Guitars
Godin
"Passion RG-2" #1
(22 frets, chambered
spruce body with maple cap) - 2008 -
Maple neck (25.5") with Rosewood fingerboard,
double cutaway "Strat"-style body...
but
- I have one of only three protoypes they made in the H/H
configuration, rather than the final S/S/S version. Amazing
workmanship and wood, very cool sounds with the H/H set-up. I
put in the then new (2008) Seymour Duncan P-Rails pickups
(2 asymmetrical Alnico 5 single coils joined to be a
humbuckers). With 2 mini-switches, this gives 12 different
sounds all through passive electronics (changes in
impedance). The best sounding/playing guitar I have ever
owned. I call it the "Godin Passion H/H Convertible " - though
the model is not available commercially. John McGlaughlin used
this rare, prototype model for several years,
though he used the stock pick-ups, and the MIDI out.
THIS GUITAR WAS MADE AVAILABLE COMMERCIALLY - (though now
discontinued)
(without P-Rails, just regular humbuckers) as the Godin
RG-2.
This has been my main guitar since 2008 but the recent Godin
Summit AE (see below) is giving it some serious competition!
Godin
"Passion Custom Swamp Ash"
(22
frets, 25.5" scale, maple neck with maple fingerboard,
single cut, chambered Spanish Cedar body with Swamp Ash top,
HD revoicing switch) - 2017
Looks like a Tele, sounds totally original. The snap of the
long scale neck and maple wood, the warmth of the Spanish Cedar
and the SD Jazz. I ended up swapping out
the original pick ups and switching system. I already have 4
guitars with SD P-rails - it felt redundant with the stock
P-rail! So now it has an SD Jazz in the neck (with 3 way mini
switch - series, single, parallel), and SD Red Devil alnico 5
single-coil size humbucker in the bridge (also with
3 way mini switch - series, single, parallel),
the single coils are true humcancelling in centre
position (RWRP wiring). Very balanced sound - even with heaps of
distortion, or a dark, jazzy sound, it never seems muddy or
middy. Took out the HD revoicer - never used it, better to have
simpler wiring. Has a nice tremolo, but I hardly ever use
tremolos...my #2 guitar, at this point. Well, maybe #1....
Godin
"Summit Classic CT Convertible"
(22 frets, chambered Spanish cedar body, maple cap, mahogany
neck with Richlite fingerboard, 24.75" scale, single cut, 2 X
P-Rail pickups, 2 mini-switches for P-Rails) - 2017
Took delivery of this in Feb. 2017 - I am in love. I've never
really bonded with the LP style guitar, but Godin has made the
perfect version of this classic. More airy and transparent
sounding, but still with the big, dense powerful sound if you
need it. Balance is incredible - every note in every register
to rings and sings, is never shrill or muddy. This uses my
absolute favourite SD pickups - P-Rails (like Passion RG-3
mentioned above, my main touring guitar). So in addition to
great traditional humbucking sounds, you can click-in P-90s or
single coils. Singles will not replace your Strat, but have a
very cool sound on this shorter-scale, mahogany guitar. Super
ergonomic, weighs just a bit over 7 lbs, tummy cut. Within 48
hours it has become my #2 guitar, and giving my #1 a serious
run for its money. Ok, now #3...
Rewired
the P-Rails to have 4 sounds: series, parallel, P-90, single
coil, like my RG2 guitars.
I prefer this, and it gives me access to humbucking parallel
sounds, which I am really enjosying these days.
And, the good folks at Godin made me one in a custom colour:
the beautiful Creme Brulé! Production Convertibles only come
in Goldtop (which I really, really do not like), so they
spoiled me and made this one-off. Thanks - serious customer
service!
Godin "Passion RG3 Indigo Burst"
(22 frets, chambered swamp ash body, with Tru-Trem whammy) -
2019
Maple
neck (25.5") with Maple fingerboard, double cutaway
"Strat"-style body
Brand new for 2019 - with Lace Sensor Hot Gold pickups. A
dream to play, amazing neck and body work, cool
colour, Lace Pickups do the job - sounds "Stratty" just a
touch warmer, and NO hum! The HD revoicer switch
(hi-mid/treble boost) works really well on single coils. I
never use it on humbckers (I have actually taken it out of my
humbucker equipped guitars) - but single coils are transparent
enough that a boost is NOT overkill. Fantastic clean,
noiseless single coil sounds, it's clearly a "keeper".
