Equipment
A 1953 Gretsch Electro-II guitar is the main instrument I use for jazz, Blues, Latin and Folk music. The single coil pickups provide a larger, less compressed sound that I tend to prefer over humbucking pickups.
A circa.1960's Mozonni classical guitar was a true find. I had never heard of the Italian maker until I went to a guitar show. Curiousity led me to find this particular instrument and its lush tone. It is my guitar of choice for classical and Latin music.
The most recent addition is a Telecaster that was assembled by guitar luthier Matt Levonian. All of my instruments are maintained and repaired by Matt Levonian, who is one of the finest I have ever come across. I highly recommend him to all Los Angeles area guitar players for his unparalleled expertise and reasonable rates.
Most recently, I have started using a custom tube amplifier made by electronics wizard Gary McCellan. Depending on the venue, I run the amplifier through either a 12" or 15" custom speaker cabinet made by Kerry Wright. He makes the best-sounding cabinets I have ever heard! I find that tube amplifiers still sound best to me. Jim Cole, a walking encyclopedias of guitar knowledge, has been instrumental in helping me on my quest for tone.
Out of all the countless brands of cables I have tried over the yeras, Evidence Audio cables are the most musically transparent and most quality made of them all.
Pyramid strings are the finest I have ever come across. I use their True Vintage flatwounds .013-.056 on the Gretsch; Super Classics, normal tension on the Mozonni; and Pure Nickel roundwound .010-.046 electric guitar strings on the Telecaster. If you are interested in trying them but have difficulty finding them please contact me.
I recently had the fortune of crossing paths with a Peruvian craftsman. He makes an excellent stool that places me in an ideal position for playing whether or not I am using a footstool. Made from high quality wood and leather, the stool is durable and very portable. I encourage any player who remains unsatisfied with chairs to try one.