This Old Guitar

There are three main reasons that I play guitar.  Two of them are Gordon Lightfoot and The Moody Blues, respectively.  The most important reason is my dad.  As a child, I remember hearing and watching him play his 12-string guitar.  When he and his college friends/bandmates (including my uncle) reunited for a church fundraiser in 1989, I was mesmerized.  In family videos of that show, you can see this little kid in a bowl cut and a "Moos Brothers" sweatshirt (cow-based pun on the Blues Brothers) wandering around in front of the stage, staring up at dad & co.  Guess who.

My dad has been a skilled finger-picker as long as I can remember.  He could really make that 12-string jangle as he played old folk tunes.  When I was 10, I decided that I wanted to start guitar lessons.  On the night of my first guitar lesson, my dad let me try out his guitar before we left.  It was enormous and I could barely get my arms around the body. 

Over the years, I have developed a deep love and appreciation of this instrument, not only for its sonic and aesthetic qualities, but because it carries with it those formative memories.  As I got older and learned enough to keep up with my dad, we would play our two guitars together.  We occasionally traded instruments for a song or two, just to try something different.  Whenever I played his 12-string, I always had a sense of holding something special.  I still get that feeling today.  The instrument embodies, in a sense, the deep musical bond I feel with my father.  I will always love it for that reason.

I have borrowed it several times over the years as I don't have my own 12-string acoustic.  Sometimes I just need that sound.  This latest round of borrowing has lasted a few years now.  My dad bought two new guitars in the past few years - one 6-string and another 12-string - so he said I can hold onto this one for now.  Although this may make it mine in some de facto way, I still very much think of it as "dad's guitar."  I am, at best, its devoted custodian.

For anyone who care about labels and specs, it's a 1968 Gibson Heritage 12-string with a dreadnought body, spruce top (I think?), mahogany neck, and Brazilian rosewood back and sides.  It's a beautiful instrument.  It has aged well, adding warm resonance to that full 12-string sound.  I tend to strum with it or do basic finger-picked arpeggio (I never could master sophisticated finger-picking like my dad has) and it handles both styles very well.

Reading a description is one thing.  Hearing is another.  You can hear this instrument in action here (with Eager Anxiety, my duet act) or here (with just me).