Jim Phelps' Yamaha FG-360

I received this e-mail from Jim Phelps on April 9, 2011.  Here is his story:

I purchased my Yamaha FG-360 in a pawn shop around 1999. I started playing guitar almost 50 years ago; starting around '63 spurred on by the Beatles revolution and watching them live on Ed Sullivan. I played in a band in HS, College and Grad school but had pretty much stopped playing around 1982 being busy with a family, finishing my 2nd MS degree and creating the Advanced Systems Lab at Sprint. After receiving a company inventor award and a US Patent for an AI expert system; in 1994 I found myself going through the depression and anxiety of being riffed (unemployed !! ... or shall I say I lost at office politics ... I read "How to swim with the sharks and stay alive" and failed miserably to follow the correct politics). Anyway, while shuffling around home looking for my next job and I had gotten back into playing on my old Japanese (DMC) 12 string I had purchased in 1969. I started looking for a "new" guitar to continue my therapy and played about every acoustic guitar in every music shop around K.C. and Lawrence. I played Collins, Martins, Guild's and several other brands....

Then one day while running errands with my son Tommy I happened to be passing by a local pawn shop and stopped to see what guitars they had. There were the usual junk brands but a Yamaha acoustic caught my attention and I asked to play it. Low and behold it had the tonal quality and volume better than some of the Martins I had played...it was simply awesome. I only had $10 in my pocket and immediately placed it as a down payment for the $99.95 price tag! I was learning first-hand why some people call Yamaha guitar's the poor mans Martin.

While playing a few tunes and finger-picking my best rendition of Stairway to Heaven a gentleman came over and asked if he could play it. I said sure and he commented on the great sound and proceeded to finger-pick Hotel California...which isn't so amazing except he was playing it barred at the 7th fret ... no capo!! While listening and being impressed we both realized Stairway to Heaven had started playing on the store radio station. 

So I figured it was fate... I was destined for this guitar. It brought me out of my depression and led me back to performing starting around 2003 I played many years with a Bluegrass band; followed by several years performing with some extremely talented female vocalists and now I do some solo performances. All the time playing with at Mass with a group at St. Agnes masses beginning in 2002 and currently with the Most Pure Heart of Mary parish folk group.

So my Yamaha FG 360 has meant so much to me; learning the magic music has on our souls effecting much more than music

Our thanks to Jim for sharing his story with us.