I receive a lot of inquiries from fellow guitarist about the equipment I use so someone suggested I add this description as a regular part of the site (good idea, I don't know why I didn't think of it) This is going to be fairly detailed so if you're not a guitar player I highly recommend you stop reading immediately cause it's going to get really boring.
For live gigs I usually play a 65' fender strat that's pretty much stock
except for Sperzel tuners, a Wilkinson direct replacement bridge and a Seymore
Duncan "Little Screamin' Demon" strat size direct replacement (meaning same
size, no routing necessary) humbucking pickup in the bridge position. This is
also wired so I can split it to single coil. I try to stick with one guitar
throughout the set so as to develop a kind of repore with that instrument as the
night goes on. I also bring a Hamer strat style Daytona that is set up exactly
the same except that it has a maple fret board and Seymore Duncan vintage
pickups in the neck and the middle positions. I like both of these guitars but the
fender has been with me a much longer time (22 years) so I'm usually more
comfortable starting out with it. If I break a string or something that's cool too
because the Hamer sometimes gives me a slightly different perspective that
can also be inspiring. The strings I use are D'addario . 009's with the G string
lowered from. 016 to. 015. I need to use light strings to keep my tendonitis
from flaring up(what a pain in the ass).
On tour I quite often have to rent amps so I request in order of
preference a Mesa-Boogie Dual Rectifier "Tremoverb" or a Fender "Hot Rod Deville" then
use whatever is available.
For effects I use a pro-co rat pedal, a boss tuner pedal, an "Echodrive" (which is an analog delay built with tube circuitry) a boss digital delay
pedal, and a Shure wireless unit . In the studio I use an older model (script
logo)MXR dynocomp compressor pedal most of the time (not on the fat hollow body
guitars)and occasionally a rat pedal but rarely record with effects other than
that.
I usually use a fender vibroking amp through a boogie 1-12 cabinet with an eminence 70 watt speaker but I have also used a boogie studio 22 and a peavey classic 50. Occasionally I've gone direct into the board with a sans-amp classic pedal.
For guitars I record with the 65' strat, sometimes the Hamer Daytona, a 1959 Gibson ES 345 with a stop tailpiece wired mono with the varitone disconnected, a 1959 Gibson ES 175 with just1 pickup (humbucking, neck position), a 1964 Gibson L-5, a 1964
Martin O-18, a Rimerez nylon string and a Takamine nylon string.
Now this is really going to get long as I'm going to go song by song with what I used but people ask this stuff.
"AVENUE BLUE"
1. Pick up the Pieces- 175, vibroking
2. Stockholm Prelude - 65' strat, vibroking (internal 3-10 speakers for this CD)
3. Stockholm - same as prelude
4. Gimme Some - 175, vibroking
5. That's the Way of the World - 345, vibroking
6. Westside Serenade - Hamer Daytona, Peavey classic 50
7. Nightingale -345, vibroking, 1969 fender thinline tele for rhythm
8. I'll be Around - 175 and the 65' strat, direct with sansamp.
9. Atlanta Nights - Martin O-18.
10. Just Goodbye - 345, vibroking, ESP strat with EMG pickups for rhythm
11. Lucy I'm Home - L-5 for melody, 345 for solo, I don't remember what amp. I think a 50's tweed fender pro
12. Moon River - 175, sans-amp direct
"NAKED CITY"
1. funky is as funky does-345, vibroking
2. naked city-65'strat, vibroking
3. nitpickin'-1995 epiphone sheraton, vibroking
4. the conversation-345, vibroking
5. baby I'm yours-65' strat, vibroking
6. mama didn't raise no fool-354, vibroking
7. wildflower -takamine nylon string
8. keep th ball rollin'-65'strat, vibroking
9. the niteowl-354, vibroking
10. tumblin'-345, vibroking
11. yohimbe-354. vibroking
12. spooky-65'strat, vibroking
13. one more excuse(to play the blues)-L-5, vibroking
"NIGHTLIFE"
1. nightlife-345, Peavey classic 50, 65'strat for rhythm
2. Bobby's mood-345, Peavey classic 50
