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Thomas Allen Cummins - Songwriter - Guitarist - Singer - Master of none.
This
is an unreliable list of all the guitars and basses I have owned over the
years.
In some
cases I have managed to take pictures of the actual instrument.
In other
cases I have searched the internet for an approximate equivalent.
Where
no picture is available I have indicated to the best of my memory (and
with
the help of Dan "The Human Hard Drive" Southard) the make and model
of the
instrument that continues to elude me.
Each
of the instruments listed below are arranged in the order that I
acquired
them.
In the future I may expand the list to include amps, keyboards, drums and effects.
If you
are reading this it is very likely that you know me personally and you
actually
care. If you have stumbled across this site by accident you may find
this
interesting none-the-less.
Enjoy!
as of
8/29/03
In the beginning......
Originally I wanted to play drums. I found out early on that
I couldn't afford to buy an entire kit and I really had
no place that was practical to keep them.
So much for Tom the drummer.1. Harmony Acoustic (student) *example
My first guitar. Bless her heart my mom bought it
for me so that I could play music with
my friends. She didn't realize there wasn't much
use for an acoustic guitar in an 80's punk band.
2. "Sears Silvertone (Black & White, rosewood neck)"
*example
My stepfather found this baby at a flea market.
Only four of the tuning keys worked but it made
sounds when I plugged it into my stereo's aux. jack.
Not too shabby for someone who couldn't play a chord.
3. "Es 225 copy (sunburst, rosewood neck, broken tremolo,
Fender style headstock)"
*example
This was my first fully functioning guitar.
It played like crap but everything worked except the tremolo.
4."Jazzmaster copy (metallic blue, rosewood neck, broken tremolo)"
*example (not nearly this nice)
This was the first guitar that actually made sounds close
to what I wanted. I played this bad boy through a fender bassman
head and a DOD overdrive effect pedal. Nice.
5."Harmony Les Paul copy (black, rosewood neck)"
*example
After the acoustic, my mom dazzled me on my birthday with this guy.
Store bought and brand new from Montgomery Wards.
I was blown away. This guitar jammed like I had never known was
possible by my own fingers. The only limit was in my playing ability.
6."Hondo II Les Paul copy (brown, rosewood neck)"
*example
Even though I had the LP copy above, I managed to get this one from a co worker
who played like a professional but apparently had no love for low quality instruments.
It performed well but was a little beat up.
7."Kalamazoo Bass (white/white, rosewood neck)"
*example
This bass knew me before I knew it. It had belonged to
my friend Dan's father and had been a fixture in
his bedroom and around his house for years.
I never dreamed I'd actually end up with it one day.
8."Hondo All Star (Black w/ maple neck, Fender Bullet Copy)"
*example Natural Hondo All Star
I bought this guitar after borrowing a similar one from a friend of a friend.
It played pretty well and I felt like I was a step closer to a genuine Fender instrument.
9."Squire Telecaster (Black\black, maple neck)"
*example
I really hit the big time with this axe. Since it had been made by
my beloved Fender it was as close to having my dream without
actually getting there. I was just too poor to spend big money for
my habit. (music of course)
10. "Squire Contemporary Strat (Red/black, Rosewood neck, single pot, tremolo)"
*example
Boy did I have fun with this guitar. It didn't have a tone pot
so it was all noise and made no apologies.
I really wish I could find another one of these.
11."Fender Jazzmaster 65 (custom Black/white, rosewood pearloid inlay, tremolo)"
*example
This was a dream come true and a rude awakening. I had finally gotten
a genuine Fender guitar but at the time I thought it sounded like crap.
Of course I know better now. Its a poor musician that blames his
equipment. (A good friend of mine told me that. He's probably
full of crap but it sounds true enough. Hah!)
12."Fender Mustang 76 (sunburst, rosewood, tremolo)"
*example
This was a purchase of love as well. I hadn't learned to play with much
feeling when I owned my mustang so I thought this sounded like
crap too. (Live and learn.)
13."Noname supercheap Telecaster copy (sunburst, broken)"
*example
Imagine it in much worse condition and
an awful colored sunburst and you have it. The body style and neck of this
guitar are almost identical to the rotting piece of wood I used to have.
My philosophy here was simple. Own as many guitars as possible regardless
of the quality. I didn't hang on to this one very long.
14."Fender Contemporary Strat (Silver/black, maple neck, tremolo)"
*example
Although there are few differences, this Strat is very similar to the one
I owned. I was very happy with the feel, sound and over all
quality here. I don't remember why I got rid of it.
