© 2005-2011 Paul Cooijmans
I have been playing guitar since early 1980. Here is a list of guitars and related equipment I have owned over time; A few things are for sale, and in case anyone is interested I mention the prices. Contact me if so. My music can be found in this list of my compositions. Some videos whereon I play are on my "YouTube" channel.
This was my first guitar, not counting a classical guitar I started on that was not my own. In (I think) 1982 I replaced the single-coil pickup in the bridge position by a DiMarzio Super Distortion humbucker. The change in sound can be heard in the first (single-coil) and second (humbucker) Qatweazle recordings (these recordings are not publicly available at the moment, but can be found on a secret page for subscribers to GliaWebNews). I then played on a small 10 Watt solid state amplifier which was not mine. The original single-coil pickup was later reused in the neck position of my self-assembled stratocaster (discussed further on), where it has remained until today. I sold the Suzuki guitar to someone in Helmond, together with the small 7-Watt I.C.-powered amplifier mentioned later on.
Photos: [1981 (several)] [1981] [1983] [1983] [1983]
This was a guitar I had for a short while to experiment with electronics, string settings (action) and string gauges. I did not use it much to play on. It is mentioned in the Qatweazle song "All through the U.S.S.R.": "I sold my guitar to the local coal dealer; It was a Horrichel". I am not certain of the brand name, but it was something like that. The guitar had the name "Huib" on it. I sold it to the local coal dealer.
This was a good and very beautiful guitar, the most beautiful I have ever seen I would say. If there is any of my old guitars I would want to have back it is this one. It can be heard in the Qatweazle rehearsal and concert recordings of 1984 for the OJA concert. I sold it to a student in Tilburg, Netherlands. Serial number: 1070078
Photos: [1984 (several)] [1984] [1985]
A semi-acoustic guitar, a bit smaller than a Gibson ES 335. It sounded well and can be heard in the Qatweazle studio recordings of 1984 and 1985. It had a peculiar nasal tone in the 7th to 10th fret range. Serial number: J830 198. In hindsight I say it sounded better than the Gibson ES 335 I owned after this one, and it was the best-sounding electric guitar I have owned. I sold it to a conservatory student from Amsterdam.
Photos: [1984 (several)] [1984 (several)] [1984] [1985] [1985]
A good guitar with a very good neck to play on. The sound was more neutral and less nasal than that of the Ibanez Artist. I think it is used in my jazz recordings of 1987 and certainly in the recording of the Slow Bossa Nova for Flute, Electrical guitar and Piano of the early nineties (both not public recordings).
This model, with its big but shallow body and thick neck, is the most ergonomical of all guitar types I know. Provided you play it using a strap so that it hangs freely without resting on a leg (so standing is better than sitting). The right arm rests perfectly on it, allowing the right hand to play easily without contortion. Much better than with smaller models like Stratocaster and Les Paul.
The sound is a compromise between solid and hollow body. I do not like that anymore, I now prefer either completely solid or completely acoustic. I sold it to a conservatory student, possibly from Tilburg.
A black bass guitar of unknown brand, not bad. Not used much.
Photo: [1992]
I bought it in second-hand parts over several years. The neck is very good and from a Squier Stratocaster. The body is from an unknown brand starting with "f" (Fernandez perhaps). In the bridge position used to be a very good Seymour Duncan "SH-1 bridge The '59" humbucker which recaptures the sound of the Gibson P.A.F. pickup. Screwed into the wood, the height could still be adjusted. In the neck position is the old single-coil pickup from the bridge position of the Suzuki Stratocaster. This is in fact the pickup that is heard on the first Qatweazle rehearsal recordings of 1982, but it sounds much better in the neck position of the self-built guitar. The remaining electronics were made by me and not very good. The bridge is also not very good. I fixated it so the vibrato bar cannot be used anymore. The guitar feels rather light (in weight).
Note as of May 2009: I removed the Seymour Duncan pickup, volume control and switches, and connected the single-coil pickup directly to the output jack.
Photos: [1985] [1992] [1992] [2005]
Photos of Seymour Duncan "SH-1 bridge The '59" humbucker: [2009] [2009]
A small I.C.-powered amplifier, not loud enough to be used in band rehearsals. I sold it together with the Suzuki guitar mentioned above.
Photo: [1981]
The pre-amplifier and power amplifier are in separate wooden boxes. I have unfortunately never got to using it myself as the other guitarist of Qatweazle (whose small 10 Watt amplifier I used during rehearsals and concerts) always used this much more powerful amplifier, as he played the bass parts which required more power. Eventually the power amplifier became unusable because of extremely loud cracking noises it made, possibly resulting from leaking condensators. This amplifier was used in combination with two 40 Watt stereo bass reflex speaker cabinets containing two 10 inch broadband (double conus) speakers each. I sold the speaker cabinets, which had deceitfully been sold to me as being of the brand "Wharfedale" by our drummer but really were self-built, to our bass guitar player in the mid-1980s.
