It was whilst I was living in Oxfordshire that I met my lifelong friend and walking buddy, the irrepressible Eddy Frost (sadly now resident in the U.S.A).

Whilst I had been fixing guitars for people for a little while, I had never actually owned one of them for myself. Eddy sorted that out when he gave me his old Jedson a much loved 1960's copy of a Les Paul. From little acorns, as they say…

Pretty soon I had bought myself another guitar and then an acoustic and had been given another one by another work colleague (Steve Beats) and I had the makings of my current and wallet-threatening condition: Guitar Acquisition Syndrome (GAS). This non-terminal condition afflicts a large number of guitarists causing them to buy ever increasing numbers of guitars until stopped by divorce or penury.

Since owning a couple of Fender Stratocasters I've taken my guitar playing more seriously and am in denial that I may have left it too late in life to get any good.