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Excellent!  Thanks.  Does he or anyboby else have videos on flat picking?  Dumb question, what's the difference.

Yup, born in 1964.  To be honest, I don't know how to begin learning finger picking so I'm looking for advice in that area too.  I have a feeling that to take the "next step" I'm going to have to parctice some things that are less "fun" than playing songs and I'm willing to do that especially now that I can always play a few sad country songs for fun.  I'm just curious what conventional wisdom, and more importantly experience has taught some of our compadres here.

Wish You Were Here-Pink Floyd

These are easy chords with nicely spaced chord changes (which I found to be VERY VERY importaant when first starting.  For example, a lot of the Eagles songs are easy chords but are pretty quick changes.) Plus W.Y.W.H.  has that cool riff in the begining.  Don't worry about being exact on the riff, just play it a couple of times and then start with the intro chords.  Nothing feels better than the first time you play a song and it actually sounds like what you meant for it to sound like! 

Good luck!  Don't forget "a journey of a thousand miles, begins with a single step"

I suggest that you post this a new thread.  Otherwise it will be buried in this thread.

My friend, I was, and am in way judging you!  I am in awe of your fabulous collection.  I think much of my intent was lost in the process of typing my thoughts and in language issues.  I am a person who seeks knowledge and likes to learn and likes to make educated decisions.  As such, I seek out information beyond reading reviews.  I like even more to speak to the "experts".  But the experts I like to talk to are average people who own the instruments and not salesmen in a store.  So my comment regarding being independently wealthy was made in a joking manner.  You see I frequent a Martin Guitar Forum where there are more than a few guys with 12 Martins.  A joking comment such as "Unless you are fabulously wealthy or secretely a rock/country musician" is usually met with a response such as "oh not wealthy, in fact my wife is going to kill me if I buy another guitar, but I fell in love with Martin's years ago and have been collecting them ever since" or on the off chance that a person might be wealthy you may get "well, a boy must have his toys, and most of my toys have appreciated in value".  Perhaps, as I said, this American sense of kidding gets lost in translation when words are often taken at their literal meaning.

My quest to buy a good guitar can be summed up in one word, “Why".  Why does a person choose a Martin?  Why does a person choose a Gibson?  Why does a person choose a Taylor?  If I’m going to spend a lot of my money on a high end guitar, what should I be looking for?  I was asking for advice.  Is it craftsmanship, is it looks, feel, action?  Is it the booming low end?  Is it a balanced and bright sound?  As I said, I’m relatively new to guitar, is one guitar better for a beginner?  I like country music and ballads.  Does one guitar suit that style of music better?  I will not be performing and will only be playing for myself in my house.  Is one style better for that? 

Please go back and re-read my post.  Imagine that I’m a newspaper reporter and that I’m interviewing you.  I’m doing a story on WHY people buy high end guitars.  If you do that, I think you will see that I wanted your advice.  Please pay attention to how many times that I ask “what do I get?"  That is a person asking for advice, not making judgments.

New Guitar Search Update:

Yesterday was the day.  I traveled about an hour to some guitar stores and had the opportunity to test a bunch of guitars.  Let me start by saying that my hour drive took an hour and half as I drove through lake effect snow and at times near white out conditions!  But, I have an SUV and, you’ve gotta have priorities!

I of course will qualify my opinions with the fact that I know I’m a new guitar player but I do have 2 functioning ears, have loved music my entire life and now in hindsight, realize that I had a clear mental impression of what I want MY guitar to sound like. 

I got to the first shop (the one where I purchased my Alvarez and Fat Strat) and sat down with the salesman we talked for a while as he told me how much he thought I would like a Martin DC16RGTE Aura.  I finally asked “well do you have one I can try?† and he said……No.  Talk about lunch bag let down!  So I ended up trying a bunch of other Martins.  I started with the HD35, then the HD28, and then a D18.  I probably should have gone in reverse order because I started at the top and worked my way down.  The HD35 is clearly out of my price range but it had a booming low end but still had some punch at the higher end.  The D18 also had the distinctive Martin low end but the booming lows seemed to overwhelm the high end.  All I could hear was that booming bass.  The HD 28 seemed somewhere in the middle to me.  I will say that all of the guitars had old strings and I finally pulled my digital tuner out and put the D18 in tune.  It was at least one note low on every string!  Is that something that they would have done on purpose to accentuate Martin’s reputation for strong booming low end?  I mean if a dumb-ass like me can notice how out of tune it is, how could accomplished players not notice?  I’ve got to tell you, that I went in prejudiced toward the Martins, but that booming bass just isn’t what I had in my mind.  I tried some various Gibsons.  The bottom line on the Gibsons, is that to me while they were a little more balanced, the majority of them had no “life† or no richness to the tone.  The only one I liked was the Song Writer Deluxe.  It was a beautiful guitar and the most lively of the bunch but certainly did not blow me away.  Finally, I tried the YariDY84C.  That guitar looks a lot like mine, sounds a little richer or fuller at both ends and costs about $1,000 more!  There was no way there was more than a $200 difference to my ear.