Godin "Passion RG-2" #2
(22 frets, chambered cedar body with mahogany cap) - 2010
Maple
neck (25.5") with Rosewood fingerboard, double cutaway
"Strat"-style body
I discovered that Godin had made another prototype of my
favorite guitar (see above), with slightly different woods.
So I bought it, to have a back up. Put on a Trem-King whammy
bar (not a great whammy, but a nice big sound as a fixed
bridge, don't use it much as a whammy) and my favorite Seymour
Duncan P-Rails pick-ups. Another "Godin
Passion H/H Convertible " - sounds just a bit
different than my #1 guitar because of the different woods,
but still an amazing instrument.
Godin
"Montreal Premiere Supreme"
(22 frets, semi-hollow body,
24.75" scale, cherry-wood body with maple top, set maple
neck with inlays, spruce centre block with "breath through"
sound chambers, trapeze tail piece, Seymour Duncan pickups
and HDR boost circuit, sunburst) - 2017
I had a regular Montreal Premiere (nice guitar) - but
decided to upgrade to the Surpeme! This is probably the best
"jazz" guitar I've ever - stunning jazz tones, but it can
be much more. The new neck, maple with a Richlite
fingerboard, has a very solid feel, incredibly focused notes
with unbelievable balance. You want snappy, you want warm,
you want something in between? It has it all - I think the
SD pickups probably help (Jazz and Custom). The boost
circuit means it can actually rock-out as well, but
honestly, that is not why I use this one - it's about
beautiful, warm, transparent tones. The finish is utterly
gorgeous, as well. Great block inlays on the neck put it in
the seriously high-end semi-hollow category, in terms of
look. Because of the maple neck and trapeze tailpiece, this
has a significant "hollow-body jazz" vibe!
Godin "Summit Classic HB"
(22 frets, chambered Spanish cedar body,
maple cap, mahogany neck with Richlite fingerboard, 24.75 "
scale, single cut, Alnico II and '59 pickups) - 2017
Another take on the LP body - exactly like the Summit
Convertible (see above), but with 2 more traditional vintage
(slightly lower output and non-splitable) SD HB pickups. A
bit less dense and a bit brighter than the P-Rails humbuckers,
but still with tons of depth and bottom end. What I love
about this guitar is the simplicity - 2 pickups, 3-way switch,
vol/tone, that's it. Killer rock, jazz and blues tones with
just 3 basic sounds + tone control - ah, yes, the simple life!
And the colour - Burgundy. The most visually striking guitar
I have ever owned. Classy and subtle, but you cannot take
your eyes off the instrument. Note: both these Summit single
cuts come in at a very shoulder-friendly 7 lbs - take that,
Les Paul!
I
recently put push/pull series/parallel switches on this guitar
for each pickup (on the volume and tone pots). The
lower-output parallel signal is truly AWESOME for overdrive.
I think all humbucking guitars should have this - WAY better
than "coil splits" - and quieter!
This is a very simple guitar but I keep coming back to it - it
just sounds and feels awesome!
Godin
"Radium"
(22 frets, mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard,
mahogany/poplar body, H/S/H) - 2020
A really original "mash-up" - short scale (Gibson 24.75")
mahogany neck with Tele-style body and Strat-style pickups
with 5-way switch. A very, very cool idea which really
works! Positions 2 and 4 use parallel humbucker sounds, not
coil taps, - I LOVE parallel humbuckers. A very original
sound and feel, and a very affordable guitar that plays like
"a million bucks". I swapped the original Ceramic rather
generic "Godin" branded pickups for some Alnico Seymour
Duncans (Jazz, Hot Tele, '59) - and the change was huge. It
now has that great combination of spank and clarity but with
real warmth and depth. A Tele meets a LP Junior - fun.
