Is it any good?
This is my main axe. It was the second hand-built guitar that I bought. Looking back, I always missed something when I only had a classical guitar and no steel string instrument. Steel strings are much better for most modern music, and in some strange way they are more "manly", which I like. And no, not for *that* reason.
For me, this 6 string jumbo guitar really is the ultimate guitar. It is a beautiful instrument, it is way cool because it demands respect in size, looks and sound.
So how does it sound?
It is capable of an awful lot of noise but at the same time can be very gentle and quiet. I decided to tune it 1 full step below standard tuning, from low to high: DGCFAD. This makes it sound even more powerful, with an almost animal-like "growl" in the bass.
Can I touch it?
No, you can't. I have made this one exclusively mine. Nobody touches it but me. Really. This may sound obsessive but I just don't care. I play it almost every day, for at least an hour, and it never fails to surprise me... An instrument like this really is a friend for life, and I love the guitar with all my heart.
But I do see some scratches on it
Over the years the guitar got some very minor scratches along the edges, but apart from that it is in absolute mint condition, and these small scars give it some extra character.
Do you love the instrument?
There are times when I think this monster can do *anything*. From agressive strumming to gentle fingerpicking, the guitar is never afraid to plunge in, and it always gives it's best. It does eat strings for breakfast though: I have to restring it every month.
Steve Howe once said in an interview that his Gibson ES175D is the guitar that he always comes back to, the guitar that allows him to be himself. That is exactly the way I feel about this instrument.
