The instruments I use most are made by Ron Phillips, a brilliant independent craftsman from Northern California.
I met him in the early ’90s and asked him if he could make a parlor sized resonator with access to the 14th fret. I think he’s close to perfecting the design! They are made of alloy 752 (nickle silver) and he spins the cones from a Secret Alloy (which he didn’t tell me, since I can’t keep a secret). They sound sweet rather than brassy, they have plenty of volume but not too much clang. Visit his website at www.metalgitar.com
- Cuter than a basket of kittens-and ten times as loud!
- The first of three parlor sized single cones
- The other instruments I use are a Kamaka 8 string Li’liu ukulele. I used it on “Why Say No? with the Yes Yes Boys and on At The Ukeshack #1 with Matt Weiner.
- If you see me playing an electric guitar, it’s a hollow body Supro run through a 1960s Airline amplifier. Soooo smooth! I borrow it from my friend and fellow guitar nerd Lani Kurnik.
Coffee break with a good friend-nobody loves you like your guitar!
