Gear & Music

Music

Check out some great audio and video clips of Randy at the Lounge:

Gear

For three decades I've been experimenting with various instruments and sound systems searching for the perfect sound for my style. As a result, I have built a collection of guitars that incorporate the acoustic and technical elements that give me the ability to express my music as closely as possible to the ideal sound.

The search for perfection is never really over, and I will update this information as my collection evolves.

	Southeast Guitars - Randy Holbrook Signature First Edition Ribbon Mahogany body Book matched Waterfall Bubinga veneer top Neck: Flame maple with ebony fret board EMG 89 Humbucker pick-ups Kahler tremolo bridge EMG EQ system and pre-amp with a custom designed on/off bypass that can act as a preset 18 volt system Sculpted front and back Scoop on the lower horn 2 push/pull volume knobs that split the coils on the pick-ups 24-3/4 scale 24 frets with RH inlaid in mother-of-pearl on the 12th fret GHS Custom Shop strings Floyd Rose locking nut Clear coat by Mean Street To see how this guitar was built, click HERE
	Lyrical Lumber Custom Made Strat This 24-3/4 scale Strat with a 7/8-size mahogany body has a lace wood top, bird's eye maple neck, 24-fret Ebony fingerboard, EMG pickups (SA SA 89), SPC mid boost, gain boost, push/pull and toggle switches allow a plethora of sound choices. Fitted with brass and stainless Kahler whammy bar, high-tension springs, Earvana compensation nut, and a partridge in a pear tree.
	Zion Guitars Custom-Made Shamu Strat Dale Brown really built a work of art here. To me the most stunning is the one solid piece of "mother of pearl" inlay from a giant clam on the ebony fingerboard. I had him add larger fret markers on the binding that run down the back of the neck a bit to help see where you are; during the 22 multi-colored-strobes section of the Shamu Rocks show it gets a little tricky to see. The pickups are Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge position and jazz in the neck. Two mini 3-way toggle switches and a 3-way pickup select switch render 15 different sound selections. Alder body, 12-in. radius maple neck and the paint job that resembles a Killer Whale...need I say more?
	1954 Gibson Les Paul Custom Reissue Other names include: Black Beauty, Fretless Wonder. I had the neck shaved down and jumbo frets put on the ebony fingerboard. The pickups are a P90 in the bridge position and a special 480 Alnico 5 in the neck position. It's considered the most unique sounding Les Paul ever made. There is a lot of info on this guitar on the WWW.
	Fender Stratocaster Most of my guitars have some sort of custom work done to them, and this one is no exception. It started out life as an early 60's Fender Strat hard tail with a maple neck. As much as I wanted to keep it original, I couldn't get used to the neck, and the pickups would hum when I tried to play out with it. So, the surgery began... The guitar now has a "Paco" German-made neck, EMG pickups (SA SA 89) gain boost, SPC mid boost and a Kahler flat-mount whammy bar with high tension springs. All custom work was done by Billy Fels at the Guitar Factory.
	Asturias JL Requinto This is a 3/4-size, handmade nylon string, Spanish guitar, made by Master Luthier Sho Kido at Asturias Guitar Workshop. The JL Requinto features a cedar top with solid Indian Rosewood sides and back and is designed with an offset-style cutaway. The scale length is 570mm with a width of 51mm at the nut. There are no frets under the 6th string from the 13th to the 16th frets (to protect your thumbnail). The JL Requinto also features a Richard McClish RMC PolyDrive IV MIDI pickup system. Tuned a minor third higher than a standard guitar, makes this instrument more like an "alto guitar" and gives the small guitar a warmer, fuller sound than the typical fourth higher tuning of a normal Requinto.
	Early 70's Univox Pro Love this guitar. It's big, beefy, and plays smooth as glass. I've put it up against multiple ES-175s, and it blew them away. It's also loud acoustically.
	Mele Tenor Ukulele I took a cruise around the Hawaiian Islands; found this uke at the beginning of the cruise, fell in love with it, and decided against buying it. I figured I would find better ones at better prices - wrong! Towards the end of the cruise we stopped on the other side of Maui, I rented a car (very expensive), drove to the other side of the island and bought it and returned to the ship. It has a warm, sweet mahogany tone that I prefer over the more popular Koa. I have a K&K pickup installed under the bridge. The two sound holes make it slightly louder because your hand doesn't cover the holes when you're playing it.
	Parker Midi Fly This one I use mostly in the studio, but occasionally with techno-world music group, Mechanical Soul. The pitch to midi converter tracks great for synth and sampled parts. It also has a Piezo pickup for acoustic sound and a DiMarzio Humbucker and single coils for electric.
	Ovation 1617 Custom Legend I have this guitar mostly for it's playability. Great action all the way up the neck. It's the deep bowl model which, in my opinion, helps the acoustic sound. I mic it in the studio and with a couple of tricks, it sounds as good as the guitars three or four times the price.
	Gibson ES-330T Early 60's "keeping it simple." This guitar has a rosewood fingerboard, jumbo frets dressed down pretty low and a P90 pickup.

Amps, Speakers, and Other Toys

My amp collection consists of a Mesa Boogie Mark IIc preamp, 395 simul-class tube power amp, Fender Deluxe reverb, Line6 POD, and a custom-made 5-watt Class A amp built by Kirk Conniglio, two Carvin 2x12 Legacy cabinets, and a Boogie 1X12 cabinet. I also use a Mesa Mark IV at Epcot.

I have a collection of Eminence, Celestion, EV, JBL, and Altec Lansing speakers that I mix and match, with the Eminence Wizard and Red Fang being at the top of the list.

I also have a t.c. electronics Nova reverb, 3 Kerry King 10-band EQs, Korg Pandora PX4D, Ibanez tube screamer, the vintage Rat distortion pedal, Crybaby wah-wah pedal, and a Boss OC-3. I'm checking out some new pedals now, and if I end up using them, I'll update.