GUITARS
2023 PRS S2 McCarty 594 10th Anniversary Edition
This Fire Red Burst S2 is one of two PRS S2 McCarty 594 guitars that I recently purchased. The 10th Anniversary S2 McCarty 594 builds on the original specs of the S2 McCarty 594, retaining a maple top, mahogany back, 24.594” scale length, 22-fret Pattern Vintage neck, PRS two-piece bridge, and vintage-style tuners. Special appointments include: a Cuban mahogany neck, mother of pearl bird inlays, and USA-made PRS 58/15 LT pickups and electronics. Such an amazing guitar to play.
2023 PRS S2 McCarty 10th Anniversary Edition
This is my second PRS S2 McCarty 594 10th Anniversary Edition in Dark Cherry Sunburst. Both this guitar and my first 594 are amazing guitars and I could happily use either one. I’ll be taking one for when I play in the United States while the other remains in Canada.
2023 PRS SE DGT
I picked up this guitar for our time in Florida last winter. I wanted a good guitar that if lost or stolen would be easily replaced. The PRS SE DGT, for its price, is a wonderful instrument. It plays well, sounds great and I really enjoyed working with it.
2022 John Suhr Signature Standard
The guitar body is White Limba with a transparent red finish, scraped binding, and painted bakelite pickguard. The White Limba body is chambered and the neck uses Pau Ferro wood for the fingerboard. A Wilkinson WVS130 locking bridge for maximum tuning stability, and a versatile HSH wiring configuration.
2022 PRS Vela S2 Satin
The S2 Vela Satin is a vintage-inspired guitar which can cover a wide range of tones. The Vela is my first offset body shape. The satin nitro finish provides resonance and a wonderful feel. A suprisingly good guitar.
2022 Sire Larry Carlton T7
Hard to beat this guitar for the price. Although the cost is fairly low, it comes with a very refined set of components and plays like an expensive instrument. I bought this one for my extended travels south in 2023.
2019 Reverend Kingbolt
A unique body design, a simple yet effective control layout, and a Wilkinson tremolo system that stays in tune. The Railhammer Hyper Vintage bridge and Hyper Vintage neck pickups make it a versatile guitar.
2017 Telecaster Custom Shop 30th Anniversary Caballo Tono
This is a 30th anniversary custom shop Telecaster. This was my first heay relic guitar and the inspiration for this Telecaster is built off the 1961 model and features Caballo Tono with a humbucker in the neck position and a single coil in the bridge position. The neck has been worn smooth and makes the guitar very nice to play. This a workhorse guitar capable of creating a wide range of tones and I use it extensively for recording work as well as for live.
2015 Fender Custom Shop 1963 Stratocaster
This 2015 Fender Custom Shop 1963 Stratocaster features a deep-contoured alder body with an Olympic White lacquer Relic finish. Tone comes from three hand-wound ’60s Stratocaster single-coil pickups (reverse wound/reverse polarity middle pickup) with modern five-way switching. The guitar also features a quartersawn maple neck with a comfortable ’60s oval C profile and small headstock, 9.5″-radius round-laminated rosewood fingerboard with 21 narrow jumbo frets, a three-ply mint green pickguard, vintage white control knobs, American Vintage bridge, and American Vintage tuning machines. A nice complement to my 2011 Custom Shop Strat.
2015 Gretsch Stephen Stern Masterbuilt 6128 Duo Jet
A Lake Placid Blue Gretsch 6128 Duo Jet built by Stephen Stern at the Gretsch Custom Shop. Stephen Stern arrived at the Fender Custom Shop in 1993 and has led the Gretsch Custom Shop since 2005. Beautiful instrument to play although a tad susceptible to feedback at higher gain.
2014 Ibanez Artstar AF155
This is my second hollow body Ibanez, the Artstar AF155. I love to play jazz and, in another decade or so, I may get to a level where I become a convincing jazz guitarist. But, for now, this one is not holding me back. Wonderful, woody tone for jazz.
2012 Collings Eastside LC
After failing to bond with my Collings CL Deluxe, I decided to trade that guitar for this gently used Collings Eastside LC. I plan to spend a lot more time developing my jazz chops and this is certainly a fine instrument for the job. I picked this one up in 2017.
2012 Cleaver ‘Caster
My youngest son and I worked on this guitar for a school project. Matthew did almost all of the work on the guitar including the paint, much of the woodworking and most of the electronics. We do need to take the guitar in for a tech to do the final setup. It holds a special place in my guitar collection.
2011 Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster Pro
This 2011 Stratocaster Pro is made by the folks at the Fender Custom Shop. The guitar is fashioned from 100-year-old pine and finished with nitrocellulose lacquer over a copper colour. The neck is quartersawn maple with a large “C” back. The maple fingerboard holds 22 frets with a 9.5 inch radius and 6100 frets. Sound is produced through Master Design pickups with 5-way switching and no-load middle/bridge tone control.
2009 Squier Custom Vibe Telecaster
This one was a terrific find. A Chinese Tele that plays well and sounds pretty good especially for the low price. A perfect guitar for a student just starting out or for an accomplished player who needs a low cost guitar. I take it out when the venue might be harsh on a wooden instrument such as hot, humid summer days.
2008 Tom Anderson Drop Top
The Tom Anderson Drop Top is a boutique Super Strat. Great sounding guitar and I used to play it all the time. Very versatile.
