Did that heading grab your attention???

Very Cosmopolitan-magazine-cover, isn’t it?

There are musical instrument stores in Austin.  Yes, I know, that’s unbelievable, but there are.  And I have been to several of them.

At first I looked at mandolins, because I wanted to learn fiddle chords.  The violin and the mandolin are tuned the same way, so it’s fairly easy to interchange them.  But there was something about the sound that didn’t work for me.  I love to hear other people–especially my talented friends!–play their beautiful instruments, but my ears couldn’t adjust to the double-string chording.

I then looked at small guitars, thinking it might be fun to play and sing along the way I did in junior high and high school, uh,  47 years ago.

Let me repeat that:  47 years ago.  How did that happen???

Never mind.  I went to Artz Rib House last night to hear the Texas Fiddlers weekly jam and the guys with the fiddle and the  rhythm guitar were lots older than me.  And they were still playin’ and havin’ a good time.  I felt positively youthful.

Okay, back to my new love, which is not a small acoustic guitar (mainly because they cost a small fortune).  I think I’ve found him.  Or her.  It depends on the color.  Some are definitely more masculine-looking than others.  There is one on ebay that has roses on the fretboard. Be still my heart.  There are old ones and new ones (the old ones sound better), they come in different shapes and different colors.

They are not popular anymore.  Fancier equipment has taken their place.  But they sound great.  They hang out on Craigslist and Ebay and on the floor of music store showrooms.

Can you guess?