RELICS OF TIMES PAST
Ones that got away
The bits of kit that broke, were stolen or sold because I like feeding my kids or didn't want to live in a cardboard box!
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There's been a few instruments and bits of kit that I've not included. Simply because they weren't worthy of noting. I had a Blue Boston Acoustic that was a fantastic piece of kit and now resides with "Hellbent For Ever" guitarist H. I also had a beautiful Tanglewood 12 string that I had to sell and would love to retrieve.
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Also, It's worth noting that even though I use digital multi FX and Amp modelers. I love the sound of a real tube amp and good old stomp boxes, but. To create the rigs I love on my Helix in real life would require the sale of major body parts or close family!
MY FIRST GUITAR
Axe Phantom II Riffmaster
This isn't actually it, just a picture I found on Google. The actual one unfortunatly met it's demise and went across the the rainbow fretboard to 6 string heaven.
I bougnt mine through a mail order ad in Kerrang! magazine when I was about 16. It came with a transparent gig bag, Battery powered amp and a learning pack (2 books and a cassette). My memory of its playabilty is hazy, but I didn't care back then. It was red, it chugged!
ARE STRATS COMPULSORY?
Sunn Mustang by Squier or Fender!?!
In a youthlike stupid move, I passed my First Guitar to my then Girlfriend and bought a Strat copy from my Nans catalogue. It was my first single coil/straty guitar and the first one I ever modded. My Mum's boyfriend helped me fit a single locking trem and I slamed a "Damage Inc" sticker on it so it would look like Kirk Hammett's Fernandes Strat. This precious met it demise at the hand of another ex girlfriend.
DREAMS OF BEING JAMES HETFIELD
Hohner Arbor Series Explorer
Yup, I went there! My 3rd Guitar was a beast like this one, and I used it for a couple of years. Added a Dimarzio PAF pro along the way. I think this was the guitar I played at my first ever public performance. Hiding behind some backing singers, shaking with nerves and playing "knocking on heavens door" badly.
This guitar got striped down, the neck was used on my "Bat-o-caster". Eventually I repainted it to look like the cover of Danzig 1. I think it ended up with Dave Main, the genius behind D.A.M pedals. The PAF pro went on to serve in most of my 6 string guitars up to my "War Machine" SG.
IT'S ALIVE! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Mods, Monsters and Frankenstrats!
I have a long history of "customising" my stuff. Clothing, Guns, swords, anything really. So my guitars were never gonna escape. These are perhaps more extreme than more recent projects.
TAZ or 2NZ. started life as a Epiphone Strat copy that was being thrown away by my Then GF's brother. Initialy I just put it back together and did a bit of a Van Halen Tape/Paint Job. Then I set it on fire! I'd seen Steve Vai's "For the love of God" Universe and had a stupid idea! Realising that it deserved better, I cleaned it up, hand painted it and turned it into the orange beast you see before you. It was a back up guitar for years before it was consigned to the shed, where it met its demise at the hands of inclement weather.
The "Bat-O-Caster" or Mouse-Caster" began as a Marlin Strat copy. I swapped the neck and dropped in my PAF pro then adorned it with black bat stickers on its white body. Then I added Biker Mice From Mars Stickers. Eventualy this was repainted with X-men characters and sold on to a beginner guitarist.
Next to weild my PAF Pro was the beast of a Fenix Guitar like the one pictured. I loved this guitar for its simplicty, mine had one pick-up and Volume. I was my go to guitar until I began my love affair with Ibanez.
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IBANEZ, THE STUFF OF DREAMS
I had wanted an Ibanez since I had discovered Steve Vai and the Passion And Warfare Album. The Grail was (and still is!) a Paint swirl Monkey Grip Universe. As that was never gonna happen I set my sights on any Ibanez! I tried a EX but it didn't feel right, neither did an old Roadstar, or surprisingly a JS. Then my local music shop (and one I would eventually work for) got 4 RG's in. My GF at the time signed up for finance and got me a RG270 in crimson metallic. I was amazing! In went the Trusty PAF Pro and we were inseparable until I transitioned to 7 strings (It outlasted the girlfriend, It would appear I have better luck with guitars than women!). On a side note, the other RG's had colourful journeys. The Blue RG was sold to a Goth guy who I ended up fighting with on the millennium eve, he then served time for rape, attempted murder and the very "WRONG" type of Animal husbandry! A Black RG570 was bought by the Guitarist of local band Marsha Wray who went on to form the Band ThisGirl and a Green one. I sold that to a guy who ended up stealing my girlfriend but that, as they say. Is another story.
