1974 Gibson B-45-12 Deluxe 12 string.
After my Hohner 12 string neck got broken, I was given this guitar by Dr. Gressik in the fall of 1985.
As of May 15, 2010 the old Gibby has her voice back. It's so much like re-discovering an old friend. I played her for about an hour and it was like we were never parted. Read the story here

Epiphone EJ-200
I bought this guitar at Lakeshore Music in Burlington in 1995 using the proceeds of my debut CD. Who says the music industry isn't lucrative! I made a whole $500 after expenses on that CD.

Update: As of Dec.2, 2008 The Epi has moved on. I hadn't played her much in the past 2 years so I found someone who would play her and keep her nice.

1974 Gibson J-45
Picked this quitar up at Georgina Music in 2003.
I fell in love with the sound and feel of this classic Gibson.

SAGA LC-10 Les Paul style guitar kit.
Made this one myself in 2006, she's called Perl.
Custom touches include the Mother of Perl inlay on the headstock, flame maple pick guard and truss rod cover as well as the walnut nobs and pickup covers. I documented this build under the title SAGA Les Paul

2007 Parts Caster aka Koko-Tele
I gathered parts from all over the internet to assemble this Telecaster style guitar. The Pick guard is a piece of Ziricote wood from Central America. Build documented under Telecaster

October of 2008 I picked up this Raven SG. Lots of work required here to bring her back to her former glory! More information on this guitar under Raven SG

November of 2008, here's a nice junk store find. It's a "VIBRA" model # 66, whatever that is. It appears to be an entry level classical with a laminated (read 3 ply) top. The finish is quite nice. It's holding tune now and is actually rather nice to play, though the action is still just a bit high even with a really low saddle. Intonation is good.

The back was covered with mold, someone had strung it with steel strings breaking the saddle and several tuners in the process. The neck has considerable relief and I've destrung it in the hopes that the neck will relax on it's own.

Check out the repair story under Vibra Classical

December 2, 2008 an even trade with the Epiphone EJ-200 above resulted in this coming into the fold. This is an Eastwood Classic 12 in Walnut finish. 12 strings, fixed tune-o-matic bridge, mini humbuckers and that sweet 12 string tone that was made popular by the Byrds Tamborine Man.

Summer 2008, Epiphone Valve Standard Amp.

Epiphone had this to say about the Valve Standard; "Pure Vintage tone, boutique quality, 15W class A (3 x 12AX7, 2 x EL84) Push-Pull; the Epiphone Valve Standard also features 16 DSP selections plus separate DSP reverb, Musical Preamp Section, Master Volume and 3 Band EQ. 12" Special Design Speaker."

The "Special Design Speaker" was an Eminence Lady Luck, though mine came "Brand New" from Long & McQuade in Burlington Ontario with a Celestion Seventy 80.

I got the idea for the stand from a company in Ontario called "Ampendage". They make an amplifier stand out of MDF with some sort of black armor coating. Their assembly instructions were all I needed for inspiration. A stainless steel handle, 8 IKEA screws, 4 rubber feet and a 16"x36" shelf from Home Depot completed the deal.

February 2009 Vantage Entertainer

I traded a Korg Poly-800 Synthesizer for this Vantage Entertainer. The binding is separating from the body and it looks like a dog was teething on the headstock, but it has some great tone and a lot of potential.

Here's a sample: of what she sounds like: Shuffling

This was recorded using Audacity directly off my DigiTech RP250 using DigiTech's embedded drum machine. All 3 tracks are the Vantage guitar. There are more pictures of this guitar under Vantage VE470

May 22 2009

Janette surprised me with this sweet SG on my birthday. I've replaced the pickups with a set of P90's from GFS as well all of the plastic parts have received my wood treatment.

There are more pictures and story in Dillion SG