The Search
I never really learned to play guitar, but I enjoy playing “with” them, and always have one around. My introduction to 12-strings was when Lyle Stogner, a fraternity brother, bought a Yamaha 12-string that he would break out during parties. After being around old school Martin-tone acoustics, I was struck by the rich ringing tone those extra strings added. Lyle’s Yamaha managed to survive college, but sadly, it met an untimely demise in a house fire when he had loaned it to a friend.
Years later, I decided I’d like to have a 12-string and renew my struggle of “learning to play, at least a little bit.” I started hitting music stores on my days off and strummed around on dozens of brands. It seemed like Fenders were everywhere, but they felt like the necks were carved out of a 2×4, and the strings were about 1/4″ off the frets. I messed with all the different (affordable) brands and never found one that seemed to “fit.”
I hadn’t heard much about Taylor guitars. But when I wandered into a music store in Fayetteville, Arkansas, one weekend, the clerk handed me a Taylor 12 string. It wasn’t one of the fanciest models, but it still wasn’t cheap – $1100 (in 1990-era bucks…close to $2000 in 2023 bucks!) I took the plunge and it became a constant companion for the next 20 years. During my Lost Years in Oregon, I spent many an evening strumming a few chords around the little fire pit at the farm.
It Seemed Like a Good Idea…
In April 2020, at the start of the Plague Times, I had started selling things online. COVID was making it tough to source inventory, since practically everything was shut down. I ran across a huge lot of video consoles and games for sale on Craigslist that I figured I could sell on eBay. The fellow had put in the ad that he would trade for music memorabilia or musical instruments and was adamant about not selling it for cash. After leaving Oregon, I had lost my love of music for a time – and the old Taylor sat neglected in its case. I hadn’t played the guitar for months, and it reminded me of what I lost in the PNW, so I decided to get rid of it and start fresh. It was an “okay” deal, money-wise, but I immediately regretted it and would think about the old guitar often.
A Chance Encounter
A week ago (Dec. 2023), I was flipping through the local Craigslist and saw an identical model guitar. The seller said that his father had worked for Taylor and had been gifted the guitar upon completing 25 years of work with the company. His father had hand-selected the wood and walked through the assembly shop as it was carefully assembled, checking on it all during the building process. After his father brought the guitar home, it was played occasionally, always carefully, almost reverently – and placed carefully back into its factory velvet-lined spruce wood case…it was museum-quality. He said he wanted to ensure that someone who truly appreciated that model would be the new caretaker of this extraordinary instrument.
It was almost like the Universe was giving me a second chance – and the fact that it was a well-loved and “special” example made it even more attractive to me.
I made the short trek to look over the guitar and was ushered into the home where this exceptional piece of Taylor history was stored. The closed case was lying on the floor, latches open – and after wiping my hands on a clean handkerchief, I opened the lid and carefully picked it up. The heft was just like I remembered it. It fit perfectly onto my lap. Memories of sitting around the little fire pit at the farm in Oregon, strumming in the starlight, came back to me. It looked and felt just like the one I had owned for 20+ years.
Because it was.
The whole “dear old Dad” story was total BS. – I still had pictures of the original serial number sticker on my computer. I had looked them up so I could see how far apart “my” old guitar and this “museum-quality” piece were in production numbers before I went to look at this one.
It had been several years since I had done the trade (with this same fellow, who I “thought” I recognized…), but the guitar looked pretty darn familiar the instant I laid eyes on it. The case was a little dinged-up, and the guitar’s body had about 5 or 6 tiny little “divot” dents, about the size of a pen tip in a few places, etc. But the instant I shined my phone light into the sound hole and saw my old serial number, it became crystal clear.
An Old Friend Returns
Instead of calling the old codger out, I just sorta laughed inside. He was obviously a rapscallion but was also on the verge of 80 and in very poor health.
In the grand scheme of things, there was no harm in letting him “get one over” on me at all….I wanted a guitar again – the fact that it was the same one I wished I’d never gotten rid of was an unexpected bonus! After some customary haggling, I bought it back at a decent price – probably breaking even from the sale of the video game stuff I got in the initial trade.
I had bought the “dad” story hook, line, and sinker – even to the point of taking a stamped, self-addressed envelope with a couple of pages of stationery. I was going to ask the fellow to write a short history of the guitar to keep with it for future owners because of its “exceptional history.” (I still asked him to do that for me, with the promise that I’d keep it with the guitar for provenance, to preserve its “history” – if I get something from him, I’ll be sure and update the post!)
Overall, it was a lovely day that saw the return of an old friend and added another chapter to the guitar’s story.
Be Well, My friends!
