list their guitar related equipment, gear they long for or gear they have recently tried Before I went into the Navy, I left my gear with a buddy in Denver. Now he is loath to return it! Haha! I don't blame him. Nonetheless, I have faith I'll see my babies soon.
Gear in Denver:
- Fender Telecaster (Mexican, white, nice little guitar)
- Fender Stratocaster (Japanese, red, rosewood fretboard)
- Fender "Squire" Stratocaster (this one's from the early 1980s when Fender first made instruments overseas in Japan using the Squire name. These are quite sought after these days as they were excellent instruments unlike today's Indonesian made Squires which are very much starter guitars. Mine isn't worth anything because I routed it for a humbucker, put in a Floyd Rose and scalloped the fretboard. Keep in mind, this was the 80s! Haha!)
- Late 80s-early 90s (red knob) Fender Dual Showman tube head and offset 2 x 12" cabinet. This is my baby. 100 watts of screaming tube power. Loud as a Marshall and great reproduction of EVH's famous "Brown Sound." I love this amp. Fender doesn't make them anymore. I want this one back from my buddy more than anything.
Gear in Florida:
- Samick Artist hollow body (Korean made, double cutaway. Don't laugh. Let me tell you the story behind this guitar. I went to boot camp, A-School and did a 6 month cruise not picking up a guitar the whole time. When I returned home I was jonesing to play a guitar. I didn't have much money to spend because I just bought a car and moved into an apartment. I found this little gem in a music store for $250. It is quite pretty. Mahogany body with a carved top capped with a flame maple veneer. Glued in mahogany neck with a rosewood fretboard and trapezoid inlays. Cream binding around the whole instrument. Basically, a double-cutaway "Les Paul" style guitar. The thing played perfectly! The only problem were the pickups which I quickly replaced with DiMarzios. The Koreans are building some excellent instruments these days thanks to computerized routing technology. It makes it fun to buy guitars again because you can go out and spend $500 or less and get a quality instrument. I love this little guitar!)
- Epiphone 335 (Red. Not really pleased with this guitar. The action and frets need to be worked and the pickups are weak but I've always wanted a 335 and I found this one used so I grabbed it. Maybe when I get around to it I'll have a tech work the frets and I'll replace the pickups. It spends a lot of time on the guitar stand. Plus, 335s are just strange to play. Big and off-balanced. I leave it in a DGDGAD tuning for when I feel like belting out some Stones.)
- Marshall CDR practice amp (15 watts of screaming Marshall Solid State power! Haha! Actually, this little amp *does* scream! I bought it when I bought my Samick. What good is an electric guitar without an amp? For $130 this is a great little practice amp. Excellent "Marshall" distortion and reverb as well.)
- Marshall 4 x 12" JCM800 series cabinet (top, slanted 4 English made 65 watt, 15 ohms (yes, you read that right, 15 ohms) speakers. I saw this used for $200 and grabbed it. The tolex and speaker cover are ripped to shreds but the speakers themselves are fine. For a while it served as a stand for my practice amp. One day I was screwing around and decided to jerry-rig a 1/4 outlet from my Marshall CDR and, low and behold, that little 15 watt amp drives this monster cabinet! And loud too! If I turn the volume up to the 9 o'clock position my neighbors will be banging on the walls! All I need for it is a head.)
- Crybaby wah pedal (Gotta have one of these. Everybody needs one)
- Boss DS-1 distortion pedal (Bought it on sale for $30. Toyed with it for a couple of days. I never use it anymore.)
Dream Gear:
- My dream amplifier is a Hiwatt DR-103 100 Watt head with the original Partridge transformers and Mullard tubes coupled with a Hiwatt cabinet loaded with Fane loudspeakers. Just like Townshend and Gilmour used. MilSpec wiring, loud as a jet engine! Hiwatt made these throughout the 1970s and into the early 80s. After founder Dan Reeve's death, the company switched gears and started using inferior parts. Quality suffered as a result and in short time, Hiwatt was sold and these amps disappeared altogether. Until now. Hiwatt is now producing the "Custom 100" which is a replica of their old powerhouse. They've wisely returned to using MilSpec wiring and the old transformers and tubes. Unfortunately, the $2500 price tag attached to their head and the roughly $2000 price tag attached to a single cabinet is a bit prohibitive. What do I need a 100 watt Hiwatt stack for anyways? I live in an apartment! Go here for their lackluster web page.
- Marshall DSL 50 all tube head. 50 Watts, 2 channels. Here Marshall attempts to blend their two most famous amps into one package. Their 1959 model (produced from 1966-69) and their standby JCM-800 (produced during the 1980s). The price isn't bad (anywhere from $1000-$1400) and the reviews on Musician's Friend are pretty good. I'd love a JCM-800 but they are expensive new and buying one used is a crapshoot. There is some junk out there. I'm seriously looking at this amp. They make a 100 watt head as well but I really don't need 100 watts.
- Gibson Les Paul Standard. What more is there to say. Sadly, I would never buy one sight unseen as Gibson has serious quality control problems. Too many lemons leave the factory. I'd play 50 of them until I found the right guitar. They are also wildly overpriced these days. I'd settle for a Les Paul Classic which are a little cheaper.
- Fender 1960s model Stratocaster. I love these guitars because they utilize Fender's single coil routing. More wood = more tone! Most Strats these days are routed for humbuckers under the pickguard. Shortsightedness on Fender's part. The 60s model Strats are also made in Mexico. The way I see it, I can pay $600 for a guitar made by hard working Mexicans in Mexico or I can buy one of their American made guitars for twice that price made by hard working Mexicans in California! I miss my Stratocasters. Everyone should have one.
- PRS SE series "Soapbar" model. Korean made, $450. Played one of these. Plays like a dream. I love the sound of P-90 pickups. High output and very unique. Pair this one with my dream Hiwatt and I could reproduce Townshend's bombastic "Live at Leeds" tone. Ooooh!
That's all for now. I'll add more as I think of stuff to keep this thread bumped.