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Gear
GuitarsRed:  Every guitar player has a guitar that's extra-special to them ... Even the 'big guys' ... Clapton has 'Blackie', Stevie Ray had 'number one', and so on. Well, I'm certainly no exception to that rule ... I call her 'Red' and she is, HAND'S DOWN, my favorite guitar!! In February of '96, I had roughly $2000 sitting in the bank, waiting to be spent on a new guitar. I'd played about 50 or 60 different strats over the previous months & one day I walked in to Reid Music, here in St. John's, took one off the wall, strummed ONE CHORD and knew instantly it was the one!! I immediately walked to the counter, after playing that one chord, handed it to a member of their sales staff & said "pack it up & ring it in".
'Red' is a '95 Mexican Strat ... Poplar body, maple neck, all American parts, assembled in Mexico. Some changes to her original components include jumbo frets & most importantly ... 3 'Gold' Lace Sensors ( the pick-ups once found in Eric Clapton's signature Strat ). The Mohog: 
'The Mohog' is a completely custom Strat-style guitar that I built ( under qualified supervision & serious guidance!! ). I called it the Mohog because, as you can see in the pics, the body is made from solid mohogany ... This in itself makes this guitar very unique, as mohogany is not a wood traditionally used in making electric guitar bodies. There are some other features making this rather unique for a Strat-style guitar ... A hard tail bridge ( no tremolo ) & it is strung through the body, like a Fender Telecaster. The hardware is mostly Fender ... Bridge, Kluson Tuners & re-issue '69 Strat pick-ups ... This thing is pretty monster!!!
 Lucy:  I made the mistake of selling a James Burton Tele & have been regretting it ever since. I recently decided it was time to do something about this terrible case of Tele-withdrawal!! And once again, I found myself at Reid Music, taking a guitar off the wall, playing a couple of chords and smiling ear to ear. It's actually a little surprising to me, how much I love this guitar ... 'Lucy' is a Squier Tele that cost me next to nothing. But she plays & feels great!! I replaced the pick-ups with Fender Noiseless, and lately, it seems to be the first thing I reach for on my way to a jam or gig!!
 Oreo:  Yes, I'm a Strat-lovin', Clapton fanatic ... So it makes sense that you'd find a black Strat in my possession!! 'Oreo' is a Mexican Squier Strat ... Alder body, maple neck & rosewood fingerboard. Some changes to the original components include jumbo frets & a set of Fender 'Tex Mex' pick-ups ( as found in the Jimmie Vaughan signature Strats ). I use 'Oreo' when I'm lookin for a bright & crisp tone.  Fat Tony: 
Being a huge BB King fan, I had to jump on this when it landed in my lap ... 'Fat Tony' is my 'Lucille' & gets his name from the 'fat tone' I get once he's plugged in. A black '335 Gibson-style', semi-hollowbody made by Oscar Schmidt ( Washburn ). I haven't made any changes to this guitar ... It plays extremely well & sounds even better!! Definitely fills my need for something that sounds and feels like a 'Gibson'.
Norm:  I've had this guitar for 10 years & it too is very special to me. 'Norm' is a Norman B20 ... A 'basic' acoustic with absolutely no 'frills' whatsoever. Canadian made, with a solid spruce top, laminated back and sides, mohogany neck, rosewood fingerboard & I put a passive Fishman pick-up in it. Most importantly to me, 10 years of excessive pounding has it sounding FANTASTIC!! And, this is the guitar I do all my writing with.  AmpLaney VC50:  I've owned 4 Amps in the 13 years I've been playing. 8 of those 13 years have been with my current amp ... A Laney VC50. No question, along with 'Red' & 'Norm', the Laney completes my 'Top Three list' of the best gear purchases I've EVER made!! After 8 years, I am still 100% in love with this amp!! It's a versatile & 'ballsy' British-made 50 watt tube amp that has never let me down!!  EffectsEffects:  On my pedal board you will find a very small & specific assortment of pedals. And only 3 of those pedals are used to change/alter my 'standard' tone. Allot of great players use multiple effects for a multitude of reasons ... I, on the other hand, do not ... I've often joked that I'm a guitar player, not a tap dancer!! So, I pretty much stick to the basics ... A Cry Baby Wah, Boss EQ, Hao 'Rust Booster' ( FANTASTIC, hand built, overdrive pedal which replaced my 'Tube Screamer' ) & a Guyatone Tremolo. Also on my board you will find an A/B box ... The 'A' channel routed to my loop & amp, & the 'B' channel is routed to my Korg 'Pandora', which I use as a tuner. 
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