Musicians of AF, show us your gear!

[Rev. Rye]

After seeing the response to my photo of my gear on the “what’s everyone up to right now” thread, I figured why not create a thread for all us musicians to show off our gear? And to start off, here’s a revised version of my gear portrait from that thread:



The Vox VT20x has reverb built in, so I no longer need to use a reverb pedal, and after discovering stacking distortion pedals, I tried running my TC Electronics Cinders and Joyo Sweet Baby overdrives and they sound better together than separate. Also, I figured I may as well show off the Joyo AC-tone for those occasions where the venue insists on using their amps and not your Vox.

Instruments:

• Catoctin Mountain Music cigar box guitar from a kit on eBay. Name: El Presidente. It's tuned to DGBD (like a banjo), but it still sounds like a good guitar with the two lowest strings removed. It's my main instrument.
  
• Diddley Bow, self-built from a plank of Padouk with parts that were mostly from C.B. Gitty. Name: Celestial Freddie, after the Celestial Monochord from the Harry Smith Anthology, Eddie "One-String" Jones, and the note F, to which it's tuned. You can play it with a slide, and if you use your fingers, it sounds like an upright bass. Best used for songs that don't really lend themselves to chords. 
  
• Mountain Melodies Kalimba, tuned to a pentatonic scale. It has a limited range, but it works well for that range; it can hold its own on "Smokestack Lightning" and "The Twa Sisters."
  

Effects: 

• Preamp, self-built out of a cheap preamp that's supposed to be built into an acoustic guitar and a rare "Low Birth Weight" cigar box.
  
• Joyo Vintage Phaser, a Phase 90 clone that I use for Leslie tones. It works except when it doesn't.
  
• Joyo Sweet Baby, clone of the Mad Professor Sweet Honey, a boutique pedal I can easily get for about $30. Not a lot of drive on its own, but sounds pretty good and works well with acoustic guitars.
  
• TC Electronic Cinders Overdrive. A bit higher gain and fuzzier on higher gain, but still usable with acoustics. You can get it cheap at most Guitar Centers. Current list price is $60, but I got mine for $35 at a sale.
  
• Joyo AC-Tone, a pedal that I use when I can't use my Vox amp to do much the same thing.
  

Amp: Vox Valvetronix VT20X, a cheap amp that models a bunch of different amps

Others:

• Cheap clip-on pickup from CBGitty.
  
• Slides: John Pearse The Edge and a small bit of copper pipe.
  

[Edwardo Piet]

This laptop:

[Shell B]

I don't have much gear, and I'm too lazy to take a picture of my own because I'd then have to upload it to another site, etc. However, here's a picture of the full-size keyboard I have. It has weighted keys to feel more like a piano. I also have a sustain pedal, stand and a nice set of headphones so Tibs doesn't have to listen when I'm learning a new song.



I got my hands on a few vintage Yamahas as well, but I handed them down to my nieces.

[Thumpalumpacus]

From last year, l-r: Ibanez AS-93, Yamaha FG450-SA, 04 Gibson SG. I've since sold the Gibson; a poor neck-set prevented a good setup for me:



Newest addition, a Squier Strat I picked up for $50 used (in mint condition!):



The Ibby with my Egnater Tweaker 15 head and home-built 1x12 cabinet:



Ibby and Yamaha with my Epiphone Valve Jr:



Current gear: Ibanez, Squier, and Yamaha guitars; Egnater and Epiphone amps; homebrew speaker cab; Danelectro Fab distortion (used as a clean boost), Behringer digital delay.

[drfuzzy]

Hmm.  Well, the flutes and guitars are tucked away, and you can't see the computer attached to the keyboard, but here's my music room:

[Shell B]

Drfuzzy wins.

[drfuzzy]

Drfuzzy wins.

Aw, that's sweet, but hey Shell, we have folks with keyboard collections . . . I like your Alesis . . . isn't Boru a Luthier? . . . Thump's collection is really impressive . . . this thread could get really pretty really fast.   

[Edwardo Piet]

I have UVI's Synth Anthology 2. And it's basically virtual versions (or rather, actual samples of the real hardware) of the following synthesizers: Access Virus C • Akai AX80 • Alesis Andromeda • Alesis Fusion • ARP Chroma Polaris • ARP Odyssey • ARP Quadra • Casio CZ-1 • Casio VZ-1 • Clavia NordLead • Dave Smith Prophet 6 • Elka EK44 • Elka Synthex • Emu Emax • E-MU Emulator 2 • Ensoniq ESQ-M • Ensoniq Fizmo • Ensoniq SQ80 • Ensoniq VFX • Fairlight CMI IIx • Formanta Polivoks • Kawai K3 • Kawai K4R • Kawai K5000 • Korg DS8 • Korg DSS1 • Korg DW8000 • Korg Minilogue • Korg MS20 • Korg M1 • Korg PS-3200 • Korg Triton • Korg Wavestation • Mellotron M400 • M-Memory • M-Mini • M-Poly • M-Source • M-37 • NED Synclavier 2 • Novation Basstation 2 • Novation Nova • Novation Ultranova • Oberheim Matrix 6 • Oberheim OB6 • Oberheim OB-X • Oberheim Xpander • OSC OSCar • PPG Wave 2.3 • RLD D-Fifty • RLD JD800 • RLD J 60 • RLD J 106 • RLD Jup 4 • RLD Jup 8 • RLD JX8P • RLD 3o3 • RLD VP330 • RSF Kobol • SCI Prophet 5 • SCI Prophet VS • Seiko DS301 • Siel DK80 • Studio Electronics ATC • Studio Electronics Boomstar 5089 • Yamaha AN1X • Yamaha CS-80 • Yamaha CS20m • Yamaha DX7 • Yamaha DX100 • Yamaha FS1R • Yamaha SY77 • Yamaha SY22 • Vermona Tiracon 6V • Waldorf MicrowaveXT • Waldorf Pulse • Waldorf Q

All these can be altered virtually like a virtual instrument, but they are manipulated recordings of the real hardware's samples and patches... they are not software emulations. Which is cool.

And, boy, can I tell the difference, to be honest. I now have a sampled hardware version of the Roland TB303 and I have an emulated version and the recording of the hardware knocks the pants off of FL Studio's emulated version. It didn't look like it would when you watched the video of FL's emulation.... but they clearly used only very basic sequences that the emulation was able to emulate easily. Once you get playing around with a sampled hardware version and then play with the emulated version again.... the emulated version sounds really really hollow. At least to my ears. And I'll take analog over digital any day.

[Shell B]

drfuzzy, I don't know about Boru. Maybe he'll pop in and let us know.

I'll get a baby grand when we buy a house. For now, the keyboard is good enough.

[Jackalope]

I have a bunch of guitars but no pictures as of yet.

1997 Fender Stratocaster California Series
A recent ESP LTD strat-style - can't recall the model off hand.
Epiphone SG autographed by Neal Schon.
Shit Ibanez bass with a shit Fender bass amp. I wanted to learn bass a few years ago, never really came to fruition.

Currently between amps. My Fender Princeton Reverb 12 went to amp heaven, my partner's son annexed my Roland Cube 20x, and the rest ended up lost in the divorce. For now I play through a Boss somethingorother pedal board and headphones.

I'm seriously considering buying a small tube amp.