Wealth & Money Quote by Roger McGuinn

There is a whole American coming-of-age story packed into McGuinn's shruggy "Well, I guess" - the casual tone disguises how monumental the memory is. He isn't mythologizing himself with a grand origin tale; he's giving you the plain inventory of a working kid's life: a 12-string, a Martin, a year, a job title that barely clears minimum prestige. That restraint is the point. It makes the purchase feel earned, not bestowed.

The specifics matter. "Early 12 string" signals a sound before it became a signature, before it hardened into brand identity. The Martin name lands like a quiet flex - not because it's flashy, but because it's a serious tool. In 1957, buying a new Martin on janitor-assistant wages isn't consumerism; it's a wager. He turns labor into an instrument, literally converting mopped floors into music.

"I bought brand new" carries its own subtext: no shortcuts, no hand-me-down luck, no borrowed authenticity. It's the pride of someone who stepped into adulthood by choosing quality and committing to it. Then the kicker: "I still have that". In a culture that loves reinvention, he frames continuity as a virtue. The guitar becomes a physical archive - proof that the person who wanted the sound is the same person who made a life out of it. It's not nostalgia; it's lineage you can hold.