Electric Gypsy

Straight facts.

I purchased my first PRS guitar - a Tremonti signature in black slate - back in 2011. I didn't know anything about Mark Tremonti or Alter Bridge before that, and well, I still know very little about them. The draw was a Les Paul-styled guitar with some extra and modern features. It'd been my main guitar for almost a decade until I decided to get a PRS Custom 24 in black gold burst at the end of 2020. If it wasn't obvious by now, I do quite like PRS guitars. So imagine my surprise when I came across a used original PRS Mira this January.

Solid mahogany body and neck, double cutaway, rosewood fingerboard with 24 frets, coil-splitting humbuckers and bird inlays, there just isn't a lot more that I could ask for. I'm still blown away by its playability and sound every time I play it. Joe Knaggs certainly knew what he was doing.

What started as a single unplanned purchase soon morphed into a year-long quest of guitar acquisition. I wasn't exactly fond of Stratocaster-styled guitars when I first started playing, but that has changed over time and I decided it was time for me to add one to the line-up.

This one took some effort since there are so many different types of Stratocasters on the market, but ultimately I settled on a MIJ Hybrid '60s Stratocaster in arctic white as its overall specs - vintage USA pickups in particular - and price point were just about right. I have it tuned in Eb and it's always fun to play. A really nice guitar no doubt, but after a while I began looking for a Stratocaster that matched my personal preferences more closely.

The search eventually led to this gorgeous guitar, a Fender Custom '69 Stratocaster in daphne blue. Like quite a number of guitars I've acquired this year, I was not expecting this one; I was not even aware of its existence prior to chancing upon it. Alder body, maple neck with a two-tone Ebony fingerboard and a set of Fender Custom Shop '69 pickups, it's just an absolute joy to play this guitar. Even looking at it fills me with a sense of satisfaction.

A part of me had always longed for a Gibson Les Paul, so I bought one. A 2006 model in tea burst finish with '60s slim taper neck. It's heavy, maybe a bit too much for prolonged playing these days actually, but I really like the tones, especially the middle position, that I can get out of it.

Understandably (?) I soon became curious about P90 pickups, so one could probably guess what happened when I saw this Gibson Les Paul Tribute in worn cherry burst. Another '60s design and a very smooth neck, it plays and sounds great.

This Peavy Omniac JD USA was another unexpected purchase. I was looking for a Telecaster that's also not a Telecaster and a used Omniac, a signature model of Jerry Donahue with only a limited number of them ever made, showed up in my area so I jumped at the chance. A younger me would likely be shocked to see any single-coil pickups amidst my collection, but I have warmed up to them considerably as I got older. The Omniac is a great guitar with Seymour Duncan pickups, an intriguing 5-way switching system that provides some unique voicings not typically found on a T-style guitar and boy do I love the birdseye maple neck and the pointy headstock.

I haven't played a semi-hollow guitar since I borrowed one for a performance in high school, so it's only natural (?) that I added one to my collection. The Eastman T484 is a Chinese-made guitar with a maple neck, Ebony fingerboard, flamed maple body, a Seymour Duncan Jazz in the neck position and a '59 pickup in the bridge. I specifically wanted a smaller body, a la Gibson ES-339, instead of the larger ES-335. It's a well-crafted and lovely instrument with a sweet airiness that I just can't get with my solid-body guitars.

Every now and then I might do an acoustic session, but I'm not too keen on another dreadnaught - I wanted something smaller and snappier. At one point I considered the Taylor GS Mini-e Koa Plus because I'd be lying if I said some of the Hawaiin koa didn't look mesmerising, but in the end I tried and bought the Yamaha Red Label FSX5. Solid Sitka spruce top and mahogany back, perfect Concert body size and Ebony fingerboard (might be a pattern here), it's so easy to play and the sound is clear with a balanced warmth. It probably doesn't get enough love with all the electric guitars lying around, but when I do take it out for some fingerpicking, I'm instantly reminded of the reason why I wanted this beautiful guitar.

A competent bassist I do not claim to be, even if I could fake it decently well when needed. Notes selection, in my view, is so important on the bass that I can easily get lost in unfamiliar or complex pieces without a chart. Having said that, I enjoy playing it a lot and it's nice to take a break from endless improvisation on the guitar. Initially, I was not too impressed by the Ibanez SR4FMDX, but after much research and comparison to other basses, its emerald flamed maple/Bubinga top, birdseye maple fingerboard, functionality and price made me come back to it again and again. So of course I bought it, but not before making sure the body is flamed the way I liked it. It's a blast to play it through the Darkglass Microtubes 900v2.

Before I finish, I would like to mention some other gears that I've bought and enjoyed this year: anything and everything made by Origin Effects is simply excellent, especially the RevivalDrive Hot Rod Custom that is the most integral component of my DI rig; The Optimist by Jackson Audio - Cory Wong's signature dual drive pedal with a powerful EQ section (perhaps a bit too powerful for me); The Gladio by Cornerstone Music Gear, Channel 1 is just glorious; Limelight by Electronic Audio Experiments, both the boost and drive sound incredible on this pedal but the latter sounds absolutely divine going into the RD Hot Rod Custom; The SOMA '63 Vintage Preamp by Greer Amps, based on the short-lived Fender Brownface amps, I like its unique fuzziness a lot; The Eventide H90 Harmonizer is just...wow - traded an amp for one and it was 100% worthwhile; Last but not least, the Fractal Audio FM3 has also left me speechless, the models that I've tried (Friedman, Dumble, Bad Cat, Two-Rock and a couple of others) are so insanely inspiring that I had to force myself to stop or otherwise I might stay up all night.

The G.A.S. is real.