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Without a doubt it would be Les Paul. I would go to Steel Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey and sneak back stage with Pat Martino (a jazz legend) when we were kids. We’d ask Les all kinds of questions and he’d show us his recording equipment, guitars and the electronics he had in them….

The first material I found for fabricating guitar bobbins came from old drum cases made from Vulcanized Fibre. I got my first Vulcanized Fibre from Jim Sharp, the drummer in one of my first bands called “The Flintones” in Gibbstown, New Jersey during the 60s. Most cases where 1/16″ thick and just right to fabricate…

This sure has happened to me before! To this day I think of guitars that got away from me over 20 years ago that wish I still had. I’ve seen great guitars in stores or yard sales and procrastinated about buying it and when I returned it was gone. I’ve owned guitars that I decided…

This is a hard one as there are so many to choose from. I will start with my favorites and what I like about them. a. Roy Buchanan: Roy was my biggest influence when I started playing guitar at the age of 13. I used to watch Roy play all the time and he taught…

There are so many tones that I like and I’ll try to list some of the players and instruments they used. These are not in any particular order. Chet Atkins recordings on many of his instruments using several Gretsch Model guitars. Duane Eddy recordings using his famous 1957 Gretsch Chet Atkins 6120 with DeArmond single…

There are so many artists that I like and I’ll try to name a few and some other facts. For years I had been trying to find the musician who did the solo in “Peppermint Twist” by Joey Dee and the Starlighters. I was told that it was Billy Butler who also did “Honky Tonk”…

ickups that feedback: I like best using hot wax at a controlled temperature for newer pickups. Older pickups I leave alone as it can lower the value of the pickup. You need to follow proper procedures and safety. Pickups with plastic or nylon bobbins need extreme care and attention so you don’t distort the shape…

There are many things I take on the road to do seminars. My helper Tim Larson assists me when doing the many shows we do each year. I will list some of the tools and equipment that I use to help repair and wind pickups on the road. I have a homemade winder with analog…

The first thing I would do is make an inventory of all the parts you have on a spread sheet similar to Microsoft Excel. I use Excel for all my collections and it makes it easy to trade and send files over the internet. If you have things you want to keep, it’s a good…