It’s the constant stream of little examples of Law of Attraction that amazes me even more than the big things. I could write off one or two big things a year as coincidence or the result of good planning. But when you’re "in the zone" and things are just popping on an almost daily basis, that’s when it gets really exciting for me. I haven’t really had a place to journal all these experiences (they’re not a fit for any of my other blogs), so I’m going to start telling some of these stories here, both as a reminder to me (when I need it) of the power of Law of Attraction and in the hope that sharing some of these stories may inspire others to find those little miracles in their own life, or perhaps to share those that you’re already experiencing.
I’ve been thinking about getting another guitar for a long time — several years, in fact. I wanted a 6-string acoustic. I love playing my electric, which is perfect – exactly what I want, and I love my 12-string – also perfect, but frankly, a pain in the *** to play on a regular basis (exhausting and it shreds my fingertips).
So I’ve included a guitar on my vision board and in my daily visualization for weeks. I had decided that I was going to get one for my birthday this year. I told my family about it months ago.
I didn’t have a specific guitar in mind, but I did have a few attributes in mind:
1. Easy action
2. Great intonation
3. Low fret noise
4. Plays like a Martin or Taylor without costing what they do (typically $1,000+)
5. Looks great and distinctive
6. Has built-in electronics (for recording / amplification)
My birthday arrived, and frankly, with the economy like it is, holidays coming up, etc., I began having doubts about spending money on the guitar. Sure, I had it, but I’ve also got a lot of other obligations and the future is uncertain.
And then my mother sent me a bunch of cash as a birthday present and said, "Spend it on yourself. Get what you want." Not her typical birthday present to me, but great. It was more than enough to get a very nice guitar.
So I went to Guitar Center that day, ready to buy a guitar. I went through all of them (I thought) and had found a couple I would be "satisfied" with. I was ready to decide on one of them, but I kept having this nagging feeling that neither was just exactly right and that I should wait. I kept thinking, "I really wish I could find a 6-string that plays and sounds as good as my 12-string."
Boy, that’s a difficult moment. How do you tell if that’s really your intuition speaking to you, or the self-doubt??
So I meditated.
When I opened my eyes, I realized that I actually hadn’t looked at ALL the guitars they had. There was a small back room that was full of very expensive guitars – high-end Martins, Taylors, etc. All $1,500+. While I had no intention of spending that much money, I decided to just go look through the room and see if I might have missed something.
And when I walked in the room, there on a stand, where I could not have seen it from the other room, was a beautiful cherry sunburst Alvarez FD60:
I picked it up and played it, and… WOW! It played perfectly. Exactly to my taste. Intonation was great. No fret buzz. Just…perfect.
Now… get this:
1. It’s the same brand as my 12-string, which I love so much (notice the thought above in italics).
2. It was used, so it was more than $100 cheaper than you can ordinarily buy one.
So, I bought it!
Now… get THIS:
When I got home and got online to tell my friends about it on Twitter, I was looking for a picture of it. In the process, I just thought I’d see what the reviews on it were like.
At Musician’s Friend, there are over 50 reviews of it, and it has 4.5 stars (out of 5) in every category: features, quality and value. Most interesting of all were the wording of some of the comments:
"This guitar plays better than many Taylors and Martins I’ve played."
"Currently, I own two Koa Taylors worth 10k and needed a guitar that I could without any worry, take to outer islands & mainland gigs….All in all, I am pleased with my purchase and see that this guitar will take me well into the future for a price that won’t break my checkbook!"
"My wife has an almost matching Alvarez AD60SC (they are both black) that plays as nice as mine. We shop around, but have not found anything to match our Alvarez pair, not Taylor nor Martin."
"I have several Taylor guitars … I wish I would have tried the Alvarez before I invested so much money in the Taylors."
Turns out it’s the highest rated guitar in its price range. Talk about feeling even more great about my purchase!
So that’s my little LOA story for today. What’s yours?