BOLTON'S Neil Smith was a teenager when he decided to buy his friend's guitar off him for £2 . . .

That chance bargain paid off, because today, 43 years later, Neil is ranked among the top seven classical guitarists in the world.

He recalled: "My friend was fed up with the guitar because he could not master it. He offered it me for £2 and I thought I would buy it to see if I could do any better.

"All I had was the guitar, no teachers or books, but I found it came naturally.

"I taught myself the chords at first, and then discovered if I heard something a couple of times, I was able to copy it straight away."

That talent has since spiralled Neil into super-stardom in classical guitar circles.

And last year his invitations to play around the world culminated in an appearance at "the best gig in town" -- the Queen Mother's 100th birthday celebrations.

Neil said: "That has to have been the highlight of my career so far. To be invited was something special. There were thousands there. It was a very special day. I was told that I was invited because the Queen Mother particularly likes classical guitar music."

Neil's music has taken him to premiere concert halls throughout the world, and one occasion on board a special yacht -- to give a private performance for Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

He was in Rome at the time, and the captain on board the ship heard him and invited him to play to his special passengers.

The star performance is one of the many colourful stories Neil decided to put down on paper "before the memories fade".

Situations he has got himself into include meeting a triple killer face to face on the M4, and being tailed by a spy ring in the old Soviety Union, who then tried to blackmail him.

Neil said: "To find out more people will have to buy the book. I have been to more than 40 countries, and can guarantee no guitarist has had a career like mine.

"This is why I decided to put it all down in a book. I have had so many different experiences -- and I wanted to write them all down before the memories fade.

"The world has even changed since I finished writing it."

Despite Neil's international acclaim, he remains living in Horwich, where he grew up. A recent "homecoming" concert in the town sold out within days.

He said: "Why move? I have always had family ties here. Besides Manchester Airport is so big now, and the motorway system so comprehensive. Horwich is a nice town, not a big noisy city which I could not cope with."

Neil's musical career began with local choirs. However, once he mastered the guitar, he began to play with a variety of pop bands.

He said: "The Huntsman featured in the BEN quite a lot. That was my first band, and then I moved on to a bigger one called The Falcons.

"But after The Beatles, there emerged a great deal of vocal stuff -- the Beach Boys and Bee Gees for example -- and they pretty much cut the role of guitar out. It was like the people making pop records were saying we do not need the guitar. And it was then that I started to look at classical music."

In 1968 Neil decided to embark on lessons, and little by little says he became convinced he could make a go of it.

So what does he put down as the secret to his success? "People do not always realise you have to put a lot of hours in. I can practice for 13 hours some days, and in that way I could have found other areas of work easier. Not everyone would want to put in those sorts of hours. "When I was younger I never dreamt my career would take off the way it has. I knew I did not want a regular nine to five job, but I could not see how I could make money by just playing a guitar. It has been a dream come true.

"Having said that though, you can not practise or rehearse for every eventuality. I remember playing once in a huge concert hall in America when there was a gigantic thunderstorm overhead. I carried on though regardless . . ."

Future plans for Neil include travelling into countries he has yet to visit -- China, Brazil and Argentina.

His book, Have Guitar Will Travel -- its front cover designed by his daughter Caroline -- is now on sale in Sweetens Book Shop, Deansgate, Bolton, priced £5.99.