GEAR

Some folks - especially musicians - like to know what equipment they are hearing.

I play a 1980 Guild D-50 that I bought in Boston used in 1993 for $750.00. My cousin Tom was with me, and he said "you'll get famous with that thing." Well, whatever.....Meanwhile, I love this machine SO much, and it is heavy....perfect for my playing style, and would be handy if I ever found myself up a creek. Sounds great too. It's set-up with a sub-saddle Fishman pickup. All the acoustic guitars on "Friday" are this axe.

A few years back I was browsing in a thrift shop and spied a soft case from across the room. In it was an Academy 12, a smallish, low-end Taylor acoustic 6-string. This guitar was pre-loved by someone, and it's the one I most often reach for around the house.

I also play a 1996 Tacoma Papoose P-1, which provides fun 12-string-ish, mandolin-y, banjo-y, and ukelele-y sounds when playing with others, or doubles as a fun travel guitar. It's basically a small guitar that is capo-ed on the 5th fret.

When I plug in, it's a 1990 Fender American Standard Stratocaster with stock everything. I sold my 3000-pound Fender Twin Reverb and now noodle through a Peavey Envoy 110. I love fiddling with a Dunlop Wah and a few Boss pedals. I still haven't found "my sound" on the electric yet.

I also fiddle with Yamaha FG 410-12 string, a Yamaha upright piano, an Epiphone MM-50 mandolin, a Harmony banjo, a Hernandis classical guitar, and various other noisemakers.

In about 1981, I bought a Yamaha FG-430. It was my first guitar. I sprung for the inlays around the sound hole and spent $250.00. It made it onto some early demos, and helped me write several of the songs that I eventually put on my albums.

At a small beach party in Malibu in 1991 or so, just as one of my buddies was strumming some Indigo Girls, "Sparky" got left in the confusion when a park ranger chased us away. I grieved for months.

I hope that guitar is still making people happy. Wow, we played a lot of Open Mics together.