Instruments and Equipment
I don’t have a big collection of vintage guitars, stacks of amplifiers, or a pile of effects pedals but I do own a few instruments that I’ve purchased new and some others that I’ve gotten from friends. I also have an old Harmony guitar that my mother and her sisters played that was passed down to me through my family.
After I graduated from the Berklee College of Music, I stayed in Boston so that I could continue my Jazz studies with Charlie Banacos. At one of my lessons, Charlie said, “David, you’re Lucky to have such a beautiful instrument.” Then he asked me. “if I had idea how many people didn’t have a musical instrument to practice on?” Then he said, “You need to work harder and to learn how to practice more because for some reason you were given that instrument.”
I’m very grateful to Charlie for all of the music lessons and for all the “mystical whole-life lessons” but I’m especially grateful that he somehow instilled in me the daily discipline of practicing my instrument and transcribing music. I find that practicing my instrument is both uplifting and spiritual. Practicing should be draining, frustrating and humbling but it should also fill an emotional and spiritual need. Some people love gardening, some people meditate or pray every day, some people read, some walk and some people need to immerse themselves in Nature, I practice music.
I try to practice guitar every day and I try to listen to and study music every day. I love to transcribe music and that’s always on the top of my daily to do list. It’s hard to find the time to play every instrument that I own but I don’t let any of them collect dust. I try to take them out of their cases as often as possible and play them for a few hours. I also try to KNOW all my equipment. I read PDF files, I watch training videos and I plug stuff in-and-out because I want to explore the capabilities of the equipment that I own.
I think it’s very important today to own a combination of real instruments and virtual instruments. Many musicians today make GREAT music in their bedrooms with laptops. In my opinion, that trend is going to continue and it’s going to accelerate. People are naturally creative and they don’t need traditional formulas outboard gear or a recording studio to explore or express their creativity. I may be in the minority, but I personally believe that a computer is just as valid of a musical instrument as a piano, guitar, woodwind or reed instrument. So, in addition to guitars, pedals amps and hardware, I like to invest in plug-ins and VSTI’s.
It’s always hard for musicians to resist the temptation to buy that shinny new toy at a music store or that newly released plug-in. I think it’s healthy that musicians are always searching for that “Once in a Lifetime Antique Road Show Find” but the reality is that I think you get to where you want to go a lot faster if you learn to cultivate the mindset to “USE WHAT YOU HAVE.”
That said, here are some of my toys.
GIBSON ES-150 DC GUITAR
I’ve had this Beautiful Instrument since I was student at Berklee Collge of Music in Boston. I shared an apartment at 112 Jersey Street in the Back Bay Neighborhood of Boston with my good friend, Guitarist Charlie Duckett, and traded a Gibson ES-335 even-up with him for this instrument.
Charlie moved to New York City and worked as a Jazz Guitarist and session player and he now lives in Nashville where he grew up and we’re still close friends after all these years.
I’ve played this guitar at countless Jam Sessions and Gigs and it’s really a working musicians guitar. Since I play mostly Acoustic guitar now as a Writer / Arranger, this instrument doesn’t get used as much as it should but I recently played it with a Blues Band here in Nashville and it still makes people say “Damn, That’s One Hell of a Guitar.”
CUBASE 11 PRO
Computers and DAW’s have changed Music forever. Anyone with a computer and recording / production software can now release their music to the whole world and they never have to leave their own home. The term “Bedroom Produce” is a real music industry term now because gone are the days when you needed a million dollar recording studio and racks of outboard gear to produce great music or an artist. “Shout-Out” THANK YOU to Steinberg International for the giving Big Tent Nashville a complimentary versions of CUBASE and ABSOLUTE and a special THANK YOU to Greg Ondo for his amazing product support. We’re doing our best to Produce Great Music with CUBASE.
Pawn Shop Amp
I was looking for a Practice Amp and I found this Line 6 Spider at a Pawn Shop here in Nashville where one of my Co-Writers was working. This is an older Programable Amp and it doesn’t “Model” like many of the newer Amps that are available out there today but it’s pretty Solid for a Solid State Amp. The 12 inch Jenson 12 speaker was a nice surprise and a real bonus. This is not a “Go To” Amp by any means if you’re looking for an Original Sound but if you wanna quickly dial-in a clean sound or a dirty Sound for a some recording for ideas and you don’t like “Heavy Lifting”, then this old Line 6 veteran will do the job.
HALion 6
HALion is Steinberg’s Workhorse VSTI and there isn’t too much that this virtual instrument can’t do. It interfaces seamlessly with CUBASE and its library of instruments can be easily overlaid to create completely new sounds. Vintage Yamaha Synths are available in expansion packs from Steinberg along with 3rd party packages and sound design, sampling, recording and program synthesis tools are right at your fingertips. To me, there was a steep learning curve but I really liked that the overall workflow is consistent with the other VSTI’s that are included with CUBASE.
