Guitars
Updated October 2008
My guitar collection. I've come a long way since that first Sears guitar in 1978! I've had over 30 different instruments over the years, but I'm sticking with these 13 (at least for the time being - you know how us gearheads are!).
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1979
Gibson Les Paul Custom
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Silverburst! - This is the first good guitar I ever bought (new in 1980). Upgrades include Gibson's TP-6 fine tuning tailpiece, a Groove Tubes Fat Head on the headstock, and Lindy Fralin High Output humbuckers. The bridge pickup's tone control is a Stellartone ToneStyler, which gets 16 different tone variations for this pickup. The neck pickup's tone control features a Hovland capacitor for extra smooth woman tone. It's got vintage vibe, with a lot of teeth for aggressive lead playing, and this guitar sustains for days. Like Nigel Tufnel says, "play a note, go out for a bite, come back - it's still sustaining!" It's my main instrument for Dino rock, classic rock, blues, southern rock and heavy metal. |
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1997
Gibson Les Paul Special
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My TV model. Gotta love P90 pickups! These are by Lindy Fralin. The Fralins have a little more volume and a less brittle top end than stock Gibson P90s. The bridge pickup's tone control is a Stellartone ToneStyler also. This guitar is great for blues, rock, punk - anything that requires a real in your face attack. I've upgraded it with the TP-6 also, as well as Gibson's better tuning machines. It's my second voice. |
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2006
Gibson SG Standard
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The devil made me do it! Light weight and easy action, bright, biting and brassy. I upgraded the tailpiece like I did on the other Gibsons with the TP-6. It's loaded with Fralin High Output pickups and RS Guitarworks pots, with a Hovland cap on the neck pickup, and another Stellartone ToneStyler on the bridge pickup. |
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1997
Gibson Les Paul Classic
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This Les Paul is very light weight and resonant. The previous owner installed Fralin pickups on it, and it's a singer. It has my typical upgrades of RS Guitarworks pots and Hovland caps. |
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2007
Gibson Les Paul Vintage Mahogany
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For a no-frills Les Paul, this one is quite extraordinary. Light weight, great sustain, totally fun to play. It's got the stock Gibson Burstbucker Pro pickups on it, and I gave it a Stellartone ToneStyler too. |
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2007 Fender Standard Stratocaster |
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What started life as a basic MIM Strat became my tribute guitar to Dave Murray of Iron Maiden. It has an alder body, a maple neck and a traditional Fender Stratocaster bridge. DiMarzio pickups - a PAF neck and Super Distortion bridge - along with decorative pickup rings complete the project. Great for playing classic early Maiden, Judas Priest, or any late-70s/early 80s NWOBHM. |
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1999 Danelectro DC-12 |
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Not a bad novelty instrument for the low price. Bone stock, the lipstick tube pickups have that classic Dano jangle. I play Beatles, Petty, Eagles ("Hotel California") and country music with this one. It sounds awesome when played through a compressor pedal. |
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2003 Squier Bullet Special |
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Crapped ...er, crafted in Indonesia. This is the "basement beater" guitar - the one I knock around with casually. I reworked the heck out of it with some Carvin parts; a string-through bridge, tuning pegs and straplocks, plus an old Duncan Distortion pickup and another Fat Finger. And, the secret weapon - a Torres Engineering 2Meg Pot and Volume Kit. All the power of the pickup hits the amp, with no loss of tone when turning down. Great for metal and punk - this guitar doesn't sound too bad, but it never leaves the basement! |
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2002 Epiphone EB-0 |
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I wanted a nice inexpensive bass to dabble with, and the price was right on this one - I won it! I totally love this body shape, as I developed a major Free jones and I had to have a bass that looked like Andy Fraser's. I've upgraded this one with a Dimarzio Model One pickup, which keeps the sound punchy without getting muddy, and a Fender thumbrest. The short scale is more comfortable for a guitar player like myself. I don't pretend to be a real bassist - I play with a pick and sound pretty terrible on it! |
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1991
Taylor 410
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This is the first edition of the 410 model. Newer ones use a different wood (mine's mahogany) and have bound necks. I have played in a church folk group off and on for many years, and this is my main instrument when I have my "gig with God." I added a Martin Thinline pickup. |
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1987
Alvarez-Yairi DY-80
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An awesome 12-string, if I do say so myself. A real joy to play. It has seen plenty of folk group action over the years too. If I need to amplify this guitar, I use a Dean Markley Pro Mag sound hole pickup. Because of this guitar's unusual bridge saddle length, I haven't been able to find a suitable piezo pickup for it. |
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2003
Yamaha C-40
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Another contest win. I used to play classical back in the '80s (in the wake of the Randy Rhoads / Yngwie Malmsteen craze) but stopped in 1990. This one is an Indonesian cheapie, but since it was free, who's complaining? |
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1998
Tacoma M1 Mandolin
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I started to play mandolin in 1998, and used it in the folk group a little bit too. This model has a unique sound, and is quite loud. I also added a contact pickup to it, and it's very loud when amplified. |
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