Godin "Summit AE" - 2021
Mahogany 25.5" set neck, H/H, Swamp Ash/Mahogany
body, LR Baggs piezo in bridge
Another very original but much more "high-end mash-up": a
long-scale (Fender 25.5") SET MAHOGANY neck (a very rare
configuration!), with a single F-hole, semi-hollow body,
single cutaway, and 2 vintage output Seymour Duncan
humbuckers, plus - a piezo under the bridge that can be used
separately or blended with the electric. The extra length on
the neck gives the humbuckers a bit more snap and a slightly
scooped mids - kind of like P-90s without the hum! Adding
in about 20-30% of the piezo to the electric creates a
stunning, 3D sound for solo work. A serious re-imagining of
the electric guitar tradition. This guitar has an amazing
depth of tone for solo work, it is the guitar I reach for
most days just to enjoy the act of playing and creating
tones. Might be my new #1 guitar?
Godin "5th
Avenue KingPin" - 2021
I use this as a prop (an affordable stand-in for a Gibson
ES-150) in my Charlie Christian opera ("Backstage at
Carnegie Hall" - September 2022!). Full hollow-body, no
cutaway, trapeze tailpiece, wooden bridge, single p-90 at
the neck. Amazing guitar for the money, but the set-up and
ergonomics are SO different from my other guitars I can
barely play it!
I have owned many
other Godins - Flat Five, Freeway Floyd, Icon, first
generation Summit, Montreal, Velocity, LG Signature, xtSA,
LGXT, Artisan, obscure early S/S/H
unfinished S-Style, they all played very well and sounded
great. However, I only have so much room to store guitars so
I am just keeping my absolute "best" pieces.
So - currently I have 10 Godins - 5 long scale, 5 shorts
scale, some single cuts, some double cuts, some with whammy
bars, some fixed bridge, some semi-hollow, some chambered,
some solid, etc...with the exception of a full-on Floyd Rose
equipped metal machine or 17" hollow jazz box with floating
neck pickup, I have it covered!
In fact, I can even
fake the two above mentioned guitars pretty well, in a
pinch!
Used to own:
An original Newburgh Steinberger GM4T (with
mods - HSH) and a Gibson J-45 from 1964.
I had not played them for over 15 years, it just was not
right to have such great guitars sitting around doing
nothing. Sold them to friends in 2022, they now have good
homes. Hey, I had a 1985 PRS Standard
(now referred to as a Custom - rare, first year in factory
PRS) that I sold many years ago to fund other projects,
have never regretted it. Not a collector, I'm a player.
ION (Alesis) - incredibly
cheap Strat copy - 2008
I need an incredibly cheap guitar to abuse for a project in
2008, so I got this $40 guitar.
It feels just like $40 guitar - crude, baseball bat neck;
terrible, jagged fret job; awful wood; awful action;
seemingly tin-foil hardware (the input jack broke the second
time I plugged it in!). What can you say - $40? However,
surprisingly, it sounds half-decent, if you can ignore the
60 cycle hum!
SO, WHY NO GUITAR CLASSICS IN
THE COLLECTION?
Funny
you should ask that!
In
my younger days I had a few classics (Les Paul Custom,
ES-335, ES-335-12, ES-120), but, in fact, I always failed at
sounding like any of my guitar idols. In retrospect, this
was very useful (though frustrating at the time), as it
forced me to find my own sound and create my own unique
music. By late 80's I knew I needed to find "other" guitars,
to find another sound. I had an 1985 PRS Standard for
several years (when they were still unknown - used on albums
and touring from 1990 to 1995 ), but I found it a bit too
dense and aggressive at times. This is probably why they
eventually became so popular with hard
rock
and metal bands - that slightly in-your-face tone!
Then I had a
Steinberger GM4T - quite a different sound, almost too
"clean", used it from 1995 to 2005 (CDs and tours). I have
also had a several PRS guitars that were nice - both Core
and SE models (SEs are a great deal!). But when I found
Godins in 2005, I knew we were getting close to what I
wanted - a new platform that was clearly linked to the great
guitar tradition, but one that was not loaded with historic
connotations and pre-imagined sounds.
