Gear
Fano Standard JM6
This is my main gigging guitar. It is a high quality built with a fat well rounded sound that makes it great for most situations.
Tom Anderson Droptop Classic
An amazing guitar that I was lucky to acquire in a partial trade. Flawless engineering makes this guitar sound great and stay in tune no matter what the occasion. A choice of single coils and a bridge humbucker make this an extremely versatile instrument, suitable for most gigs and recording sessions.
Gibson Firebird
While known as a rock guitar this also works surprisingly well for jazz and soul music. Great 70s rock style solos but on the neck pickup it has a nice smooth punch.
Fender Stratocaster
An essential part of the arsenal of any guitarist. This strat is fitted with Tom Anderson pickups giving it a slightly higher output and a more ‘Gilmourish’ kind of tone.
K Yairi acoustic
Beautiful soft toned acoustic guitar. Records really well with a mic or via the pickup.
Regal Dobro
The classic steely sound of the dobro is a great touch on certain recordings. I play this with slide for a southern rock or country-blues sound. This was my main solo performance guitar for a long time and has been all around the world with me.
Ibanez mandolin
Mandolin is a handy addition to studio sessions. It adds a great percussive and melodic enhancement to a track. I enjoy playing mandolin when I get a chance.
Amps:
Hiwatt Custom 50
This is an incredible amp. Capable of huge volumes it also sounds good at low volumes and its compact size makes it portable (although it weighs a tonne).
This is my main gigging amp. Miles of clean headroom make it a perfect platform for pedals and to sculpt different sounds on top of.
Classic British tones with added versatility.
Hiwatt Custom 20
A lot easier on the back than the Custom 50, the 20 watt version is ideal for most band gigs. Although only 20 watts it has enough grunt to compete with any drummer.
Unlike the 50, this amp with break up when when driven giving a great classic British rock sound. At normal stage volumes it also takes pedals very well.
It has a very mid-range focused sound, with heaps of tube saturation even on the cleans. And the soft response of a classic vintage amp which I love for the extra interactiveness with the guitar and playing style that it gives.
Ceriatone Plexi 50 with 2 x 12 custom Celestion G12-65s
This is a boutique clone of a 60 Marshall Plexi JMP. It gives that classic 60s rock sound (think Cream, Hendrix, Free etc).
All handwired with a custom made cabinet this is a top quality amp. Great for blues and rock gigs that need that special sound.
Not suitable for gigs where a clean sound is needed (i.e soul, funk etc).
Jansen 6 35 head
Although I love British amps there are times when a Fender style sound is needed. Enter the Jansen – an original 1960s NZ made version of the Fender Bassman.
A lovely warm amp with heaps of Fender style twang when needed.
Records really well, a great studio tool. However being 50 years old I wouldn’t want to take it out on the road.
Pedals:
Too many to list/admit to….