Line 6 UX2
Line 6 makes professional high quality gear that’s durable and affordable on a musicians budget. This UX2 is a daily work-horse for me. I use a USB cable to connect it to my Laptop Computer, then I plug-in Guitar and Ear Phones and then I can Practice and Jam away for hours or use it as an interface to record into my DAW.
Guitar players all over the world create new patches with this device and share their work in the “Tone Library” on the Line 6 website. Users can simply log into their account and download those sounds for free. That creates “Music Community” and generates Brand Loyalty.
Groove Agent 4
Groove Agent SE is included free with CUBASE and Groove Agent 4 is an upgrade that’s available from Steinberg. It integrates seamlessly with CUBASE 11 PRO and is loaded with sound libraries, loops and individual drum and percussion sets. Groove Agent also has an internal mixer with effects and a variety of editing tools. There are also custom Expansion Packs available from Steinberg if you need more sounds.
Plugging Stuff In
MELLO
I like to keep my eyes open for end-of-year customer appreciation gifts from manufactures. Arturia makes some of my favorite VSTI’s and they ended 2021 and kicked-off 2022 by giving away this Lo-Fi Tape Saturation Plug-In to their registered uses. THANK YOU Arturia, I’m looking forward to trying MELLO on some of my Production Projects.
ARTURIA MINILAB
This tiny Arturia MINILAB Keyboard Controller is a real Mighty Mouse. It’s powered by a USB cable that connects to my Laptop so that I can easily enter MIDI data into my project. The Octave Adjustment Key gives me quick access to all 128 MIDI Notes and the 16 Rotary Controls can be mapped to my DAW. There are 8 Drum Pads 2 Banks and Touch Strips for Pitch and Mod. This Controller also include Arturia’s ANALOG LAB Software that includes their collection of 28 classic Synthesizers. Overall, a fantastic value at an affordable price.
Massive
This VSTI from Native Instruments is a true Heavyweight in the Music World. MASSIVE was used by Producers around the world because it’s hard hitting sounds were a staple in EDM Music Scene. It’s been around long enough for everyone to recognize what it’s capable. It’s complex to use but there are plenty of YouTube videos out there that expert users share their secret sauce and lots of sites where you can get additional sound libraries. If you’re into Producing Electronic Music, then MASSIVE is a Must Have
Gibson 150 DC, Boss GT 6 and a Fender Concert Reverb
Yeah, sometimes it’s fun to plug things in and crank things up all the way just to let the neighbors know that they’re living next to a musician.
REAKTOR 6
REAKTOR 6 is part of the Native Instruments family of products and is their development environment for Synthesizers and Effects. If you like virtually building and designing your own electronic sounds and instruments then REAKTOR 6 should is a powerful tool.
It includes Factory Synthesizers like MONARK, RAZOR and ROUNDS, Legacy Content Synthesizers and REAKTOR BLOCKS which is a Sound Engine that has 30 Modular Block Synthesizers.
If that’s not enough, REAKTOR 6 also come with a Sound Design Engine with REAKTOR 6 that to build Synthesizers from scratch so you’ll never run out of sounds.
EBow
That little thing sitting in front of my computer that looks like a Stapler is actually an EBow. They’ve been around for a long time and Guitarists use them for Special Effects or as a “Gimmick” but make no mistake, you can create some beautiful sounds and textures with an EBow. The EBow uses a feedback circuit to amplify string vibrations and when you hold it over a string correctly it will produce overtones and harmonics with infinite sustain that can sound like woodwinds, strings, or screaming guitars. I like to layer Guitar parts with an EBow and use it during transitions between sections of a song.
PADSHOP 2
Padshop 2 is a Granular Synthesizer that’s include with CUBASE 11 Pro or with ABSOLUTE. As the name implies, it’s a specialized Synth that includes a library of background Pad sounds for production projects but it also features micro editing of samples on a granular level. It has two sound engines that allow you to create completely new sounds from the granular level up and simplified visual tools for editing tools. It’s a solid VSTI from Steinberg that’s easy to learn and to use.
Gibson ES-175
I found this 1952 Gibson ES-175 Guitar for sale in the Boston “Want Advertiser Magazine” while I was a student at The Berklee College of Music. Guitar sounds were evolving in a Rockin’ direction and Arch Top Guitars like this one were becoming less popular as Jazz was waning in popularity. Now, these Guitars have become “collectables” and “investments” to many people but to me, this is the Guitar that I learned to play Jazz on and the Guitar that I played and practiced on every day for many years. As my playing and my sound has changed and evolved throughout the years, I play this guitar less and less but some instruments have a special place in your heart even if they’re nit in your hands.
