I really wish I'd still got all the pictures and slides of me playing back then, but sadly, over the years I've lost them!

Anyway, here's the oldest one I can find.  Here I am with my first real Strat - but to be totally honest, it wasn't that good.  It's a 70/71 Strat, and it would be worth a small fortune now.  I must be aged 16 or 17 in this pic.  Before that, I'd had a variety of copies and a 'Ned Callan' SG which I wish I still had.  And I don't even want to think about all the 'could have had / should have kept' gear ... but we all have those stories, for sure!  These must have been my first experiences of GAS :-)

Every day I wish I still had that 50 watt Marshall too!

Here I am doing what we've all done sometimes - practicing in the bedroom.  At least my parents knew what I was doing!

I remember this gig well - it was LOUD! :-)

By the mid-eighties I had known Tony McPhee (below and right) of the Groundhogs for a while.  Although I'm not really a bass player, when the job playing bass came up I jumped at it.

How many people are lucky enough to get to play with a band they loved when they were growing up?

Here's one of the only gigs I have a photograph of with me as a Groundhog.

I really enjoyed my time with the Groundhogs, especially as the band was original line up (apart from me).  Tony McPhee on guitar & vocals and Ken Pustlenik on drums.  What an honour!

For various reasons, I left the band.  Since then I've not really played so much, apart from local bands as there isn't really a music scene as such around here, although I miss it very much indeed.  Any offers?

I couldn't resist putting this photo in! (right).  I had known Noel Redding (of the Jimi Hendrix Experience) for a few years, and although I had him autograph a few things for me over the years, I've never had my photo taken with him.  Daft as I felt, that's what I did in February 2000 (in Clonakilty, Co Cork).  I sent him the pic when we got back and he kindly signed it and returned it for us below.  Thanks Noel :-)

Sadly, I never did get to play on stage with Noel.  I know I am going to regret for the rest of my life missing out on a chance!  We walked into DeBarra (probably one of the best pubs in the world - hi Bobby!) one Friday night where Noel was playing his usual Friday night session.  His bass player hadn't turned up, and after the gig Noel came over to me and said '.... if I'd known you were coming, you could have played bass.' Arrgghhhh!!! 

Noel's excellent book - Are You Experienced?

Read how Noel's sad loss and funeral were reported in the Irish and UK press.  I went over to Ireland for his funeral.

I think of him very often, and still can't believe he is gone.

Rest In Peace - Noel Redding:  
25 December 1945 - 11 May 2003 
We will never forget you!

And what an amazing pleasure and honour to meet another of my all-time heroes - Leslie West (centre) of Mountain seen here in Crewe with my friend Mark  :-)

Here I am with Robin Trower, after seeing him Manchester in March 2005.  I was very lucky to be able to see Robin and the band on tour several times in 2005/6.   What a nice guy he is - and Davey Pattison on vocals too :-)

What a guitar god - what a tone!

Equipment Corner

I saw another white Strat (right) for sale in a local shop in 1992.  It was a choice between the Strat and a really nice 1980 Gibson Flying V.

Sadly though, I had to sell this 1974 Strat in August 2002 to pay for a 2001 Fender (USA) '62 re-issue (see further down the page).  I was very sorry to sell it, but I needed the money for the '62.  Again, this wasn't the greatest Strat I had ever played - there go the 70s quality issues again.

As you can see, I still have my old angle-front Marshall 4x12 cabinet (model 1960) with 'salt and pepper' speaker cloth which dates it from somewhere between 1968 - 1970.  It has two 'pre-Rola' 'Thames-Ditton' Greenbacks in there dated 1970, and two very early 70s 25w Greenbacks.  Sounds as real as it gets! :-)

Also pictured (right) is a Marshall JMP Super Lead Mk2 100 watt head (model 2023) made in 1980.  I bought these 'forever' ago. Over the years I'd tried many other makes, but kept returning to Marshall.

Not long after I left the Groundhogs I bought this 1973 Rickenbacker 4001 bass.  I wish I had owned it when I was with the band!  It has the chequered bound edge on the body, toaster bridge pickup, horseshoe bridge pickup cover, Grover 'wave' tuners and full-width position markers - pretty collectible.

They're not everybody's cup of tea, but this bass has a lovely fast neck,  feels and sounds great to me.  Love it!

Just visible in the pic (above left) is my Trace Elliot 1x15 300w cab.  I have never had a bass cab that is so powerful.  I am sure it could move mountains if it wanted to!

I was looking on ebay one day in October 1999, and I saw this awesome old 1981 Gibson Flying V.   It started life in Los Angeles, spent some time in Minnesota and now to England.

