I love my guitar. Maybe love lies within the comfort of familiarity – loyalty – and the big one: giving. What you get in return. Sounds selfish doesn’t it? I mean love should be selfless and I believe it is… but when you love you give and the end product is receiving.
I care for my guitar like a man cares for his children… well I’m being hyperbolic I know… but I’ve grown so used to the feel of the neck in my hands the years of worn down frets that my fingers glide over – the wonderful tone that is projected – the sustain of the notes – it inspires me so.
But all things breakdown – that’s part of the deal we make with time – time passes and if we are lucky we have some moments – but at some point the moments end. My guitar – like myself is starting to show its age. We may still have some years ahead – but some repairs will be needed – new frets in the not so distant future – for my fingers to find their way again. I too will probably need to start taking medication for my genetically disposed high cholesterol body.
I went to see a sought after guitar repair man (Stephen Sauvé) in North Adams Massachusetts. It’s about an hour drive over the scenic Petersburg Mountain Pass. On my way – I was hoping to hear good news about my guitar – hoping that it would be just a matter of a few tweaks and good as new but the news wasn’t as such. But… a short term fix was applied by elevating the bridge of the guitar so the strings wouldn’t buzz. You see winter in the northeast is an arthritic affair for both humans and wood instruments. A fret job will be needed at some point which is major surgery.
On my drive home – I hit a snowstorm at the top of the Petersburg Mountain Pass – it was raining at lower elevations – but maybe that snow was the energy that nudged me and my guitar out of a depression of sorts – if only for a fleeting moment. Later that evening when I took out my guitar and having listened to Tony Rice on my drive home – I was inspired to dig in with some conviction and see if me and my guitar could sing. Here is what came of it aptly titled ‘Over the Pass’ Hope you enjoy. There is a free download at the bottom if you would like to hear a mastered version.