Instruments

The Instruments

The most important instrument used in the production of this album turns out to not be an instrument at all - at least not in the literal sense. But to me, an instrument all the same. It's actually software. What some (who claim to be "cool" or "cutting edge" or whatever the current catchphrase is) would think of as antiquated or out-of-date. But for me it fits what I do perfectly and is easy to navigate.
Cakewalk Home Studio 9 is the heart and soul of my little recording studio. I use it with a standalone PC running the Windows 98 operating system. It's a solid little setup with SoundBlaster audio card and has served me well for a few years now. I have thought about upgrades but then a saying I heard once while working in electronics came to mind - "If it's not broken, don't fix it." I utilize Cakewalk for all the recording. Since I don't use drum samples or any special effects provided by this software, it has proved to be more than enough.

The guitars used for the album are like extensions of my hands. My oldest and most prized is a 1969 Gibson Les Paul Standard with a custom natural finish and a Bartolini pickup installed in the treble pickup position. I'm not real sure Bartolini is still in business anymore but if they're not it's a real shame. That pickup gives my Paul a nice biting edge on the highs that you can't get on most. The tuners were replaced with Grover tuners before I ever owned it and were installed by the previous owner, Lane Turner. He was a member of a band called Missouri who's song Movin' On was a pretty successful tune on the radio in the mid 80s. Occasionally I still hear it on the radio today! I met Lane through Legacy guitarist Dave Trabue shortly after the breakup of Missouri and my wife at the time, Mindy, bought it for me for my birthday. I use D'Addario Regular Light Gauge strings on it exclusively and have never been disappointed.

Second in my electric arsenal is an Epiphone G-400 which is an almost exact copy of the 1967 Gibson SG. At the time I bought this ax I was actually looking for a real SG but couldn't afford the price tag. This one fit the bill nicely. When I was in high school, I had actually owned a Gibson SG Vibrola just like the one Angus Young plays in AC/DC but in typical starving musician fashion I had reached a point where either I pawn the guitar or pay the rent. Like an idiot, I pawned the guitar and have regretted that decision ever since. But the Epi does a nice job and I wouldn't part with her for anything now. She also gets D'Addario Regular lights. I love the way those strings sound, feel, and play.

As for my acoustic guitars it's hard to pick a favorite. I absolutely love them both. My 12-string is a Fender DG-12 on which I use Martin Marquis 80/20 Bronze Extra Light strings. I'm truly in love with the balance of tone these strings produce on my Fender. Since I use acoustic pickups almost exclusively this has turned out, for me, to be an almost perfect combination. And since I'm on the subject, there are two pickups I use exclusively in all of my recordings. First there's my Dean Markley Pro Mag which is what I use when I want a mellower and more subtle sound. For brightness and additional presence I use a DiMarzio DP136RW Super Natural Plus pickup. It's volume control mounted right there on the pickup itself gives me some added flexibility which is a godsend when I'm playing musician and engineer all at the same time. Giving both pickups an little extra boost is a DOD FX10 BiFET Preamp. Filling the slot for acoustic 6-string is my wonderful Washburn D-10S. I swear, for the money I don't think there's a nicer acoustic 6-string out there. Not only does it sound and play great but it has a beautiful finish and little touchs here and there that one would only expect to find on more expensive axes. Now I know it's going to sound a little weird here but the strings I use on my Washburn come from a music supplier in Oregon called Musician's Friend. The strings are their own brand and are called Musician's Friend Premium 12s which are medium gauge 80/20 bronze with zinc windings. Yep, they're cheapies but they sound good which is what is most important. Their more-than-reasonable price is a bonus!

Filling out the bottom end: My Harmony H6 bass guitar which I found at a pawn shop about 10 years ago and bought for 75 bucks! Actually I'm not sure if the "H6" is the model or not but that's what is on the neck plate. This one was a knock off I'm sure and appears to have been made sometime in the early 80s - long after the original Harmony company closed down. Regardless, it's a nice long necked bass with a maple finger board and natural finish. I put flat wound strings on it when I first bought it and are still using them! Sorry - I don't remember the brand. I know flat wound strings are not supposed to be that popular these days and some may argue that I'm not a REAL bass player. On that point, I don't really care-they give me what I'm looking for. The ol' Harmony worked well for songs like Feeling It All Tonight and In The Moment where I wanted a mellower, smoother, and deeper tone.

For a slightly bolder and brighter bass sound I turn to my Epiphone EB-O which is a faithful, albeit more economical, version of Gibson's original EB-O. But she is a beauty and I use D'Addario ProSteels XL Medium Gauge. They're a little hard on the finger tips but the sound is just right.

Keyboards wise I use a vintage Yamaha DX-28 for the piano and synths and a Casio CTK-451 for strings and most everything else. Yeah that's right, a Casio. Again, the price was just right. I'm not rich yet you know!

As far as studio gear is concerned I'll just list them here. If anyone's got any questions just hit the Contact button on the home page and shoot me an email. I'll be happy to tell you anything you want to know.

Processors: The heart of it all, an ART SGE Mach II, a Nady SDP-20, a Berhringer DualFlex Pro, an Aphex 104 Aural Exciter Type C2 and a Behringer MDX2200 Composer Pro Interactive Dynamics Processor.

EQ: one DOD 430QX Stereo 15 Band

Microphones: (1) AKG D330BT, (1) MXL V57M Condenser coupled with an ART Tube MP mic preamp and (2) CAD 22s

Drums: (electronic - but I do actually have to "play" them!): Yamaha DD-7, Yamaha DD-55C, and a Casio LD-80.

Mandolin: The one I used on this album in You've Never Looked More Beautiful is actually Mom's. A beautifully handmade instrument made by Mid-Missouri Mandolin Co.

So there you have it - all the secrets. And I'm serious. If you any any questions at all, I'll be more than happy to do my best to answer them!

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