1994 Paul Reed Smith Custom 22
After I finished a busy touring season I rewarded myself with my first “boutique” guitar: a Paul Reed Smith Custom 22. I have a few friends who think that this guitar is the best one of my collection.
1981 Ibanez AS 200
I really, really wanted a Gibson ES-335 guitar. My guitar hero at the time, Larry Carlton, played one. That was reason enough for me to begin my search. However, Gibson in the 1980s was not producing really great guitars. I could not find one that would sing. My local guitar shop suggested that I try the new Ibanez Artist Series guitar.
1976 Les Paul Standard
This was my first good quality electric guitar. I bought it second hand for $300 in the late 1970s. It was played hard back then as I was actively touring and recording all around Canada and the United States. Despite the work on the road and over 40 years of service, the guitar looks almost mint. This guitar does get played from time to time but usually only at home or in the studio.
2012 Collings D2H
This is one incredible acoustic guitar. The square-shouldered 14-fret dreadnought is a very popular design. Collings brings such depth and warmth of tone. I have not played a better sounding acoustic. Ever.
1972 Guild D40
I bought this guitar new at Steve’s Music in Montreal. That was, ahem, over 50 years ago. I took it with me everywhere I went back in those early years of my life.
2023 Ibanez SR Premium Poplar 5 String
A very unique bass with Nordstrand pickups, an Atlas 15-piece Panga Panga, Maple, Padauk, Purpleheart and Walnut neck, Panga Panga fretboard along with other premium features. Great sound and very easy for a guitar player to use as it is so responsive.
2022 Lakland Darryl Jones Signature DJ-5
I will sometimes get called for bass and I have a few instruments like this Lakland. The bass has a 35-inch scale and the neck is very, very responsive. I am partial to the sound of a Jazz bass and this one covers those tones and more.
2002 Fender American Jazz Bass (5-String)
I picked up this Fender American Jazz Bass along the way. I traded a four string Jazz Bass for this 5 string. Cost me a few hundred dollars at the time. Likely worth a bit more now.
AMPS AND PEDALS
Fractal FM9
The FM9 Mark II Turbo from Fractal Audio Systems is an all-in-one amp modeler, effects processor, foot controller, audio interface designed for professional stage/studio use. With four DSP cores, the FM9 is a very powerful floor unit and I have been using it extensively when playing out in Florida and in Canada. Great tones and great workflow.
Line 6 Helix Floor
I have the Line 6 Helix Floor and the HX Stomp. They offer excellent workflow, a wide range of effects and amps, and they are definitely capable of producing good tones.
Swart AST Mk II
The AST MkII is Michael Swart’s take on a head and cab rig with 4/8/16ohm impedance selection, the ability to run the 6V6, 6L6, and EL-34, along with the addition of a completely bypassable dedicated tube stage master volume. The all aluminum, star ground chassis is housed in a hand-made , finger-jointed, solid wood cab, covered in lacquered tweed. I run the amp with 6V6 tubes. Sounds great.
Swart STR Tremolo
The Swart STR Tremolo is a 5 Watt amp with a terrific tremolo effect. Awesome tone that can be found at reasonable volume levels. This amp provides plenty of options for melding the clean tone, including a three-position EQ switch that can toggle between a natural clean tone, warm distortion and a fuzzier retro-styled tone. I have it loaded with a 6V6 power tube.
I picked up this Fender American Jazz Bass along the way. I traded a four string Jazz Bass for this 5 string. Cost me a few hundred dollars at the time. Likely worth a bit more now.
Amp Modeler and Pedals
This is my main amp/pedalboard. From left to right (top row): Strymon Big Sky reverb, Strymon Timeline delay, ToneX. From left to right (middle row): Origin Effects Halcyon, Browne Amplification Protein dual overdrive, Xotic EP Booster, Walrus Julia chorus, JHS Kilt overdrive. From left to right (bottom row): RJM Mastermind PBC/6X looper/switcher, Shure GLXD wireless system, Keeley compressor, Xotic XVP 25K volume pedal. Under the board: two CIOKS power supplies, a Strymon MIDI hub and a DISO+ interface. The pedalboard is the Elevation V2 24×16 from Creation Music.
Bass Pedalboard
This is the pedalboard that I use on those rare occassions when I get a call for bass. The pedalboard is a Metro 24 from Pedaltrain. Under the board is a 1Spot Pro CS6 low profile power supply. From left to right (top row): Walrus Canvas Mono Line Isolator, MXR Octaver, Line 6 Relay G50 Wireless. From left to right (bottom row): Line 6 HX Stomp, Polytune 2 Tuner, Darkglass Alpha Omicron Overdrive, Darkglass Hyper Luminal Compressor, Xotic XVP 250K Volume Pedal.
ACCESSORIES
I use custom Gravity 1.5mm picks. I buy them in bulk. They even etch my name on them.
I play Stringjoy Signatures Nickel Wound 10/48 and D’addario XS Nickel Coated 10-46. Generally use the Stringjoys when in the States and the D’Addarios when in Canada.
I use Mogami cables for the pedalboard with soldered connectors.
I use Evidence Audio instrument cables.
I still use a Shure 57 to mic up the guitar cab although I rarely gig with an amp these days.
I use pedalboards from Creation Music and Pedaltrain.
I use CIOKS boxes to power the guitar pedalboard and Truetone for the bass pedalboard.
My in-ears are from 64 Audio.
The Mono Classis Electric Guitar Case is used for most of my gigs.
I have more pedals than is appropriate for any guitar player. Especially overdrive pedals.