I’ve always been happy with the tone of this instrument… Over the years I’ve made upgrades to the electronics, but never touched the pickups. I had no idea what I was missing. Essentially, the guitar always sounded great when on full volume but no matter what I did I always had a muddled tone when I rolled back the volume, even after upgrading all the control pots and capacitors.

So enter the new pickups and wow… clearer tone all around and super punchy when volume rolled back. The pick ups are not too loud but rather very smooth tones truer to a vintage quality. Really happy with this upgrade!
cheers
MW

Moollon pickups for my favorite Les Paul

I made the time this morning to return the Ramirez classical I borrowed last week from Rick Kelly Custom Guitars. Rick has been working out of the same shop for about 25 or 30 years. In the front of  the store it looks like a regular guitar shop with guitars of all makes and accessories including some amps etc… But walk in the back of the shop and it’s another scene that is far less common. Over the years Rick has built me a Tele and a Strat which are really special instruments. He’s building me a Les Paul in the coming months… I asked him to make it for me this past August after I saw one he built as you can see in the pic below…. He has orders a year in advance… so my guitar as of now is still a big block of wood… Pine wood taken from a rafter of a house built over 150 years ago on Bowery St. It’s Appalachian pine and well aged as you might guess. Rick builds guitars for lots of folks. Bob Dylan, Bill Frisell, GE Smith, Lou Reed to name a few.. Marcus Wolf! Yep, just saying’. Enjoy the photos!

M

In Jim’s own words…

The bass bouts of the wedge guitar narrow to a thinner depth than those of a standard classical guitar, providing better ergonomics for the right arm. The Wedge design integrates the patented bent top feature and the player response second sound hole .
To maintain the ideal internal air volume, the treble bouts are wider than normal. In addition to improving shoulder and arm comfort, this design presents the strings and fretboard at a reduced angle, allowing the right hand to maintain a more neutral position.
The Wedge design also creates more string clearance while maintaining conventional string spacing. Fretboard visibility is improved, as is left-hand attack, thanks to a more neutral starting position. By  reducing the physical stresses of lengthy playing sessions, the Wedge should enhance relaxation, reduce discomfort, and allow the player to focus better on his or her playing.

Big Thanks to Michael and the rest of the Engl team!
MW

Gigmaster 15 Combo

Gibson Les Paul “08′ Standard”

Rick Kelly of Carmine Street Guitars, NYC – Kelly Tele, Strat

Augustino LoPrinzi – Steel String acoustics…

Jim Holler Bent Top Classical Guitar cedar top (2006),

Amp – Custom made WOLFTONE Trem 20′ by James Price omegaamps.com

Pedals - Xotic BB Preamp, AC Boost, AC Boost, MXR Analog Delay, HBE Psilocybe, Area 51 Wah, Analog Man AB Tuner switches….

The Holy grail of my rig…. Tape Echos, Used all over my record as well as David Garrett’s

My analogman Custom pedal for switching the tape echo on and off as well as a tuner bypass switch.

My tape echo rig in a setup used for recording my album “Mirror”…

http://occupancy1.com/gear-overview/