This is a totally brilliant guitar, with an absolutely beautiful neck and of great tone by the ton - a real blueser and rocker!  I've always been a Fender player, and always will be.  But I have to say that I've fallen in love with my Gibsons!  Variety being the spice of life, as they say.

Not only did I buy an excellent  instrument, but also made the greatest of friends by email and phone with the people in Minnesota I bought it off .... Hi Steve & Becky!

In March - April 2001, Steve (huge Michael Schenker fan) and Becky came over from Minnesota to stay with us.  It was so great to meet the people I'd bought the V off :-)  Below is a photo of Steve (on the right) with his old V, with me here in England.  Thanks for such a great time!   And thanks a ton for the great time they gave us when we visited MN for the first time in 2002 :-)  Can't wait to visit MN again asap!!

This awesome V now has a new pickup on the neck position - a rocking blues sound courtesy of Bare Knuckle Pickups (hand-wound in the UK).  Thanks for the gift, Steve! :-)

Check out Steve's Flying V page - impressive!

This lovely old (1963) guitar has loads of Gibson feel and character.  As you can see, it's the single pickup and double cutaway model.  I don't know why they're not up there with the 'real' guitars, like Les Paul Juniors - I think they're great! 

I replaced the pickup with a 70/71 Mini-Humbucker which I had rewound by The Guitar Doctor.  What a sound!

This one now gives me those sounds from rock to blues that I remember so well hearing other players get when I first watched live bands. 

February 2000

This one was added in February 2001 - and what a beauty she is too.  Tone to the bone!

A 1971 Gibson Les Paul Custom in cherry sunburst.  I bought her after seeing an ad on Loot.  So, not only did I have an enjoyable day-trip down to London, but returned with this classic instrument which I'll never part with.

What can you say about a Les Paul that hasn't been said so many times before?  Beautiful!

This one is nicely aged, seems to be all original, and was only missing the gold pickup covers and black scratchplate.  It has the typical for the era cross-banded body, narrow binding in the cutaway and long tenon neck joint. 

I have since replaced the missing items with original Gibson parts.  At last in 2007 I managed to get some age-correct pickup covers embossed with the Gibson logo.  I had them re-plated with gold to the highest quality.

This one is made by a company called Vintage.  I don't know anything about the company, but this guitar seems just fine to me and came on recommendation from a friend

All I know so far is that it's an bell-brass resonator body, great fun to play slide on, and very loud!

This is a beautiful guitar to play, and sounds especially great through the clean channel of my Fender combo.  Tons of classic Tele sounds to be had, and she really sings with some distortion or overdrive too.  There are many times when this is my 'go to' guitar.

Of these effects, I mainly use the Tube Screamer, Cry Baby and DejaVibe.

In 1997 I was looking for an amplifier a bit smaller than the Marshall half stack I've had for years (and will always have).  I'd also had an old (transistor) Marshall Master Lead 30 watt combo for some years.  It was a great little amp, but it was a little bit buzzy when it got flat out - which was most of the time.

After a great deal of looking around and trying a ton of different amps I bought this USA Fender Hot Rod DeVille (2x12).  It's got to be the loudest 60 watts I've ever heard!  The tone is very versatile for my style of playing - blues and rock.  But it's definitely not for heavy metal players.  It has that great Fender reverb too.  A brilliant amp!  Some people have mixed feelings about the HRD but I give it a solid 10/10!  

I was toying with the idea of a Marshall Blues Breaker combo re-issue, but as I already have good Marshall gear I went for this Fender - and I'm really very happy with it.  The GAS Demon keeps reminding me about the great 70s JMP Marshall  50w combo though :-)

After receiving advice from people who know more about amps than I will ever know, I upgraded the stock Eminence speakers in this Fender combo to Celestion Vintage 30s and upgraded the valves too.  This made an already great amp into an awesome amp.  Thanks to Solidbody Guitar, MN for the advice and Watford Valves for the hardware.

If you love Fender amps, this book is a MUST have!

October 2001 saw another amp purchase.  A very tidy 1972 Vox  (VSL) AC30 TB.  For those who care about such things, this has a grey panel, tag-board circuitry, silver Celestion speakers and solid-state rectifier. 

I LOVE this amp!  What else is there to be said about an AC30?  Some players would mark my amp down for not having the valve rectifier, but to be honest, I can't tell the difference.

Again, this is one of those pieces of gear that I used to have so many years ago and wished I'd never sold.  Funny - when I had an AC30 then I didn't really appreciate it.  I just wanted Marshall stacks!

