A Musician's Best Friend
Guitar artisan Thomas Rein
I’ve had a lifelong love of guitars from the first time I saw Ricky Nelson and Roy Rogers on TV. I had never seen a real guitar until I was about twelve years old when one day one appeared in the window of the Western Auto store in my home town of Albany, Missouri. But, alas, I had no money. So, I set out selling Earl May seeds door-to-door, mowing lawns, and picking up hay until I had enough, but by then it was gone. When I was fourteen, I finally got one for ironically fourteen dollars by ordering one from the Sears catalog. The action was so high that I could barely play it, and I just assumed that was the way guitars were made or that there was something wrong with me. I’d never play like Ricky Nelson.
Finally in college I picked up a Lyle guitar in Kansas City for sixty dollars that was a copy of a Gibson Dove. I couldn’t believe that I could actually play! Both my daughter, Marissa, and son, Evan, learned to play guitar on that same guitar, and Evan performs with it. Later, I finally got a nice Martin, and that was more than thirty years ago.
It’s pretty hard, in my opinion, to find a guitar that sounds like my old D-35. But I finally have, and it’s made right here in Missouri by master craftsman Thomas Rein. This is a guitar you will keep for the rest of your life, and each one is handcrafted from the best woods available. You can find them at Fazio’s Frets and Friends at 15440 Manchester Drive in Ellisville. In fact, you’ll also find Thomas there most days, and he can tell you himself how he builds these beauties from the ground up. You’ll have a treasure that will be loved and appreciated for generations to come.
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Greg Wood is publisher and co-owner of the magazine, along with his wife, Danita Allen Wood. Greg travels the state as he spends time with our sponsors, without whom the magazine would not be possible. He is a huge fan of Mark Twain and has an uncanny ability to make humorous pointed observations himself. He will share his travels around the state, insider information from our sponsors, and other commentary on Missouri today.
Reader Comments:
totally cool!
Awesome!
HOW MUCH ARE THEY?