I left feeling a little depressed.  They are going to get me a DC16RGTE to try, but I just had a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach.  I’m thinking of spending A LOT of money and just was,…… hmm what’s the word, …..“under -whelmed†.  I really thought I would leave that store having made a decision but, I pointed my car DEEPER into the lake effect snows and headed to the shop that sells Taylors.  We went into their temperature and humidity controlled room and the owner and I talked for a few minutes and he got me a 310 and a GA3 (I think).  Well the first strum just blew me away!  It was like a 6 string explosion!  What I mean by that, is that I heard all 6 strings explode with sound.  It was like a person strumming a harp.  Every note was in perfect pitch and tone with the prior and subsequent.  This is the sound I had imagined in my mind!!  To directly compare, the Martin had a much more booming low end but when I played chords the low end was all I heard.  It’s possible that a far more experienced player can take one of those guitars and use the low end to accentuate without overwhelming the high end, but my playing ability is not there.  The Gibson, well that was more balanced in its sound but it was like comparing a firecracker to an M-80.  It’s like a pop vs. a BOOM. The GA3 had a more mellow tone, but the 310 really boomed at the low end and rang out at the higher end.  I was in love with the Taylor sound, I knew that instantly.  Now, the matter of aesthetics; I know it shouldn’t matter but I know myself enough to know that it does.  If we acknowledge that part of the sensory appreciation of an instrument is sound and feel, I have to admit that the visual component is also a factor me.  I just can’t get past those satin sides and back.  To me it looks like the luthier got tired and stained the back and sides but forgot to apply the varnish.  So I began looking at the guitars on the wall and after talking to the shop owner, he brought me a special deal.  There is an 810 that somebody put 2 nicks on the back.  Bottom line is that he is taking over $600 off of the Musician’s Friend price.  The 810 was just more of the 310 sound that I loved.  If the GA3 was skim-milk, the 310 was whole milk, and the 810 is heavy cream.  Rich and smooth!

I think I’m going to call the shop owner and make an offer on the 810.  It’s more than I want to spend but if I don’t buy it, I’m afraid that I will regret it the rest of my life.  If I buy a second high end guitar, I may very well go for that distinctive Martin sound, but if I’m going to have one, the Taylor is for me!

Now I just have to sell a 2 month old Alvarez and a 3 month old Fat Strat.

I've "decided" (many of my decisions are temporary, lol) that I just can't justify a $2,400 guitar now.  Dads of 3 teens sometimes need to comprimise and for a new player that should be PLENTY of guitar.  Who knows, get the kids through school and maybe buy a second acoustic to add to the one I'm about to get.  So now my quest is the "BEST" guitar for less than $1,500-ish.  I know that there are some Martins, Takamines, Yaris, and Taylors in that range but it eliminates Gibsons.  I have my eye on a Taylor 310ce.  I'm making a trip to Lousville in 2 weeks and there are a few biggger music stores there so I hope to get to sample a few of each mfg.  One thing I know, I do like a little brighter sound, so that may lead towards or away from one mfg or another.  Of course my Alvarez was a surprise to me when I bought it so I'm not necessarily eliminating any mfg. but I would aleast like to have heard of it, KWIM?

BTW-the $1,500 max doesn't mean that I will go that high, it just means that I will eliminate anything more than that from the running.

OMG.  I can't believe I'm actually thinking his but ... here goes. I really like my Alvarez and if I upgrade to an Alvarez-Yari hand made I can get one that looks almost exactly like my current one and wifey would be none the wiser.  Mind you, I have the money squirrelled away (birthday, CHristmas gifts etc) but after 22 years of marriage to the greatest girl in the world, sometimes you know which battles to fight.  Of course maybe I'll try the Yari and not notice any difference.  The shop I go to carries on the high end Yari, Gibson and Martin.  I will need to travel to find some Takamines or Taylors to try.

Thank you.  I'm glad you pointed out that you might go form one guitar to another just because it sounds different.  When the salesman played the Martin "woody" is exactly how I would describe it and the Gibson sounded a little brighter to me (more like my Alvarez) so I started thinking "well a Martin is the way to go, listen to that tone" but as you point out it was DIFFERENT but that doesn't make it better.  I do trust the salesmen BUT I will decide which guitar I like based on how it feels and plays.  In fact, when I walked in the store, I had done a lot of research and was ready to buy a Yamaha at about $500.  The slaesman let me try it and I asked him to show me anything else that I may want to consider.  That's when he gave me Alvarez.  At that point I could only do a few chords and could barely change BUT I knew immediately that I like the Alvarez over the Yamaha.  It sounds as if you are saying that there are some GREAT guitars in the mid price range and beyond that the difference may be cosmetics and brand name recogniton?  That is also something that interested me in the Taylors, Martins and Takamines.  They have some beautiful guitars in the mide price point.  I noticed you didn't mention Gibsons.  Is that because they only start at the upper price point?  I've noticed that the vast majority of country musicians are playing Gibsons.  That's why I'm wondering "are they playing them because they are the best" or is Gibson sponsoring them so players like me will buy them just becasue of their stable of artists?  One time I owned a hunting rifle that was so beautiful that I was afraid to use it.  In fact the only time I used I scratched it taking it out of my truck!  I almost barfed!  I used it once and got rid of it!  I swore I would NEVER own a gun again that I was afraid to use.  I guess the same holds true with a guitar.  Most likely the only place my guitar will ever go is my bed room, living room, my front porch, and maybe to church.  Momma may kill me if I buy a new guitar but definitely will kill me if I say I want 2 because I'm afraid to play my new one, so I guess I need to keep that in mind also.