I still have my Marshall gear which I'll never sell, but the phrase 'older and wiser' often comes to mind  :-)  This old Vox is just tooooo sweet, especially with my Les Paul, 335 or '62 Strat!

To hear an AC30 at its best (to my ears anyway) listen to any early live Rory Gallagher (Taste).

Another beauty here in Vox corner.  This is a Vox Defiant (50 watts), and dates from somewhere between 1966-1970.  I would love to find a matching speaker cabinet for it (and afford it).

These have a great reputation as the best solid-state amps made at that time, and I would totally agree.  Whoever says solid-state can't sound good - go try one of these!  Sounds wonderful to play bass thought too.

It is pretty reminiscent of my AC30 and has beautiful depth of tone.  The reverb is lovely, and the tremolo effect is really cool.  The 'brilliant' channel has some interesting pre-set tones on offer, probably best described as the tones you get from a wah pedal set halfway.  These is also a mid-range boost (MRB). 

It also has a distortion setting which is often described as very 'Satisfaction' by the The Rolling Stones and 'Sgt Pepper' by the Beatles.  In fact, the Beatles did use these Vox Defiants during their Sgt Pepper era.

Amazingly, this amp didn't cost me anything!!!!  Yes, one of those times we all dream about.  An old guy we knew gave it to me in '02 because it was taking up space in his house!

This is a nylon-strung small-bodied Parlour Guitar from Germany dating from circa 1870.  I found this one when I was browsing the Web one night at the Springer Sisters music shop in England - I knew I wanted her as soon as I saw her!

This is a very resonant guitar and is in very good condition for such an old instrument.  Bought in June 2002.

Some might disagree with me, but to me a Martin is the ultimate acoustic guitar!  What more is there to say other than ......  it's a Martin?

Over the few years since I got this D-28 new in 2002, the sound has really started to open up and give that classic Martin sound.  Things will only get better. 

I just wish I was a better acoustic player,  But I guess that's what happens when you learn and grow up on electrics.

I have played some excellent Strats from the 70s, and some not so good.  I am sure that the much-discussed quality control issues at Fender during the 70s have a firm basis in fact. 

This '62 RI is a lot lighter too, and the neck fits in my hand like a glove.  A totally wonderful guitar and probably my main player most of the time :-)

An eBay find from New York via MN in August 2002.

I hadn't played many 12 string guitars, but this one grabbed me as saw as I saw her. 

Fender might not be renown for their acoustics, but this one has a lovely light, airy sound and very easy action.  The previous owner bought her second-hand in 1974.

Another addition in 2003.  Here we have a round-back Mandolin, made by Mario Casella of Sicily, circa 1920.  Another great buy from the Springer Sisters.  

I am still trying to play the mandolin - very badly.  This has a crisp tone, and a very beautifully inlayed scratch plate. 

1996 Fender Precision Bass.  This is almost exactly like my first Precision I had back in the 70s. 

The PB I had all those years ago had been re-sprayed.  As soon as I saw this one on eBay, that smell of fresh paint each time I opened the case came flooding back to me :-)  Another one of those 'why on Earth did I sell it?' moments!

Not a lot to say apart from this is a lovely instrument in looks, sounds and playability.

February 2004.

I guess this was my Christmas present to myself in 2004. 

I had been thinking about getting a 335 for a very long time when I saw this 1979 beauty on eBay.   This one also has a coil tap selector which was particular to this year of production.

She sounds and plays like a dream - pure rock and blues.  I especially love the tone of the neck pickup :-)  A wonderful, qaulity instrument - sheer class!

On eBay from Philadelphia, USA

1970s Gordon Smith GS1.5  Handmade in Manchester, England to the highest quality.  Gordon Smith guitars are real hidden gems, and often called 'the British Gibson'.

This one plays like a dream and sounds totally awesome - and at a fraction of the price of mass-produced Gibsons.  The bridge pickup has a coil tap.  Check out their range if you get a chance - you won't be sorry!

I remember playing a particular gig in the mid 70s somewhere around Manchester, and before we went on someone approached me and asked if I wanted to try a guitar they had built.  It was basically a Telecaster Deluxe, and I played it all night.  Yep, that's right - it was one of the Gordon Smith team who had approached me with one of their hand-built guitars :-)

Acquired in 2005

June 2007 update:  Although I loved this guitar from the start, I always thought the neck was a little too 'deep' and 'U' shaped.  So I asked The Guitar Doctor if he could take some of the depth off it and reshape it more to my comfort.  What an amazing job he did too!  It feels and plays beautifully now - even better than before!

