2024 has been a busy year, playing for 18 different productions plus a few one-off gigs and deps. But what guitars earned their place in the gear cupboard, and which need to rely on my emotional attachment to stay in the stable? Here’s my countdown of the year in guitars…
#1 Line 6 James Tyler Variax (10 productions)
Technically cheating, as I alternated between two of these (Les Paul-shaped goldtop and Strat-shaped in blue). These guitars remain a no-brainer for anything that includes a decent amount of steel-string acoustic alongside electric. And the custom tuning feature made it indispensable for Spring Awakening, and pretty handy for Rock of Ages (who takes “Wanted Dead or Alive” all the way down to C!?). It also made a small, uncredited appearance for “fake mandolin” on Murder Ballad.
#2 Godin Multiac Grand Concert Duet Ambiance (6 productions)
My only nylon-string, this is typically the second guitar in the car as it’s the only thing I can’t cover with a Variax. It’s great for those emotive, flowing passages, and can also cover the more aggressive flamenco-ish stylings in Evita (although I didn’t get to play that one this year).
#3 Epiphone Alex Lifeson Les Paul (3 productions)
This got some “new guitar” bonus usage at the start of the year, and found its own in rockier shows (e.g. Toxic Avenger) over the summer. The Les Paul girth combined with coil splits and a Floyd Rose (sacrilege?!) makes it surprisingly versatile for musical theatre. I can see it being used quite a bit next year…
#4 Gretsch 5410T Rat Rod (3 productions)
This guitar started as a shoo-in for Grease early in the year, but it’s more than a rockabilly staple. Later in the year, those pristine highs and Bigsby magic made it my choice for more atmospheric productions (Alice by Heart and Murder Ballad). It even came along to a jazz rehearsal (the morning after finishing Grease) although it’s not so great for that kind of solo-ing.
#5 Fender Brent Mason Telecaster (2 productions)
More country/rock than my Strat, this was locked in for productions of 9 to 5 and Footloose, where its versatility (Nashville wiring etc.) made it perfect for just a bit more than standard rock’n’roll fare. It played well with the Line6 Helix acoustic-simulator, so I didn’t need to bring a separate guitar for steel-string sounds. But it was the only guitar that broke a string mid-gig… which made that performance of 9 to 5 extra-exciting!
#6 Fender USA Stratocaster (2 productions)
A dependable classic for pop/60s-style shows. This year my Strat had everything I needed for Sister Act (plus a little bit of nylon-string) and Little Shop of Horrors. And it’s already booked in for Our House in 2025.
#7 Charvel SoCal ProMod HH (1 production)
This 80s rock machine was iconic for the Guitar 1 chair in Rock of Ages early in the year (alongside a Variax for steel-string acoustic sounds). But it didn’t quite make the cut for the Rock of Ages Guitar 2 chair later in the year, because that part has more frequent switches between electric and acoustic – Variax all the way! It also lost out to the novelty of my Alex Lifeson Les Paul for a production of The Wedding Singer. But it’s still my go-to for pub rock gigs!
#8 Ibanez ukulele (1 production)
There aren’t many shows when I need a uke: for the past couple of years it was Addams Family, and this year it was Kipps. Next year, who knows…
Honourable mentions
I haven’t counted any of the year’s non-theatre gigs, but I also used my Ibanez AF105F hollow-body and AS103 semi-hollow for various jazz gigs, as well as my Ibanez bass for some orchestral concerts playing music by Queen and The Beatles.
My Hamer junior double-cut came with me as emergency back-up (but wasn’t needed) on a few things where a Floyd Rose ran the risk of slowing down string change (fall-out from the 9 to 5 breakage mentioned above) – this is also one of my pub rock staple guitars, but I didn’t do so many of those gigs this year. And my Hohner G3T was my ultimate practice guitar, as it’s the only guitar I can use at my desk – and it also made it along to a band song-writing day.
Another surprise mention has to go to my iPad! Aside from holding scores for a few shows where space was at a premium, I used the Magellan2 soft-synth with a tiny USB-keyboard to cover theremin sounds in The Magician’s Elephant and was all set to do the same with SampleTank to fill out the string section in Spring Awakening (but they managed to pull together a full complement of strings).
Unused in 2024
The big guitar to miss out this year is my Hohner Revelation RTX, which is great for anything from Wedding Singer to Legally Blonde, and I’m hugely attached to, as it was my only guitar when I first bought it more than 30 years ago.
The other guitar that didn’t get played this year was my Takamine EG523 steel-string acoustic. There aren’t many shows written for only steel-string acoustic (The Last 5 Years comes to mind) and anything with acoustic and electric would be a job for a Variax. But it’s already booked in for a show in 2025 (Keys 3 on Spongebob Squarepants also includes acoustic guitar!)
None of my woodwind instruments got an airing this year, although I got my soprano saxophone up and running for a bit of recording.
I also didn’t do a full-on keyboard gig this year, but I have recently upgraded to a Roland Fantom-08 ready for Spongebob Squarepants next year, where I need the weighted keys and the flexibility to order and re-order programmed patches. I should really finish this post and get back to some piano practice!