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Neither Aaron nor his wife would have hesitated. I didn't know his son as well, but I know he was well trained with firearms and was an electronic warfare specialist in the Air Force. They were all very nice people with even tempers and a sense of humor. Aaron's shop was in a very small town. He had some expensive equipment and instruments. I'll bet many shop owners in that circumstance kept a gun nearby. My father owned a party store, where I also put a lot of work hours. There was a loaded revolver in the safe in back. We all knew how to pull it out and shoot to kill. Why, you ask? Because it often happens that once the thieves get the money, they kill the witnesses. I know of one time my dad held two at gunpoint until the police arrived. I understand the idea that merchandise and money can be replaced if insured. I also get that these were desperate men who robbed. The owners also had families to feed. Even if insured, the payouts would take a long time and would depend on the investigation outcome and whether they could prove the amount stolen. The best insurance at the time was to have it known that if you rob a small store, you can be shot as a means to prevent the robbery. Back in the day, I was quite a liberal polically. I met Bobby Kennedy about two weeks before his death. That was soon after the Martin Luther King shooting. There were also murders in our city, also. In our part of Michigan many boys learned to shoot and hunt. I did so since I was 5. There were strict rules about safety that were always primary. My grandfather and grandmother lived in very rural Minnesota. They lived off the land and hunted routinely. So it was a very different culture then in which guys, like fishing poles, were simply tools. I don't know that we will ever get that sense of respect for life back again, which is absolutely necessary for those who own any deadly weapon. But returning to the question, Aaron would have shot a robber with his .380. He was deeply Christian. That may be a paradox to many. And even beyond that, I'll bet he would have prayed for his soul. Our world is different now. It may be better-IDK. But here are recent statistics on home break ins and violence. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/URLs_Cited/OT2017/15-1498/15-1498-1.pdf Here are some data from the Department of Justice as to where robberies occur. Back to our regular programming now.

I'm still setting it up. It was down-tuned for a very long time and a string was missing. I didn't see it before it was renecked, but the first neck was mahogany. Few of us had the good fortune of meeting Aaron Cowles, a master craftsman of the highest order yet very pragmatic. That was the description also of the original Heritage owners. The H-575 is a jazz workhorse. I took video lessons from Mimi Fox and Alex Skolnick years ago, two extraordinary players both using the H-575. It does the job well and is sturdy. Unlike thin topped spruce jazz boxes, this is built for amplification and to take it. (As an aside, here's a fabulous rock solo by Alex that brought tears to the audience.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X07ssteuM8o&t=245s Here's what I don't like: the tailpiece. It functions, but you have to learn how to keep the string ball in it. Previously I had the ball slots deepened in another guitar. If someone knows an easy swap out for the tailpiece that is more solid and secure, please let me know. Bigsbys need not apply.