Aria Pro II Les Paul - Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue

Well, actually the colour is called "Seafoam Green".

It's an Aria Pro II, roughly dated to the 90's.

It reminds me of the Godin SD series. Good guitar but with the three newly installed Häussel - Pickups she really might prove quite useful.

Custom wiring was conceived by the old stage robber himself and was realised by "thegoldenratio".
I highly recommend visiting his blog if you find the time. I know I owe him big time for this...

Great tone in every position but don't expect high gain, the lady isn't built for it. Hard blues, Country and Folk we are talking here. Love it.

Pickups:

• Vin-B Alnico 2 Humbucker
• Single Coil Blues
• CTK-A Rail Humbucker

Ibanez Blazer - Blaze of Glory

Ibanez Blazer Custom, dated to early or mid 80's.

Stock - Humbuckers which sound great in "out of phase - middle position".

Used on "Dancing with Daniela" by Bart Bowles Band, so if you want to know how it sounds, just go and listen to the piece.

Cheri Powerstrat - Pure grace, effortless power

Cheri E- Series Stratocaster, about 15 years old.

Elegant, lightweight, silky smooth. A joy to play.

Stock pickups make it a very versatile instrument.
Wouldn't play some Blues on it though.
I like my Blues thick and hefty, this 90's streamlined Supermodel - body simply lacks substance.
Then again it rings like a bell and cuts like a knife.

This is my Linda Evangelista.

Crafter Cruiser - Disco Oddball

Highly customized Cruiser by Crafter, age unknown.

Another one in "Seafoam Green" and mirror pickguard and lo behold - silver disco racing stripes!
A real solid stratocaster - copy, everything works flawlessly.

What makes it stand out (besides the fact that "she's got the look") are three Rio Grande Halfbreed pickups.
Great tone, believe me.
If you don't, well, go and listen to "Walking Home To You" by Bart Bowles Band.
Didn't need no other guitar there.

Steinberger Spirit - Crazy little thing

Spirit by Steinberger, age irrelevant.
Little one is built like a tank and will probably outlive us outlaws by far.
Got it completely "kaputt" but a little effort brought it back to life.

I know, it's not exactly the "real deal" but it surpasses those Hohner copies with ease. At least in my humble opinion.

It's so handy, you might want to take it out for a stroll through the prairie or use it to steer your raft to the other side of the river.
Or you might just practise all day long and never suffer from any back spasm.

And it even sounds better than one would expect.

Glad I got it, those Les Paul - pounds won't bend my spine anymore!

Westone Spectrum - Not quite as innocent...

Westone Spectrum, around 15 years of age.

Fine Powerstrat, arctic white colour has gained a pretty vintage patina over the years.
The innocence is gone, I guess.

Special feature is the wiring. Each pickup is independently switched on and off by a toggle.
Any given combinations are possible.

This pale beauty was in really bad shape and needed a lot of attention.
Works like a charm now.

My name is Nobody

Asian noname SG - copy, age unknown but looks darn old to me.

Vintage Shadow pickups and a neck as FAT as a baseball bat.

The sustain of this stranger is incredible. Notes just won't stop ringing.
Sound is good, wouldn't change a thing on this one.
Kind of a one trick pony but strike a chord and do your waltz.

A horse with no name, wich is fine by me.
None of the renowned brands out there would build a "Drone - Guitar" anyway.

Johnson Doublecut - A worthy companion

PRS - like guitar by Johnson. Bought as good as new about 4 years ago.
Used to be the ol' robbers main instrument on stage for a while.
Was eventually replaced by a Cort MGM 1.

The neck pickup has one of the darkest tones I've ever heard.
And by "dark" I don't mean muddy or dull.
I'm talking about playing in the tunnel system of an abandoned mine.
I'm starting to feel a little cold already...

Looks kind of fancy - schmancy with all the glitter and gold but the "flamed top" is neat.
Would prefer "Seafoam Green" though... just kiddin'.

Cort MGM - "They broke my watch!"

Matt "Guitar" Murphy signature model by Cort.
Age: Immortal and eternal.

I truly adore this one. Has everything you need.

Well, it's not exactly Heavy Metal you say.
It's kinda cheap you say.
Who's Matt Guitar Murphy you ask.

Shut your gap.

