Guitars (and basses and other stuff) wot I have owned...

Here you can discuss details about instruments, equipment and all those other bits that non-musicians won't understand !

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Trevor Raggatt
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Guitars (and basses and other stuff) wot I have owned...

Postby Trevor Raggatt » Sat Jun 14, 2014 8:39 pm

Inspired by Brad's fine suggestion I thought I should start up a "guitars wot we have owned" thread.

So to start us off here is what I own in my guitar and stuff collection...

My current instruments...

As a bass player for the most part it is dominated by basses but there is some other interesting stuff too... Some of the basses have been featured on my blog if you are interested (guitars are for the future). I will post the links where appropriate. All my purchases and sales have a story of sone sort though...

Basses

1985 Wal Custom Mk 1 bass. http://walbasshistory.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/my-basses-1985-wal-custom-4-string-bass.html
1979 Wal Pro Series Pro 2E bass. http://walbasshistory.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/my-basses-1978-wal-pro-series-bass.html

Signature brand "Frankenjazz" project Jazz bass
Aria SB700 bass
Tony Revell hand made acoustic bass

http://walbasshistory.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/my-basses-non-wal-basses.html This page covers the three basses above in some detail. They all have a story to tell...

Acoustic Guitars

Brook Tamar 010 Small jumbo acoustic guitar
Fylde Gordon Giltrap Signature guitar - won as star prize in a charity competition and presented to me by Gordon!

Norman B20 Folk (my wife's really)

Electric guitars

Gordon Smith G90 "Genesis" - a prototype built to demonstrate Eco-friendly building techniques and an innovative pickup arrangement. Again, won in a charity raffle. Presented to me by Steve Howe.
Gordon Smith Gypsy GS2 Semi solid

Stuff

Fylde Octavius Bouzouki
German Flamed Maple Ukulele

To those I have loved and lost...

Washburn D25S slope shouldered, Gibson-style dreadnought. Sold to contribute towards buying my Brook
Squier Jazz Bass (heavily customised and eventually de-fretted). This had become a "project bass" when I bought my Wal. Also sold to contribute towards purchasing the Brook and because I realised I would never be any good as a fretless bass player!
Yamaha Pacifica 320 - an odd twin humbucker, telecaster shaped thing. Exchanged/sold/bartered for a new Hiscox Electric Guitar Case when I bought my Gordon Smith Gypsy

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Roger USA
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Re: Guitars (and basses and other stuff) wot I have owned...

Postby Roger USA » Sun Jun 15, 2014 3:51 pm

A very interesting collection!

Please remind me not to bother buying a ticket if I am ever at a celebrity charity event at the same time as you.......or better still I will get you to purchase my ticket for me.

All the Best,

Roger

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Mike Stranks
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Re: Guitars (and basses and other stuff) wot I have owned...

Postby Mike Stranks » Mon Jun 16, 2014 9:08 am

Can I join in with "Microphones I have owned"? Or mixers??

:lol:
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BRC
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Re: Guitars (and basses and other stuff) wot I have owned...

Postby BRC » Mon Jun 16, 2014 3:50 pm

Mike,

I would certainly be interested in microphone personal history, being in the main a Shure mic user over the years. A 'Mike on Mics & Mixers' gives quite a nice alliterative slant.

However, maybe that needs a thread starting separately elsewhere on the discussion forum as this category is 'Guitar Anoraks Forum', though if they are guitar mics I suppose that is okay.

Note: My tongue is definitely in my cheek with the above response.

Trevor,

Thanks for getting the ball rolling and you look to have gained a good deal of interest very quickly. I shall join in late September, or earlier if commitments elsewhere permit. I would be interested in your comments on comparisons with other guitars owned or played over the years.

I empathise with Roger' comments. Please let us all know your secret to prize winning - on second thoughts don't as we may all get very envious!

Kind regards to all.

Brad

Trevor Raggatt
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Re: Guitars (and basses and other stuff) wot I have owned...

Postby Trevor Raggatt » Mon Jun 16, 2014 9:00 pm

Mike, I guess that would qualify as "stuff" so do share :D

Ps Shure SM58' Shure Beta 57 (my personal fave vocal mic) and a small diaphragm Rode condenser which is lovely for acoustic guitars! 8)

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Russ Gannicott
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Re: Guitars (and basses and other stuff) wot I have owned...

Postby Russ Gannicott » Wed Jun 18, 2014 9:53 am

On the mic front, I can offer up (for cabinet micing) Sennheiser 606, Sennheiser 609 and a Sontronics 'Halo'. For acoustic guitar Sontronics STC-2 and Joe Meek JM-27.

