Guitars and gear

Since early days I have been fortunate enough to get my hands on various resophonics including my very first 'Trovador' purchased in 1966 after placing an advert in the 'Lancashire evening post'. The instrument had sadly been vandalised making it virtually unfretable. This resulted in some serious slide practice as fingering was impossible.

Epiphone valve junior


	Click to enlarge image

Here are a collection of images of various instruments I have owned since becoming interested in slide guitar and blues during the early sixties. In the picture captioned 'St Ives' I am playing my first ever National as described above. This picture was taken in St Ives whilst busking for a few bob. We slept in the beach huts at night, absolute bliss!

The picture captioned 'Stockholm Sweden' shows me some years later. I had been lent this particular National by a college friend who blagged it of her brother for me, again on the bottom right the same instrument, this time in Copenhagen.

Busking was a great way to see Europe at the time, enabling me to 'Barnstorm' from town to town, earning enough money to live day by day. I have many wonderfull memories of this period of my life, not a care in the world!

Throughout the 80's I used an Ovation Balladeer. Plugged in to a Peavey PA system it gave me enough power to go out and work. The balladeer saw me through to the nineties when it remained my main instrument for solo work. I moved to an Ovation Longneck in late 90's. This gave me the opportunity to play in an open D position but in the key of C, a good key for me to sing in.

Finally in 2003 I moved to my present instrument, a 2003 Gibson Advanced Jumbo. This has been my main guitar ever since and was used to record part of 'Tin Church'

Also in the last few years I have become very interested in both acoustic and electric Lap Steel. I have been devouring its history and listening to many of the early pioneers as well as today's lap steel 'stars' The Gibson ES 125 you see pictured was bought to provide back up for the lap steel work, always handy to have around if any picking friends show up.

Finally just a quick word on amplification, after being a Fender man for many years I am now the proud owner of a Traynor Guitar Mate hand wired valve amp from the early 70's. Complete with reverb and vibrato it has everything I need for home and studio.

More recently I have acquired a modified Epiphone valve junior. This is the perfect amp for that early overdriven lap steel sound. I have a pair of Marshall 2x10 columns which I can connect for small gigs or to spread the sound around the stage.

For stage use I have an original Shure 55S dynamic microphone, you will see this on most of my recent gig pictures around my website. My PA consists of a pair of RCF powered speakers and a small Yamaha mixer mounted on a Microphone stand for easier control in a live situation.

All my slides are made from handblown glass and supplied by Ian Mcwee of www.diamondbottlenecks.com. They are clean, hygienic, dense and smooth, the perfect slide.
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