I like my sunglasses dark, my suits black and my cars indestructible.
It's just like the blues you know, dark, black and indestructible.

Cort MGM - "Give me a mountain tempo in A minor"

My second Cort MGM.
A happy man, that's what I am.

Epiphone EB-0 : Rock solid

One of Erik Ain-Elohim's bass guitars.

Nothing fancy here, Epiphone EB-0 Short Scale.

Erik likes it for it's damped tone, "sounds like you mumbling into your beard, Bart", he says.

Can be heard on "Dancing with Daniela" by Bart Bowles Band.

Epiphone Powerstrat - Lazarus...

Epiphone by Gibson. Built probably in the late 80's or 90's.

Received this one as a "gift".
The body was partly broken and covered with stickers.
Besides some loose cables everything was torn out of it.
Well, the bridge was fixed, electrics were fixed, wiring was fixed, body was fixed.

Some cheap rail pickups went in.
Switching is quite similar to the Westone Spectrum.

"And the dead will walk the earth..."

PS:
Thanks go out to RockerRichi.
Check out his band My Inner Wealth, if you find the time.

"Oh Achilles, let Thy arrows fly!"

No name Flying V, looks like someone built it him/herself.

Since the basics are quite good, this will be the next overhaul.
Got my plans with this one , you'll see it when it's done.

Steiner Bass - Blue Bomber

Erik's acoustic bass by an ominous label called "Steiner".

The neck might snap sooner or later, or the body might take harm due to string tension.
But it was so cheap that it will pay off several times until then.
Erik might have some Scottish genes in himself.
He uses it to practise whenever he's too lazy to drag out his bass amp.
And it already lasts for about three years now...

Steiner Classic - Picking the bowels aka nylon strings

Read about the "Blue Bomber"? Same things apply here.
Steiner classical guitar.
Three years of duty and still waiting for a crackle somewhere.
I keep my fingers crossed.
Sounds better than you might think...
Traded it to mysticcult.

Epiphone SG Maestro - Whole lotta Rosie...

Epihpone SG with Maestro Tremolo.
Angus Young Signature Pickup by Gibson is at the bridge position.

Got it only a few days ago and I'm already in love.
I salute you.

Epiphone SG EMG - "Here come the horns"

My other Epiphone SG.
This time with active EMG pickups and Sperzel locking tuners.

It's downtuned by a whole step.
The EMG's might have to go sooner or later if I'll find some pickups that suit this rocker better.

Suggestions anyone?

Line 6 Variax - Enter the digital domain

Variax by Line 6.
If you can't afford a battalion of different guitar types to get a specific sound.
Or if you need a quick banjo sound or want to play the sitar.

The models sound quite decent, at least in my humble opinion, but one can clearly hear the pitch shifter when things get down-tuned.
Thus twelve-string models are no good either.

Yet - even if you are a vintage purist, try to expand your horizon...

Line 6 POD - Remain in the digital domain

POD XT by Line 6.
If the local PA sounds better than your actual guitar amp.
Or if you can't afford to buy a battalion of amps to get a specific sound.

Quite decent thing, at least in my humble opinion.
Works quite well with my Variax, If one wants to go "all digital".

Dean Palomino - Bee-Bop-A-Lula

Jazz Box by Dean called "Palomino" with three P90 pickups.
Jazz, blues and Rockabilly will do.

This particular model went out of production for some reason and Dean continues to build edgy, pointy, nitpicky metal guitars instead.

Well, you can't always have green axes, can you?
So I fell for the big box of orange.

Johnson Semi Hollow - The Dot

ES-335 copy by Johnson.
Nothing special here.
Decent sounding, nice guitar and great value for the price.

As always I'm waiting for something to break sooner or later.
Up until now everything's fine.
Does the blues rather well I must say.

Semi Hollow - Sleepy Hollow

Hollow-bodied semi-acoustic, built by no one obviously...
Another unsung no-named hero, twelve strings this time.

Three pickups that look like Gretsch or Rickenbacker but clearly aren't.
Guitar sounds great none the less, I'm a happy byrd...

Archtop - "The Boxer"

I'm just a poor boy so here is another one without any brand but with some scars and bruises.
Me likes this one a lot, it's not new and shiny but it's got character.

Might be the oldest one in the ensemble.

