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Taylor guitars are alright, and Gibson guitars have their uses, but for me there is no substitute for Martin. I have been playing Martin guitars for about 20 years – as long as I have been playing guitar at all. I was pretty lucky to get to start out on a Martin guitar. You see, when I was a kid I loved to listen to my that play guitar. Back then, I thought he was the best guitar player in the world. He had a beautiful Martin D16, a guitar that he loved with all his heart and soul. He didn't get much time to play, but when he did it was absolutely beautiful. The whole room would ring with the sound.

If you have never heard Martin guitars before, it might be kind of hard for you to imagine. There are many different kinds of guitars. Yamaha's have a bright, twangy tone, Gibsons are somewhere in the middle, but Martin guitars are deep and booming. A Martin guitar is not everyone's favorite – it has a really specific sound. The sound is so powerful and rich that even people who aren't particularly into the brand give it some respect. After all, sometimes there is no denying quality.

Anyway, I would just sit there and listen to my dad playing his Martin guitar for hours on the weekends. It wasn't long before I wanted to start learning too. At first he bought me a kids model and wanted me to start on that, but I really wanted to play his guitar. People are pretty protective of their Martin guitars in general, and my dad was especially so. Nonetheless, I was so persistent – some would say annoying – that he finally relented. He let me play it. Soon I was paying him back with the sweet music I made.

The great thing about Martin acoustic guitars is that they only get better with age. The guitar I am playing now is my dad's – the same when I started out with. I have a few guitars that look better, but none of them sound as good. This guitar is something like 30 years old, and the wood has had time to age and mellow. Although the body is scraped up, I made sure to keep the guitar in good shape otherwise. The neck is straight and true, and the body has a richness and depth that is out of this world.