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STRINGS
On all of my archtop and semi-hollow guitars I am using:
I do however change the high E & B strings. I replace the .011 with a .013, and the .015 with a .017 (plain steel D’Addario).
I feel the .011(E) & .015(B) sound rather thin, so by increasing the gauge on these two stings I get a much thicker and warmer sound on the high end without having to bump the entire set up to a larger gauge. A .047 low E balances better for my style of playing than the .050 or .053 that come with the heavier Thomastik sets. This is just my personal preference.
If you don’t want the hassle of swapping out the high E & B strings I would recommend either of these sets:
Thomastik-Infeld JS112 (.012-.050) (click link to purchase)
Thomastik-Infeld JS113 (.013 -.053) (click link to purchase)
CABLES
Mogami gold 10 ft Guitar Cable (click link to purchase) - My favorit guitar cable. I have used them on gigs ranging from The Hollywood Bowl to The Blue Note in NYC. I’ve never had an issue with these cables and they come with a lifetime warranty.
AMPLIFIERS
Quilter Labs 101 REVERB 50-Watt Head with Reverb (click link to purchase)- This is the amp that I record 95% of my YouTube videos with. I usually go direct into my Universal Audio interface and then into Logic Pro X.
Fender “Tonemaster” Deluxe Reverb (click link to purchase)- A nice lightweight Solid State version of the classic Fender amp.
AER Compact 60 (click link to purchase) - Solid state, light and portable. A workhorse of an amp for low volume gigs. Over 20 years of use and not a single issue!
Headstrong Lil King X - My favorite amp for low to medium volume live performances. This is a custom order model that uses 6L6 power tubes and is about 18-20 watts, putting it in between the Lil King & Lil King S.
Headstrong Royal Reverb - Another custom order. Basically a Deluxe Reverb with 2x10 inch speakers.
Fender Princeton Reverb - Hand wired Princeton Reverb
Victoria Ivy League - Fender Tweed style amp based on the Fender Harvard circuit
Vintage Sound Jazz 20 - 20 Watt Tube Amp with Reverb
VVT Fralin Amp - 35 watt tube amp based on the Fender Vibrolux circuit
David Bray 2022 Deluxe - Hand wired plexi style head.
EFFECTS
Strymon Flint V2 Tremolo and Reverb (click to purchase) - My favorite reverb pedal. This one is nice because it has a second channel with tremolo as well, so you get reverb and tremolo like you would with a blackface fender amp.
GUITARS
Gibson ES-125T - 1959 all original except replacement tuners.
Gibson ES-175 - 1953 all original except replacement tuners.
Gibson Byrdland - 2008 Gibson Custom Shop signed by James Hutchins.
Slaman “Slim Sister”- 2018 custom build by Dutch luthier Daniel Slaman. This guitar is part of the “Sister Guitars” that Daniel designed for Pat Metheny. Daniel stopped taking custom orders this year and no longer ships any guitars to the USA.
Borys B120 Deluxe - 2019 archtop built for me by Roger Borys. 16” wide body has an arched, laminated top and back with built in pickup. Designed in collaboration with James D’Aquisto and Barry Galbraith.
Tom Anderson Raven Classic - 2020 Fender Jazz Master inspired solid body electric
Gibson ES-330 - 2018 Memphis Custom Shop
Guild Artist Award - 2008 Custom Shop