Around the time I picked up my RG, a friend of a friend asked me to repair his Amp and restring his guitar. The Amp needed a fuse, the guitar need strings. He picked up the amp and dropped of the strings and then dropped of the planet for a couple of years! So after sorting it out I got to play a JEM for while. I wish I could get one of these, I think this was where my love of maple fret boards began.
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THE OTHER WOMAN!
Music Man Axis style
When the Jem returned to its rightful owner I needed a solid back up guitar to take its place. Again my local music store came to the rescue. They had a Tanglewood copy of the EVH signature music man (later renamed the Axis). I fell in love with this body shape more than its association with the Saint of Guitar that designed it and it became a solid part of my guitarmoury.Â
When I switched to 7 string, my 5150 (as I named it) and my RG got sidelined. I needed money to pay rent and like an Idiot I sold my 5150 first, a decision I regretted almost instantly. I tried several times to retrieve it but the guy who ended up with it wanted far far more than I could've possibly afforded. So you can appreciate how happy I am to have my Sterling/Music Man Axis now.
My dream guitar? probably a 6,7 or 8 string maple fret board Ibanez wizard neck with a Axis style body. Not too much to ask for is it?
THE LOST PREDATOR
Peavey Predator TR-7
My 2nd 7 String was Identical to this. It was my main Uni Guitar and Backup for Twisteye Gigs. I was a little superstar. My first Peavey and First 7 string locking trem. Anyone whose changed the stings on a locking system will understand that it can get "emotional". I've found 7 strings set up and balance a lot quicker than 6's. You can tune the B D E string to tension then balance the beast in no time.
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Anyhoo.... Sadly, I had to sell this for a pittance to Cash Converters due to poverty. And another reason to dislike certain people.
I'd certainly play Peavey again, and the shape is reminiscent of the Peavey/EVH Wolfgang which is another guitar on my Wishlist.
MOVING WITH THE TIMES
Boss ME-8 Multi FX
As well as advancing the quality of my guitars, I moved up with my FX too (Controversial statement!). Going from a hand full of stomp boxes, including the legendary Boss METAL ZONE and Dunlop CRYBABY WAH. Up to my first multi FX unit. I had set my sights on a Zoom unit, as they were the shiny of the shiny back then. While Dino, the hero of my Music Store phoned around to source one for me. I played with the ME-8 he had set up. After half an hour of fretalicios forbidden riffs I spent my tax refund on that and never looked back! Ironicaly I went on to sell a metric F**kton of Zoom units for him when I worked there. Aaaah good times.
OTHER FX
Digitech RP100
While at Uni I looked at streamling my Everyday Carry to and from the hall of musical academia. Lugging my paperwork, 7 string and ME-8 on public transport was a ball ache so I opted for this cheap and cheerful unit for everyday stuff. It wasn't bad, it wasn't amazing. But it did the job and had a built in drum machine.
A BOY MEETS LINE 6
Spider 2 150 Half Stack
When my band Twisteye recorded our first CD I was using a Marshall VS100 and my ME-8. During the sessions we needed some extra guitar dropping on but my Amp had been packed up and shipped home. The engineer dialed in my amp on a red kidney bean POD. I was Impressed. Not long after a fellow graduate opened a music shop about a 100 metres from Twisteye HQ. He pointed me in the direction of the Spider II 150 and so began my association with Line 6. The "Stealth Bomber" was my back line throughout Twisteye's live performances and for our second CD. When we disbanded it came home. When I relocated prior to my first son being born this was one of the things I had to sacrifice. Fortunately I took back to the guy who sold it me and got an amazing deal on my POD XT Live and a Little Line 6 practice amp.
RECENT CASUALTIES
MIA but not forgotten
Beset by issues, I needed cash and along with hawking out my entire stomp box hoard (including a Whammy Pedal) and a sweet Tanglewood 5 string Bass. I had to sell the 6 stringers I had been using since my tendon sprain incident. It made me return to multi scale instruments and led to me picking up my G.o.D and Gi0 guitars in the end but I did love these two.
Epiphone SG Special - Used this with my band The Bangkok Messiahs of Groove towards the end of our blazing career. A stock instrument picked up from a legendary Doncaster Music shop. It came with a kill switch and I retro fitted my Trusty PAF Pro with a coil tap. Somebody dropped lucky on ebay when I sold thisÂ
Squier Strat - Picked this up dirt cheap from a Cash Converters shop. This picture was taken before I rewired the scratchplate with a Rail singlecoil humbucker in the bridge and a coil tap. It was the 2nd best strat I've ever played, and another steal for an ebay guitar shopper. They do say life is a bitch!