I spent 5 years
experimenting with different pickups in relation to
different woods and different body shapes and I now have a
clear image of what I want to hear, and how to get it, and
it sounds like me. The "24 Frames" (2010 - 2011) triple CD
project is the best example, and is in fact a result of, all
this search for my ideal sound.
I love a great Strat or Les Paul sound, but
that's for Eric, Stevie-Ray, Duane,
and Jimmy P., not for me"
I've now
offically run out of guitar storage room in my studio, so we
are into the
"one in, one out"
principle for the collection from now on!!
Strings:
Most guitars are strung with standard .10 - .46, BUT - I
replace the .10 with a .11 on top.
I have 3 guitars set up a bit stiffer - .11 - .49.
D'Adarrio.
I had tendonitis many years ago on my left hand and I can't
quite go up to .12 any more!
Mods
and maintenance done by Montreal guitar guru Al
Gunn.
Amps
For
a 10 years from 2006 to 2022 I tried many different amp and
speaker combinations, looking for "the
sound" - the perfect balance of warm but
detailed and transparent.
I
now have it: an all-tube PTP vintage combo stereo pair with
10" speakers (Fender, 6V6), a solid state/tube
hybrid (Evans), pure EL34 all-tube bliss (Koch
Twintone v.1), and now three (Yes, 3!) Quilter Class D solid
state amps.
I
also play almost exclusively solo, or with chamber groups or
orchestras, almost never with "bands" (no drums, no PAs), so
I am looking for a big, real, 3-d guitar sound without
needing anything approaching "guitar/rock-band" levels.
Which is not to say this stuff can't get loud if necessary
- it is just that quiet and transparent are my priorities.
Fender
Super Champ (Paul Rivera era) - 1983/84 (6V6
power tubes) - bought: 2007
with
upgraded Eminence "Lil Buddy" 10" hemp-cone 50 watt
ceramic speaker
modified
to be able to switch from Class AB (18 watts) to
cathode-biased pseudo-Class A.
I
had the bright capacitor cut and boosted the bass response
of the tone circuit so
it
sounds big and warm at all volumes. Recording out is now an
8ohm speaker out,
so
it can get fairly loud (but still clean and quiet, if I
want!) when I plug in
an
extra 12" speaker. Sounds like the worlds smallest Twin
Reverb (perhaps a slight exaggeration, but it sounds awesome
for 18 watts and a single 10" speaker).
I run this in stereo sometimes, with my Evans and a 10"
Hendriken cabinet, like a great stereo Vibrolux - that
amazing 2 X 10" speaker sound, but with more space!
Mods and
maintainance done by Montreal amp guru Rick Onslow.
Evans
AH200 hybrid (head) - bought: 2008
An
interesting take on solid state power amp - with a tube
preamp (3 X 12AT7 tubes) and 200 watts (Class D), with
really flexible EQ. I often plug it into a Lopoline cabinet
with an Eminence Delta light 1 X 12". The whole thing is
astonishingly light weight (head - 5 lbs, cabinet - 18 lbs)
for the power and clarity. Sounds equally good, if a bit
darker, into the Raezers Edge cabinet. I simply cannot
believe the quality of this amp - ABSOLUTELY quiet, amazing
EQ - from very dark and jazzy to almost country bright
(without the "icepick" - thanks!). Even has a pretty cool
flanger / chorus circuit in the back (switch on or off), and
you can adjust the reverb dwell (time plus balance) - very
flexible!! Almost as loud as a Twin, if you want/need that
kind of thing. This model is now discontinued, and is only
available as a pure solid-state.
Koch Twintone - early 2000's (model I -
head - EL34 power tubes) - bought: 2012
I had a Twintone combo in the early 2000's and loved it, but
I found it a bit heavy and bulky, and it did not have as
much low end at low volumes as I would have liked (open
back). But it was very nice, and quiet, the cleans are
special (that slight EL34 mid-range "hollowness" is great)
and the distortion channel is incredibly flexible - from the
lightest crunch overdrive to truly heavy, dense distortion.
So when a head came up on eBay for a crazy low price - I did
it! I had to repair the reverb, but it still came out to
less than 1/2 price of a new one. Plugged into a Raezers
Edge Twin 8 it sounds gorgeous. Yes, it is a PC-board, not
PTP, but if it sounds great and is reliable, does it really
matter?
OK, so I've gotten into Quilter amps!!!
Quilter 101 Reverb - mini head
(2017)
I bought the original 101 mini-head in 2016, and liked it.
This update has a more traditional tone stack (T/M/B), plus
reverb and a limiter. Absolutely love it - a bit more
expensive than the basic 101 mini-head, but it really gets
about as close to tube feel and sound, but weighs in at 2
lbs! I think the limiter is the key - it creates the subtle
"squish" factor that we love in tube amps.
It's
high quality analogue solid state, not modelling (I'm not a
fan of the modeling amps I've heard and played, admittedly
only low or mid-level examples, no Kempers or AxeFX...).
I have one Quilter in their wonderful BlockDock 10 -
closed-back 10" speaker cabinet.
Basically
- sounds like a Deluxe Reverb but with more focused bass:
and only weighs 16 lbs!
Given the size, sound and construction quality, and cost
(reasonably affordable), I predict this little amp showing
up at lots of rehearsals and small gigs in the guitar
world. I know it will be showing up at a lot of my
rehearsals ("schlepp" factor). Sounds great with all my
cabinets.
Quilter 202 Reverb - (the big brother) - mini-head (2020)
This newer version is just that little bit better: more
power (200 watts instead of 50), so more and better
headroom, a bit nicer natural compression, a bit more
powerful EQ, two speaker compensated line-outs, still very
small and light and portable. The plan is also to use these
two Quilters as an ultra-portable stereo pair at some
point. But it sounds great just on its own. Awesome cleans,
great pedal platform, overdrive is good, but I tend to like
pedals for drive so I can get the same sound across a number
of amps. Plugs into 1 X 12 or 2 X 8 cabinets.
Quilter Aviator Cub - open-back combo - 12" speaker
(2022)
I prefer closed back cabs, but it is nice to have a
good open back available. New model, very impressive specs
- affordable (not exactly cheap, but...), 50 watts (Class D
- loud), very flexible single channel preamp with adjustable
limiter (Quilter's brilliant trademark idea!), reverb, cab
simulated speaker out (with level control - sounds great!),
decent Eminence-designed 12" speaker, only 21 lbs. Some call
it "The Blues Junior" killer - I can see why! Great
traditional open back sounds and feel which weighs almost
nothing and will not break down due to tube-burn out on a
gig. I'm convinced.
Lopoline custom 1 X 12" Speaker Cabinets -
(2009)
I had these made a few years ago - using very light-weight but
strong Italian Poplar and an Eminence Delta Lite neodymium
speakers. They weigh only 18 lbs. each and can handle 125
watts. The speaker baffles have a 15 degree angle upwards, so
even when placed on the ground you can hear some direct sound,
and I can run them open-or-closed back. A very balanced sound
- you can really push them in whatever direction you want -
dark or bright. Plugged into my Super Champ (which has an
internal hemp-based 10" speaker), you get a really rich sound,
due to the asymmetrical speaker sizes and cone materials.
Makes for a cute little 18-watt mini-stack as well.
Raezers
Edge Speaker Twin 8 Cabinet (used)
I started using this in December 2011 - I got one for a good
price on eBay.
Very
impressive - 2 X 8" heavy duty speakers in a ported
cabinet, rated at 250 watts, they can handle anything you
through at them! I really like the ported sound - somewhere
between closed and open back, with huge low-end response,
and 2 speakers in a cabinet always gives a more complex and
3-D sound. Did I mention it is not much bigger than a 1 X
12" cab, and weighs only 30lbs? Found another one on a
blow-out sale for 30% off, so now I can run them in stereo.
I have re-wired the 2 X 8" cabinet so it can run mono (4
ohms - 250 watts) or stereo (2 x 8 ohms - 125 watts per
side) - which means I can have a true stereo rig with one,
30 lbs, portable cabinet.
1 X Henriksen 1 X 10" Ported Speaker Cabinet (used)
I wanted a really small, really
light, really high quality speaker - saw this on
eBay - an older model (a bit smaller and lighter than the
current model), very portable, with a port, so it has more
low-end and openness than a small closed-back 10" cabinet
normally would. Also a rare 4 ohm cabinet, which means the
Evans head is running at a full 200 watts, so I get huge
headroom. Works very well with Quilter mini-head as well -
even smaller and lighter! Basically this gives me top
quality sound and volume in a very small 15lb cabinet -
ideal for rehearsals, little gigs, etc . Weighs less and is
smaller than most cheapo modelling amps and sounds about
3000% better.
Guitar Cables
I
actually spent the money on some high-end guitar cables
(Evidence Audio and also some George Ls) and I can honestly
say I hear a difference but it is very subtle and I
play solo a lot, the
difference in a band situation might be less obvious. I will
also use whatever cord is hanging around....Planet Waves,
etc?
Touring
- I rent: 2 X Fender Hot Rod Deluxe / Fender Deluxe
Reverb / Fender Twin Reverb
Pedals
The
Gear List
used on current and upcoming projects
Most
of this gear for current recording and performing is
organised onto 2 boards
(both of which can run stereo or mono). Both boards are
carry-on luggage size and weight.
TWO MAIN BOARDS:
Small
board (in order): on a Pedaltrain metro 20 - stereo
after H9
Wampler Tumnus (used as clean boost), Strymon Sunset,
Xotic compressor, Dunlop mini volume pedal, EHX Pitch
ForkPLUS, TC Flashback mini, H9, Boss DD-200
Big board (in order): on a Pedaltrain classic JR -
stereo after H9#1
Boss SD1 Superoverdrive (Keely mod), Boss DS1 (AnalogMan
mod), Xotic compressor,
Dunlop mini-wah, Dunlop mini volume pedal, EHX Pitch
ForkPLUS, TC Flashback mini, H9#1 (w/Barn3), H9#2, EHX 720
looper, option: Roland EV-5 expression pedal for Pitch Fork
I also have a ThinkTank camera backpack which can
carry about 12 individual
pedals in a carry-on sized format, if I am not using a
pre-organised board, or
need
extra gear for other players.
ALL
PEDALS
Boss DS-1
(With AnalogMan mod)
Boss SD-1 (with Keeley mod)
Boss BD-2 (with Keeley mod)
Electro-Harmonix
Ring Thing
Electro-Harmonix
Freeze
2 X Electro-Harmonix Pitch Fork
2 X Pitch Fork PLUS
Electro-Harmonix 720 looper
4 X
Eventide H9 effects pedal (unbelievable sound quality!) -
with all extra algorithms (MAX)
One of the H9s has the Barn3 OX9 auxiliary switch add-on
for more flexibility
2
X Digitech Timebender - delay/harmoniser/looper pedal (now
discontinued)
Digitech - Jaman Express XT looper (stereo)
TC Electronics - Ditto x2 stereo looper (stereo)
Zoom
G2.1.nu (small multi-FX unit)
- 2011 - 2012 tours - 24 Frames
Zoom
G3X (slightly bigger and significantly better multi-FX
unit) - 2013 onwards
Fulltone
Fulldrive 3 - Orange model - from the Fulltone Custom
Shop
Fulltone
Catalyst overdrive
Strymon Sunset
double overdrive/distortion pedal
TC
Electronics Bona Fide buffer
Tech
21 SansAmp GT-2 - distortion
2 X TC electronic Flashback delay
2 X Xotic Effects SP compressor
Boss DD-200 delay
/ looper
2 X Boss DD-20
Giga-Delay/Looper Twin Pedal (now discontinued)
2
X Boss PS-3 (delay/pitch shifter - "legendary" - new
versions don't have all the wild
delay/pitchshift/feedback sounds like these ones!)
3
X E-Bows (both old and new version) + slides (glass and
metal)
HoTone Soul Express - mini volume/wah/expression (crappy
potentiometer!)
Dunlop Mini-Wah pedal
2 X Dunlop Mini-Volume pedal
3X Volume pedal (Boss FV-50)
Expression pedal (2X - Boss EV-5 - for Timebender and/or
the Ring Thing/H9)
TC
Electronic Polytune tuner pedal
TC headstock Polytune
Wampler Tumnus
Mesa Boogie Bona Fide Buffer
Power supplies: 1 X Strymon Ojai, 2 X Strymon Zuma
Other
stuff I sometimes use (or have used in the past)
Volume
Pedal (Ernie Ball)
ProCo RAT - distortion
Boss
GT-8 multi-effects processor
Zoom 2100 multi-effects (small floor pedal with tons of
stuff: late 90's touring!)
The "legendary" Boss SE-70 multi-effects (used
to have 3!)
for "Strange Atttractors" CD and
tours (1997 - 1999)
Roland GP-100 guitar preamp
2 X BOSS SE-70 multi-effects
Lexion JamMan
DBX 163X compressor + Symetrix SX201 preamp
Rocktron MIDIMate controller / or /
Lake Butler Midi Mitigator (contoller)
and in the 1980s /early 1990s!
2 X Roland SDE 3000 delays
Ibanez HD1000 delay/harmoniser
Yamaha R1000 digital reverb
Rocktron Intellifex - multi-effects
DBX
163X compressor + Symetrix SX201
preamp
Gallien-Kruger
250RL (head version of the famous "lunch box"amp)
Personal
Studio
PRE-AMP/DI:
Demeter H series Stereo Tube Mic Preamp/DI
DMS+Humbolt - "Simplifier" - guitar amp and cabinet
simulator (analogue, stereo)
INTERFACE:
RME Fireface 400 digital audio interface (for older
Macs - Firewire)
MOTU
M2 and M4 interfaces - USB 3 - for newer computers
MONITORS: Dynaudio BM5 speakers
HEADPHONES: Sennheisser 650, 570 and 450, 280
HD headphones
CONTROL: Mackie "Big Knob" studio command
system
MICS: Sennheiser 421 (2), Earthworks SR20
condenser mic, Audiotechnica
AT825
(electret condenser stereo - for remotes),
Sennheiser MKE-2 condenser w/K3U pre. lav mic
2 X Mackie 1202 VLZ Pro mixer
Marantz portable DAT (1991 - still works perfectly!) -
kept as a back-up unit...
Hardware Sampler: Yamaha A4000 (with 128 MB RAM) -
kept as a back-up unit...
COMPUTERS: studio:
OLD (but still running!) 2013: Mac Mini 2.3 Ghz i7
chip, with 1.2 TB fusion drive, 16 MB ram, two
external drives (2 TB and 4 TB), and a Mac Superdrive
(CD+DVD burner)
NEW: 2019 Mac Mini - 3.6Ghz i3 chip, 1 terrabyte SSD,
16 GB ram
Laptop: 2015: Macbook Air 13.3 ", 2.2 Ghz i7 chip, 128
GB drive+128 GB USB3 key
Old Laptop (back-up, old files): MacBookPro
(2007) 2.16 Ghz, 2 GB RAM, 100 GB hard drive
VIDEO
MONITORS: Dell 24" flat screen with built in
"soundblock" speakers (main screen)
Hewlett
Packard 24" flat screen LP2465 (for notation work - can
rotate to vertical)
SOFTWARE:
Audio - Digital Performer 10 / Altiverb - GREAT
reverb! /
Notation - Sibelius 8 Ultimate - I LOVE this one!
SAMPLES: Wallander NotePerformer 3.3.1 for
Sibelius
KEYBOARDS:
Kawai ES 110 - digital piano - best budget piano on the
market!!
For
Larger Productions
Converters: Apogee
or ProTools HD192, MIDAS MR 18 (remotes)
Home Recording: MOTU M2 and M4 to Mac Book Pro (Brady)
On-stage monitors / rehearsal speakers: Yamaha MSR 100 (4)
Mastering Monitors: Genelec 1030 / Dynaudio BM5
Pre-amps: Focusrite, Avalon, Manley, Studer, Neve,
Langevin, Grace
Mics: AKG, Neumann, Schoeps, Shure, Sennheiser,
Earthworks, Countryman (voice)
My sound tech/recording engineer for the past 33 years has
been Morris Apelbaum (Silent Sound Studio,
Montreal). He has the most incredible and ever-evolving
range of mics and pre-amps, I can't keep up. I don't even
try. But it always sounds good.
