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Tell us about some of your other favorite guitars.
Ive got this very inexpensive Epiphone Casino. It was a Korean model that I got for about $350. Ive never had any prejudice about a guitar or where it was made. If it sounds good and reacts right to what Im trying to get it to do, then I dont care what it is. I love that Epiphone and I use it a lot. Ive always played Stratocasters and have some of them, too. As far as acoustic guitars go, Im pretty much a strict Gibson acoustic player. I use the LG-2 for that high-strung stuff and I love my Gibson SJ-200 Reissue for the big, thick sound it produces. You get such a big bass tone from that one, so Ill gravitate towards that guitar frequently. I recently got a Gibson J-45 reissue thats just great and Im using that one a lot, too. I also have a parlor guitar from 1890 that was made by Washburn, but that guitar stays at home because its so old and the top is really thin. I took it on a few gigs in the past, but the top immediately started getting thinner from being played, so it rarely gets used.
What do you use in your live rig?
Most recently, what I used for the acoustic stuff was a J-200 with a Fishman pickup, which is just great. Its really the most natural-sounding acoustic pickup Ive heard. I never want to plug in an acoustic guitar if I dont have to, but obviously, in a live setting, you do have to. I also have an old Regal Dobro that I use in more of a textural way, but I dont really play much slide on it. I usually run the acoustic guitars direct to the board, but sometimes I also run through an amp so I can do some layering and loop stuff. It really depends on what the gig that Im doing requires. But as far as the amps go, I discovered Vox AC50s a few years back and I just love the way that they sound. So the Vox amps are what I use live, when I play through amps.
Which effects are you running in your stage rig?
I have a TC 2290 delay, which is for my high-end delay sound. I also use some old Korg SDD-2000 delays, which have sort of a cool, low-tech sound and the Akai Head Rush for the tape echo sounds. Some of the other stuff I use is an old Electro-Harmonix Hot Tubes and the Boomerang, which is a sampler and loop box, on certain things.
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How are your guitars set up?
Early on, I used heavier strings, but I had to go to a lighter gauge after I had a motorcycle accident. The strings I used to use were at least .011s. Now I use a set which has a .010 on the top and a .052 on the bottom. On acoustics, I also had to go down a bit on gauge. Now I use .012s. I also shortened my guitar strap a bit and brought up the guitar to help with my hand position, since I couldnt move my wrist after the accident.
