--Cont. (Interested in the influences part 7)

..but there I was - dead in the water between Bossa Nova Ben and PC Billy Bragg..

    I let my electrics gather dust - then, broke and depressed I sold the SG - an act I now deeply regret- and the Strat got stolen in 1990 sad to say..

    From my 1989 "comeback" my main solo instrument was my black Ovation Balladeer.They may not have the tone of a wooden guitar but as tough plug and go giggers they are a marvel though I think my 80s one is better than more recent Ovations.

    Having done 500+ sets of 2-3 hours a time at The Attik and The Shed in Leciester alone when I had residencies in those places the Ovation has had a hard life and two refrets and is in need of a third.

    I also craved the wooden tone so ended going through a disasterous series of experiments and sell on's and swops before alighting on a Czech Stanford which I adored and used 2005-06..however a design flaw caused persistent neck problems and the shop I got it from gave me a swop, a 2003 Yairi DY-95 .The Yairi has been sensational and is the guitar you see me with in photographs since April 2006.

    Yairi use old fashioned wood drying methods - no slow ovens but 5-10 years natural drying - and hand tools where many manufacturers use machines.

    For me the only thing better than my Yairi is a Martin D-18 or D-28, get a good one of those and it's just the best, most organic tone there is.Neil Young does the Martin thing to perfection.Early Joni Mitchell and Jimmy Page too are D-28ers and hear what results they got - gorgeous!I have played on all kinds of Martins, all ages but I'd say anything good D-18 or D-28 before 1980 is fine but back from 1970 and the prices are impossible for me.I wish I could get a good say 70's example of either model, I think it would liberate me just as the Yairi has.

    Electricwise these days for main use I have an 82 Fender Strat from the last batch at the original Fullerton factory - poor mans Jimi Hendrix on that - and a 78 Gibson Les Paul Custom, my 'power chord rock beast' - poor mans Mick Ronson on that lol!

    Oh Wes..you've done it again!And so have I with another waffling waffley retort!!