Sire Larry Carlton L7

After the experiment with the Gibson Les Paul two years before (sold it because of the weight) this one fits perfectly. Quality, sound and look are perfect - at a third of the price of a similarly equipped Gibson.

Sire Larry Carlton T7

I always wanted to have a representative of that classic Telecaster shape and as since this year in their Larry Carlton series Sire offers affordable instruments in high quality I tried this one and am really happy with it. The rounded fretboard edges are wonderful and after working on the amplifier setup it sounds like a real Tele.

Taylor GS mini

Almost unbelievable how nice such a small guitar can sound. Unamplified it is amazing - but connected to the Hughes&Kettner era1 it sounds like a huge full sized western guitar although it has a much smaller body size. If you are looking for a travel friendly guitar with gorgeous sound - this is the right choice.

Ibanez AS93FM-TCD

The “Jazz-Trio” is complete now. This wonderful ES-335 styled Ibanez AS93 is the latest member of the Jazz family. A semi-hollow with a full sized 15 3/4” body, neck profile similar to the AGS73, it sounds phantastic.

Ibanez RG652-AHMFX

This is the dream machine :-)
After a long time of watching reviews and checking out different instruments I finally choose this one - the perfect alternative to a Strat (which in my opinion is kind of oldfashioned) and a Les Paul (which I owned before but was way too heavy).

This guitar has a breathtaking super wizard HP neck profile with a satiny backside and a wonderful birds eye maple fretboard. Its versatility with the two humbuckers that can be controlled by a five way switch is unbeatable.

Thanks Bernd Kiltz for the tipp. This is highest quality workmanship and my instrument with the highest fun factor.

"Marcus Miller V7" by Sire

Only four strings - but lots of fun: my new "Marcus Miller V7" bass by Sire. In cooperation with the world famous bass legend Marcus Miller (played with Miles Davis and many others) the korean manufacturer Sire developed this bass. I just wanted to give it a try but am so excited how much fun these huge strings and the grumbling sound are.

Ibanez AR325-DBS

A double cut solid body and in comparison to the Les Paul a real lightweight. Its gold hardware and dark bubinga top is an eye-catcher. This is my everyday practice instrument.

Gibson Les Paul Studio 2016T

I could not resist that offer: a “real” Gibson at less than 1K Euro. After I read that the Studio models are technically equal to the others and just less visually attractive than the models with bindings I could not resist to add this one to my little collection. Fortunately it has no automatic tuning system but its 4.5 Kilos are a fact one has to get used to.

Was too heavy ;-) Sold it in November 2018.

Ibanez AGS73FM

The next step into the jazz world – a semi hollow-body from Ibanez’ renowed artcore series. Not as huge as the SJ300 but with excellent playability. The body is made of flamed maple and with a weight of less than 3 kilos its really fun to play

Ibanez SJ300-DVS

The ultimate hollow-body jazz box in dark violin sunburst. As I could not afford a Gibson L-5 at five times the price of this Ibanez I decided to give it a try. And surprise – the quality and sound are absolutely wonderful. And as you can see – she’s a real beauty :-)

Juan Hernandez „Romance“

This wonderful instrument is handcrafted by renowned luthier Juan Hernandez at Valencia. It has a solid spruce top and solid madagascar rosewood back and sides. The neck is made of cedar, the fingerboard is made of ebony.
I took a plane to Madrid and then drove 300 km south to Valencia to fetch it in December 2015. Despite the travel expenses it was still one third cheaper than getting it in a german online store. And in addition to the savings I enjoyed two days in sunny spain :-) and visited guitarists heaven: „Guitarras de Luthier“ at Madrid.
I use John Hope Super Classic JH 047 strings on it which produce a clear and balanced sound.

Takamine JJ325 SRC

12-string acoustic guitar, John Jorgensen signature model.
I use this at gigs with the KCV Combo. Its rich 12-string-sound astonishes listeners every time I grab it.

Cordoba C-10

In 2014 I decided on getting a semi professional but affordable classical guitar. 
I compared several instruments at the Thomann store and finally this one turned out to sound best. It has a solid spruce top and solid indian rosewood back and sides and produces deep basses and crystal clear trebles.
Cordoba offers high quality guitars at a reasonable price. This one sounds great but in my taste its basses are a bit too heavy. The G-string does not sound as loud and clear as the Juan Hernandez - but of course it is a great instrument.
I also use John Hope Super Classic JH047 strings on this one.

(Sold Feb. 2020)

Harley Benton E-35 VS

The semi-hollow low budget jazz box :-) but excellent for my first jazz steps and even for that price absolutely acceptable quality.
I do no longer own this one, sold it in December 2016.

Cordoba GK Studio and GK Pro negra

Those two are really fun to play! Flamenco guitars with a slightly narrower neck and a fishman pickup system.
GK stands for Gipsy Kings who inspired Cordoba to build guitars for their requirements. The GK Studio has a solid spruce top and laminated cypress sides and back. Cordoba calls this a cross-over because of its dimensions. The width of the neck at the nut is 50mm which makes playing it really easy compared to a classical 52mm neck.
It is equipped with Savarez 500CJ High Tension strings.

The GK Pro is almost identical despite the body and sides are made of solid rosewood and the mechanics and pick-ups are of premium quality.

Takamine EG 536 SHB

6-string western guitar, bought in 2014 at thomann.de
This is the standard tool for anything from „Hotel California“ to „A Horse with no name“.

Furch LJ-10 (foldable travel guitar)

This is „Little Jane“ - a travel guitar by czech luthier Frantisek Furch.
Until christmas 2015 I did not know that a guitar like this is available. Yes, it is foldable and fits into a small backpack so it can easily be carried as cabin baggage on a plane. 
It has a solid cedar top and solid back and sides made of african mahogany. It is equipped with steel strings Elixir Ph-Br Nanoweb 12-53 and despite its smaller body size it sounds like a big western guitar.

 

Fender FC-30

My second guitar was this Fender FC-30 classic guitar with a solid cedar top. I bought it in a friend’s music store in Bad Hersfeld at the age of 19 when I had finished school.

This is my only guitar with a cedar top. By the time I got it I had not the trace of an idea about the difference between cedar and spruce.
Today I prefer spruce which tends to sound brighter and clearer. But from time to time I pick the Fender from its case and after more than 40 years it still sounds great.

The first one ...

My first guitar I got at the age of 10 and it was similar to this one. I can’t remember if it was a Fender, but it was an acoustic guitar with steel strings that hurt my fingers for many weeks.