mark555

Ok, here's a little about myself.

Born in 1960, I live in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England. My love affair with the electric guitar started when I was about five when I saw a red electric guitar and just knew I had to have one one day, and finally got one when I was 15, a Japanese Les Paul copy that was not very good at all. My parents were very opposed to me having a guitar, they were old in their minds and were born with an old attitude! In fact, I always thought my parents were older than my friends parents, the weren't, they just seemed that wa.

My music tastes are wide and varied, but I tend to obviously lean to guitar led music. I enjoy classic rock, blues, 60's music, there's a lot of good stuff out there. I don't have a favourite guitarist, but I like Kenney Burrell very much and an English guitar player called Hank Marvin who I have liked since I was old enough to enjoy music. there are so many players I enjoy, too many to mention.

I am a sales manager, married to Helen, a Practice nurse who specialises in diabetes control and care, respiritory diseases and women's health care management. I have one son age 32 who also plays guitar. He has first class law degree and is a Solicitor in the south of England. My eldest daughter is married to a police officer and lives near Liverpool. I have one more daughter who has a degree in forensic psychology.

Unfortunately I have never been able to acquire a guitar collection as I have never earned a high enough income, but the guitars I own at present are my H555 and a USA stratocaster which I have owned since 1987 or 88 when I bought it new. I always wanted a more vintage colour but they were not available when I bought it I also own a fiesta red classic player strat. At present I have a fender hot rod deluxe amp. However, I have also bought a Japanese Tokai Les Paul Standard which is superb, as good as the current Gibson Les Paul standards. In Late January of 2015 I bought a Tokai Telecaster, which I really like. I have owned a few other guitars over the years:

1970's SG Deluxe
1970's SG Standard
Epiphone Riviera
Tokai telecaster
Gibson Les Paul Standard - a killer guitar I should never have sold but at the time it was a case of needs must and family first.
90's Les paul junior special with 2 P90's.

I am hoping to add a PRS core line double cut with trem to my guitars in the not too distant future.

My main gigging amp is a Peavey classic 30 with a Fender Hot Rod 40 watt as a spare or back up. I plan to change the hot rod for a 30 watt Fender Vibroverb in the coming year. This will then become number one gigging amp and the Peavey will be a back up.

Previous amps include a 60's Vox AC30, a vintage Marshall Plexiglass, Fender red knob twin - beautiful tone but very poor build quality.

As of September 2016 I have the following guitars:

• Heritage 555
• Fender Stratocaster - 1987
• Fender Classic Player strat
• Tokai Love Rock (Les Paul Standard)
• Tokai Telecaster
• Fender Hot Rod Deluxe
• Peavey Classic 30
• A couple of 30 watt Marshall transistor amps for practice
• Various pedals.

I love travel, particularly the Med, I love the sunshine. I have been to the states once, but it is not on my radar to visit again for a long while. My main objective has been to see my kids through education and enable them to have the opportunities I missed.

Other than guitars I love classic cars, aircraft and boats, anything from a rubber dinghy to a cruise liner.

I am a life long member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.