My Instruments

These are my instruments that, when I get down to it, I use for recording. Read my blurb on each one, click on the thumbnail to see the large image, or visit my instruments photo gallery to see all the photos.

Taylor 310CE electroacoustic

Taylor 310CE electro-acoustic

I didn't expect to buy this. I naively thought I could go into "Sound Control" (now out of business) in Birmingham, try a few guitars in a detatched fashion, and leave safely. I failed, miserably. The main problem was that the salesman was brilliant: I told him the kind of price-bracket I was interested in, and he knew EXACTLY what I needed. And he was right, as I fell in love with the Taylor 310CE straight away. My innocent trip to Birmingham turned out to be the most extravagant shopping fling I've ever done, but, if you'll excuse the ridiculous Americanism, it was SOOOOOOO worth it. Every time I play this guitar I'm amazed by it, which is how it should be. When I plug it in I'm even more amazed. I love Taylor for creating this guitar just for me, which they quite clearly did.

Yamaha SG electric guitar

Yamaha SG electric

I was incredibly fortunate in getting this beautiful instrument. I prefer the meaty sound of SGs and Les Pauls to Strats and Telecasters, but I didn't know it at the time of buying my Yamaha SG 170. It's second-hand, often a great way to buy instruments, and it was from a man who really strived for perfection in his insturments' appearance. Therefore, he was practically giving this away due to two small nicks in the body work (see if you can spot them). It's served me for about 4 years now, along with a Peavey amp and a Boss GT-3 effects unit, and I don't think I need anything else. Yet.

My Cello

Cello

This is "Cuthbert III", or verbally "Cuthbert the third". As cellos go, he's an usually deep nutty orange (ooh la la, Mr Dulux), and I've had him for about seven years. I've been playing cello for the vast majority of my life, and though my familiarity with the cello has had its ups and downs, I always return to it in the end as it is such a beautiful instrument. I am extremely fortunate to have had people who've supported and encouraged my playing the whole way, and Cuthbert's thankful too. Oh, and yes there were two previous Cuthberts, but I outgrew them.

Wal bass

Wal bass

This has recently fallen into my hands, totally undeservedly, as a semi-permanent, unspoken if-I-need-it-could-I-have-it-back-but-otherwise-go-nuts loan from my dad. You know the kind. I'm going to be recording with this classic instrument, and am again very fortunate (a common theme with my instrument collection) to be able to put my mits on it. I'll promise to do it justice. I think I'll name it "Wally". I bet that isn't as original as I think it is.

Crafter electroacoustic

Crafter electro-acoustic

I have a deep affection for this guitar. It was my very first: I remember going to the music shop with my mum, knowing only one thing. I wanted a guitar with a rounded back, like an ovation I saw at church when I was very young. The guitar man saw this desire and pointed me straight at this Crafter electro-acoustic. He gave me a few others to try as well, but they only served to show me how much more I liked THIS one. It's been superceded by the Taylor now, which is sad in a way, but everything has its own place. I think that the preamp is a bit dodgy now, and considering whether it's worth replacing it. I still think it's a great looking guitar.

« Back: music

Hi, I'm Jon Cairns

I'm a web designer and graphic designer who likes to create good-looking, accessible websites with XHTML, CSS, AJAX and PHP. I'm also a musician, photographer and student, and I live in Durham, up north in the UK. Use the links at the top of the page or just above to navigate my site, or read my blog to find out what's going on in my life.

Updates

  • 22nd Aug Added a new blog, "The Great Synchronisation". It seems that all of my updates are blogs these days!
  • 21st July Added a new blog entry, the first in two and a half months! Join me in the celebration of this momentous occasion by reading it.

From the blog

28th Aug 09

The Great Synchronisation

A few minutes ago I was sitting on a sofa with nothing to do, thinking, "maybe it's time for my annual blog entry". You may be wondering whether you should bother reading something that's been created simply because I had nothing better to do, but I submit to you that all good things are created that way. Think about it.

Read it all »