I like microphones...... :lol:

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Mike Stranks
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Re: Guitars (and basses and other stuff) wot I have owned...

Postby Mike Stranks » Wed Jun 18, 2014 10:11 am

Ooh... now you've got me all jealous Russ...! :lol:
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Mike Stranks
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Re: Guitars (and basses and other stuff) wot I have owned...

Postby Mike Stranks » Wed Jun 18, 2014 10:38 am

To keep this to manageable proportions - I too suffer from MAS (Mic Acquisition Syndrome) - I'll just post about mics for guitars.

I've been a long-time fan of the Rode NT5 which I've frequently used for both Gordon and Ray Burley when miking them for non-pickup events. For recording, a matched-pair in X-Y configuration is very nice.

I've being doing some experimenting with omni-directional microphones of late for recording - with the caveat that it's only viable if you're recording in a room that has good acoustic properties. The Karma Ki-Micro Silver Bullet is incredible value for money, but you do now have to be careful that their matched-pairs are indeed matched.

I've already mentioned the NT-5 from Rode. For added versatility, the NT-55 comes with interchangeable cardioid and omni caps as well as switchable pads to reduce the sensitivity and switchable bass-roll-off.

I've been fortunate enough to get a pair of mics that I've long-coveted - the Sennheiser 211. These are omnis from the 1960s/70s... you'll often see them in archive clips from the period being used by the likes of Tom Jones and Shirley Bassey. Lovely, smooth and unhyped response - great singly or as a spaced pair for stereo.

But my current 'cat that's got the cream' feeling is about some new (to me) cardioids that I've just bought: Audix SCX-1.
I'd never heard of them before, but having seen them compared very favourably to offerings from Neumann and Schoeps I decided to risk buying 'unknown' mics. So glad I did. Fantastic sound and brilliant transient response!

And just to wrap-up... I've also used Audio-Technica AT2020s - another bargain - on acoustic guitar with some success as well as a CAD M179 - infinitely variable pattern from omni thru hypercardioid - incl figure-of-eight.

As for cabs... Russ's list contains some industry-standards which I've used but never owned. The Shure SM57 is another standard, but a tip from the stable is the Superlux PRA 628. Just over £30 and in performance terms as far as I'm concerned, very close in sound to a Sennheiser 609.

For those who want to we can go deeper on mics and miking, but in fairness to the O/P we'll probably start another thread. So respond here if you do want to and we'll then start something else. (PS. There's already a topic about mics and miking elsewhere on this site, but it's now quite old...)

Mike
The older I get, the better I used to be

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Re: Guitars (and basses and other stuff) wot I have owned...

Postby GORDON » Wed Jun 18, 2014 7:29 pm

What a great thread guys, let's keep,it going.Microphones are the lifeblood of acoustic music,and their use has shaped some of the greatest music ever recorded.Well done Mike for starting it.

SO SO SO important to the music industry.My dear friend the legendary BILL LEADER was a master when it came to mike placement and choice of mike for specific applications.Remember this is the man who produced some of the greatest musicians to emerge out of the British music scene....and I'm not talking about me.I came along much later when Bill had already made legendary recordings of Alexis Koerner and Davy Graham way back in 1962.

He recorded the first Bert Jansch album in his flat in Camden Town,and the same with Johnny Renbourn's early albums.I think he chose to use the recording studio at RG Jones in Wimbledon for my albums because he instinctively knew that my music needed studio compressors to create that acoustic rock sound I was producing way back then.

It is a little known fact that Dave Swarbrick and Sandy Denny were in the studio for my first session atRG JONES..They were there looking for a lost session they did but had somehow lost it!

It was also at a Bills flat where I met Billy Connelly for the first time when he was there with Tam Harvey who were then known as the Humbelbums,later to be joined by Gerry Rafferty.Memories are made of these eh my friends.Great memories indeed.

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Mike Stranks
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Re: Guitars (and basses and other stuff) wot I have owned...

Postby Mike Stranks » Wed Jun 18, 2014 11:39 pm

In fairness to Trevor I'm going to start a new thread on mics and miking...

... so about those geetars... :lol:
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Re: Guitars (and basses and other stuff) wot I have owned...

Postby Stevo » Mon Aug 25, 2014 9:44 pm

Here's my list.

Acoustics

1st was a 3/4 size nylon string
CSL Winchester (Martin Dreadnought shape)
Harmony 12 string
Aria JJ
Lowden 012c
Rob Armstrong Parlour (cedar/mahogany)
Rob Armstrong Parlour (spruce/teak)

Electrics

Columbus Telecaster (natural finish)
Fernandez Randy Rhoads (cream Les Paul)
Fender Strat Hot Rod (candy apple red)
Epiphone Les Paul (wine red)
Rory Gallagher Strat (not a Fender)

This is all the guitars I have owned since I started playing in the early 80s.
These days I only have the Lowden (had this guitar for 20 years now) and the Rory Strat.

