to Heaven but finding Texas is just as good, still inspires a lot of folks around there. I keep preachin' to those who would listen back home that the reason I ended up in eastern Ohio is because I couldn't take the infernal Texas summers any longer-a couple of summers before our move, I came dangerously close to having a heat stroke, during one brutally hot summer. I had gulped down a couple of cups of coffee early that morning and went outside before sunrise to get started on yard work. Fast forward, and it's noon, almost 100 F., and I had stopped sweating because I wanted to quickly finish up and go back inside. When a wave of dizziness set in I dropped everything and went inside straight to an air conditioned bedroom with some ice water and sat two feet away from the air conditioner's blower with it set on Max Cool. I eventually hydrated and recovered but that was a close one. Here's in the eastern Midwest (Pittsburgh is an hour away) summers can still get hot but are more tolerable than further south. Oh, about those dreaded horrible Eastern winters. Really? Pray tell...I've just wrapped up my fourth winter here and as they say in Appalachian Ohio, them winters 'round here ain't been no Hill for a Mountain Man. Now, I need to shut up and see how a darn spiffied up Avatar photo is going to fix things up for you? If you've been pickin' for forty years, surely there's a better than mugshot quality photo of you somewhere with you doin' your pickin', right? Such an Avatar would tell the whole world who you are and what you stand for. Oh, and before I forget... Willie Nelson is doing his legendary July Fourth hootennany celebration (I know, you easily guessed it) this year in CAMDEN NEW JERSEY! Now what part of the country stands for Country & Western music better than Jersey? Y'all down in Texas probably need to do a little thinkin' bout this getting your brains baked and steamed every summer. This Ohio region has got something everyone in the world now wants: abundant fresh water and plenty of rains. Keep on Pickin' Forty Years, Pickn, and best wishes that life will get better for you soon.

Awesome, thanks again for the great info. It genuinely doesn't bother me one way or the other on the CS element. It's novel that the headstock and case are stamped with Gibson Custom Shop, but this could either be a guitar hand-built by Orville himself or one of 200,000 glue-and-screw guitars that rolled off the line in Zheng'an, I'd still love it. Sounds killer, feels great, the neck is bigger than I normally prefer but I've adapted.

Your Les Paul Recording is also the last year/variation of the model. It is standard LP size vs the larger size used since 1972. It has a maple top. They moved two input jacks on the edge eliminiating the control plate cracking issue & the need for a Low-High Impedance switch. The pickup selector switch is in the normal Les Paul location vs on the control plate. Different control plate configuration.

Here’s their Phone number.. Give them a Call.. Phone: (406) 556-2100 This is from 2023.. https://owningagibson.com/visit-the-gibson-factory-in-bozeman-montana/

Really nice…. Thank you for sharing that. Feels like the world up here right now.

One Of These Nights - Eagles

Thanx Sal ^ as you may know a 335 isn't just a 335, so much depends on the pick-ups, which (if not modified) means year. What's the name'n'date, , , ond colour of your electric voice ? Mine is a grown-up-tobacco-58-burst - like it a lot.

"Sunglasses At Night" -- Corey Hart

I know Randy Bachman only through his BTO albums, where he did some great creative work. (Doing now some research on the "Guess Who", thanx for this forum, never heard of them before...)

Sweetly done and meditative EM. I have a Heritage 535, and my son has a blonde Gibson ES 335. I recognize the tone. I love mine with a little compression.

Just beautiful!

Randy Bachman's collection of Guitars was on display here in the city. The 59 was a reissue on display, I can understand why. alot of the Guitars are Rogers, Hoyers, I think a SJ300. A super 400. Many others.

I have several Acoustics as well. I have 2 that are my favorites. One is my 2001 Gibson Bozeman Masterbilt J-160E Solid Top.. One of the best looking & sounding Gibsons I’ve ever played.. The other is my 1975 Martin D-35. It has always sounded & played great.. It has aged beautifully & just keeps sounding better.. Best of both Worlds.. Mahogany & Rosewood… But, I am very interested in trying a new USA California built Guild D-55E..

I would love to be able to walk in to a guitar store/music shop and be able to take a high end acoustic off the rack and play a top of the line model just to see how the cream of the crop feels when I play it. Sadly, I don't even have the knowledge base to be able to look at the rack and determine what that guitar would be. There are so many high end Gibby's and Martins, with so many variations/models designed for different purposes, I wouldn't know where to begin. I have to assume that there are specific lines/models of quality acoustics that lend themselves better to "sitting around the campfire" playing vs. plugging in and playing on stage at The Grand Ole Opry. Just looking for a a place to start.

As a matter of fact I played it at Venice Beach on an 80 degree day and sweat all over it and now the finish is a little cloudy on the upper bout. I play my guitars and I'll play them anywhere.

Wow Duane, she is stunning! That's the kind of guitar that makes the voices in my head scream, "Put that down! That's expensive!". Dollars to donuts, I wager that guitar has never been played at a Hillbilly fire pit, nor should it ever be, lol.

I played a new Epiphone Melody maker at my Local shop last week - probably need a slight setup but the Fret ends where smooth and it played well. The Pickups were OK and it was very light. So for 179.00 not a bad Guitar at all. I have a Gibson Melody maker that I would never sell.....

I thought it was a fair enough question from the OP. there are members here with tons of acoustic guitars that can provide real life experience, and can help with making a decision. ..... I've purchased a few guitars off the experience of others.

Obviously you are correct. I guess I want to know what I should be looking for in an easy playing quality acoustic, so I can have a place to start. I only know from hand cramping, tough to play low end stuff. Maybe I'm asking to much of an acoustic, but I hope not. Here are 2 of my current torture devices.

Chief, As you know, this question is asked with regularity on every guitar site, and almost always results in every respondant suggesting their favorite guitar, regardless whether it fits or not what the poster is looking for, so I don't recommend specific instruments. If that makes me the voice of reason, so be it. RBSinTo

When I started playing clubs at 14, my mom made me wear ear plugs, and I'm glad she did. It just became habit to always wear them. Now with IEM's and electronic drums, nothing is loud.