When I started playing guitar, there wasn't much around in ways of effects apart from tape echo and reverb, so I created my tone by using my hands and heart. I'm really glad I had to do it that way, because I can use just about any amp/guitar combination and still make it sound like me.

My basic 'on-stage' set-up hasn't changed in 32 years, except for a few effects added along the way. I once saw a film clip of Carlos Santana, in which he played a Gibson SG through a Fender Super Reverb amp and I decided, that this too, would my set-up. Before that, I used a Guild "Star Fire III" with a Vox AC30 amp. The only pedal I had back then was a "Schaller" volume/wah, mainly to control my rhythm-to-lead volume. I never touch the knobs on the guitar, they're always on FULL. The Shaller sounded great, but I constantly wore out the "pot." I got sick of replacing it every six months and got a "Morley" volume/ wah/ boost pedal in 1976 and never looked back. The Morley works off a tiny light bulb, which is easily replaced when it blows, but it lasts for ages.

I prefer playing my SG with just the Super Reverb plus the Morley, however for Rock gigs, I augment my set-up with an Ibanez UE405 Multi-Effects rack unit and an Ibanez "Tube Screamer" for extra grunt. I use the UE405 mainly for mid boost (around 900-1.6k) and some compression when I want more sustain. That's it - an ancient set-up, I know, but what do you expect from an 'Old Guy'?! It works extremely well, so why change it? I can set up my rig in 15 minutes and do a sound check in five minutes, well - actually, only one minute for the sound check and four minutes for self-indulgent noodling!

For my 'on-stage' accoustic set-up, I play a Yamaha CPX-10 Compass Series steel string guitar, which is patched into a "Behringer Ultra-DI100" and then into the PA desk. I control the EQ from the guitar and usually add a small amount of delay from the main mixer, for a bit of ambience. I also use a Vox volume pedal, to regulate my volume, as I do with the electric stuff.

Some of my other gear includes an Acoustic G60T amp, fitted with a single 12" speaker. It's actually more powerful than the Fender, but lacks the subtle nuances that the Super Reverb's four 10" speakers produce. I use the G60T on Jazz gigs or whenever I'm too lazy to cart the Fender around. I also have a "Digitech" GSP5 Guitar Processor/Preamp, which was handy for Solo gigs, small clubs and studio sessions, but inadequate and unreliable in most band situations. The factory presets are quite awful, I don't know who programs these things - can't be a guitarist!! I've programmed a few sounds that worked well while I used the unit, but overall, it doesn't come anywhere close to my 'Old' rig.

My guitars.

I don't collect guitars. I use what I have - after all, I can only play one instrument at a time. I also think the price tags on a lot of "collector's items" are totally unrealistic. Let's face it, a $250,000 guitar once owned by Jimi Hendrix won't sound like Jimi in the hands of someone else. Having said all that, here's a run-down of my humble collection:

This is my main guitar for band work. It has an ebony finger board and is probably an early 70's model. The previous owner did a few modifications like, he removed the Bigsby tremolo arm and had two Di-Marzio humbuckers fitted. I later replaced the rear pick-up with a Seymour Duncan "Jeff Beck" model, because the Di-Marzio used to sqeal real bad at high volume. I have played Gibsons since 1972. My first SG was beautiful, with a rosewood finger board and a lovely, warm tone. The guitar was made in 1962 and I paid $400 to a collector, who kept it under his bed, so it was unaltered and in mint condition. Unfortunately it was stolen from me at a gig in 1977. My second SG was also stolen, in transit, while I was on the Roberta Flack tour in 1980 and I found my current SG a year later.



This single cut-away, slim body guitar was the first instrument I played when I turned fully professional in 1968. I used it solidly for four years and I have no idea how old it is. The guitar was fairly "beat-up when I got it and I estimate that it pre-dates the 60's. These days I play the Guild mainly on Jazz gigs and the occasional studio session. I would never sell this guitar, because it's 'helped me out' each time my Gibsons were stolen. I had some modifications done to it in the mid 70's, which include later model Guild pick-ups, a master volume control and a solid piece of wood inserted in the body to mount the pick-ups to reduce feed-back hum.



Believe it or not, this is a very good instrument when played just as a normal guitar, without the MIDI. I read somewhere that Ibanez actually made the guitar for Casio. The earlier models had "on board" sounds, but mine drives any keyboard and sound module that has MIDI interface. I bought it in 1988 and used it mainly for programming my Roland MC500 sequencer. The synth tracking is not great, though at the time of purchase it was the fastest guitar synth available. The guitar's body is similar to a 'Strat' and the rosewood finger board is wider than on standard electrics, which is great for playing finger-style. I recently replaced the original front and middle pick-ups with two Fender "Vintage Noiseless Strat" pick-ups, so this set-up gives me a "Quasi- Fender sound," whenever I need it.




I've had this one for six years, and it has made a significant difference to my on-stage accoustic playing. I love this guitar's action and warm sound and the single cut-away allows me to reach the higher frets effortlessly. The in-built EQ works really well and there's a control with which I can regulate low and mid frequency feed-back.





A friend of mine had a guitar like this and I was quite impressed with it when I borrowed it for a studio session, so I got myself one as well and played it for 24 years. The guitar has no built-in electronics, so for Live gigs I used a Di-Marzio pick-up, which clipped into the sound hole and could be removed when I played it around the house, or in the studio, where it was 'miked-up.' In comparison to my "Yammy," this one really doesn't make the grade anymore, so these days I only use it for songs with alternate tunings.

My "knock-around" guitar, which hangs out in my music room, ready to be picked up, whenever I get an idea for a song, or if I just feel like 'noodling.' It has a lovely, warm sound and I used it on several home demos.

Made by Joseph Rauscher in Munich, this interesting beauty is probably at least 80 years old and in very good nick. I inherited it from my Dad, who bought it as an investment. The guitar would have been used in traditional Bavarian music, but I have no idea as to how it was played. The first neck is standard, with six nylon strings, whereas the second neck is fretless with seven strings, which I believe are plucked as single bass strings in accompaniment to the chords played on the standard neck. The strings on the second neck are tuned in semi-tones, from D# to A, respectively. At the moment I've put some harp strings on that neck and I'm experimenting by tuning the strings to something like an 11th chord or anything else that sounds interesting. By alternating between the two necks, sometimes playing them simultaneously, I can create etherial little pieces that are quite infectious, so I'm keeping myself amused with all that.


I use D'Addario Light Gauge strings (.010 - .046) for all my electric guitars. Over the years, I have tried most brands on the market, however, I used these strings for 27 years and found them to be consistently reliable.

For steel string accoustics, I use S.I.T Pro Iight P-1150's (.011 - .050).

I like heavy picks and have played the black Jim Dunlop (1mm) nylon plectrums since they've been available. The black nylon picks have the right thickness for me and still have a soft feel about them. As the picks wear down, they don't have jagged edges, like the hard plastic ones