When you were younger, did you ever go to one of those shops that will put your photo on the cover of a magazine? Me too! I still have the photo of 13 year old Sully on the cover of Hit Parader complete with props to make it look authentic; a Harmony acoustic guitar, some sort of animal print suit jacket and metallic tie. Totally believable, and before you ask, no, you can't see it.

Stevie and I joked about that kind of situation when he called me in late July to tell me that he was going to be featured on the January issue of Guitar Player magazine with record label mates Rich Ward (Fozzy) and Ryan Patrick (Otherwise). I was so excited for him, and that was kicked up a notch when he told me that he'd be bringing his '71 with him for the photoshoot. At this time, he had the white '71 he'd been playing on tour, and his next one was just about ready to go to Billy at Rock N' Roll Relics for paint and aging. Since this was such a special thing, I really wanted to get it wrapped up and to him in time for the photoshoot, and as you can see, we made it happen.

This has been a very exciting year for Sully Guitars, and seeing a guitar that I designed and built on the cover of an iconic magazine like Guitar Player remains something I have yet to wrap my head around. Subscribers got their copies earlier this month, and I've been keeping my eyes open for when they hit the newsstands. That seems to have been today, as I finally got my hands on one (okay, ten), and like Ron Burgundy, I was trapped in a glass case of emotion (but for a nice reason, no one punted my dog off of bridge like poor little Baxter).

It's as good of a time as any to be thankful, and I absolutely am. While I've been floored at times about how things have gone this year, I know that these moments in life can be fleeting, and it's what you do with them that counts. I'm enjoying this moment and thinking ahead, and I'm really excited for the present and the future.

Sooooooooo, go grab a copy of the January issue of Guitar Player, eh?