After a long day at work, I came home to the usual rhythm—cleaning the floors, taking short breaks in between, letting the body slow down bit by bit.
Somewhere in that space, without planning it, I reached for May, the TYMA HB-400 travel acoustic guitar I just picked up yesterday for slightly over 200.
She’s small. Smaller than I expected when I first saw her. But every time I play her, I find myself saying the same thing—she sounds good. Not “good for her size.” Just… good. Clear, responsive, and surprisingly resonant for something so compact.
There’s something about that combination—small body, refined sound—that makes her easy to return to. No resistance. No need to commit to a long session. Just pick up, strum a few chords, let the sound settle, and breathe.
I didn’t reach for Joni today. Not because she isn’t great—she is—but because May fits moments like this. Quiet, in-between moments. The kind that don’t ask for volume or presence, just a little bit of music to accompany the day.
And I realise this is how guitars earn their place.
Not through specs.Not through price.But through use.
Through being the one you reach for when you’re tired, when you’re not thinking, when you just want to play.
May May continue to be that guitar.
And I think we’re going to grow quite close.
ps: so many small acoustics have come and gone. will May stay?