Waves Scheps 73
I have a few 3rd Party Plugin’s from Waves and this is one that I picked-up on sale that I like to use for Mixing. It’s a 3-band equalizer that Producer Andrew Scheps helped design. It’s modeled on the classic Neve 1073.
Hand Cut Glass Slides
Yeah, I like to cut my own Glass Bottle Neck Slides. They’re like little beautiful works of art to me. Many of them can’t really be played on Guitar because of their unusual shape and curves but I like making them.
KALA Ukulele
Aloha
Who doesn’t enjoy sitting on a beach in Hawaii, watching a sunset, hanging out with the locals and listening to Ukulele.
I borrowed a Ukulele to learn how to play a few chords for a song we were recording and I had so much fun playing it that I decided to search for one. I purchased this beautiful Concert Size Ukulele from The Ukulele Site in Haleiwa Hawaii. It was custom made for them by KALA Ukuleles and has some WOW Features that include a solid cedar top, cutaway body, slotted headstock and an active pickup system with onboard volume, EQ and tuner.
E hele kāua i ke kahakai
BOSS GT-5 Multi-Effects Processor
I purchased this “Vintage” BOSS GT-5 from my friend, drummer John Vaughn who I live with in East Nashville. This Multi-Pedal is packed with effects but it requires a lot of time and hand programming if you wanna go beyond its presets. I’ve spent months reading PDF files, watching YouTube videos and sitting on the floor playing with this pedal trying to coax sounds out of it. The GT-5 was the last of the “Analog” Multi-Pedals from BOSS and unlike its Modern Digital Decedents that are easy to program with a Computer and a USB cable, this old Dinosaur uses a Jog Wheel.
When I’m playing Acoustic Guitar with a Band, I like to use Multi-Pedals and Clean Amp instead of Mic’ing my Guitar. Since my Acoustic Guitars all have built-in Pre Amps I set-up an effects chain that I like with this GT-5 and run that signal into an effects loop on my Amp. It’s not a very conventional way to play Acoustic Guitar but it’s a sound that works for me.
Bottleneck Slide
I LOVE to play Bottleneck Slide with my Guitars and I enjoy making / cutting my own slides. People give me empty Wine, Beer, Whiskey and Bourbon Bottles and I enjoy making Bottleneck Slides out of them. They’re all a little “Rough” but I think that adds a little Color to the Character of my Guitar sound.
Dobro
This is my Regal Regal RD 60 Dobro with a Fishman Pickup. I love the sound of Dobro and I wanted to learn how to play a little bit so I borrowed one from a friend and then I found this one for sale from a Music Producer who who upgraded to a more expensive Custom Hand-Made Dobro so he sold me this one.
This isn’t a very expensive instrument but it’s not a toy so it deserves to be played and cared for properly. Whenever I use it on a recording, I’m always wonderfully surprised by it’s warm tone and bright sound. It’s a lot fun to play and I wish I had more time to devote to practicing it.
Because it has a pickup, I can plug it into some of my pedal effects and create some really interesting sounds.
Fender Roland Ready Strat
Guitar players trade gear all the time and I traded my friend Rock Marcello my Fender Telecaster for his Roland Ready Strat. I didn’t play that Teli that often but this Strat gets a daily work-out from me. I use it on a lot of my recording and I especially like using it with my Native Instruments Guitar Rig.
Fulltone Fat Boost FB-3
When I play Guitar, I like to play with a clean undistorted sound but sometimes you gotta “Dirty Things Up” a little. Like most Guitarists, I have some Pedals and this Fulltone Fat-Boost FB-3 is a real BEAST that off the chain. I don’t use a lot of Pedals but I use this one because it simple and it kicks-ass.
Beer or Whiskey, Foreign or Domestic
I love the sound of a Glass Bottleneck Slide and I like to cut my own from empty bottles that people give me.
I’ve recorded or played live with every one of theses slides and like people, they all have their own unique voice and personality.
Les Paul Studio
I bought this beautiful Les Paul Studio here in Nashville from Guitarist Michael Richard Hendrix. Michael is a GREAT Guitarist, Friend and Co-Writer.
All you need is a Heavy Hunk of Mahogany, a couple of Humbuckers and Slinky Stings and you’re a Rock Star.
David Reuter Guitarist / Arranger
Pedal Train
I like a very Clean Guitar sound when I play live so I only use a handful of Pedals. I use an Amp with an Effects Loop and I like my sound to have a touch of Tremolo, Delay and Reverb so those three effects always turned on. I try to EQ my sound to the room because I don’t like a boomy guitar sound and I like my distortion to come from my Amp, not from Pedals. I’m not into Boutique Pedals but there are some GREAT ones out there that are worth every penny. I like to focus on having my sound come from my Hands, my Instrument, my Amp and my Technique but what Guitar Player doesn’t LOVE Pedals.
