Q: What's so special about vintage gear?
"I love the warm sound on records and radio broadcasts from the 1930s. The audio industry was coming into its maturity, developing technologies that changed not only how music was recorded but also how music was played. The ribbon microphone made vocalists more nuanced, the tube amplifier elevated the guitar out of the rhythm section. These revolutionary tools of the 30s endure to the present and the first of them--made of metal and wood, leather and glass--are still around and available. It's a thrill and an honor to make music with these treasures."
Amperite RAH ribbon mic, made in NYC 1935
Amperite RBHK ribbon mic, made in NYC 1937
RCA 44A ribbon mic, made in Camden, NJ 1940
Above: Model 5 PP Volu-Tone tube amplifier, made in LA 1934. Opposite: Premier 76 tube amplifier, made in NYC 1952. This unit unpacks into two wedges, amp and speaker.
Kalamazoo KG-31, made in Kalamazoo, MI 1935
Epiphone Deluxe, made in NYC 1946
"My electric guitars are on the younger side. A Sea Foam Green Japanese-made 1985 Squier Telecaster with Lindy Fralin stock pickups and a Bigsby tailpiece. It's the warmest sounding Tele I've ever played. I also use a beautiful custom ES 335 built by my brother Harry. It has a Lollar Charlie Christian neck pickup and a Wolfetone Dr. Vintage at the bridge."