Grapevine Blues

	Angelica. This jumbo acoustic was made in Japan and was my first steel strung guitar. I bought it new in 1969 (one of the few guitars I ever bought new) and it has been dragged half-way around the world with me ever since. Named 'Spooky', it has too many memories to ever think of selling it.

	1962 Gibson B25. I bought this guitar just after I arrived in Cape Town, South Africa. I had just enough money to buy the guitar or pay the rent - but not both. As you can see, I still have the guitar. Fantastic tone.

	Ibanez Flying V Made in Japan. I found this in our local junk shop and purchased it for the princely sum of Ł3.00. I have no idea when it was made but it needed a lot of TLC before it could be played.

	1977 Fender Telecaster This Blonde Telecaster was made in America in 1977. I was fortunate to have the guitar with me when I met Peter Green (ex Fleetwood Mac) in London at the launch of the Splinter Group's 'Destiny Road' album. Peter has always been my favourite guitarist and he was kind enough to sign the guitar for me.

	1980 Aria Pro II RS-850. Made in Japan by Matsumoku. It has a Walnut finish but the body is actually an Ash/Maple/Ash construction. The 5 piece through neck has virtually no heel where it joins the body and the fretboard is Ebony. It has a wonderful tactile shape I traded in the Flying V in part exchange for this guitar. It was 20 years old when I bought it and still had its price sticker on it. It has a rather gruesome history having been bought by a guy whose daytime job was in a saw mill. He apparently bought the guitar on a Saturday and the very next week lost several fingers in an accident at work. He never played the guitar again and it stayed in a cupboard for the next 20 years.

	1997 Patrick Eggle Redwing Ventura. Patrick is one of England's top luthiers and is also a personal friend. He made this guitar for Richie Stevens who also worked in the 'Music Dept' in St.Albans, when Patrick worked out of the basement. It is one of only 50 of these guitars ever made and the only one in this 'oiled' finish. The guitar is made from swamp ash and has a maple neck with a rosewood fretboard and jumbo frets. It features upgraded hardware including Schaller locking tuners and a custom made bridge with tremolo. It has two Seymour Duncan single coil pickups (at the neck & middle) and a Seymour Duncan Hot Rails humbucker at the bridge. Needless to say, it plays like a dream.

	1983 Aria TA 30. This guitar was also made in Japan in the great Matsumoku factory in 1983. It has a wine red finish with faded gold hardware. It is a hollow bodied guitar with a bolt on neck. As such it was a little prone to feedback when played at high volume but had great tone and sustain. I sold this guitar when I purchased the TA 60.

	1982 Aria Pro II TA 60. Made in Japan. This is my favourite guitar. I bought it on e-bay from a guy in North Carolina in the States. Although it was some 24 years old when I got it, it is in immaculate condition. It is now fitted with Kent Armstrong Vintage PAF pickups (both coil tapped). Made in the great Matsumoku factory in Japan at the height of their craft this is a superb example of their work. Many guitarists rate these guitars as being far superior to the Gibson 335's that are being produced now.

	1978 Greco EG 600 Les Paul Custom This is the three pick up 'Black Beauty' version. Made in the famous Fuji Gen Gakki factory Greco guitars were produced solely for the Japanese home market. It is an extremely accurate copy of the Gibson Les Paul but having a 'chambered' body it is much lighter. Now fitted with Sperzel locking tuners and a Faber locking aluminium tailpiece, the sustain is unbelieveable.

	Mesa V Twin What a great valve pre amp this is. Makes you wonder why they stopped making them.

	Fender Passport P.A. This is our main PA for both the duo and the Band. It copes happily with all but the largest venues and we have used it in over 1,000 gigs without any problems. The speakers clip to the central unit which is the amp, to make it compact and easy to carry.

	Lee Oskar Harmonicas I play Lee Oskar Harmonicas exclusively. They are available in all keys plus some very interesting minor keys. The harmonica shown was a personal gift from Lee and is inscribed "To Mike Chase. Lee Oskar 2005"

	Dr Ika's harmonica mic Dr Ika custom made this harmonica mic for me. It comes with an on/off switch which is very handy at gigs. This mic eliminates feedback at all but the very highest volumes. I can now play the harp loud enough to be heard over the rest of the band - they are very noisy. Paul Jones (The Blues Band) currently uses one of Dr Ika's custom mics. Check out the Dr's site via my 'Links' page and get him to make one for you.

	Fender Bassman This is a fabulous amp. What more can you say about this legendary 'Tone Monster'.

	Ashdown Peacemaker 20. This all tube, class 'A', 20 watt amplifier is fantastic for amplified harmonica, especially when coupled with one of Dr Ika's custom made harmonica mics. It is able to produce both the tone and volume necessary without the unwanted feedback.

	Harley Benton GA5 This is a ridiculously cheap but well made, 5 watt, class A, valve amp. Ika made a few mods and I changed the speaker to a Jensen P8R. I use it mainly as a practice amp but I have gigged with it when it's put through the P.A.

	Cornell Romany Plus Pure tone heaven! Denis Cornell is well known for making amps for the likes of Eric Clapton. The Romany Plus is a 10 watt class A valve amp with spring reverb and a 12' Jensen speaker. Fantastic tone, incredibly loud for 10 watts, this is now my main amp. It's all I need!