I was able to get the former Jack Lawrence D2H a ride to Steve Kaufman's Kamp with a Vermonter who was headed down, and who has my thanks. The idea was that Bryan Kimsey ("Camp Doctor") would do some needed fretwork and general tune-up on it during Kamp and send it back the same way, but I told him if he ran out of time to take it home with him and work on it at leisure.

Bryan _said_ he didn't have time at Kamp, and that may well be true - or it may be that he wanted to be able to play it longer. Doesn't really matter. It went to New Mexico.

After it got there, we talked some more, and it was decided that he would also ramp the bridge, and slot the pin holes for unslotted pins; remove the popsicle brace, and install a PMTE. He was concerned that I would be concerned about changes that would diminish its historical value, but I had already changed the tuners, and I thought that probably, if I ever wanted to sell it, _someone_ would probably pay a reasonable price. Right now, it ain't fer sale.

It got home on Friday. It feels great to play, and it sounds...well, it sounds like a 10-year old Collings D2H, played hard by a master for the first six years, then hotrodded as above. Bryan said: "Goooddd sounding guitar. Nice neck, plays great. Not a killer, but just an excellent guitar. Nothing wrong with that."

That's as may be. But if that's so, I never want to hear a Killer close up, without ear protection.

Thanks, Bryan.

Peter.

PS. Two strings broke, tuning it back to pitch. I get the feeling Bryan tested it very throughly.

Peter, mah boy,

Thanks for a cool report! I've got a 8 1/2 yr. old D2h that was bought by a guy who had retired, and wanted to learn to play guitar. Until a year ago, he played it for an hour or two every day, he claimed. It's got the playing wear to back him, and it's SOOOOOO resonant and open sounding! I've been thinking lately about having the bridge slotted....

What do you mean that Bryan "ramped the bridge"?

And, how do you think the PMTE affected the tone? How does it sound differently, to your ears?

Blessings,

Gary Collier
Atlanta, Ga.