Not up on guitar manuf. but he told me (maybe a boutique custom type thing) a guy named (something Deal) who only produces 3 a year, the back has a bowed out section but it is carved using one piece of (?) curly maple, 25 coats of (varnish/lacquer?), animal glue, floating pickup.etc. I know it was a custom commission, has an inlay of the owner’s name in the neck and was built as a Blues acoustical. And he paid 10K (it looks that and more) to have it built a long time ago.

Whether the maker is a ‘name’ or not, you known how you can spot old world type craftsmanship when you see it, Highest quality available hand work, this is a beautiful guitar. A piece of art in its own right. I looked at it for a second this morning just to admire. It has the craftsmanship I’ve seen on very old master built violins. It’s lovely.

When I had time to think…. after all the excitement yesterday, and after contemplating the horror of the exterior of the case itself (which is burned) and seeing the house, where the estimator said the temp was minimum 1200 degrees or the nails would not have started popping out of the sheet rock around the house.. I’m still worried about it. It ‘looks’ perfect. But he came this morning to retrieve it to show the estimator the case and guitar, - and we discussed the fact that although it looks unharmed, it had to have sustained a lot of heat. You can smell the smoke ‘in it’ through the cutouts.

So being as this guy has all his priorities straight.  He left his wife to talk to the insurance agent, and ran it up to a shop, to have them start checking it immediately!

Your neighborhood isn't built on the site of an old Indian burial ground is it. As a matter of fact
I don’t know how far they roamed (and built and buried) in my area but ½ mile to the west is a Historical plaque. You guessed it,…….old Indian burial grounds. (School and houses on top now). I used to play in the large expensive neighbor (I’m in the cheap one) to the west, and where the historical plaque is now, - was an overgrown lot, we used to go down to from my grandmothers house to scare ourselves silly. It had 4 to 6 old graves with headstones caved into depressions in the ground. The site of an old tiny church (post Indian era) burial ground, one headstone was legible and was the church organist. The property became too valuable and an architect came in and built two houses on the lot. And the local rag for Lakewood,..(pretty reputable) stated ……YEP they only moved the headstones!!!!!. (don’t know if that was truly possible or legal.)

Since I’m 16th Choctaw, I’ve never worried, they (hopefully) would not mind me in the neighborhood. Most people around here are not even aware there is a Native American history to these neighborhoods.

Gonk I hope you slid down a hill today!. I’m exhausted we’ve been in and out all day. Although now it’s getting truly dangerous. I just walked down to the burnt out neighbors to take them a dinner for tomorrow. They are staying for a couple of nights at his brothers house a block away, till the insurance company finds them a place. I had to slide home on my rearend (across the driveways with big hills) half the way back and ski with my feet the rest. It’s turning into a topping of complete ‘black ice’ syndrome, after dark here.
Gotta e-mail Outlaw my amp arrived this afternoon (neither rain nor sleet)although my husband had to go out and 'get it' the delievery guy could not make it across the ice in the street and yard with its weight...then asked my husband if he should hold on to (my husbands arm) to help him get back into the house! But no interconnects yet which should have arrived before the amp.