15."Tokai Stratocaster (Black/white, maple neck, tremolo)"
*example
I bought this guitar on advice from a friend and its reputation. I wasn't
disappointed at all. This was the finest instrument I had owned up to the time
I got it. After the worst show we had ever experienced I broke up
the band and sold nearly all my stuff including this instrument. A black day to say the least.
16."Palmer Electric Lead (black/black, rosewood, tremolo)"
*actual instrument
I bought and played this guitar out of desperation. My best friend Dan
had convinced me to return to music after a year hiatus. I needed an
electric quickly and this guy was cheap and played well enough for my
triumphant return. The Palmer was worn and sounded pretty awful but
it got the job done for quite a while.
17."Cort Bass (black/black, rosewood, short scale)"
The Cort was an opportunity. It appeared in the local music store and was
very cheap. Part of my musical reformation plan was to reacquire all of my equipment and
this awful bass helped fill a void and not much else.
*example (Imagine it black.)
18. "Westone Spectrum SX (metallic blue, blue maple neck, locking tremolo)"
*actual instrument
This guitar is a mystery to me. I loved the way it looked. I loved the way it played.
I thought it could use a replacement humbucker and It was a pain to change strings but
it sounded pretty darn good. Why did it part with it? I'm still wondering about that.
19. "Hondo Fame P-bass, trans. red w/maple neck & gold hardware"
*example
The Fame P was a higher quality instrument than the Cort so I grabbed it.
As I recall I didn't play this bass much and it ended up as part of a trade for
an amp or something similar. I'm sure it was a decent sounding instrument.
20. Westone Bass (White/black rosewood neck)
*example
Here I had a chance to mate my Spectrum with its bass cousin. I remember this instrument sounded
pretty good but played pretty awfully. I'm sure it was my relative skill that suffered not the quality of
the bass. I casually traded this guy away like the last bass.
21."Squire Strat (creme/white, maple neck, tremolo)"
22."Squire II P Bass (creme/white, maple neck)"
*actual instruments
When I rounded these up I was in heaven. I was very pleased with this tandem
and I thought I had finally found instruments I could enjoy for years.
That's what I get for thinking.
23. "Fender Japanese Contemporary Telecaster ( rose/Black, rosewood neck, locking tremolo)"
*example
My version of this guitar was identical to this except that is was a rose color instead of red. I truly
loved this guitar. It rocked and it had a soul. A very complete instrument.
What possessed me to trade it away still baffles me. I want another one badly.
Fortunately my friend and long time drummer Aaron has a guitar similar to the
one pictured below. I have borrowed his on numerous occasions.
24."Yamaha SE 620 Electric lead (Red, rosewood neck, locking tremolo)"
Actual Instrument.
The example below is very similar to my Yamaha. We have finally arrived at an
instrument I continue to own. I have used this guitar for everything. It is the easiest
instrument I have ever played and I've owned this guy the longest by far.
You can hear it's sound on the Clear Frontier cd "Follow Me"
that we recorded in 1996-97.
25."Fender American Standard P-Bass (Gun Metal Grey/white, maple neck)"
*example
I truly thought that this was going to be the last bass I would ever "need"
to buy. This instrument was originally a Fender Elite P and I shared the
expense of buying it with Dan so that he could grab the electronics and other parts
for a project bass he was working on. He replaced the missing parts with ones found
in standard Fender basses. This was a very high quality bass that sounded as good
as a P Bass can sound and played equally well. I cherished it to say the least.
During some rough financial times I had to sell this guy to pay the bills. That's life.
26."Fender American Standard Telecaster (Black/black, maple neck)"
Actual instrument.
This was my first genuine American Fender Telecaster. I was thrilled to get it but was
underwhelmed by its sound and feel. The dream is greater than reality here.
27."Squire II P-bass, red/white w/maple neck"
Actual instrument.
This Squire P was enhanced by a replacement bridge and such. It played pretty smooth
and I liked the sound I got. Its not in the same league as the former Elite P I had,
but I was pretty happy with it.
28."Squire Double Fat Stratocaster, black/black w/maple neck"
Actual instrument.
This guitar was very cool. Unfortunately it only served to remind me how much I wanted the Tele. version.
While I had it the DF Strat rocked. I recorded a few songs with it and I was very pleased.
I may one day re-acquire this guitar. (I still know who I traded it to.
A high quality axe.
29."Squire Double Fat Telecaster, red w/rosewood neck"
*pic from Fender web site.
I just traded for this guitar and I'm very happy with it. Similar in feel to the DF Strat but with a touch of class.
This is a very cool instrument in all aspects.
I'm sure it will be featured in most all of my new recordings.
I can't wait to get started.
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