# Guitarists and Janis Ian fans: a story **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 12, 2016, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-and-janis-ian-fans-a-story/754587 "2016-05-12T01:53:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-and-janis-ian-fans-a-story/754587/1 "2016-05-12T01:53:24Z")
Here is a thread on the Acoustic Guitar Forum: [Love, loss, and faith renewed as only Janis Ian can tell it. - The Acoustic Guitar Forum](http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=427589) If you are in this thread, then I assume you know the singer/songwriter Janis Ian, singer of the beloved At Seventeen, winner of two Grammys, etc. What you may not know is that Janis has a love affair with a guitar - a 1937 Martin D-18 that she was given by her father and on which she learned to play. On a bad day, that guitar would be worth a bunch - well over $25 grand. But it had a bunch of repairs, and anyway, value means nothing when it is _that_ guitar to you as a player. Then it was stolen. It was a long story, where Janis would include the serial # of the guitar on the liner notes of her albums in the hopes it would be found. After something like 40 years, it was found. In that link, someone shares the link to the story about the guitar from Janis’ website. A bunch of folks comment, but by page 3, Janis comes onto the and forum posts about it and the comments folks have, good and bad, about caring so much about a guitar. How cool is that? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-and-janis-ian-fans-a-story/754587/2 "2016-05-12T02:04:13Z")
:smack: there are only two pages on the thread on the AGF, so Ms. Ian comes in on page 2. Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-and-janis-ian-fans-a-story/754587/3 "2016-05-12T02:12:33Z")
She wrote about it for _Performing Songwriter_ magazine as [“Of Guitars and Righteous Men”](http://www.janisian.com/reading/ofguitars.php) and I wound up in tears reading it. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-and-janis-ian-fans-a-story/754587/4 "2016-05-12T02:23:48Z")
Awe, man WordMan, that is an awesome story. Thank you for sharing. I love to see that some people we think of as untouchables actually share posts on the internet. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-and-janis-ian-fans-a-story/754587/5 "2016-05-12T03:39:49Z")
Thanks from me as well. I quite enjoyed that read, and will probably share the link with friends. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-and-janis-ian-fans-a-story/754587/6 "2016-05-12T06:43:02Z")
Cool story, bro. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-and-janis-ian-fans-a-story/754587/7 "2016-05-12T14:31:09Z")
Thanks, Wordman! ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-and-janis-ian-fans-a-story/754587/8 "2016-05-12T18:09:36Z")
You don’t have to be a guitarist or even a Janis Ian fan to appreciate that story. Wow. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-and-janis-ian-fans-a-story/754587/9 "2016-05-12T18:10:08Z")
I forgot to mention that I saw this sort of thing happen a long time ago… I can’t remember who was in Tallahassee for a show at the Moon back in the early 1990s, but the guys had some time on their hands and wanted to go pawnshopping (that was still really a thing back then). I sent them to Folmar’s (great place and I knew Lee and Travis, the sons of the owner) as it had the added benefit of being close by so they wouldn’t get lost or something. Anyway, one of them came back with this awesome Mosrite guitar that he had found at Folmar’s. I’ve always liked Mosrites (thanks, Johnny Ramone!) so I commented on how awesome it was that he found a Mosrite in a small town pawnshop. He came back with how it was REALLY awesome because he knew this guitar! Turns out it had been stolen from a friend of his (who was in another touring rock band) like 20 years prior _in Seattle_. Same finish as when his friend had it, so he borrowed the phone at Folmar’s and called his friend to see if he still had the serial number and sure enough it checked out. Old Man Folmar just charged him what he had invested in it and a guitar was returned to it’s rightful owner! I wish I could remember who this was… seems like it was Screaming Trees that was in town and the guitar was from one of the guy’s in Green River, but I could have that wrong (I did 3-5 shows a week, 2-3 bands per show, for about 4 years back from 1989-1993; I think by now I’ve prolly let some details go hide in the dark corners of my mind to make room for other stuff, eh). ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-and-janis-ian-fans-a-story/754587/10 "2016-05-12T18:25:20Z")
> [@Helena330](#): > > You don’t have to be a guitarist or even a Janis Ian fan to appreciate that story. Wow. True. But at least folks who see my threads know what they are getting themselves into! 🙂 **Bo** - cool; when the name of the band comes to you, check back in!! ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-and-janis-ian-fans-a-story/754587/11 "2016-05-13T00:11:48Z")
What a great and moving story. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-and-janis-ian-fans-a-story/754587/12 "2016-05-13T00:39:46Z")
I am surprised that the guitar meant that much to her after it had been missing for so long. I am very glad there was a happy ending. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-and-janis-ian-fans-a-story/754587/13 "2016-05-13T01:56:21Z")
> [@Helena330](#): > > You don’t have to be a guitarist or even a Janis Ian fan to appreciate that story. Wow. This. Thanks.