I am always curious about other musicians' equipment, and have often been asked about mine, so I thought I'd provide a little information about some of the gear I use.



Riverside Acoustic Guitar




My main acoustic guitar proves that you don't have to spend a great deal of money to have a genuine player's acoustic guitar that looks stunning, plays well and sounds great in a live situation!

The first thing people notice is, of course, the unusual floral inlay on the fingerboard.

After pretty much every gig, fellow guitarists in the audience have been dying to know the secret to the sound, and a large part of that is due to my specific habits when fingerpicking, strumming, and hitting the top of the guitar.

The other real secret here is the pickup system - I had a K&K Pure Western passive pickup system installed in this guitar and it has made all the difference in reproducing the sonics of my individual style, in incredible acoustic fidelity.



Turner TG42CE Acoustic Guitar




The Turner is my acoustic guitar of choice for band or duo situations where I will be playing lead guitar, or where I have to cut through a loud rock band. A Dean Markley Trilogy system allows me to mix piezo, magnetic and mic signals to suit the situation.



MXG Custom Strat




I bought this from a local session musician at a price which was pretty close to being a steal. With Tom Anderson pickups in an H-S-S configuration, and a custom wiring setup, this guitar sounds meaner and grittier than the relatively mellow Fender, and feels absolutely amazing to play!



60's Fender Stratocaster




Another guitar which goes to show that you can get great tone for a very reasonable outlay. My Strat is Japanese-made, and has handwound Fender Custom Shop '69 pickups, Stringsaver saddles, and a custom wiring configuration. I alternate between preferring this and my custom MXG strat, but at the moment this is my main electric guitar.



Yamaha TRB-6 Electric Bass




This is my main bass guitar, a tonally flexible and great looking bass that engineers love the sound of, and that I love the feel of. To make it more friendly to play on dark stages and in orchestra pits, I have had LEDs installed along the top of the neck, in blue to match the colour of the bass. I always get compliments about the way this bass sounds and looks whenever I play it out!



Conklin 8-String Electric Bass




I break this one out when I am feeling a bit more adventurous. With 8-strings in a BEADGCEA tuning, this bass comfortably straddles the roles of 6-string bass and 6-string baritone guitar, and completely floors everyone who sees it! I have had LEDs installed and a lit butterfly adorns the headstock. I like bringing this one along with my electric upright - two very memorable 'twin' basses!



Hi-Tech RL Electric Upright Bass




This incredible instrument was custom made for me, and sounds as beautiful as she looks! Made out of carbon fiber and synthetic materials, this upright is not affected by humidity or temperature, and partially dissembles into a very manageable gigbag. I would be happy to put anyone interested in having one of these made in touch with the luthier - just get in touch.


Other Instruments


Some of my other equipment I use: