My guitars - part one

I only started playing guitar at age 12. Since then, I’ve acquired quite a collection. I don’t know why or how, but here’s what I have to say about them:

Fender Telecaster

I got this one at a yard sale in 2017. It’s my workhorse guitar, having been featured on nearly all of my songs. Even though there’s only three switch settings it’s surprisingly versatile and fits into every genre I attempt to play with it.

IYV Guitars “Red Special” Copy

Allegedly made in Vietnam without the blessing of the legendary rock n’roll scientist Brian May, this uncanny duplication of his signature homemade instrument The Red Special took some getting used to when I initially tried to play it. The neck is a lot wider than what most guitars have to offer, but the switch system proved to be fun to experiment with. So far the only song of mine I used it on was Body of a Boy, Face of a Man, but hopefully that’ll change soon.

Ibanez AW130 aka “Gerald”

Yeah I named this guitar Gerald. Not after anyone in particular, I just thought it looked like a Gerald. It’s an acoustic-electric, though I really only use the electric aspect in live situations. There are some songs of mine that feature the plug-in sound, such as Submerged Mango and the original version of Three Gray Hairs. Most of the time I just record it with a mic pointed at its sound hole.

Hofner Bass

Like many young Beatles fans the world over, I received this Hofner bass as a birthday present after begging my parents for it. I modified it with teacup knobs to make it look more like McCartney’s. Of course, it’s been used on my Beatles-y songs, Time Isn’t Real, Raisins, and my cover of the Beatles’ own Yesterday, but it proves versatile in other scenarios, such as the 2020 re-recording of Three Gray Hairs and my synth-pop pastiche Theme Park on a Wednesday.