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Another statistics quote.  I heard it from my old boss, who held a doctorate in Statistics.  "A statistician is a person who will tell you that if you've got your head in an oven and your feet on a block of ice that you'll be fine." 

Some from my Pap-pap (that's hillbilly for paternal grandfather):
If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer.  (That one's in my signature block.  It may help to understand his meaning if you know that he was a stone mason.)

If it won't go, don't force it.

It's on your plate, eat it.  (This was not applied to dinner, but in overcoming adversity or accomplishing unpleasant obligations.) 

Walk it off.  (This one was literal, he walked anywhere that was less than five miles away.  He didn't think there were many problems in life that couldn't be solved with a good walk - and he was a man who knew problems and hardship.) 

Some from my gram (maternal grandmother):
There you have it.  (usually said just after an obvious conclusion to events.  Or rather obvious to everyone but the knucklehead who decided to do whatever stupid thing had the predictable poor result.)

Don't enumerate upon your juvenile poultry until the proper process has fully matriculated.

From a cartoon my Mom sent me when I earned an Economics degree:
"If you took all the economists in the world and laid them end to end, you still wouldn't reach a conclusion." 

- Zurf

EXACTLY!!!  My first Yamaha is the fretless bass.  I've been playing bass for quite a while, but just picked up guitar in the last year.  My guitar has been a hand-me-down Yamaha nylon string classical - sounds just like the one you had!  Decent sound for such a beat up looking guitar.  Easy to finger pick, but hard to practice barre chords and strumming. 

This new guitar is a work bonus (pretty sweet!) for a job well done.  Not even my boss, but a big-shot from another team that I helped out for a few months.  Anyway, I'm real pleased with it.  It's a low-end guitar, but it sounds as good as this basement hack/campfire picker needs.  I've got several friends who've had low-end Yamaha folk guitars for decades and they still sound nice.  Once I find some strings more suited to my taste for sound I'll be ecstatic.  Have had lots of good advice regarding strings from Chordians, so now it's just try a few sets and see what I like. 

- Zurf

According to the multiple intelligences theory, it would seem that there is a genetic aspect to musical talent.  However, I think people are gifted by the Maker in accordance with His desires and intentions.  Whether He does it with genetics or at His whim, I am entirely unsure.  However, it is obvious that some people have extreme talent that remains undeveloped, some people have little talent that they work very hard and develop quite well, and some fortunate few are gifted with exceptional talent and then work very hard to develop it. 

- Zurf

Carl Perkins and Elvis had a good thing going.  Toss in Johnny Cash (Luther Perkins, Carl's dad, was Johnny Cash's first guitar player) and Roy Orbison, too.  They all covered each others work and considered it 'sharing' rather than 'stealing' (though Kris Kristofferson wrote a song called "Let's All Get Together and Steal Each Others Songs").  Elvis did a version of Blue Suede Shoes that wasn't bad at all, though no one does Carl Perkins like Carl Perkins. 

- Zurf

Willie Nelson uses a pick on his nylon string guitar.  He's worn a hole right through it.  Martin offered to repair the guitar for him free of charge, but he said he likes the way it sounds and will just keep on keeping on with what he's got. 

I have a nylon string classical guitar as well, upon which I'm playing folk and country tunes mostly.  I am trying to learn fingerpick (though I can't seem to get my thumb to pick a bass line while my fingers work independently on a melody), but I play with a pick sometimes too.  I think of Willie Nelson and his beat up old guitar he loves so well each time I do it.  How he gets the speed he does when he and the band get to jamming on songs like "Bloody Mary Morning" or "Good Hearted Woman In Love With a Good Timing Man" I have yet to understand. 

And one last thing, when I was camping with some friends last month, one of them brought a guitar and was playing.  His fingers got sore and he knew that I had been learning, so he asked me to play a few songs while he took a break.  It was a folk style steel string guitar.  It was FAAAAAAAAAR easier to strum than on my nylon string classical.  When I learned to juggle, I used tennis balls because they're much harder than beanbags, so when I used bean bags things were really simple.  I think learning to strum on a classical is kind of the same thing.  It's harder to learn on, but once you've got it - YOU'VE REALLY GOT IT!

- Zurf

Thanks for your replies.

I think what I'm going to do at this point is fork out a few bucks and buy three or four different sets of strings.  I'll try them each for a week or two and see which I like best to my ear on this guitar. 

What I'm learning is that everyone has different preferences.   That's good, because it means that there's no wrong answer and that I can't really 'screw up' the decision as to which strings to use.  If it suits me, I guess then it's the right decision until I decide to try something else. 

Thanks again.

- Zurf

Funny you mention that.  I'm a fisherman, and I fish from a kayak.  As you might expect, I enjoy the company of other people who fish from kayaks.  It's also a bit safer following the 'buddy system.'  Most of we kayak fishermen modify our kayaks to add items of convenience and comfort.  It's a tinker's paradise, really.  I believe the most humorous modification I've seen is an ashtray affixed to the front deck of one of my buddy's kayaks.  It (the ashtray, not the buddy) was the kind that you drop the butt down inside.  That way the butts would stay in it and not pollute the river when she capsized - which was with monotonous regularity. 

- Zurf

Good choice with Ain't No Sunsine! 

Hate to be a downer Sumelton, but I don't think I've ever heard Wonderwall.  Not saying it's not a good song though. 

Not sure I've ever heard "Sunglasses at Night" in a pub situation.  Interesting choice.  Another sunglasses song that might work well is "My Future's So Bright I've Got to Wear Shades" by Timbuk3. 

Another song that I think people would dig in a bar that seems in line with your choices is that one with "Don't give me no lines and keep your hands to yourself."  I forget the name of the song (unless that was it).  Georgia Satellites did it. 

- Zurf

Now that I think of it, the new guitar I ordered just yesterday is as good as free.  I did my turn in the barrel at work and pushed through some pretty shoddy work to make it not as shoddy any more.  Still not good, but not as bad.  Well, a couple of the big shots at work appreciated it and are buying the guitar for me out of their pocket.  They're doing the right thing and notifying payroll as a work bonus, so I'll have to pay some income taxes on it, but that shouldn't be more than $40.  Then I'll have four guitars in my basement with a fifth coming, and have paid for only one of them (the electric I never play- go figure).   I'll probably be selling the electric to help pay for a better acoustic.  I'm just not made for electric guitar.  Maybe I should change my name to Guitar George like the Dire Straights song. 

A friend of mine is a Scot transplanted to West Virginia.  He agreed to teach me to cast with a flyrod.  We stopped for some drinks on the way to the water and he was pinching his coin so hard as he was turning it over to the clerk that I swear I heard it crying. 

- Zurf

I liked the sound of some of the Takamine's, but the necks are so shallow that I think they're much better suited for people with hands smaller than mine.   For under $500, I'd have to recommend for people to also check out the low-end offerings from Taylor, Martin, and Breedlove as well.  The list prices are well above $500, but I have found all of them in guitar shops for REAL walk-out-the-door prices under $500.  (American dollars used)

For some reason, I've always had a thing against Washburn.  Not sure why, really.  Can't say I've even ever played one.  Growing up, I had a good (and very pretty) friend with the last name Washburn, so you'd think I'd have positive associations with the name. 

- Zurf

Played it.  Great.  How can I print it to put it in my binder? 

- Zurf