While my main instrument for both practice and live is my trusty Gibson SG, my most prized possession at the moment is a guitar I picked up second-hand nearly ten years ago. I was looking at the time for something with a Gibson-esque sound but back then my student budget wouldn’t stretch that far. The next best thing, I was told, was one of the Japanese copies but to go for a used instrument to get more for my money.
My beloved Ibanez and my cheap-and-cheerful Tanglewood acoustic
The money in question was £400 iirc, although I’ve been told since then that similar models go for considerably more than that these days. Basically it’ll gain value the longer I keep it as long as I look after it but quite honestly I’ve no intention of selling it just yet.
I was originally planning to talk about Pan’s Labyrinth but to be honest it’s so well-known and acclaimed there isn’t much point making it the focus of any sort of review. Don’t get me wrong, I do love that film: I often cite it as one of the most immersive and spellbinding pieces of cinema in recent years but del Toro’s earlier feature, The Devil’s Backbone, is equally deserving of a mention. It’s not quite of the same calibre but there are plenty of similarities between the two and it’s outstanding enough in its own right to warrant the extra attention.
