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the blueshawk is an inveterate gear changer - it's my only fault - ha!
I have been aided in many of these changes by Neil at The Rhythm House in Stoke-on-Trent. Many of the recent changes have been driven by the need to have lighter equipment because of problems with my joints. Here is a bit of my recent history -
 | '69 Fender Telecaster Thinline reissue - a great sounding, great playing, super light & very well made guitar. I have added a Fishman Power bridge and a SD 'Lil 59. Dave at Ridgeway Guitars is currently making a new body for this guitar from swamp ash capped with lightly figured maple and edge bound with wood... I can hardly wait update - the new body is complete - see here | ||
 | Epiphone Casino NA - 2004 Korean-made. I've always wanted a Gibson ES330 - but I don't expect I'll ever want to pay what one would cost - this is very definitely a more than adequate substitute - at least as well made/finished/setup as many Gibsons (including, I'm sad to say, my much-loved Blueshawk). The P90s on this guitar are wonderfully authoritative - all pickup positions are good and throaty. I took the scratch-plate off as soon as I got the guitar - it looked tacky and I don't use a plectrum. stop press - Recently sold to my very good friend Nat... glad you had it Nat - I know it will be loved | ||
 | Parker P38 - light and very comfortable to play - also has piezo bridge and an excellent Strat style tremelo - see more pics here - gone to my mate Gav | ||
| Vintage EY-80EH with a Gibson PAF pickup in the bridge position and an under saddle piezo pickup - a hollow-bodied, electro acoustic which is a bit unsubtle but good fun to play, and worth so little it's not worth selling - ah bless. I've recently done a lot of work bringing this guitar up to scratch - including fitting new control electronics and piezo pre-amp. I've given this guitar to my son Phil.... | ||
 | G&L ASAT Special Deluxe - the most impulsive (& expensive) of impulse buys - it just didn't work out - too flash, and the sound was great clean, but not so good with a bit of crunch applied - it went to Neil in 2003 | ||
 | Fender Telecaster - the Japanese version of the Black & Gold - to say this guitar looks good is to engage in massive understatement - sadly it was very heavy - sold to Neil mid 2002 - now in the hands of Si Waite of that great band The Distance | ||
 | Ibanez MC300 - a beautifully made guitar - but incredibly heavy & characterless tone - traded in for my Vintage EY80-EH in 2000 (this picture was found on the web) | ||
 | Fender Strat Plus - basically a Jeff Beck Signature model with a Seymour-Duncan Little '59 in the bridge position - I loved this guitar, but it was just far too heavy - Neil had this for his own use Jan 2003. | ||
| amps - recent-ish ones in chronological orders | |||
 | The best amp I ever had - Fender Deluxe Reverb - I bought it in 1977 and sold when poor in 1983 - fantastic tone but at only 22 watts a bit difficult to gig. |  | Laney 30 watt valve combo - a nice amp with good tone - but it struggled a bit to make itself heard - bought in 1992, I traded it up to the the Blues DeVille. |
 | Amazing sound - a Fender Blues DeVille 4x10 - but uncontrollably loud and back-breakingly heavy @ nearly 30kg! - bought in 1994, I traded this in for the Marshall mid 2001 - bad move! |  | This one was a bit of mistake - a Marshall AVT150 - packed with features (probably too many) & well-reviewed - but essentially characterless - Neil sold this for me in Nov 2002. |
 | Peavey Classic 30 ... got rid of this in early 2003 - good but not good enough - a bit harsh, and bottom light |  | Fender Hot Rod Deluxe - 40 watts of great BLUES tone and boy-oh-boy is it loud. I am such a picky bugger - this is my fourth amp in four years - but it is still not mellow enough - changed in Spring 2005 |
