Gear

 

Here are my planks. They all have their own personalities and I have tried to let some of them go over the years but somehow, I just can't do it...kind of like old friends, ya know!

A Great New "Plank"

This plank from Composite Acoustics is my main acoustic guitar. Not only is the guitar fantastic but so too is the company. They are a small company located in Louisiana and I can tell you from personal experience that these guys & gals are the best. You have a question...call them, they will answer it. You have an issue...call them...they will solve it. You have a special request...call them...they will fill it. This company is what I would say is an "Old Time, Make a Great Product, Stand Behind Your Product" Company.
 

     

And as much as I say that this is my main acoustic guitar, it is rare that I get to use it! I am continually lending it to my gig buddies, and they Love it too. My great friend Derick Farworda (Spin Doctors/Cindy Lauper) has had it for the past month—doing gigs with it—so I don't know when it will be back in my hands.

So I want to say...CA's are the best!

Solid Bodies:

• 1959 Les Paul Gold Top - I got this guitar in the '80s but some genius had put a whammy bar and a locking nut on it. So I had all that junk taken off and had a big hunk of ebony put in where the body was routed out for the Kahler.
• 1962 Fender Strat - I don't play it much anymore, and I can tell you it's worth a lot more than I paid for it way back when.
• 1988 Fender Tele - This thing never goes out of tune, it screams, and best of all it's light.
• 1985 Ibanez Artist - The best pickups and the best tone and sustain of any guitar I have ever played.
• 1966 Silvertone - A single lipstick pickup, a metal nut that looks like lead. Great, especially for slide...it just sort of growls at you.
• 1965 Airliner - Sort of a funky copper color, looks like a miniature Strat — it's got an old Motown rhythm tone.
• Kruppenbach Tele - Handmade by my old pal John Kruppenbach back in the '90s. Solid maple.
• Kruppenbach Strat - Same as above, except all rosewood and it is heavy as all get out.

Hollow Bodies:

• 1966 Guild SlimJim - Beautiful, single pickup, single cutaway, and flatwound strings.
• 1963 Gretch Synchromatic - I Love the tone of this thing and it's got a Bigsby on it. Sort of faded yellow top and a copper back and sides.
• 1960 Gibson ES-330 - P-'90s and a real bark tone on the back pickup and this really mellow fat tone on the front pickup. Skinniest neck I've ever played.

Acoustics:

• 1977 Yairi - The best.....
• 1970 Takamine - All mahogany, great tone, great harmonics.
• 2002 Gibson Hound Dog - Right now it is set up too low for what I want to do, but it has a great honky tone.
• 2004 Gretsch Historic Jumbo Cutaway - It's like my Tele...it never goes out of tune, has a great neck, and it'll do whatever I ask of it.
• 2004 Baby Taylor - Believe it or not, this is a great little acoustic slide guitar. It has a real nasal tone and it did not cost an arm and a leg.

Miscellaneous:

• 1975 Epiphone Mandolin - It's a double cutaway. I had Danny at the Gibson plant in Nashville put a pickup in it a couple of years ago and he did a fantastic job. And yes, I do play slide mandolin too...
• 1955 Gretsch Lap Steel - Holy Kamolie...it's a screaming plank!
• Tacoma DR 38 (Pre Fender)
• Tacoma DR 18 (Pre Fender)
• Composite Acoustics Prototype
• Yamaha AEX 500
• 1977 Taylor 510

Amps:

• 1970 Marshall 30 watt Head - This old head has a great Spungetone, real warm and thumpy.
• Old '60s Fender Deluxe Reverb - Really warm tone.
• Early '80s Roland JC77 - The best clean chorus and it makes a great acoustic instrument amp.
• '90s Mesa Boogie 2/12 Cabinet - Enclosed back, thumptone.

Gizmos and Effects:

Well, I don't use effects very much. Makes life too complicated. Actually one of the best little boxes I have is an old Boss multi-box. It's just a little passive box with one input and 4 outputs so that I can run my acoustic guitars to an amp, and to the P.A. Having said that, I am about to start experimenting with effects for my acoustic guitar, so stand by! The three products that I Love the most are:

• Neuumann KMS 105 Vocal Mic - Super rich and warm, lots of bottom...which I happen to like.
• An Old Lexicon Reverb unit - single rackspace, simple, no fuss, and really reliable.
• Shubb Capos - The best...I especially use the partial capo a lot.

And, in terms of strings, I like John Pearse and Ernie Ball Earthwoods for my acoustics. I play the heaviest set that I can get. I guess it's because when I was a kid I played the famous (or infamous) Black Diamonds. I am very odd with regard to strings; I use very heavy strings and I change them when they break. Why ? Well I like to hear the wood of the guitar, not the steel of the string.

I also have my own ideas about acoustic guitars with pickups. If you have an under-the-saddle pickup (notorious for quack), then my theory is that there is no need for a super-expensive guitar. Once you plug into a P.A. you can EQ the thing any way that you desire, and if you close your eyes and listen you really can't distinguish between brands. That is, if you take the time to EQ. So for me, I look for a guitar that feels good in my hands, stays in tune, and sounds relatively good acoustically.

Well, that's all for now. Eventually I'll post pictures of my planks.

Later Gators...