Well, that didn't go as planned...

I'm guessing about half the country is thinking: 4 more years - yeah!  And the other half is thinking: 4 more years - oh, crap!  And that concludes any political discussion here.

Yesterday was memorable, besides that whole election thing, is was NGD.  No, that has nothing to do with any third party... unless you are a guitar player, you are not likely familiar with the term: New Guitar Day.

-----------------

I am about to burst:

Nothing to do with over-eating.  Last week, I made a deal over the phone with James at Guitar Rodeo for an 814ce.  It spent an extra day in house there, having the action set for my preference.  I've been watching the UPS tracking several times daily since then.  Today is the day.  The guitar was in Houston yesterday (about 400 miles away) late afternoon.  And then this morning: "Out for delivery"... I must say, I truly enjoy reading those words. 

HOWEVER, it appears that time has slowed... I've had breakfast.  Played my GSmini (the 114 is staying in its case, so it doesn't get dinged - it is going north with the same packing that the 814 will be in).  Cleaned up.  Had lunch.  Took out the garbage.  OMG, is it EVER going to get here?

We live on an island.  One way on, same way off.  We are generally the last stop of the day for UPS and FedEx.  It's HOT outside... as in: above 90º.  My poor guitar is sitting in a hot truck!  And you just know that the driver is taking an extended break, enjoying lemonade, while my guitar is being baked to extra crispy!  Oh, the agony of it all!

I have never ordered a guitar by phone or on-line... always played it, and it "spoke to me."  What if this one sounds like Fran Dresher when it speaks?  What if there are char marks on it from being broiled in the hot truck?  What if it picked up bad habits during the weekend it spent in Kansas City?  ARRRRRRRRHHHHHHGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!

Thanks, I feel better now.

I just checked the clock again... it's only 2:30, and I know that brown truck isn't going to show for another 4 or 5 hours.  Did I mention the heat?  What if the package handler said, "Go long" to the next guy at the loading dock while handling my guitar???  I can't even go into the anxiety of brown cases vs black cases!  Tobacco Sun Burst... is that a good choice for a non-smoker??  There's no pick guard on this guitar... yeah, I know, it would mess with the lines of that sun burst.  I ordered one of those thin pick guards... I think it is made from Saran Wrap... what if it doesn't show up today?  What if the Saran Wrap pick guard shows up and it's curled up like a pig's tail from the heat?  OMG - the heat!!  They don't air condition UPS trucks, do they?  I wrote all of this, and it is only 5 seconds since I first started!

I am a grown up.  A boat captain.  Dependable.  Solid.  I keep my cool when things get tough.  Passengers trust my judgement.  I've got this... .

What was that noise?  Was that the UPS truck?  No, just the neighbor coming back from an exercise class.  Seriously?  You need a class to exercise?  I'm waitin' for a guitar here - let's not be blocking the street with your golf cart!

Is that clock broke?  It doesn't seem to be moving.

Thank goodness this will be over soon.  Oh, I made a good buy on a T5 from eBay, the same day the 814 shipped.  It will be here on Thursday.  Today is Tuesday.  I haven't been able to go anywhere today... just in case the UPS driver found his way here early.  I get tomorrow to play the 814 and then it all starts over again on Thursday.

I can't believe I bought a guitar without actually playing it first...

-------------------------------

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.

Joan 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.