I always loved the styling of the 70s Strats, and after parting with my white '73 I knew I had to have another 70s at some point.  I found what I was looking for on eBay in January 2007.

So here is a made in Mexico 70s reissue.  I honestly can't tell the difference between the Mex and USA models.  Black with a maple neck, this is a very well made guitar which certainly feels, sounds and plays incomparably better than the white '73 I had.

The Sad Part:  Only a few weeks after getting this guitar we were greatly saddened and shocked to hear that Wayne, the person who I bought this guitar off had been tragically killed in a road accident in February 2007! :-(  He sold this Strat to finance his Jimmy Page Custom Shop Les Paul.  He sent me many clips of him playing his new baby in his band, and really did sound great.

I just know we would have become good friends.  I don't generally make friends very easily, and I believe from his Wife that he was somewhat the same. 

I will think of Wayne and his good family each time I look at and play this Strat!  I will never sell this guitar, in memory of Wayne.

So here we go then - a Gibson SG Standard from 2000, finished in Heritage Cherry - simply wonderful! :-)

This was definitely a 'because I'm worth it' (not very often I would say that) moment in late April '07, after a total nightmare of a year in 2006 and a particularly unpleasant first few months of 2007.  In some respects, the nightmare continues .... don't get me started .....

Check out this crazed bad boy SG rocker!

Traynor YGL III  First things first ... this amp is AMAZING!  I'm sure it is one of the hidden secrets of the tube amp world!  I used to play in a band with someone who had one of these, and I was always impressed with the power and clarity.  So when I saw one on eBay for a good price, I couldn't resist it!  You don't see these very often these days.

This is an all valve 2x12 80w point-to-point wired combo made in Canada in 1979.  I love the way channel two overdrives in a Fender-ish way - and the cleans of channel one are very good too.  It has a master volume and nice spring reverb. 

Some people used to see these as a 'poor man's Fender Twin' but I think they are wonderful amps in their own right.  I have seen these described as a 'Twin on steroids'.   It can be as clean as a Twin but also 'dirty up' nicely, which makes it much more useable than a Twin for my style of playing.

When I got it the speakers were an odd mismatched pair.  It now has a pair Celestion Vintage 30s.  Sounds as good I could want an amp to sound - tone tone tone!

Just for old time's sake :-)

I used to have a Wem ER40 and ER100 about a million years ago.  I seem to remember they fried output transistors with alarming regularity.  I bought another one in '06 - just because.

Same goes for this HH IC100.  A sold-state leader of its era.  And to be honest, I still have a soft spot for them.  And they never blew up on me.  Neither has this one.

I saw Eric Bell with the original Thin Lizzy in the early 70s (the best line-up, for my money).  He was using a H|H stack and sounded completely awesome!  I think Eric is/was a very under-rated player.  Nice guy too.  He still tours occasionally but these days uses a trusty old Marshall combo.  A short bio of Eric here.

In October '07 I got this 1995 USA Peavey Classic 30 combo.  It's a lovely little single-channel 1x12 amp that gives very Fender-ish cleans and has a very nice overdrive.  Oh yes, the reverb isn't too bad either. 

Funny, I keep going more and more towards combos.  These amps get great reviews - and I can hear why!

I'll do more of a review when I have owned it a little longer.  First impressions - I really love with this amp!  Gotta love the retro tweed look and the chicken-head knobs on the chrome panel too :-) 

I'd like to get the matching extension cab for this combo, but they are pretty rare and Peavey don't make them any more.

For any musicians living in the South Cheshire / North Staffs area, I most highly recommend

The Guitar Doctor

Two of my favourite guitar shops - anywhere!
Minnesota, USA

Amps-n-Bits (Sussex, UK) is a great source of vintage amps and speakers as well as being a 'proper' music shop.  VERY friendly and knowledgeable staff.
Check out his 9-11 Tribute page too.

Thanks for taking the time to look at my page!

So, there you have it - a potted history of my life so far with the guitar.

What now?   It's very difficult to find people - even harder to find anybody of my own age, to play with around here now.  A definite lack of venues in the area (only one good one) doesn't help things much either.

In all honesty I can say that if I had never picked up a guitar all those years ago, my life would have been very different, and very much for the poorer.  Without if I would have missed out on some of the best times of my life, and not met some of the wonderful people and friends I have made along the way.

As far as style of music goes, the older I get, the more I return to the Blues! 

We will just have to see what happens.  Whatever, I will never give it up!

mail me