Photos: ["Wharfedale" speaker cabinet - 1982] [Amplifier with speaker cabinets - 1984]
A large tube amplifier similar to Fender Twin Reverb in power and sound. Originally a "combo", but separated into a head and cabinet with two Celestion 12 inch speakers. It can be heard in the Qatweazle rehearsal and studio recordings of 1984 and 1985, with the Westone and later Ibanez guitars. It sounded well but could not make an overdriven sound at low volume, so I sometimes used an Ibanez Super Tube pedal for that (bought in 1985, I do not have it anymore), or a simple self-built overdrive device in a wooden floor construction. I traded the Ampeg VT-22 in for a Sessionette 75 amplifier mentioned below.
Photos: [1983 (several)] [1984] [1984]
A small practice amplifier. It had an annoying background sound (kind of distortion) that could not be repaired. I sold it to guitar student from a nearby village.
Photo: [1984]
A 75 Watt solid state amplifier that sounded well. Used with the Ibanez and Gibson guitars. Used in the recording of the Slow bossa nova for flute, electric guitar and piano (op. 16). I sold it to one of my own guitar students, who plays a guitar he bought from the guitarist Jan Akkerman.
About 15 cm high, probably around 4 Watt. On batteries or adapter, 9 Volt. It sounds well with single-coil pickups. I would sell it for € 5.
Photo: [2005]
A solid state amplifier for acoustic instruments (two channels), 35 Watt. It sounded well but there was a problem with the power switch; When being turned off, a loud click sounded in the speakers. I sold it to someone from Amsterdam.
Photo: [2005]
A kind of digital virtual amplifier/effects box. So you still need a power amplifier or P.A. system behind it. It has 32 digitally modelled amplifier sounds of famous amplifiers and speaker cabinets, and a number of effects. You can also connect it to a computer sound card. I sold it to someone from a nearby village.
Photo: [2005]
A bad guitar.
I had this for a short while and did not use it much. It had been destroyed by hitting someone on the head with it, and repaired.
A light colour, not shining. Better than the Aria. I sold it to one of my own guitar students (a girl).
Photo: [1985]
I think it was built in the mid-1980s. It has a deep warm dry sound with pronounced bass. It can be heard in the recordings of my guitar compositions, which can be found on my list of compositions. I sold it to a member of a high-I.Q. society.
A good beginner's guitar which I bought as a second classical guitar. Light wood (Fichte). I sold it to someone from a nearby village.
Photo: [2005]
A steel-string acoustic guitar with about the body shape of a classical guitar, and a neck almost as wide as that of a classical guitar. I use it to play the music I used to play on my classical guitar; It has a clearer and more transparent sound, and longer "sustain". Serial nr. 0017. It was built between 1999 and 2005 [Lion Guitars]. This is now my main guitar.
Since the late 1980s I have been using Jim Dunlop Jazz I picks, regularly polished with P1200 water proof sandpaper. These give a pure tone, so much ground tone and little overtones. But recently I have switched to playing with fingers even on steel strings. I have about 20 picks left, half of which are actually Jim Dunlop Jazz III (unused), one is Jim Dunlop Jazz II, two are Jim Dunlop Jazz I, and the rest are various rock picks. You can buy them for € 3.
For the electric guitars I have since the late 1980s used flatwound strings starting with a first string of .011 or .012, sometimes .013, inch. Main advantage of flatwound strings to me is that they don't make tiny scratches on the polished pick, which would result in a lower quality tone on the top two strings and require re-polishing often.
On the steel-string acoustic guitar I use string gauges .013, .017, .023, .032, .042, .047. The first two are heavier than those in standard sets. This is needed to get a firm enough sound for classical guitar playing. The standard sets have these two strings much too thin, which also goes with a lower tension than the other four strings have, probably because many guitarist like to "push up" strings. But strings that have low enough tension to "push" them "up" can not sound well, acoustically.
I have a Boss Equalizer GE7 (7 bands) pedal for guitar. Rarely used. I would sell it for € 8. In the past I have also owned a Coron Octaver, Coron distortion pedal and MXR Phase 90.
Photo: [2005]
I tried it on the Rodriguez guitar but was disappointed about the result. I would sell it for € 8.
Photo: [2005]
I used this for one of my guitar compositions, "For who loves truth, the garrote called life is daily tightened a turn", op. 39 (recording available on my page with compositions). I sold it to a nephew.
Photo: [2005]
To put between (classical) guitar and upper leg, eliminating the need for a foot rest and therefore being more ergonomical (no contortion in the back). I have used several different types of guitar rests. This is the most luxury one. I would sell it for € 15.
Photo: [2009]
This one is very practical and used relatively much. I had intended to sell it, but after the 2011 herniated disk operation I took it into use again.
Photo: [2009]
This is somewhat less satisfactory. I would sell it for € 2.
Photo: [2009]
