This weekend, I was rummaging around the storage lockup under our house, and I came across my very first guitar stashed under some boxes and other debris.

It was an old Som D'Ouro classical guitar that I got back when I was about 15. My high school guitar teacher, Ms. Dunlop, picked this one out for me, and I have played it and loved it for all of my life since then (over 30 years!).

Sadly, a few years ago, the bridge came off it, and I put it away in storage intending to fix it 'one day'. Well, it had been sitting underneath stuff and exposed to dampness and dust for years, so when I found it again, it was in a very sad condition.

The top of the guitar seems to have swollen and split, and I think I can hear some braces rattling around under the top too, so I don't think it will ever be playable again. I decided to give it a bit of spit and polish to see how it cleaned up.

(Note: Virtuoso Cleaner and Polish really is wonderful stuff. I wish I had taken some 'before' pictures).