For some strange reason I am only able to get melancholy tunes out of the raddled lady but "the boxer still remains", I guess...

Crate Palomino - Use it, abuse it

Palomino 32, class-A/B all tube amp by Crate.
Now, I'm aware of the fact that this isn't quite top of the shelf.

But I am unwilling to blow amps for daily practise which cost a fortune and require special trained "nannies" to stroke and cherish them to work properly.

The combo always works and you might as well take it to a barn dance without worrying about insurance issues.

Sounds rather good, by the way, so reconsider this: go for boutique or go for practicability?

Fender Strat - Might be a little slow but my name ain't Slow Hand

Mexican Strat, still quite young for a Golden Girl.
Somebody tried to go all Clapton on this one.

"Noiseless" pickups were installed and it had the Fender Mid Boost preamp built in.
I kept the pickups and took out the preamp.

Wiring is a little unusual on this one:

• Neck : Tone 1
• Neck+Middle: Tone1 & Tone 2
• Middle: Tone 2
• Middle+Bridge: Tone 1 & Tone 2
• Bridge: Tone 2

So I got tone for every pickup. Very nice to have.

Fender Tele - Viva la Mexico!

Mexican Telecaster, 15 to 20 years of age.

Pickups were exchanged for even older original Fender American Tele - PU's.

Flawless guitar, go ahead and twang along.

Can be heard on "Karma & Effect" by the Bart Bowles Band.

Sunn O))) Bass - Earthshaker

Erik's main bass guitar, can be heard on most songs by the Bart Bowles Band.

Sunn O))) is famous for its amplifiers but there are a few basses and guitars out there too.
Built for a short period when Fender bought the company and put the Sunn O))) - logo on their less expensive Precision bass versions.

The Asama - Nippon, land of technology

Japanese made guitar from the Seventies.

Those mad scientists from the land of the rising sun built in a phaser and a distortion effect.

Distortion sounds just like the regular 70´s distortion: Think electric razor.
Phaser sounds decent though.

The instrument itself is a nice Les Paul copy, yet with a bolt on neck.

Martinez Banjo - Burt´s & Bart´s "Deliverance"

Gotta play Banjo - even if it´s just a guitar banjo by Martinez.

But it´s got a nice pickup built in, so one can easily record the tunes.

Just like the Bart Bowles Band did in their version of "Karma & Effect".

Yamaha BB-415 : Low man´s low tune

Erik´s 5 - string by Yamaha.
He tends to keep the toggle switch in middle position
and runs both pickups simultaneously.

Very solid instrument with a clever designed bridge that provides
extended scale length for the low B - string.

Cort Curbow - "Life in plastic, it´s fantastic!"

Active 5-string bass with Bartolini Mk I pickup.
3-band EQ and a mini switch that enhances bass and highs.

Erik Ain-Elohim is not much of a slapper but he likes this one a lot.
Surprisingly good sustain.

Beware, it´s made out of Luthite and Ebonol
so it might melt in the sun!

Johnson Les Paul - "Mr. Brown"

Les Paul Custom with three humbuckers.
Mahogany neck and body with Korina veneer, Rosewood fretboard.

Really nice guitar but I´m thinking about changing the looks a little bit.

Question is: go for full fanciness or for understatement?

The dark brown colour gives it a very elegant look
which might be spoiled by too much "glitter".
Yet it´s tempting to try and pimp the hell out of it!

Opinions anyone?

Bakers Doubleneck - "Akuma no Uta"

Unorthodox way to achieve a tight rhythm section...

Bass & guitar combination by Bakers.
Not really a high quality instrument and also not very useful either.

But as a Boris afficionado it´s a nice gimmick to have.
And it gets you closer to your bassist, doesn`t it.

Cassandra Elk Cister - Another Oddball

8-string instrument by a crazy guy called Cassandra Elk.

It´s a kind of Cister or Mandola if you want.

Got four octave - string pairs.

Tuning is DD, AA, dd, f#f# - at least in my case.


You might hear it in action soon...

OLP Doubleneck - A twist in the staircase

This time for real - double neck by OLP (Ernie Ball, Musicman).

Six and twelve strings and a real beauty.
High quality instrument and very useful.
To show off, at least...

