This is a circa 1991 Gibson Epiphone PR-350S. A friend bought it (20+ years ago) because her husband was going to learn to play, but he never did. It has since gone from living room, to spare bedroom, to closet.
My friend brought it to knitting night last week to show it to me, and I brought it home to check it out. This one is acoustic-only. (My Ibanez is acoustic-electric, which means it can be plugged into an amplifier, although I don't have one.) It's interesting, seeing the differences between this one and the Ibanez. The body of the guitar is thicker, as is the neck. The tone is slightly different as well. I took it to the music store where I take lessons (Northstar Music in Hampstead, NH) and had it cleaned up and restrung. It's in great shape, even after sitting in a case for two decades.
This is actually my third guitar. My first one was a black entry-level Yamaha acoustic, a Craigslist find. I took a couple of lessons with that one before I found my purple Ibanez. That one was then passed on to my daughter, who used to play violin in school. I don't know if she has yet done anything with it.
I have my eye on one more guitar. It's an Ibanez "Exotic Wood" model, in figured ash - one of the prettiest guitars I've ever seen. I can think of good reasons to own two guitars (play with a guest who comes over - like my parents, or friends who can play; have a spare, in case a string breaks during practice) but I have not yet come up with adequate justification for owning three (although I have some ideas). Still, I'm hoping to have this one by my birthday (end of April). The music store is supposed to order one for me once the new models (this year's) are available. I've been lucky with my second-hand guitars so far, because none of the three have had any significant flaws, but I'd really appreciate the knowledgeable guys at the music store making sure a brand-new guitar is all it should be before I pay that much money for one.
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