The best Christmas present ever

By STACI GOHL
WEST VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL
This Christmas rivaled all other Christmases.
That’s because I got something I had been asking for more than a year. I got a Gibson Les Paul.
Now it’s only a Studio and not a Standard or Custom, but it’s still a Les Paul. And it sounds great.
I wasn’t really expecting to get anything too exciting this year, but I still joked around with my mom, asking her to buy me a guitar.
I didn’t think she was serious, but she listened to me go on and on about this guitar. We looked on the Internet, and I found one on eBay that I kept going back to.
It was wine red with chrome hardware, just like I had wanted, and in excellent condition. While I was away, my mom put a bid on it. My parents and I had worked out a deal that they would pay for half, and I would come up with the rest.
Naturally, I was wary of buying a guitar on the Internet without even playing it, but the deed was done. My mom was corresponding with the seller, and he was more than helpful. I was impressed, and I knew I was going to get a quality guitar.
He sent me an mp3 of a song he wrote, produced and recorded on my guitar. I’m picky when it comes to music; I know what I like and what I don’t. His work was quality. His voice was easy to listen to, and I could tell he loved making music.
We talked to him on the phone, and he answered all of my questions. He told me a little about his family and his 3-week-old son. I was definitely sold.
There was no way I was going to let someone else outbid us, so I made sure to keep close tabs on the online auction. When we won, I was ecstatic. I called all of my friends who play guitar. They seemed just as happy as I was.
The guitar arrived via UPS in mid-December. My mom let me check it to make sure it was in top condition, then took it away until Christmas.
But I was too excited. From that day, I’d been sneaking my guitar out of its hiding place in the closet while my parents were gone and playing it loud. I was hooked.
Every morning since Christmas, I’ve woken up and looked at my guitar and thought about how much I love it. It’s absolutely wonderful the way the light reflects off those classic curves.
I plan on giving it a name, but I’m waiting for it choose its own. The previous owner called it Red, but I’m not sure that fits something so aesthetically pleasing.
I’ve been playing guitar for three years almost exactly now. I actually got my first guitar three years ago for Christmas. I took lessons from Joe Browning at Taylor Music for about two of those years. He always said he could see me playing for the rest of my life, and I hope he’s right.
I plan on playing this guitar for a long time.

— Staci Gohl is doing a job shadow at the Yakima Herald-Republic as part of her senior project. She attends West Valley High School.