Seriously, we´re working on a tune where this instrument is put to use.
Just a little patience.

Jasmine by Takamine - Like a "Summer Breeze"

Jasmine by Takamine.
About 12 to 15 years old.

Played the intro to "Bleed Inside" on it.
While being severely drunk.
With two year old strings attached.

Sounds pretty decent tho.

Tuning is standard but 1/2 step down: D# G# C# f# a# d#,
with Martin extra light strings (0.10 - 0.47).

Samick Strat - "What´s new, Pussycat"

Fine Powerstrat by Samick.

Not sure about the age of this predator but
I would guess round about 90´s.

Tremolo needed a bit of oil and work (as always with this things).
Sounds real good, bridge pickup is pure Heavy Metal.

It has got some kind of "power switch" that thickens the overall sound.
Built in solo mode, so to speak.

Ibanez RG 7321 - The extra string is not in VAIn

Nothing special here, just a solid seven - stringer.

Basswood body
5 - piece maple & walnut neck with rosewood fretboard (24 frets)
Fixed bridge
Ibanez Axis 7 pickups (AH1-7 and AH2-7)
Volume and tone control with 5 - way - switch

Got it for about 8 years now and I´m learning to cope with
the extra string quite well.

Tuning from low to high: AEADGBE.

Aria Pro II Strat - Hot as Lava

Aria Pro Powerstrat out of the 90´s I think.

Sounds good, classic Heavy Metal as one might expect.
Equipped with a Kahler Tremolo.
Humbucker can be splitted.

Of course, the absolutely burning hot crackle finish is a
nice bonus that comes with a solid instrument.

Aria Pro II Strat - Had a colourful past

Powerstrat coming straight out of the 90´s.
Licensed Floyd Rose and split function for the Humbucker.
Heavy Metal for sure.

No, Pollock never owned this one (at least as far as I know).

Hohner Revelation - Guitar Science Back In 1993

Built in January ´93, it had a few innovations to offer.
At least back then.

It´s a Hohner Revelation RTX in authentic condition and
with all the original parts, including pickups and the
infamous ATN tone control.
This allows a passive mid scoop or boost.

But as we all know progress moves slowly and people dind´t
like the innovations much.
So this modell was built for 3 - 4 years only.

Nice instrument though with a beautiful grey-marble finish.

Aria Pro II ZZ Custom - Flash!

Built in the 80´s.

Well, it´s quite self explainatory and
my love for this one goes beyond words,
so I will say no more.

Ibanez Destroyer - Explorer - "It´s Alive!"

Now this massive Frankenstein - Fella is special.

Started out as a Ibanez Destroyer, as a"hommage" so to speak
to the Gibson Explorer.

Scale length is 648mm (25,5'').

Two Seymour Duncan "Invader" Pickups made the instrument complete.

Tuning is 1 and 1/2 steps down  from low to high: C# F# B e g# c#.

W.Kist Custom

Great piece of work out of the 70´s,
handmade by German Luthier Walter Wolfgang Kist.
It´s number 6 of a limited run.

Neck-thru design, DiMarzio "Super Distortion" pickups.

It´s massive and heavy as hell but plays like a charm.
Would pick this one over some big shot-factory guitar
any day.

Cassandra Elk Gothic - Chiroptera

Crazy Cassandra-Elk design for Bell & Head.

It´s a baritone guitar but the vast scale length
can even handle standard bass guitar tuning.

Scale length is 864 mm (34 inches).
I usually play it tuned down to A.

Don´t know if it fits into Batman´s belt but it´s surely
my secret weapon to bridge the gap between bass and guitar.

Can be heard on "Sunrise in a Tank" by the Bart Bowles Band.

Andreas By Infeld - Finesse

It´s an Andreas by Infeld.

Thomastik-Infeld is an Austrian string manufacturer,
well renowned for high quality hand-made strings of any kind.

The instrument was a co-production with Carinthian luthier
Andreas Pichler, who gained some reputation for his
"Shark" models.

Sound-wise this might be described as a cross-over between
a Strat and the ringing of Rickenbacker guitars.

Since it´s not a "Shark" it might be a dolphin...

Anyway it seems to be a endangered species,
chances to find one are slim to none, chances to find
Andreas Pichler are equally small.
He went off to the USA to work for some American
guitar companies.