3. always there-345, Peavey classic 50, 65'strat for rhythm
4. seventh heaven-354, boogie studio 22
5. daylight-345 direct(no sans-amp)
6(oh no) no mo' yo!-345, boogie
7. a womans touch-65'strat, Peavey classic 50
8. . thank you may I have another-345, Peavey classic 50
9. only a memory-Hamer, boogie
10. the in crowd-345, boogie
"OUT OF THE BLUE"
1. wanna funk?-65strat, vibroking, (w/marshall 4- 12 cab, 70 watt celestian speakers)rat pedal
2. Indiana moon-65'strat, vibroking(w/boogie 1-12 cab, EV speaker for this cd)rat pedal, martin D-18 (borrowed from Artie Smith)
3. manteca-65'strat, vibroking (marshall cab) rat
4. the velvet touch-65'strat, vibroking (boogie cab)
5. my everything-65'strat, vibroking (boogie cab) rat
6. Lucky strike-65'strat, vibroking (boogie cab)
7. latitude 19-65'strat, vibroking (boogie cab) rat
8. come on home-65'strat, boogie studio 22, Martin O-18, Rimerez nylon string
9. paradise lost-Hamer daytona vibroking (marshall cab) sans amp in front of amp for ride out solo
10. groanin' -345, boogie studio 22
"DANGEROUS CURVES"
1. dangerous curves-175, vibroking (boogie cab w/70 watt eminence speaker for this cd)
2. droptop-345, vibroking, 65'strat for rhythm
3. another friday night-345, vibroking
4. Mr. Magic-175, vibroking
5. step aside-345, vibroking
6. no two ways about it-345, vibroking
7. gone but not forgotten-65' strat, vibroking
8. lost weekend-345, vibroking
9. till' we meet again-345, vibroking
10. let's talk it over-175, vibroking
11. walkin'on the sun-175. vibroking
12. soul serenade-65'strat, boogie studio 22
“DO IT AGAIN”
1.”Cut the Cake” - 1959 Gibson ES175
2.”On the Beach” - 1959 Gibson ES345
3.”Cruisin’” - 1959 Gibson ES345
4.”Jesus Children of America” - 1959 Gibson ES345
5.” If I Ever Loose This Heaven” - 1959 Gibson ES345
6.”Cold Duck Time” - 1959 Gibson ES345, MXR Dynocomp compressor( script logo)
7.” Turn Off the Lights” - 1959 Gibson ES345
8.” Cold Sweat” - 1959 Gibson ES175
9.”Mercy Mercy Me” - 1959 Gibson ES345
10. “Crazy Love” - 1965 Fender Stratocaster, MXR Dynocomp
I used my 1995 Fender Vibro King Amp through a Boogie 1x12 Cabinet with an Eminence 70 watt speaker on every track.
"SOUL SESSIONS"
For every track I plugged into my Fender Vibroking amp through the Mesa
Boogie 1x12 cabinet with an Eminence 70 speaker. I had my Echodrive pedal plugged
in but not turned on. I find that just going through the tube circuitry
fattens up the sound and adds some bottom end. Other than that I went straight into
the amp.
1.”Boom Boom” Gibson 345(1959)
2.”Playin’ It Cool” Gibson 345
3.”Cadillac Jack” Gibson 345
4. “Underneath it all” ESP Strat (1985) with EMG alnico pickups
the rhythm guitar overdub ( one of very few on the CD) was my 1965 Fender
Strat
5.”Pass it on” 1964 Gibson L 5 ( the one I’m playing on the cover)
6.”Isn’t That So” 1965 Fender Strat
7.”Back Home” Gibson 345
8.”Can’t Let You Go” Fender Strat
9.Vibrolux” Gibson 345
10.”Nubian Blue” Gibson L 5
The rhythm guitar was the Fender Strat
11.”Skin Tight” Gibson L5ß
"TEMPTATION"
1..”Uptown Express”- 1959 Gibson ES175 through a Groove Tube’s “Soul-o” 1x 12 combo amp
2..”On the Wes Side” 1995 Epiphone Sheraton direct ( no amp, this might be a first for me).
3.”Metro Cafe”- 1995 Epiphone Sheraton, 60’s blackface Vibrolux amp
4.”Cream and Sugar”-1964 Gibson L-5, Fender Vibroking amp combined with direct
5. “Silhouette”- Gibson ES 175, Direct combined with Vibrolux amp
6.”Take Me Home” 1965 Fender Strat, Fender Vibrolux amp
7.”Temptation”- 1965 Fender Strat, Direct
8. “Evolution”- ES 175, Fender Vibrolux amp combined with direct
9.”Just For You” 1965 Fender Strat, Fender Vibrolux amp, Eastman acoustic guitar
10.”Have You Heard” 1965 Fender Strat, Fender Vibrolux Amp
11.”Simple Pleasures” Epiphone Sheraton, Direct
The Vibrolux, Groove Tubes Soul-o amp and Eastman acoustic guitar were on loan from Tommy at California Vintage. Thanks!
Well there you have it, more info than you could ever want. Maybe someone will read all of this, maybe they won't, but at least it gave me something to do one rainy afternoon.