Alright, well I've been wanting to do this for a while because first of all, I get asked questions all the time by folks about gear and the guitars I play, but I also like story telling (and music), and I love that each one of these pieces of gear has a story. I actually took these photos after a string of fires in San Diego (not the big ones in 2007) and wanted these photos for insurance purposes and for memory sake (in case they ever get lost or stolen).
Anyway, I'm going to go in somewhat of an order, starting with my baby, my first guitar, and until recently, my only acoustic...
This is a 1962 Gibson J-50, and it shows its years (no help from me). It sat in the corner of our house for ages until one day in 1992 my dad said "hey Jobe, would you ever want to learn how to play guitar? We got this thing here, I don't know if it's any good, but if you're interested we can take lessons together."
And that's how it started. Dad and I went together (along with Kacey, my sister, actually, for a brief time) and took lessons from a guy in Sunland named Ed Carl. I don't remember how quickly I picked it up, we only were going there a few months before we moved to Sioux City, but this is the guitar that started it all. I love this piece of firewood. Currently, it's officially retired as of June 2009, and hangs in my front room. It served 17 years in my hands, 47 years total.
Next is my first electric guitar, an '89 Fender Stratocaster, made in Japan. We picked this up shortly after starting to play. Dad got it in the classifieds (remember those pre-craigslist/eBay days?) for $300 that included a practice amp, a strap, and a nice hardshell case. Quite a steal, the MIJ guitars are nice.
Anyway, I had it for a couple years until I got the next guitar on the list from my uncle. The thing was is that I used to go to my dad's brother Jim's house once or twice a week to jam. The guy is a shredder, and he had this 1964 SG Special sitting in the corner. I used to always set my Strat down to play it. Well, being a tone guy, he didn't really care about age or value, and he loved the Strat sound (big Hendrix/Jeff Beck guy), so he offered to trade teh SG straight up for the Strat.
Now, being a HUGE Robbie Krieger (the Doors) fan, the SG was my favorite guitar, even more-so than the Les Paul, so I JUMPED on it! I have never regretted the trade, but because I am an incredibly sentimental/nostalgic guy, I still had always wished I had my first electric guitar.
So back in, I don't know, 2005 or 2006, I visited my uncle and noticed he hadn't played the Strat in ages. It was getting rusty, had broken strings, etc. I offered to buy it off of him. He didn't seem too into selling it, however, but eventually, he told my dad that if he gave him a nice putter my dad had just got (these guys are golf fiends), that he would give the guitar back to me. My dream came true!
Since then, however, I painted it sunburst (it started as a pearl/off white, but Jim had done a different white since then. I always wanted a sunburst, so I figured I'd just make this my experimental guitar). So there you have it...my first electric.
Which brings me to my first "long term" "first" guitar, my 1964 Gibson SG Special. This was really my baby for so many years, and I still look to it as the quintessential "Jobey" guitar (along with the J-50 for the acoustic side of life).
Jim had taken off the original vibrola tremolo piece, as well as the original pickups, unfortunately, so I got a replacement vibrola and I now have in Suhr humbuckers, which are very nice. This guitar has an AWESOME tone and is a fun, fast, tight guitar to play with VERY low action. I love it. Along with the J-50, it is my most sentimentally loved guitar.
Next I'll feature a late addition to the family, my 1968 Gibson SG Standard. This one I picked up off of eBay for $800 back in 2006, simply because I thought it was a good deal and I wanted an SG with a vintage vibe for playing at shows so I didn't have to bring my 1964 "baby."
It's a good guitar, but needs some fretwork if I'm going to play it often. Pickups aren't original (which of course is part of the reason I got the good deal). I have in it Gibson '57 Classics. I put in a center pickup after this photo was taken but it is a phony. I did just for looks (the body cavity was already bored out). I think it looks pretty sweet.
Not pictured is a 1971 Gibson SG Deluxe (I think it's called a Deluxe) that I picked up off a friend for $200 in high school (which he, to this day, kicks himself over. But he knew better, he was a guitar shop manager, so I don't feel bad...sorry, Dave!).
