Equipment

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1. All Original 1958 Vintage Fender Stratocaster
2. 1993 Fender Strat with Kinman pickups, Eric Miller modifications
3. American Deluxe Fender Telecaster w/ Kinman "Broadcaster" pickups
4. G&L ASAT Classic, stock (rarely used, but to be souped up soon)
5. Robin Avalon with Tom Holmes PAF Humbuckers
6. Bill Hollenbeck semi-hollow body, Jim Nichols signature model
7. Kirk Sand electric/acoustic nylon string
8. Gibson 12-string (kept in High Strung tuning)
9. Martin 12-String (kept in standard 12-string tuning, currently on loan to me)
10. Collings OM-1A cutaway w/ Baggs M1 sound hole pickup
11. Martin 00-21 Golden Era w/ Baggs M1 sound hole pickup
12. Kevin Ryan Misson Grand Concert with Highlander pickup and AKG internal mic
13. James A. Olson SJ Cutaway w/ Crown Mic & Fishman under the saddle pickup
14. Lowden 0-25 w/ cedar top & Sunrise sound hole pickup

1. 1955 Fender small box tweed Tremolux (1x12") 18 watts
2. Louis Electric Tremblelux (1x12") approx. 25 watts
3. Louis Electric Gattone (2x10") 45 watts
4. Louis Electric Tremverb (1x12") 35 watts
5. Louis Electric Twinnmaster (2x12") 85 watts
6. Pendulum Audio Parametric Preamp & EQ
7. AER Compact 60 Acoustic Amp (brilliant)

*Generally, I prefer to play electric guitar straight into a great tube amp and work my guitar and hands for different shades of tone. Although often times I will take a pedalboard consisting of some of the following pedals, depending upon the nature of the gig/recording.

1. Menatone Blue Collar Overdrive
2. BSM RM Treble Booster
3. MJM London Fuzz(germanium transistors, for early Hendrix tones, the best fuzz ever for guitar---> fuzz ---> amp; not as compatible with a chain of effects)
4. Roger Mayer Axis Fuzz (silicon transistors, for most uses and sounds better than London Fuzz with other RM pedals)
5. Roger Mayer Octavia
6. Roger Mayer Vision Wah
7. Roger Mayer Voodoo Vibe (Tremolo/Chorus/Vibrato)
8. T.C. Electronic Stereo Chorus/Flanger/Pitch Modulator
9. DigiTech WH-1 Whammy Pedal (the original)
10. T. Rex Replica Delay Pedal
11. Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail Reverb (for amps without spring reverb)

First off, I subscribe to the notion that tone begins with the individual player and is only guided by great gear, not solely created by great gear.  Jeff Beck sounds like Jeff Beck no matter what he plays through.  That said, these are a few critical components and individuals who have been invaluable in what they have brought to my tonal pallete, inspiring me in return.   

Guitar Restoration/Repair/Modification and Set-ups:

For the last fifteen years or so I have had the pleasure of working with Eric Miller of Hands On Guitars in Chehalis, WA for virtually all of my guitar needs.  Nobody works a guitar over like him and his set-ups make your guitar more playable and enjoyable than you ever thought possible (with meticulous fret work that no machine can possibily match).

Many of his devoted customers from the East coast continue to do the same as I do and still ship their instruments across the country just so he can work on them.  For a brief period of time after moving to Nashville, I searched for a local luthier and entertained some new experiences with some better known ones (none truly bad, just not great and great is what interests me), but the answer was quite clear each and every time. 

I continue to send guitars to Eric simply because each instrument he handles possesses a mojo and charm unmatched by anyone else who has ever worked on them.  His unsurpassed passion for what he does stands in stark contrast to impersonal repair facilities where guitars are handled by any number of staff members and down-and-out players performing a day job rather than a labor of love.  Eric's exuberance for what he does is infectous, dare I say inspiring, and evident in every note after receiving a cherished piece back from his shop.

In an age in which it all too often becomes about how one buys rather than what one buys, he is a beacon for doing things for the right reasons. 

So if you're looking for the final word in repair, modification, or a builder of spectacular guitars in his own right, he is easily contacted via email or his website.

Amps:

A few years ago, when I began to get serious about maximizing my tone, I began questing for the "perfect" guitar amps. For the next several years I intensely read, listened to, and discussed the characteristics of the best tube guitar amplifiers with tone gurus.  But despite playing through some genuinely amazing sounding amps, I still hadn't found what I was looking for.  That was until I heard about an independent builder from Bergenfield NJ by the name of Lou Rosano.

Having the good fortune to check out a Louis Electrc Gattone at his west coast dealer's shop, I knew by the first note that Lou was doing something special (and still is).  No false claims or pretentious botique nonsense, just a tremendous passion, love, and admiration for builiding the best guitar amps on the market today (and some of the best ever on the planet; having friends with amazing vintage amps has enabled me to hear a lot of the magical amps up close and personal.  I simply think that Lou is building amps as amazing as the top 5% vintage ones).  It wasn't long until just one wasn't enough.

From tones reminiscent of cranked tweed Fenders to bright blackface clean or harmonic lead tones, his amps ooze tone -- they all have different personalities and strengths, but there's not a tone in the world that I want and can't get from my arsenal of his amps.  I used to pine after all sorts of vintage amps.  Now I merely use cool vintage pieces as reference points to compare them to Lou's instruments of tone.  Pretty much, I don't want anymore amps, except for more of Lou's :-)

Big claims for sure which may sound very similar to those of other ecstatic guitar players after acquring a new and exciting "it" piece.  The difference is that years later I'm still hooked; instead of hearing things I don't like over time, I only hear the things that I like even more. 

The tone on Lenny under the Music section is the '58 Strat straight into the 45 watt Gattone. Visit his website and check out the Guitar One video review of the HS M12 Hubert Sumlin model.

Pickups:

In my search for an improved tone I was turned onto Chris Kinman’s line of incredible vintage-sounding noiseless Strat and Tele pickups.  Since then his pickups have become my number one choice for authentic vintage Fender single-coil tone.  Having owned and used his traditional and blues (over-wound) sets for Strats, as well as his custom ‘60s and Broadcaster sets in the Tele, his pickups have gotten me much closer to the vintage tone in newer instruments. 

Of course there are a variety of factors involved in old Strat and Tele tones, but as far as the pickups go, I have never heard a more authentic sounding hand-wound pickup in current production.

My respect for his pickups only grew after I played through more and more pre-CBS Strats and Teles and became the owner of a beautiful sounding all-original vintage Strat.  Hearing the magic of those old single-coils next to his vintage noiseless pickups resting in my “gigging” modern Strat only confirms that he’s nailed the sound 99.9%.  Check them out and hear sound clips on his website; you’ll be amazed at the difference they make in even the most basic Strat or Tele.