Instruments

1. Seagull S6 custom
2. Fender Stratocaster
3. Taylor 455ce
4. Yamaha BB5000
5. Yamaha TRB5F
6. Noname Classical
7. Dingwall AB1

Seagull S6 custom

I bought this in 1995 at Brashs (now Allans) in Sydney. It was marked down from $1700 to $1200 (AUD). I enquired about it with the manufacturer and they informed me it was an S6 with flame maple back and sides, ebony fretboard, mahogany neck. It has a serial number but no model number so I suspect this was some sort of one-off special model they made. It certainly is a lot more flash than the standard S6 model. They also said it would cost $1700 USD which at the time was around $AUD3000 so I think I got a bargain. There are a whole stack of much cheaper S-series models available these days, but they don't compare. This guitar has a huge bottom end and is great to play. It comes with cutaway and LRBaggs electronics. The closest thing in the current model lineup I've found is the Artist Series 'Cameo' model.

Fender Stratocaster

A classic - you've got to have one. I picked this up for $800 in the mid 90s. It is a genuine Fender Strat, not a Squier, though it is made in Japan. That said, it is excellent quality. It has had some customisations performed on it by someone who knew what they were doing. It has Lace Sensor pickups, roller nut and lovely Sperzel tuners with string clamps.

Taylor 455ce

This is my most recent purchase (March 2003), a 12-string jumbo. If you've played a Taylor you'll know what superb instruments they are. Sparkle is a specialty. Sounds great plugged in. Tremendous dynamic range acoustically too. Almost as easy to play as a 6 stringer. Taylors come with Elixir strings as standard, which are great for longevity. The only problem is over $80 a pop for a 12-string set. Ouch! Check out the beautiful finish of the koa woodgrain. This purchase necessitated a trip to Pro Audio in Canberra (Hi Josh).

Yamaha BB5000

Another Brashs special. As this was my first bass after playing guitar for a number of years, the narrow neck was attractive to me. I think it was either second hand or had been in the shop for a while as the finish wasn't brand new. It cost me $AUD1800 in 1989. This instrument is neck-through in design, but has a huge amount of punch and the pickups are very hot for a passive bass (hotter than the active TRB below). The only drawback is the narrow neck can make certain types of slap playing difficult. But it's always a pleasure to pick up and play and it sounds fantastic recorded.

Yamaha TRB5F

With a fretted in the cupboard it seemed only right that a fretless should eventually join it. I bought this new from Venue Music in March 1996 after a long time shopping around. I discovered there were hardly any fretless basses to choose from in Sydney and I searched high and low. Nonetheless, I'm happy with this bass. This TRB is the Mark I model which unfortunately has quite noisy electronics, a characteristic apparently fixed in the Mark II model. If I was tempted to change any of my instruments it would be this one for a Mark II (which also has a 35" scale length). Other than that, it does the job. The active EQ gives quite a good range of sounds, from woody acoustic to scooped clean to the classic fretless bwah.

Noname Classical

Originally I didn't have a photo of this up here due to embarrasment, but I include it here for completeness, although by rights it actually belongs to my Dad. I borrowed it about 20 years ago and haven't returned it and he hasn't asked about it (too often). This is your standard 6 string nylon classical guitar. It was second hand when Dad bought it for $40 in 1971. It's pretty beat up, but has a surprisingly lovely clear tone and a good usable action (unlike some horrible things you see kids trying to learn on). I don't know what brand it is - there used to be a sticker inside, I think, but it fell off long ago. It started getting a bit tatty looking (in the 80s I think) so I stuck on some shiney stickers. The blue and white one is a Holy Spirit dove symbol, and the silver and red one is a turkey! Don't ask me...

Dingwall Afterburner 1

I've had a Dingwall on my shopping list for over 10 years. Finally an opportunity came up to get one at a relative bargain. I had it shipped from Phoenix to NYC where it sat under a friend's bed for 6 months waiting for a trip home. This bass uses the Novax fanned fret system, which works on the same principle as a piano, with longer strings for lower notes. This gives better, more even string tension. More pics from NYC, and some more from the original seller.