It's a GREAT guitar to play, it has a pretty dark sound to it, but I don't EVER play it because it's a pain to change strings. It has a Bigsby tremolo on it with "Gibson" engraved, and the original pickups also have "Gibson" embossed on them. It has a Les Paul pickguard and an additional pickguard around the knobs. The horns aren't beveled, it's a natural walnut stain, block inlays, and the original Grover tuners also have "Gibson" engraved on it. Pretty cool and unique guitar, I'll add a pic later on.
I also have an un-pictured 2004 Gibson SG Faded I picked up for $150, mostly to give to the boys when/if they get interested early on, before they move on to a "big boy."
I also don't have a photo for my 2007 Gibson Firebird. I had always wanted one of these and love the sound and look of them. I play it pretty often, it kind of gets a Gibson meets Tele type of sound...kind of. :o)
This is a guitar I play a lot. It's a 1979 Gibson Les Paul Standard sunburst plain top (not a pancake body) I picked up off of eBay for $1700. I don't know what exact burst it is, or what they called it in 1979. It looks like a faded tobacco burst. Whatever it is, I love it, it's just beautiful. This thing is beastly heavy, but it sounds great. I actually took out the original bridge pickup (though I do have it for posterity sake) and put in a Lindy Fralin humbucker, which sounds awesome. This has a '50's style "baseball bat" neck, which is new to me, but I have adjusted quite well to it. I really love this guitar...the tone, the look, the feel, and it's my birth year!
This one here is a 2006 Gibson Les Paul Standard flame top, and was my first ever Les Paul I ever owned (after ALL these years!). I picked it up specifically because this finish with this sort of quilted top was SO HARD to find! I don't like "Honeyburst," it's just too "green," but this one is called "Iced Tea" which is warmer and looks more like a faded tobacco burst.
Anyway, I ran across the '79 on eBay and took a shot at it, and fell more in love with it. So I am actually going to get rid of this one, sadly, when I need some cash or have a project I need money for. Right now, it's a "savings" account for a rainy day.
Next up is a '52 Reissue Fender Telecaster in butterscotch blonde. I can't TELL you how long I have wanted one of these. I remember, funny enough, loving them because of watching G.E. Smith on SNL and thinking they were so cool looking.
Anyway, a few years ago, my dad bought this for a great price ($900) and didn't quite get into playing like he wanted to. So we traded guitars since he felt he didn't need something this nice (I had a Peavey T-60) and I have had this since. It's got a great vintage vibe and of course the great Tele tone. It's beautiful through and through.
This one I have been playing more lately, it's a 2001 Fender Stratocaster, made in the USA. A friend of mine needed an amp, I happened to have a hook up for the amp, so we traded, I paid for the amp through my hook up, he gave me the guitar, so we both won. I ended up paying $375 for the amp, so it worked out nicely.
This one I bought even though I had just gotten back my '89 from my uncle and subsequently painted it sunburst, simply because the price was right for this guy. After I took this photo I have since installed a Sustainiac pickup/driver (viewable on the '89 Strat), which is insane. It's INFINITE sustain and sustained feedback, as long as the 9 volt battery in the back cavity is good. Think "E-Bow" but all 6 strings and nothing to hold in your hand. It's unreal, you have to check it out.
This is an off brand hollowbody called a Penco, modeled after a Gibson ES 335, but this thing is made in Japan so the quality is really nice. Great finish, nice tone, and it plays awesome. I got it used for $250 when I was in high school working at Flood Music in Sioux City. It's a great guitar, looks amazing, and it was a great deal.
This one is fun, it's a guitar I put together only recently, but I had it in pieces since high school. It's a '60's body Fender Jazzmaster, but I created it to be setup like my SG with two hunbuckers and a two volume/two tone setup with a 3-way toggle switch. The neck is a jumbo neck with oversized headstock from Fender. I bought the body from the manager at Floods for $40 (it had a lot of cosmetic damage, but dad and I refinished it and it looks awesome now, he was shocked).