Gibson Les Paul Studio and Takamine EAN30C
You know what happens when a couple of teenagers hangout together. Les Paul Studio and Takamine EAN30C
These two instruments get a lot of daily use here in Nashville at writing sessions, recording sessions, backing-up artists and at rehearsals. The soft Cedar top give this Tak a beautiful warm sound but it shows a lot of wear from all the playing and practicing that I’ve done with it and The Gibson Les Paul Studio has a deep driving sound with endless sustain. These two can hang with the best of them.
Giannini Classical Guitar
I purchased this Brazilian Classic Guitar from my good friend John Nesmith. John like to call me when he finds something interesting in a barn or a garage that he knows I’ll buy. John is also a songwriter with a GREAT Heart who is always supportive of other musicians and people and you don’t find that a lot here in Nashville.
This guitar cleaned-up beautifully and it really came to life when I put a new set of Nylon Strings on it. I like using it for recording because it has a very warm tone that blends well when it’s doubled with an acoustic guitar that has bright sounding strings.
They probably harvested endangered woods to build this instrument but that’s I guess that’s Capitalism.
Arturia Rev PLATE-140
I’m a big fan of Arturia Products and this Rev PLATE-140 Plate Reverb is one reason why I love their products. I don’t do a lot of Production Projects but when I do, I like to try different Reverbs, and this one is never disappoints. Producers often use Plate Reverbs on Vocals but I love how this sounds on my Left / Right Acoustic Guitar parts in a Group Track.
More Hand Cut Bottleneck Slides
All you need to make some Hand Cut Bottleneck Slides is An empty bottle, a glass cutter, boiling water and some extra fine sandpaper. Yeah, I like making these.
CUBASE CAT
Sitting at home at my dining room table Mixing a Song in Steinberg CUBASE 11 Pro under the watchful eye of my CUBASE CAT.
Sterling Mic’s
Recording Dyads Today for a new song.
David Reuter Guitarist / Arranger
Takamine EAN30C
I was looking great sounding acoustic guitar that was also affordable and this Takamine EAN30C was recommended to me by my good friend Charlie Duckett. I purchased it from a musician in North Carolina who received it as a gift but he rarely played it he want to just let it sit in a case. It looks like a Classical Guitar because of its slotted headstock with open gear machine tuners and wide rosewood neck without any inlays that joins the body at the 12th fret but this is actually a steel string guitar. It has a cutaway so you can easily access the upper frets, an active pickup system with onboard volume, EQ and tuner and a a cedar top. I’ve had to refret this guitar and replace the electronics because it’s played so often and it’s well loved. I’ve written a lot of song with this guitar, backed-up a lot of singers with it, rehearsed and recorded with it and practiced with it and I think that it’s just starting to reach it’s Prime.
Shaking Things Up
When you live with a drummer, you learn pretty quickly that they like to bang on everything and it doesn’t take too long until they have you banging on things too.
My friend, drummer Paul Wilmet, taught me how to play some percussion when I lived with him in East Nashville, so now, I like to record some of my own Percussion Parts. It takes some practice with a metronome to play an Egg Shaker in time and get it to swing with the beat but it’s fun to shake things up a little bit.
Blueridge BR-163 CE
I needed a back-up Acoustic Guitar while my Takamine was in the shop being repaired and I found this Blueridge Guitar at World Music here in Nashville. Their store was musician friendly and it offered quality service at a fair price. Sadly, they closed their doors a few years ago.
I walked into there store one afternoon and told a sales associate that I need an affordable back-up Acoustic Guitar that had a pick-up system and a cut-away and he recommended this Blueridge BR-163 CE.
Blueridge Guitars are Chinese-built and they’re distributed by Saga Musical Instruments. SAGA has a family of instruments that they Wholesale and they’re all somewhere between Student and Professional grade. They don’t manufacture an investor or collector grade instrument so they’re not going to appreciate in value but they’re a solid choice as daily practice instrument or as a back-up instrument.
It’s a bit ornate looking but it has some great features that you’d find on more expensive guitars. This model has a Solid Sitka Spruce top, East Indian Rosewood back and sides, a Mahogany neck, a Rosewood Fingerboard and an LR Baggs E.A.S. transducer system. It has a punchy sound and I like to use it as a daily practice instrument or for writing sessions. This Blueridge is Blue Collar Guitar for a Blue Collar Musician like me.
Testing 1, 2, 3
Mic Check
David Reuter Guitarist / Arranger
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.