retail therapy (guitar geekery ahead)

well…

recently bought a Powerbook because I felt I was going to need a good sturdy laptop for work.

today, i picked up another expensive item I’ve had on layaway for a while: a brand new Ibanez Artwood dreadnaught acoustic guitar.

Artwood is the high end of the Ibanez line — top notch woods and construction.

This one has a solid Engelmann spruce top, laminated maple back and sides (stunning quilted blond I might add), gloss finish, gold hardware, bound rosewood fretboard, understated bridge, soundhole, peghead, and fretboard inlay…the works.

Got a bright, balanced and punchy strummed sound, great bass sustain, and still retains nice clarity when fingerpicked. Sucker’s loud too.

This guitar is everything I usually dislike in a guitar: new, dreadnaught, maple, and kinda flashy (although not overly so). In fact, in all my years of playing and collecting, I’ve never owned a 6-string dread before (my twelve is a dread).

Proof, I guess, that you should always be sure to check your assumptions at the door when you are looking for something. I like this instrument, and actually started a song tonight — a good guitar gives you a song right away.

Big ticket items like this are probably not wise right now, but I figure on selling some of my others, and also…why not, while I’ve still got a comfortable cushion to work from? I can’t foresee another luxury purchase soon; gonna get the car a major tuneup and have done with it, but that’s utilitarian.

Call it emancipation with strings.