drunk on gear

One of the 47 Ronin

2011-03-15T11:26:00.000-07:00

Ronin Guitars is an up and coming NYC guitar company that's making some pretty awesome stuff right now. I recently wrote a review of this guitar for TGP which can be found here: Ronin Songbird Review. It's a monster. John and Izzy are two great people with a whole lotta talent. Check out their gold foil series. That might be my next purchase.

Amps!!

2011-03-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

A small peek at some of our amps. '67 Dual Showman on a Guild 2x12 cab, '50s Bogen Challenger head, '60s Ampeg, '69 Vox AC30TB, 50s Bell Sound Pacemaker head, Ceriatone OTS and 2x12 cab, '65 Deluxe, Hot Rod Deville, Orange AD30TC on an Avatar 2x12 cab, lil' Crate 1 watter, Hartke head, Ampeg 1x15. Not pictured: '67 Super Reverb, several vintage 4x12 cabs, and more.

They Don't Make Them Like They Used To

2011-02-07T07:56:00.000-08:00

Fullerton 1959. You ever wish you had a time machine?
Rosewood was just starting to peek it's head up, surf was close but not quite, amps start trading tweed for browns and blondes, all the while, someone in there is winding Stevie's pickups.
Shot by Forrest White, you can see Abigail Ybarra, Freddie Tavares, and, of course, Mr. Fender himself.

Guitars Not Drugs

2010-12-15T14:39:00.000-08:00

While there are still many not pictured, this represents a good portion of our combined collection of guitars (and basses). Some are in various states of repair but wanted to be in the picture anyway.
Left to right:
'81 Greco SuperReal SG, '67 Gibson ES-330, '67 Fender Tele, '62 Fender Duo Sonic, '62 Fender Jaguar, '77 Fender MusicMaster Bass, '09 Languedoc G2, '62 Gibson ES-175, '80 Gibson Les Paul Custom, '95 PRS CE22, '03 Fender CS Nocaster, '53 Martin D-18, '06 Fender P-Bass, '09 Cigano Gitane.

Just about every single guitar and bass here has been used on a recording at some point. And the few that haven't yet, will be soon.

The Doc

2010-11-16T12:01:00.000-08:00

#77. The best guitar I've ever played. Nothing like it. I originally was not planning to use it live but it's criminal to keep a guitar like this at home. Two words:
Life. Partner.

Field Trip!! Martin Guitar Factory

2010-11-16T11:38:00.000-08:00

Moving to Philly was a good idea for many reasons. Perhaps the most important one, however, is its close proximity to the Martin guitar factory. I was very close to hiding in the spray booth till closing time just to see what sort of magical adventures take place when no one is around.

API A2D. Don't leave home without it.

2010-05-20T14:29:00.000-07:00

Ahhh the API A2D. 2 channels of buttery goodness. This is a large part of why Annie Jump Cannon sounds as high quality as it does for being a bedroom record. Great mic pres, great conversion, and if you have a SPIDF cable you can bypass your mBox and get two amazing sounding channels in ProTools LE. It's also small and portable so if you put it in a little rack case, all you have to do is grab a laptop and a mic or two and your recording anywhere. We've used this for just about everything since the day we got it.

1980 Gibson Les Paul Custom

2010-04-20T20:59:00.001-07:00

My first real guitar. I've had this for 13 years. Nothing quite like it. 9 lbs. Maple top, ebony board, three piece flame maple neck.

I think Mick Ronson played one like this with Bowie.

People crap on Gibson in the 80's but it's a whole lot better then lots of things out there today.

Not going anywhere.

'95 Harry Quattlebaum Les Paul

2010-04-20T08:34:00.001-07:00

Harry is a builder down in South Carolina. Not much info on him but from what I gather he builds for friends when he feels like it. Nice guitfiddle, supposedly his first one. Not perfect but he got a lot right, old growth woods, braz. board, etc.

Languedoc G2

2010-04-19T18:26:00.000-07:00

I've got this guy on order. Should be here soon. I literally can't wait another day. Bubinga back and sides, eastern maple top. No words.

Dell' Arte Manouche Pau Ferro

2008-10-07T15:12:00.000-07:00

This is a Selmer copy from late 2007. It is a prototype for Dell Arte's new Manouche line. All handmade, solid German spruce top, solid pau ferro back and sides. It's a monster. We used it to record the strumming acoustic part on Delancey St. which is funny because that's not really what it's meant for. But what the hell.

The Curtis/Reeve Guitar

2008-10-07T11:50:00.000-07:00

This is Curtis's late 90's Fender Strat Ultra? Deluxe? Something with Lace Sensors and a humbucker. It also has a roller nut and a blocked tremolo. Nice. The paint job was done by our friend Reeve Schumacher who has done a whole slew of things for different bands down here. Used for just about every live show ever.

'51 Fender Nocaster Relic Custom Shop

2008-10-05T15:41:00.000-07:00

I don't know what year this is, maybe an '04, but it's not like the rest. I am convinced this has a Danny Gatton neck on it because not only is it HUGE but it's also very highly figured birdseye maple. Never seen another with it. I put Joe Bardens in it and removed the capacitor on the tone control so it sounds new but feels old.

Used on everything we've ever done. Main live guitar for the last four years. It's taken quite a beating. These pictures are from a while ago so I will have to put some new ones up and compare the wear. One of the best guitars I own.

1939 Dobro

2008-10-05T15:13:00.000-07:00

This one's setup to play like a normal 6 string. It's got a huge V neck, it's all original, and sounds huge. Typically strung with heavy strings. There is an alternate version of "Vampires pt. II" that didn't make it on the album. It's slow and bluesy and I raised the nut on this and used it to play a couple different slide guitar parts.

'62 Fender jaguar

2008-10-05T14:18:00.000-07:00

This is a '62 Jaguar I got from Music Magic down in Miami. It's beat to hell. Sounds fantastic. The headstock looks as though it was chewed on by a teething puppy. Used on practically every track on Annie Jump Cannon. It's all original and has a neck stamp of Oct. '62.