I’m not a collector of anything except for records, and even then I don’t have a super impressive collection and it gets raided on a regular basis to pay for other things (since I don’t have health insurance, it’s been a much-needed source of revenue for things like dental care and prescriptions). The guitars that I have are only the ones that really help me in my musical goals, they’re truly tools and they need to fit my hand. I’m always interested in what folks are playing, but I know that finding the right instrument is extremely subjective and wasting energy judging someone else’s rig doesn’t help me get my own sound fixed. So here’s what I currently use on the road and at home.
GUITARS
My go to guitar on the road these days is a Mule wood body tricone, which is set into a single cone style body, in either a six-string or a nine-string format. The nine-string has octave courses on the A,D and G strings, so it’s kind of a compromise between a 12-string and a six and I think with a resonator guitar it's a nice way to get a 12-string vibe without the extra overtones, it’s a little easier to control when you’re palm-muting and still has that characteristic jangle. Either of these two guitars can do an entire set on their own and I’ve often only brought one guitar and have been satisfied. muleresophonic.com
The late 90’s National Delphi I bought new and played nearly to death throughout the early 2000’s is in great shape and fits like a well-worn glove. I still take it to shows once in a while. www.nationalguitars.com
I am the proud custodian of Spider John Koerner’s heavily modified Gretsch 12-string, there are a series of videos about this guitar on KO Stringworks youtube channel. www.gretschguitars.com
New in 2018: Lonnie Johnson’s Mysterious 12 String
I have a well-used 1966 Guild 112 12-string that I love and occasionally goes to shows.
Strings
