When Lee walked into the 'Elkcave with this Tal, I immediately opened the case and got ready to do my best augmented, diminished Jazz chord (I think I know only one). "Oh hell no you don't," he said. "You put that right back in the case. I just got it cleaned up." Sad faced, I put it back, realizing that I wasn't going to be able to play my one, funky Jazz chord that he absolutely hates. I love all of Gibson's jazz boxes, from the Tals to the Johnny Smiths to the standard- bearing ES-175s. I can't do them any justice, but I love the way they sit and feel so much, I always want to give them a whirl. So, being denied my moment in the spotlight, I decided right then and there what I was going to do. I'm going to wait until the next time our tech, Supa Jake Sharp comes over to do his weekly thing on our guitars and I'll wait until he's almost ready to pack up. Then, I'm going to pull this Tal out and have him give it the once- over. After that (and he doesn't know it yet), I'm going to force him at a large caliber gunpoint to play some of those great chords and runs that I love to hear played on these types of guitars. It's a smooth, woody sound that has nothing to do with noisy Rock and Roll and I think it's good for the soul to take a break from the usual every once in a while. Supa Jake's a great Jazz player in his own right and I always enjoy hearing him do his thing, if he's in the mood. It has to be the guitar that makes him play- I don't think Les Pauls do it for him anymore. When we first got the Benedetto that's on our site, he lit up like a Christmas tree and did a nice piece of playing on it. He doesn't like Metal or pointy guitars and he really doesn't like basses, but when we get a nice Jazz box in here, he usually accommodates my persistent egging. Some might even call it whining, but whatever it is, it gets the job done. "Persistence wears down resistance," as my  Father would say. Then, after Jake's filled the room with the cool, smokey sounds of an New York club, I'm going to take this guitar and get my one, funky, augmented, diminished chord in even if it gets me killed. And it just might, but I don't care- life's short and some things are worth the risk. Aren't they...?