Gear

The string section

A selection of the instruments & associated equipment that I use to make music, along with some notable items from my past. I've grouped these into Basses (bass guitars), Guitars (which includes other string instruments), and Synthesizers.

I've often thought of myself as a chronic sufferer of Gear Acquisition Syndrome, the impulse to add just one more piece of equipment at any opportunity, but in hindsight I've rarely been an avid collector or hoarder of gear. Sometimes it can feel like I'm a perennial impulse buyer but I suspect this is a result of my semi-subconscious decision making process, a purchase might feel sudden & spontaneous but over time is revealed to be a (mostly) sensible & measured choice. There was a period in the early days of eBay where I was snapping up instruments but these were often unfashionable & undervalued, virtually all of them I ended up either keeping (& using) or selling on, usually for more than I paid for them. Along the way I've always managed to equip myself with the right tools to make music the way I want to and I've ended up with an excellent collection of fabulous instruments.

I've written a few articles about my relationship with gear:

Searching for the sound is a look back at my interest in electronic music.

Tribulations of a musical hobbyist was inspired by my internal processes around buying a new synthesizer.

The Renmei project is an article about my solo synthesizer work, looking at the process, equipment, and results.