Frenemy's Instraments
String Instruments
Simon & Patrick Acoustic Guitar : A great sounding and easy playing 6 string cedar dreadnought. A very dark and full sounding acoustic with a decent stock pickup. I put this guitar up against Taylors and Martins that cost 10x what this one did... This thing's tone smoked them all.
Mele Ukulele : My koa double puka (two hole) tenor ukulele. I had never really liked the sound of ukuleles before I played this one. It has a nice warm tone and plays like a dream. It is usually played in the standard tunning with a low G string.
Epiphone Banjo : This old banjo was handed down from my Uncle Vernon so it is my most cherished instrument. I tune it Chicago style which is a modified guitar tuning. It sounds great in my music as it provides a strong acoustic counterweight to the synth sounds in a mix.
1960 Gibson Les Paul Classic Reissue : This is a 1960 Les Paul Standard reissue from the early 90's. This guitar has Gibson's 1960 back-stock VOS aged pickups and electronics. It has a thinner neck than the original 1960 Les Paul Standard which makes it a fast easy player. The previous owner swapped out the stock tremolo for a bigsby, which is my personal favorite and the only reason I could afford it. This guitar plays and sounds like a dream. Sustain for days, silky leads, punchy rhythm and extremely rich harmonics.
Ibanez Iceman Bass : A decent sounding bass with humbuckers that I found in a music / pawn store. Nothing amazing, but it gets the job done.
Drums
Vermona DRM1 mk3 : An 8 channel analog drum module. Kick, 2 toms, snare, multi, 2 high hats and a clap.
MFB 808 Kick Module : A hard hitting analog kick drum module that cranks out a pretty decent 808 / 909 kick drum. All of the parameters can be controlled by CV signal, including pitch.
Jomox M-brane : Analog snare and tom drum module. Can be pitched to midi notes and played melodically like a percussion synth.
Synths
Sequential Circuits Pro One : A CV controllable mono synth. (midi controllable via a Kenton Pro) I can CV patch between my other synths and effects modules. It works great for thick bass, smooth leads, analog drones and sound effects.(click here for my restoration project)
Sequential Circuits SixTrak : This is an awesome and affordable analog 6 oscillator poly synth and stackable mono synth. It has great range of useful sound capabilities. It can sound thin or thick depending on the settings. The filters are very musical and tend to reveal harmonics as they break and crumble. I use it for chords, pads and synth leads.(click here for my midi controller mod)
Moog Slim Phatty : A modern analog synth that can be patched into my moogerfooger pedals to create a range of sounds on par with a Moog Voyager. It is a pretty stable anaolog synth for studio use, but the tuning can be inconsistant with movement and temperature fluctuations. This is used mostly for synth bass lines and leads.
Yamaha TX802 : This is a much less expensive, yet more powerful rackmount version of the Yamaha FM7 digital synth. It is programmed through FM synthesis which can be a pain. I use a computer program to simplify the adjustment of settings and building sounds. This synth gives a me great range of sounds for dirt cheap. (click here for the TX802 Owners Manual)
Circuit Bent
EK-001 : This cranks out heavy bass and drum sounds, overdriven instruments and low-fi noises. (click here or the pictures for details)
Compute-a-tune : This was bent by me as well. It is used mostly for drone noises. (click here or the pictures for details)
Casio SK5 : This was built by alien instruments. It has midi capabilities and a ton of bends and add ons. (click here or the pictures for details)
Midi Controllers
Drum KAT : A sensative midi drum controller for live playing of drum synths.
Novation 25SL : Midi keyboard controller with a good feel and DAW / parameter controller.
Doepfer R2M Ribbon Controller : This is a CV and Midi ribbon controller. It allows for a constant change in note pitch by sending a continous control voltage or its midi data equivalent. (click here for R2M tips, tricks and mods)
2 Octave Digikick Organ Pedals : An inexpensive custom made midi pedal controller with note hold, control change, octave shit and more. This allows me to control bass synths while I play another instrument.
Tenori-On Ipad App (TNR-i) : With the midi in/out connection this is basically a $50 Tenori-On! I can patch it into my analog stuff, sync it with the studio or just use it to work on song ideas.
Wish List
Electrocoustic Guitarviol : I have tried everything from altering cellos to tying a fiddle around my chest, but I was never quite able to create my dream instrument. Luckily this guy didn't give up... You can hear this instrument on the scores from the movies 300, Iron Man and Watchmen. It can produce a wide range of tones from scratchy bluegrass fiddle to a dark ominous cello.