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Blackhill Studios has a large collection of modern and vintage guitars to help you achieve your sound. Below are some notable guitars, including users and genres.
Fender Stratocaster:
One of the most identifiable guitars in history, the Stratocaster is one of the most versatile instruments at the player’s disposal.Modified with Bareknuckle Apache/Sultans pick-ups, and a Seymour Duncan Antiquity, It produces the classic clean tones while also allowing for more overdriven tones when pushed.
Notable Users: Eric Clapton, John Frusciante (Red Hot Chilli Peppers) John Mayer, Jimi Hendrix. Biffy Clyro, Arcane Roots
Fender Starcaster:
Fender’s attempt at a hollow body guitar, the Starcaster has a great warm, well-rounded tone, much like a Gibson ES-335. However, it still retains the feel of a Fender through its longer scale length.
Ours has also been fitted with Oil City Wide Range Buccaneer pick-ups, adding more clarity and definition over the stock ones.
Notable Users: Johnny Greenwood (Radiohead), Taylor York (Paramore), Dave Keuning (The Killers), Jamie Cook (Arctic Monkeys)
Gibson Trini Lopez:
A variation of Gibson’s classic ES-355, the Trini Lopez exhibits a Firebird style headstock, Diamond shaped inlays and sound holes, Burstbucker humbucking pick-up’s, and a Trapeze Tailpiece.
The Trini Lopez combines the classic warm, hollow body tones of an ES-355 with modern Gibson burstbucker pick-ups, slightly underwound to give them fatter, more driven sound.
Notable Users: Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Nirvana) Trini Lopez, Lianne La Havas. Joe Bonamassa.
Gibson “Zoot Suit” SG:
The “Zoot Suit” model of the SG takes the regular specification and adds a number of unique features.Made from multiple laminated birch pieces, each dyed different colours and glued together, it adds sustain and has an overall brighter tone.
Modified with a Riff-Raff bare-knuckle pick-up in the bridge, based on Jimmy Page’s 59 Les Paul’s humbucker, and an Oil City P90 in the neck, it has more tonal versatility.
Notable Users: Angus Young (AC/DC), Tommi Iommi (Black Sabbath), Jerry Garcia (Grateful Dead), Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy) Kelly Jones (Stereophonics) Jack White. Chino Moreno (Deftones).
Parker P36:
Featuring piezo pickups under the saddles allowing it to produce acoustic tones, it can be blended together with the regular pickups, creating some interesting tonal combinations. The different signals can also be split into different outputs via a stereo cable. This works great for country music.Able to replicate Telecaster tones and the piezo to get more delicate acoustic sounds, the P36 gives the player a large sonic palette to experiment with.
Notable Users: Adrian Belew (King Crimson, David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails,) Steve Dimarchi (The Cranberries) Adam Dutkiewicz (Killswitch Engage, Times of Grace)
Ozzark 2222 Flatback Bouzouki:
The Bouzouki is an instrument of Greek origin, which tonally resembles that of a mandolin but is much lower in pitch. Tuned low to high D, A, F, C it has 8 strings, with the higher strings being tuned to the same note, while the lower strings pairs are an octave apart.The octave strings act like a 12 string guitar, create drones and can add a unique sound to your recording.
When Tom acquired the instrument it was in Open G tuning and has kept it that way ever since.
Notable Users: Paul Simmonds (The Men that Couldn’t Hang), Luc Arbogast, Manolis Chiotis
Blue Moon Acoustic:
Fitted with a set of strings which allows it to be tuned in Nashville Tuning/High Strung Tuning.These strings are the same top set on a 12 string guitar and are useful for making acoustic guitars sound brighter and more full.
Notable Users: Pink Floyd (On “Hey You”), Kansas (On “Dust in the Wind”), The Rolling Stones (On “Wild Horses”), Elliot Smith (On “Tomorrow Tomorrow”)
LYS L18 Acoustic Guitar:
Hand-made in Quebec Canada and is over 30 years old, its beautiful, warm, resonant tone ideal for singer/songwriters. featuring a solid spruce top, an ebony fretboard, and a dreadnought style shape.Custom Super Strat:
Featuring a 24 fret, rosewood fretboard, a 5-way selector switch, a Schaller trem system (with Eddie Van Halen drop tuner), Dimarzio Breed and Mojo pick-ups, and a rails pick-up in the middle position.Having the signature pickups of two guitar virtuoso guitarists (Steve Vai, Joe Satriani) and a thin oiled neck, it is well suited to heavier genres and is set up for playing intricate lead lines and solos.
Ibanez RG: (Available on Request:)
For those who like playing fast with high gain, the Ibanez RG is known for being associated with hard rock and heavy metal.
With a Wizard III maple neck thinner than a Fender or Gibson, it allows greater playability, perfect for fast-paced musicianship and energetic performance.
It also features Ibanez’s own Floyd Rose system, allowing more tuning stability and for crazy dives and bends without fear of breaking a string.
Notable Users: Wes Borland (Limp Bizkit, Black Light Burns), Dexter Holland (The Offspring), Erick Turner (Warrant), Brian “Head” Welch (Korn, Love and Death)
Fender Baja Telecaster: (Available on Request:)
The Telecaster was the first commercially successful solid body guitar and was groundbreaking when first manufactured in the 50s.
A versatile guitar used in many different genres, its distinctive bright twangy single coil can be heard on numerous records. It also produces a pleasant mid-range overdrive tone when driven.
Our Baja Telecaster, features a V-Shape neck, 4-way selector switch, knurled chrome knobs and a “Custom shop designed” neck plate.
Notable Users: Keith Richards (The Rolling Stones), Matthew Bellamy (Muse), John 5 (Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson) Bruce Springsteen, Joe Strummer (The Clash) Ben Biss (As It Is), Beck, Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys)
Warmoth Telecaster: (Available on Request:)
A custom build featuring a set of bare-knuckle war pig pick-ups, designed for use in the metal genre. However with its even, controlled treble response, it has found uses in other genres such as jazz and fusion.
From low gain cleans to fuzzy high gain riffage, this guitar can do it all.