My wife is gonna kill me, I know ... BUT ....

Jan. 30, 2015 -- My son just toddled off to bed, and I'm going to the music room shortly to jam a while. I had the opportunity to tell my wife tonight that I bought another guitar, but I did not -- she came home tired and not in the best of moods.

So now I have to amend my plans to tell of her about my purchase -- not cancel, but amend -- because about 8 minutes ago I pulled the trigger on a Buy It Now for another project guitar -- an Ibanez Gio GAX30-TR.

For $40, I got the guitar in excellent physical condition; however the knobs are missing and it looks like a nut has backed all the way off the tone control.

The Ibanez Gio GAX30-TR is a double cutaway entry-level guitar with dual humbuckers; it has one volume and one tone control, and a three way switch -- a strat-style switch rather than the traditional toggle switch found on Gibson guitars.

The Gio line dates back to the 1990s; the GAX30 began production in 2003. The shape of the body resembles a squatty SG, with more rounded edges and horns. It was equipped with a hard tail bridge and a pickguard ... not exactly a Cadillac of guitars, I know.

Unlike the strat clone I bought yesterday, this one does not come with a hard case, just a gig bag. On the plus side, this one is assembled, and beyond missing knobs and the selector switch knob, it appears complete. The auction listing notes the guitar does not work; it did not show the jack plate, so it could need work or simply be missing. I'll wait until it arrives to see what parts it may need. It came equipped with speed knobs from Ibanez, so I'll be looking to replace them ... the rear compartment cover is in place and doesn't look messed with ... is it possible the knobs were removed and all this guitar needs is a little work and a new set of strings??

To placate any concerns my wife has of my growing guitar fetish, I'm thinking of selling a the Oscar Schmidt (by Washburn) OE-30 hollowbody I have. I have owned it for years, but never played it much. I bought it very cheap due to some damage and figure I can get my money out of it. It plays well, features a tobacco sunburst finish. It is very similar to the Washburn HB-35 hollowbody series, with the exception the OE-30 has a bolt-on neck and the Washburn has a set neck. If my wife gets anxious about the "collection," I may shed the OE-30 ... I would prefer a HB-35 anyway.

Enough of this, time to jam a while!