I put it all together finally in 2006 (though I had all the parts just about since 1996). Kind of random. Anyway, it has a nice dark sound to it, real smooth, actually, and it plays great with its low frets.
This little number was just sort
of an itch/whim I had. I always wanted a Flying V, but I was always drawn to the 1958 Gibson Korina V. Well, being that they are over $30,000, I decided not to go with that. :o) Instead, I did some research and found that the Epiphone V's can be made into really solid guitars with a little time and money. So I went for it.
This one is a 2006 Epiphone Flying V made with all Gibson mods. It has Lindy Fralin pickups, Gibson upgraded tuners and upgraded bridge and all new electronics. It is a real fun guitar to play and has real nice smooth action and tone. I think they are just cool looking guitars. I do want a '67 Reissue one of these days, but it is WAY down on the ol' priority list of life, that's for sure!
Here is my Trinity College Octave Mandolin. I use this, of course, for my traditional Irish music. It's a relative width of a guitar neck, making it easy for me to get used to it. I capo up at the 7th to get the higher mandolin type tone/sound. This was a really affordable version ($300 with case) and has a cool celtic cross on the headstock. It's named after, of course, Trinity College in Dublin, so all around, it's a great start for an octave mandolin for a guy like me.
And lastly, this is my new acoustic, a 2004 McIlory A-30 acoustic. It is a spruce top/rosewood side piece of art hand made in Northern Ireland in the county where much of my family is from. Dermot McIlory was a disciple of George Lowden, and his craftsmanship SHOWS!
I bought it for a few reasons: 1) the J-50 needed to go on bed rest, 2) it's hand made in Northern Ireland 3) it resembles (with its dark sides and light top) the J-50, giving me a little familiarity and comfort (though I will be adding a J-50 shaped pickguard soon), 4) I got a SMOKIN' deal on it, and 5) it sounds and plays absolutely amazing. I also had a LR Baggs iBeam active pickup installed, which I highly recommend, and is very low priced.
Soooo....there you have it...I'll add a few more pics, including amps and pedals later on.
Slainte!!!
Anyway, I'm going to go in somewhat of an order, starting with my baby, my first guitar, and until recently, my only acoustic...
This is a 1962 Gibson J-50, and it shows its years (no help from me). It sat in the corner of our house for ages until one day in 1992 my dad said "hey Jobe, would you ever want to learn how to play guitar? We got this thing here, I don't know if it's any good, but if you're interested we can take lessons together."And that's how it started. Dad and I went together (along with Kacey, my sister, actually, for a brief time) and took lessons from a guy in Sunland named Ed Carl. I don't remember how quickly I picked it up, we only were going there a few months before we moved to Sioux City, but this is the guitar that started it all. I love this piece of firewood. Currently, it's officially retired as of June 2009, and hangs in my front room. It served 17 years in my hands, 47 years total.
Next is my first electric guitar, an '89 Fender Stratocaster, made in Japan. We picked this up shortly after starting to play. Dad got it in the classifieds (remember those pre-craigslist/eBay days?) for $300 that included a practice amp, a strap, and a nice hardshell case. Quite a steal, the MIJ guitars are nice. Anyway, I had it for a couple years until I got the next guitar on the list from my uncle. The thing was is that I used to go to my dad's brother Jim's house once or twice a week to jam. The guy is a shredder, and he had this 1964 SG Special sitting in the corner. I used to always set my Strat down to play it. Well, being a tone guy, he didn't really care about age or value, and he loved the Strat sound (big Hendrix/Jeff Beck guy), so he offered to trade teh SG straight up for the Strat.
Now, being a HUGE Robbie Krieger (the Doors) fan, the SG was my favorite guitar, even more-so than the Les Paul, so I JUMPED on it! I have never regretted the trade, but because I am an incredibly sentimental/nostalgic guy, I still had always wished I had my first electric guitar.
