About

Ah, I'd love to wear a rainbow every day,
And tell the world that everything's OK,
But I'll try to carry off a little darkness on my back,
'Till things are brighter, I'm the Man In Black.

-Johnny Cash.

When I was growing up in my small suburban New Jersey town outside of New York City, the guitar was an instrument that all the uncool kids in Junior high had played. These kids were the so-called "burnouts" that wore denim and leather jackets with long hair that went past their shoulders. They were equivalent to the tall girl with braces that no one wanted to date or take to the prom; but, years later grew up to be a Cindy Crawford like Super-model. I look back at my history and the guitar and say what could have been? (sigh). I still have my first real guitar -non plastic- Yamaha FG-335 bought by my mom at Sam Ash.

It’s a dreadnought size guitar, and being an undersized kid, it seemed like I was playing a Mexican Mariachi guitar. But, I stuck with it; this was pre-internet times, and lugging it to some music school that felt more like a funeral home to learn notes from the “Mel Bay” music book was pretty dull. The last straw in my solo guitar venture was the mocking that I would have to endure for being late to midget league football practice on the account of being at guitar lessons. I look back and think that if I only would have hung with the "Uncool Kids," I might have been the next Eddie Van Halen or Eddie Vedder for that matter!! I started my post off with a quote from Johnny Cash for the reason that is why I initially picked up the guitar. My father played an early Hoboken made Guild D-35, and every Sunday, the country music station blaring Johnny Cash's voice and my father strumming along left a lasting impression. I blame the "Man in Black" and my father, of course, for my geeking out over guitars.

Disclaimer: I picked up the guitar again later in high school and tried to perform the song "Yesterday" by the Beatles with one of my good friends singing along at the school's annual talent show. Lucky for me, the piano teacher saved the day by playing extra loud to help "drown me out." That didn't stop my best friend from yelling from the back of the auditorium: "you suck" but, that's life in small-town New Jersey; you roll with it.

I continued to play on and off in college, but when I ended up in Hoboken post-college I picked up the Yamaha once again and headed downtown for lessons at the "Guitar Bar" And there you have it my guitar teacher the "uncool kid" leather jacket long hair past his shoulders smelling like a dirty ashtray. But, he Rocked-out on guitar. I finally had my chance of redeeming my guitar aspirations. I stuck with it, plucked down a few bucks on an early Taylor 510 dreadnought .

I never looked back from there. I continue to play every day and find that I'm never lonely as long as I have a guitar close by my side. I'm far from anything that would be a musical talent. But, that's the great thing about the guitar if you stick with it sooner or later you'll get a few songs that might sound close enough — exercising a personal expression of what is on the inside wanting to come out in a right way. I created this site for anyone interested in guitars and some history of those guitars and artists that have put them to good use. I'm fortunate enough to be located in New York City and be able to share with others that might not have the time or money to travel to see the exhibit at the Met. I hope that you enjoy them as much as I do. Rock- On !!

“Things like guitars and ukuleles, you should never part with it,” he said, “because there will probably be good, healthy times spent, just playing and writing.”

-Eddie Vedder.