Pictures of my Guitars (click on an image to see a full picture)

I used the Taylor 355 on most of the tunes on this CD

I used the Taylor LKSM-12 on all tunes on this CD. The guitar was tuned down 2 whole steps

Aria ac-15 back	Aria ac-15 front	Aria ac-15 label
Aria ac-15 side view	Colonial front view	Colonial label brand
Domino Royal Quality 12-string made in Japan	Domino back Do I need this part	Domino brace back 2
Domino braces with gobs of glue to remove	Domino braces with more soft gooey glue I removed	Domino with some sort of Fan bracing
Gibson 12-string Serial number indicates 1963	Gibson 12-string back view	Gibson 12-string front view After Bridgeplate repair 2
Gibson 12-string front view After Bridgeplate repair	LKSM-12 Cutaway	LKSM-12 Jumbo shape
LKSM-12 Saddle	LKSM-12 Soundhole	LKSM-12 Top
LKSM-12 inside brace detail_1	LKSM-12 inside view of NT neck bolt	LKSM-12 inside x-brace detail near soundhole
Taylor 355 back view 2	Taylor 355 back view 3	Taylor 355 back view
Taylor 355 front view 2	Taylor 355 front view	Taylor 355 inside label indicates made in Feb 2005
Taylor 355 side view	Yamaha g-55 back	Yamaha g-55 back view 2
Yamaha g-55 front view 1	Yamaha g-55 front view 2	Yamaha g-55 front view 3
Yamaha g-55 front view 4	Yamaha g-55 headstock	Yamaha g-55 heel
Yamaha g-55 label	Yamaha g-55 machine head	Yamaha g-55 soundhole

• I took pics while rebuilding the bridge plate on the Gibson. You can see the inside at Opening up the B45
• The Colonial is a catalog guitar from the 1920's, I think. It has a couple of cracks that have been filled, not very carefully, with epoxy. You can see a guitar like this in the movie Dust Bowl Blues with David Carradine. This one is not as ornamental. I bought it from Lark Street Music when it was located on Lark Street in Albany New York circa 1980. I worked nights at an answering service so I could ride and race bicycles during the day. This guitar was quiet and small enought to plunk out some tunes during the quiet night hours.
• My wife secretely bought the AC-15 from my old friend Fred Fountain in Troy. It shows normal wear for a 20-25 year old guitar that has been played. The AC-15 has a laminated cedar top and obancole (like mahogany) sides. I think the AC-15 sounds brighter than the AC-30 I sold in 2009. According to some email I received in April 2009 from Svein from norway, he got (from his mother) an Aria AC-15 with an original guarantee note and receipt dated 16th May 1972, so this guitar was made well before 1977.
• The Yamaha has a lot of dents and scratches, but no cracks. The neck is fatter and more solid than the Aria; this guitar has more sustain than a normal classical guitar. A lot of G-55's came from Japan, but this model, G-55-1, comes from Taiwan. The yamaha web site says this about the G55, but I'm not sure that it applies to this model:
  • Year(s) Sold: 1976
  • Original MSRP: $ 90.00
  • Top: Spruce
  • Back / Sides: Agathis
  • Neck / Fingerboard: Nato / Bubinga
  The action is high but there is room to lower the bridge.
• The Royal Domino cost 25 bucks at a yard sale. I opened it up and removed tons of soft gel-like glue from the braces, reset the neck and now it sounds kind of funky, in a Stella-like way. It is definitely a 'sound effect' guitar, hard to play, but useful for old funk.
• The Gibson is from 1963 but it has all the original finish removed with and some mother of perl and hand painted applique. It is a B45-12. Gibsons like this aren't as 'jangly' as my Taylor. Leo Kottke said the B45-12 from the early 60's was the best 12-string ever made. I'm not sure. This B45 sure has an interesting recording tone that can be very useful. There seems to be very little midrange. It's a good solo guitar that displays interesting width and phase artifacts. You can hear this particular guitar on "Salute to Lightnin'" here

12 String Musings - Blogging about 12-string guitars, songs, and players
Recent Posts: