1992. The headstock broke off when it fell off a stand in the late 90's. A very common thing with Les Pauls, but an easy fix for a good repairman.

Slimmer 60's style neck and different pickup options with push/pull knobs.

50's style neck and a nice flame maple top.

Replica of a 1958, made in 2006. The neck on this is VERY thick. Neck size is one of the main differences in Les Paul models.

1992. The Studio is a less fancy version to lower cost. The main thing removed is the binding. This was my 2nd guitar, and I played the hell out of it. I recently had it restored and had binding added by Oliver Kaufman.

I had this built for me when I got my first real job. My name is inlayed on the 12th fret. The headstock is from their Beast model. All kinds of sound options from the switches.

ESPs take on a Les Paul style. Has some nice features I usually pay to have added to my Gibsons - bigger frets, locking tuners, and strap locks. But I really bought it because... purple sparkle.

Ken Parker was ahead of his time. His guitars were a step forward, but the guitar industry doesn't like change. Very thin and light weight thanks to carbon fiber construction (in the early 90's). No bulky neck joint, very easy to play.

Paul Reed Smith created a company between Gibson and Fender when they were the two main shops. Their guitars are pricey, but usually worth it.

A Les Paul I bought for sentimential reasons and turned out to be fantastic.

Tunes itself! I'm sure the guy who came up with this though he'd changed the guitar forever...and instead it was a major flop. The guitar itself is great. I was going to remove the self tuning components, but it works well and it makes me smile.

Michael Angelo Batio model. Dean makes a lot of wild finishes, including graphic overlays like this.

Another Dave Mustaine model. Flying Vs are tough for people to play sitting. I play like a classical player when I sit, with the guitar on my left leg. Vs are great for this, since you can rest the fork on your right leg and the neck sits where I want it.

Dave Mustaine model. 80s-90s Jackson guitars are fantastic. There's a reason you don't see many for sale.

Inexpensive Randy Rhoads V I've had since high school. The fret markers are actually stickers. They stay on well, but can be replaced easily to change the look. Fun way to spice up a guitar.

Pointy and flashy and awesome.

2014 - 60th anniversary model. Guitars with single coil pickups like Strats have a very different sound from guitars with humbucking pickups. Good excuse to buy more guitars.

Yngwie Malmsteen is known as a shred guy, but these strats are great for anyone. The main feature is the scalloped neck. The wood between each fret is scooped out slightly, letting you get low action, but giving your fingers room to bend strings.

Ritchie Kotzen model. It has contours like a strat that make it more comfortable to play than a normal telecaster, and its fancier too. The neck is huge, but very comfortable for chords.

Short scale guitar, was popular with surf music bands in the 60's. They were high end models, but fell out of favor, and many 90's bands picked them up for their distictive distorted sound.

1996. Top neck is a 12 string - your normal strings have a 2nd right next to them so you get a fuller sound, and the bottom is a 6 string for solos. It's heavy! But always fun to pull out on stage. Yes I play "Stairway to Heaven" on this all the time.

Joe Bonamassa model semi-hollow body. Epiphone is a sub company of Gibson. They are built overseas and have a few differences to keep cost down, but are very fine guitars. Especially for something like this or the double neck, that I don't use every day, they're around 1/4 the price.

1973. My uncle used to sing in a country bar and the house band would back whoever was singing that night. These guys could play anything. The guitar player was a man named Rich Howard, and when he passed it went to my uncle. He's a strummer, so he gave it to me when I was older so it'd get played more.

My first guitar. Single pickup Kramer for all the budding Eddie Van Halens in the 80's. I added a midi pickup years later so it can trigger keyboard sounds.

Newer, wood version of the original carbon fiber models. The headless, bodyless design is an acquired taste and these are a low cost way to test the waters. Very small, but still a full scale length. Great for travel. The other guitar player in my band hates this one, so I play it often!

Swedish ergonomic design. Lightweight, no headstock, with fanned frets, so the lower strings are a longer scale length. The back of the neck is not rounded, its a trapezoid that shifts up the neck. So it's thick where you play chords and thin where you solo. 

3/4 size Les Paul Style. Grass Roots is ESP's version of Epiphone. The neck pickup is actually a speaker. I got it as a novelty, but it plays surprisingly well. Needs heavy strings to tune standard.

Not actually an Ibanez, but a clone of the swirl models Ibanez made for Steve Vai. Body was hydro dip painted by the late Herc Fede, a cool process that gives unique results like this. I find something new in it every time I look.

7 string Steve Vai model. The 7th string is typically a low B, although I'll drop it to A sometimes for a low bass on jazz chords, or heavy drop chords.

Lzzy Hale model. I actually liked this one over the Gibson version, since this has an ebony fretboard that looks better to me.

Danelectro tries to build inexpensive, but not cheap guitars. The body is a hollow composite and the pickups are made from lipstick tubes. Gives a unique sound.

1984. Belonged to a good friend who passed. I also have his 72' Oldmobile Cutlass, and I had this painted to match the car.

Another Grass Roots from Japan. They do special runs of different colors. I just wanted a pink guitar to annoy the guys in my band.

The 'Modern' Les Paul has a different neck shape, and the neck joint to the body is sculpted to allow better upper fret access.

P90 pickups for a change of pace. Also loved the color, which is more vibrant in person.

I love the look of 3 pickups, but heard it can be difficult to play. Good old Epiphone, was way less than the Gibson. And it is a bit difficult... but pretty.

My only acoustic for a long time, and some purists would say its not an acoustic. Ovations have a rounded composite back they call lyrachord. Al Di Meola is a fantastic player, and I wanted something to do more than strum. Plus, when I do strum, its outside, and the composite back has less weather issues.

I finally bought another acoustic. Taylor is one of the biggest names in acoustic guitars. They have lots of different models for different budgets. This is one of their top end models, and it sure plays like it.

Long scale bass in a rare color. Guitars and basses can have differrent neck lengths that add to the feel and sound. Only an inch or two, but it can feel like a lot more. Rick's are known for a punchier bass sound to cut through a band. 

1969. Short scale bass that belonged to Joey DeMaio of Manowar. Very deep sound from the one pickup, a nice contrast to the Rickenbacker.

Remember how I said there are only 12 notes? Well, there are tones in between the notes, and a fretless lets you get those. Adds wonderful nuances to music, but takes a different technique to play, like a cello or violin.