So back in, I don't know, 2005 or 2006, I visited my uncle and noticed he hadn't played the Strat in ages. It was getting rusty, had broken strings, etc. I offered to buy it off of him. He didn't seem too into selling it, however, but eventually, he told my dad that if he gave him a nice putter my dad had just got (these guys are golf fiends), that he would give the guitar back to me. My dream came true!
Since then, however, I painted it sunburst (it started as a pearl/off white, but Jim had done a different white since then. I always wanted a sunburst, so I figured I'd just make this my experimental guitar). So there you have it...my first electric.
Which brings me to my first "long term" "first" guitar, my 1964 Gibson SG Special. This was really my baby for so many years, and I still look to it as the quintessential "Jobey" guitar (along with the J-50 for the acoustic side of life). Jim had taken off the original vibrola tremolo piece, as well as the original pickups, unfortunately, so I got a replacement vibrola and I now have in Suhr humbuckers, which are very nice. This guitar has an AWESOME tone and is a fun, fast, tight guitar to play with VERY low action. I love it. Along with the J-50, it is my most sentimentally loved guitar.
Next I'll feature a late addition to the family, my 1968 Gibson SG Standard. This one I picked up off of eBay for $800 back in 2006, simply because I thought it was a good deal and I wanted an SG with a vintage vibe for playing at shows so I didn't have to bring my 1964 "baby."It's a good guitar, but needs some fretwork if I'm going to play it often. Pickups aren't original (which of course is part of the reason I got the good deal). I have in it Gibson '57 Classics. I put in a center pickup after this photo was taken but it is a phony. I did just for looks (the body cavity was already bored out). I think it looks pretty sweet.
Not pictured is a 1971 Gibson SG Deluxe (I think it's called a Deluxe) that I picked up off a friend for $200 in high school (which he, to this day, kicks himself over. But he knew better, he was a guitar shop manager, so I don't feel bad...sorry, Dave!).
It's a GREAT guitar to play, it has a pretty dark sound to it, but I don't EVER play it because it's a pain to change strings. It has a Bigsby tremolo on it with "Gibson" engraved, and the original pickups also have "Gibson" embossed on them. It has a Les Paul pickguard and an additional pickguard around the knobs. The horns aren't beveled, it's a natural walnut stain, block inlays, and the original Grover tuners also have "Gibson" engraved on it. Pretty cool and unique guitar, I'll add a pic later on.
I also have an un-pictured 2004 Gibson SG Faded I picked up for $150, mostly to give to the boys when/if they get interested early on, before they move on to a "big boy."
I also don't have a photo for my 2007 Gibson Firebird. I had always wanted one of these and love the sound and look of them. I play it pretty often, it kind of gets a Gibson meets Tele type of sound...kind of. :o)
This is a guitar I play a lot. It's a 1979 Gibson Les Paul Standard sunburst plain top (not a pancake body) I picked up off of eBay for $1700. I don't know what exact burst it is, or what they called it in 1979. It looks like a faded tobacco burst. Whatever it is, I love it, it's just beautiful. This thing is beastly heavy, but it sounds great. I actually took out the original bridge pickup (though I do have it for posterity sake) and put in a Lindy Fralin humbucker, which sounds awesome. This has a '50's style "baseball bat" neck, which is new to me, but I have adjusted quite well to it. I really love this guitar...the tone, the look, the feel, and it's my birth year! 
This one here is a 2006 Gibson Les Paul Standard flame top, and was my first ever Les Paul I ever owned (after ALL these years!). I picked it up specifically because this finish with this sort of quilted top was SO HARD to find! I don't like "Honeyburst," it's just too "green," but this one is called "Iced Tea" which is warmer and looks more like a faded tobacco burst.Anyway, I ran across the '79 on eBay and took a shot at it, and fell more in love with it. So I am actually going to get rid of this one, sadly, when I need some cash or have a project I need money for. Right now, it's a "savings" account for a rainy day.
Next up is a '52 Reissue Fender Telecaster in butterscotch blonde. I can't TELL you how long I have wanted one of these. I remember, funny enough, loving them because of watching G.E. Smith on SNL and thinking they were so cool looking.Anyway, a few years ago, my dad bought this for a great price ($900) and didn't quite get into playing like he wanted to. So we traded guitars since he felt he didn't need something this nice (I had a Peavey T-60) and I have had this since. It's got a great vintage vibe and of course the great Tele tone. It's beautiful through and through.
This one I have been playing more lately, it's a 2001 Fender Stratocaster, made in the USA. A friend of mine needed an amp, I happened to have a hook up for the amp, so we traded, I paid for the amp through my hook up, he gave me the guitar, so we both won. I ended up paying $375 for the amp, so it worked out nicely. This one I bought even though I had just gotten back my '89 from my uncle and subsequently painted it sunburst, simply because the price was right for this guy. After I took this photo I have since installed a Sustainiac pickup/driver (viewable on the '89 Strat), which is insane. It's INFINITE sustain and sustained feedback, as long as the 9 volt battery in the back cavity is good. Think "E-Bow" but all 6 strings and nothing to hold in your hand. It's unreal, you have to check it out.
This is an off brand hollowbody called a Penco, modeled after a Gibson ES 335, but this thing is made in Japan so the quality is really nice. Great finish, nice tone, and it plays awesome. I got it used for $250 when I was in high school working at Flood Music in Sioux City. It's a great guitar, looks amazing, and it was a great deal.
This one is fun, it's a guitar I put together only recently, but I had it in pieces since high school. It's a '60's body Fender Jazzmaster, but I created it to be setup like my SG with two hunbuckers and a two volume/two tone setup with a 3-way toggle switch. The neck is a jumbo neck with oversized headstock from Fender. I bought the body from the manager at Floods for $40 (it had a lot of cosmetic damage, but dad and I refinished it and it looks awesome now, he was shocked).I put it all together finally in 2006 (though I had all the parts just about since 1996). Kind of random. Anyway, it has a nice dark sound to it, real smooth, actually, and it plays great with its low frets.
This little number was just sort
of an itch/whim I had. I always wanted a Flying V, but I was always drawn to the 1958 Gibson Korina V. Well, being that they are over $30,000, I decided not to go with that. :o) Instead, I did some research and found that the Epiphone V's can be made into really solid guitars with a little time and money. So I went for it. This one is a 2006 Epiphone Flying V made with all Gibson mods. It has Lindy Fralin pickups, Gibson upgraded tuners and upgraded bridge and all new electronics. It is a real fun guitar to play and has real nice smooth action and tone. I think they are just cool looking guitars. I do want a '67 Reissue one of these days, but it is WAY down on the ol' priority list of life, that's for sure!
Here is my Trinity College Octave Mandolin. I use this, of course, for my traditional Irish music. It's a relative width of a guitar neck, making it easy for me to get used to it. I capo up at the 7th to get the higher mandolin type tone/sound. This was a really affordable version ($300 with case) and has a cool celtic cross on the headstock. It's named after, of course, Trinity College in Dublin, so all around, it's a great start for an octave mandolin for a guy like me.
And lastly, this is my new acoustic, a 2004 McIlory A-30 acoustic. It is a spruce top/rosewood side piece of art hand made in Northern Ireland in the county where much of my family is from. Dermot McIlory was a disciple of George Lowden, and his craftsmanship SHOWS!I bought it for a few reasons: 1) the J-50 needed to go on bed rest, 2) it's hand made in Northern Ireland 3) it resembles (with its dark sides and light top) the J-50, giving me a little familiarity and comfort (though I will be adding a J-50 shaped pickguard soon), 4) I got a SMOKIN' deal on it, and 5) it sounds and plays absolutely amazing. I also had a LR Baggs iBeam active pickup installed, which I highly recommend, and is very low priced.
Soooo....there you have it...I'll add a few more pics, including amps and pedals later on.
Slainte!!!
