Equipment

Never listed my equipment, because I'll pretty much play with anything. Only thing I'm picky about is the guitar. But here goes, for what it's worth.

Guitar

Currently gigging with a Gibson Les Paul. It ain't perfect. The neck is wonky and the E and A strings buzz between the 9th and 12th frets. But it sounds fucking great. But may swap to a Tokai Les Paul because it's the second Gibson Les Paul I've had with a crappy neck. I also practice with a Fender Strat and my first second guitar, a fantastically heavy no-name strat copy I fitted out with Seymour Duncan and Carvin pick ups, a graphite nut, and an Alembic Stratoblaster thing. Own a Gibson SG and a cheapo Mex Telecaster. And a Tokai Strat copy. If I had the cash, I'd have more guitars (must... resist).

Strap

Using an old Ernie Ball strap with Schaller strap locks - a must with any guitar, but more so with the weight of a Gibson. You don't want to snap the head of a Les Paul when the strap slips off. Have Schaller strap locks on the Gibsons Fender and no-name Strats.

Amp

For years, I played and practiced through a Sessionette 75 (since gone it a bit flaky on me, needs a service). Currently practicing and gigging with Marshall stacks. No idea what they are, but they sound great.

Pedals

I use a Boss DS-1 distortion pedals to fill the sound out during solos and add some sustain. Been considering picking up a Keeley modded version. Used to have an array of pedals, but they all got pinched. Still own a couple of wah-wah's (Morley and Colorsound). Might start using them again, but I ain't that great with them.

Tuner

Broken two guitar pick tuners (a planet waves and an early Strobopick - which I loved). Poised to buy a Planet Waves Chromatic Pedal Tuner after the disaster of the last gig. And probably some locking machine heads for the Gibson (my Fender Strat has them, and they are a god send). Have a pitch fork that's never let me down (A).

Strings

Ernie Ball Regular Slinky. Used Dean Markley custom lite's back in the day, but had trouble finding them of late. Never really used a light gauge, but have tried some obscenely heavy gauges in my time (till the bassist threatened to quit because I was making him redundant...). Have a slightly lighter gauge on the Fender Strat.

Cables

Whatever. Currently a mixture of Ernie Ball and Fender.

Been lusting after this guitar...

I had a look in a couple of guitar shops in the States for a Gibson BFG, but they weren't shipping yet. Mores the pity, as the usual £ = $ price hike in the U.K means that I can't justify buying one for the foreseeable future.

But I love the look of this guitar. When you hand over your Les Paul to another guitarist who's broken a string you end up worrying about the pounds being knocked off by his belt buckle. Hand over a BFG and he'd be adding character.

So I'm blogging it here to get it out of my system. And in case anyone gets a sudden urge to buy me a surprise present ;)

(photo courtesy of Gibson Germany)

Re-appraising the Gibson Les Paul

Another Gibson
Originally uploaded by wetwebwork.

My first guitar was a Les Paul copy by Hohner, which I subsequently did a Pete Townsend on playing at a party. I played Strats (no-name copies and Tokais) from that point on. Recently, when I finally had some cash, I bought a Fender Strat and then, after a long search, a Gibson Les Paul.

I took the Les Paul to Chandlers to be set up, and was gutted when they pointed out that not only was the neck no good, but that it had more twists than a series of Lost. I took it back to the shop, and after faffing around, they swopped it for another. The new one didn't have the beautiful tiger stripe finish of the first, a tone knob was loose, and I wished I'd bought a Tokia Love Rock instead. I wrote a scathing review of it on Harmony Central, and it sat unloved on a guitar stand.

Then the band came together, and hearing that there were Marshall stacks in the studio, I took the Les Paul down to try it loud. And I haven't played another guitar with the band since.

The sound through the Marshall amps is something to behold. Power chords crunch, the sustain is a long sexy scream that descends to a sexy sigh, and when you palm mute with your right hand you are a one man rythmn section waiting to rip loose. Would I buy another if it was lost? Tough decision. I'd look long and hard at the Tokia's. But I'll never finish a cover of 'My Generation' with it as Townsend does.

It started a couple of months ago...

A couple of months back, a friend rang to see if I was up for trying out in a punk covers band they had put together round a singer who could belt out some Pistols songs. My friend plays bass, and I met him and the drummer at a studio. Well, an old Doctors surgery - imagine the drumkit where the Doctors desk would be, the bassist standing where the patient would sit, and me playing exactly where the Nurse would stand if she had just popped in with an x-ray showing my ego smaller than it should be, then fill every other available gap with Marshalls, mixing desks, PA's, and the like. We tore through "Pretty Vacant", "God Save The Queen", and "Blitzkrieg Bop". Too much fun. With a couple of gigs lined up, saying "yes" was easy.