I’ve been wanting to treat myself to something nice for a little while now, but couldn’t think of exactly what. I knew it had to be something special and lasting, not a piece of electronics or a little Apple gizmo, as much as I love them.

Recently, because of my 3 year son Ivan’s keen interest in music, I’ve been playing a lot more guitar. I’ve always said that I don’t really play the guitar, I play with a guitar. But it’s become clear that I’ve simply outgrown my nine year cheap cheap cheap Hohner.

So I started looking around for a suitable, and not terribly expensive upgrade.

I consulted my good friend Bil Repenning, who knows more about guitars than anyone else I know. He also knows what a terrible guitar player I am. His expert advice was invaluable.

So I looked at a few places down in Seattle when we were there on vacation last week, and at a few places back here in Vancouver. And then yesterday I went into my little local music shop, Bone Rattle. I felt so comfortable in there trying out guitars, asking dumb questions, getting advice. They just want to help people find the right guitar.

And that’s where I fell in love with Seagull Guitars. In addition to being a Canadian company that makes all its guitars by hand, they have some incredible reviews out there of their work.

So, I bought the Seagull Guitar S6 Original today. I am very excited. So nice to have a real guitar I can grow with, and the process of buying it – a Canadian product from a local music store a block and a half away from my house – simply added to the excitement and meaning.

And now I’m blogging about it instead of playing it so I won’t wake Ivan from his nap, but we’ll play it together as soon as he wakes up.

PS: Thanks Bil!