That disk is plain awesome. I'm a big JM fan. Actually, cool side story in a minute about him...
Where the Light Is was recorded in LA last Winter (Dec. 2007 I think). It was filmed with a real film camera, as opposed to digital. I found the direction to be really great. The show, needless to say, was pretty phenomenal. You get all three incarnations of the John Mayer experience - his solo, acoustic act (wherein lie his roots), his Trio ensemble, which is a very accomplished blues/classic rock effort and his full, live band. It's an interesting branding move - the Trio is. I think it will help him sell his blues stuff, there being less confusion about what you're buying when you pick up a John Mayer disk vs. a John Mayer Trio disk.
Alright - my cool JM story. My brother in law works at Johns Hopkins in the oncology ward doing patient's last days liaison work. It's kind of a downer job - he assists families through the death of their loved ones. So, pretty much, every day, people are dying around him. Bummer. There are some perks, though. Assisting people through such emotionally trying times creates instant bond between people sometimes. About 8 or 10 years ago, the guitar luthier Paul Reed Smith found himself in the company of my brother in law as a result of the sickness of one of his close relatives. Micheal (brother in law) and Paul hit it off, and they have been good friends ever since.
Being good friends with a guitar maker whose guitars rank up there with Fender and Gibson has its perks. Needless to say, Mike's house is littered with literally dozens of one-off, custom guitars that Paul has made for him. I play guitar and have for years. So, my jealousy is hard to mask.
Recently, John Mayer was caught on YouTube playing a Paul Reed Smith (PRS) guitar with Buddy Guy, I believe. JM Has an exclusive contract to play on stage with Fender guitars, so that was a bit remarkable. PRS approached him and asked if he wanted a guitar made for him. John said yes and gave the custom shop the specs. Well, long short long, the guitar was not up to John's liking - he wanted a darker finish. So, back to the shop the guitar went.
Here's where the cool part comes in. Mike had been promising to get me a guitar for years. But finding a spot on the custom schedule can, at times, be difficult, especially when he's not a paying customer. When Mike heard that JM had ordered and played the guitar, but ultimately wanted something slightly different and sent it back, he jumped on it. Paul agreed to give him the guitar instead. Well, this weekend, I was given this gorgeous thing of beauty, which I now proudly call my own. It came with a letter to John Mayer's agent in New York, with the shipping info, etc., with a notation (coded) that said - "Artist Special Order - JM."
It's a semi-hollow body, electric guitar, with book matched curly maple front and back, in a natural finish (no stain). The neck is Brazilian Rosewood and the tuning pegs are Ebony. I'll post some pics soon, hopefully.
Thanks for reading.