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Russ Gannicott
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Re: Guitars (and basses and other stuff) wot I have owned...

Postby Russ Gannicott » Fri Sep 12, 2014 11:37 pm

Mike, I have new favourites! The Rhode M3 has to be the best value for money mic I have ever come across! I use them for drum overheads, acoustic guitar and female vocals, both live and recording..........all for about sixty quid each!

OK...on the guitar front here, I might have a problem...um, shall we just go for English instruments to start with?

Aoustic: Rob Armstrong Parlour 6 string, Rob Armstrong Mandocello, Rob Armstrong 6 string dulcimer.

Electric: Steve Acworth Telecaster No8, Steve Acworth Telecaster 'Teamwood' (ex Jeff Beck), Doug Wilkes (ex Dave Gilmour), Hayman 2020 (ex Mike Rutherford), Peter Cook ' Nobbly Ned', Shergold 'New Meteorcaster', Shergold Masquarader 6 string, Shergold Masquarader 12 string, Shergold Masquarader double neck.
.
Next instalment we will tackle the Japanese guitars!!!

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AndrewD
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Re: Guitars (and basses and other stuff) wot I have owned...

Postby AndrewD » Sun Sep 14, 2014 3:17 pm

The first guitar I had was inherited/borrowed from my brother and was a Martin Colletti. I never really got to grips with it but while at university a friend had a Fender Mustang which I loved so I got my first "real" guitar in 1987 which was a Japanese Strat. The centre pickup had been replaced with a humbucker which was switchable between single and double coil.

I traded the Strat in 1992 and got a Yamaha acoustic (can't remember the model).

In 1996 I traded the Yamaha for an Epiphone Les Paul (still got that).

Then the collection grew. I got a Fender La Brea, Ephiphone 12-string acoustic and an Aria Legend bass.

In an attempt to learn to play "properly" I bought a Raimundo 118 classical instrument. After getting Grade 4 I added an Alhambra which is my pride and joy.

I sold the Fender and Aria and went to a JHS GG Signature.

I'm fairly settled now but may sell the Raimundo and Epiphone 12-string at some point as they don't get a lot of use now.

I've always preferred cedar tops for some reason, just the timbre and warmth I think.

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Re: Guitars (and basses and other stuff) wot I have owned...

Postby Trevor Raggatt » Sun Sep 14, 2014 4:27 pm

Forgive me Father for I have sinned, it has been three months since my last confession. I have been lead astray by lusts of the tonewood and I have fallen prey to temptation...

So, as if that list at the top of the thread wasn't long enough I've fallen prey to another acoustic-electric beauty. All for completely logical and justifiable reasons, of course...

At church we've been doing some more regular "acoustic evenings" where the worship band has a very unplugged feel - acoustic instruments only. Last time we did one I borrowed a friend's acoustic bass to play (my Tony Revell Bass is a purely in the house bass) and it was such a complete dog to play I swear that every time I plucked a string it actually went "Woof!". Anyway, I vowed that for the next one I would need to get a decent sounding, decent playing acoustic bass that I could plug in. So, the other weekend I headed down to Andertons in Guilfford and came home with a lovely Faith Titan Nelpune acoustic bass. Solid mahogany back and sides and a solid Engelmann spruce top, designed by UK luthier Patrick Eggle and assembled in Indonesia all adds up to a rather nice little (big) bass. Can't wait to put her through her paces on stage in a couple of weeks!

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Lu_B
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Re: Guitars (and basses and other stuff) wot I have owned...

Postby Lu_B » Sun Dec 07, 2014 7:34 pm

Here's my little list, there of course have been many others that have passed through my hands along the way :)

Acoustic:
Yairi Gordon Giltrap Signature

Electric
Tokai 335 (Korean) - Seymour Duncan Seth Lover Pickups
Tokai Love Rock (Japanese) - Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates Pickups
Tokai SG (Japanese) - Gibson 57
Fender Squier Strat (Japanese) - SSL-1 Seymour Duncan California Set Pickups
Fender Telecaster (Mexican) - Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder and Hot Tele Tapped Pickups
Fender Squier Jagmaster (Japanese) - GFS Mean 90 Pickups
Gretsch Electromatic ~ GFS NYII & NYIII Pickups


I'm looking to add a small bodied acoustic to the family, have been looking at Furch/Stonebridge but a couple of secondhand Brook guitars have caught my eye.

I'd be interested to hear your views on them Trevor.


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