I’ve been lucky enough to go to quite a lot of concerts the past few months, and even more fortunate that my guitars featured in some too.
Andrew Cushin – Tower Ballroom (Hull) – McClaren Guitars Live!
I recently had the pleasure of seeing Andrew Cushin at the Tower Ballroom in Hull, he’d been supporting Pete Doherty on his latest UK tour, so I couldn’t miss the opportunity to see him again.
Every time I see Andrew and his band, they get better and better, and it was great to see more people in the audience singing along to his songs. Andrew plays a custom McClaren guitar which was a copy of a guitar that meant a lot to him. But he needed one with a bigger sound and a pickup to go with it that would stand the test of touring.
The guitar has an Alpine Spruce top with Indian Rosewood back and sides, along with a Mahogany neck. The guitar is fitted with an LR Baggs Anthem pickup. The guitar also has a thicker finish, similar to that of the McClaren Performance Series guitars. Which helps protect it during it’s day to day gigs.
Check out his website for his upcoming concerts, it’s definitely worth going to see him!
Katherine Priddy – National Centre for Early Music (York) – McClaren Guitars Live!
Katherine picked up her McClaren P-16 guitar in September 2021, ready for her first tour since the release of her album ‘The Eternal Rocks Beneath’. Since then it has been with her on every concert!
This was my first visit to the NCEM, and it didn’t disappoint. I had heard a lot about the venue, and they have a good range of music on there throughout the year. So it was delightful to have my first visit to see Katherine and her McClaren guitar.
Katherine has such a mesmerizing voice, and paired with her guitar, it always leaves the audience in awe. Katherine played a mix of songs from her album as well as giving everyone a sneak listen to songs from her upcoming releases.
Like all McClaren P-16 Guitars, Katherine’s guitar has an Alpine Spruce top, with Indian Rosewood back and sides as well as a Mahogany neck. The guitar is powered by the LR Baggs Stage Pro Anthem, making it perfect for the gigging guitarist.
George Boomsma – National Centre for Early Music (York) – McClaren Guitars Live!
George Boomsma was supporting Katherine Priddy at the NCEM.
George is a workshop favourite, and a frequent visitor. He had been asking me for a long time when I was going to make a Nylon Crossover guitar. I had just finished designing and making the latest in the Performance Series guitars, the P-8. So I thought I would lend him it to try for the concert. And it would be the first time that I had heard it in a large venue through a PA system. Personally, I thought it sounded great, but for me the real question is whether the player enjoys playing it and listening to it. I was expecting George to maybe play the new P-8 for a couple of songs, but it was a nice surprise that he played his whole set with it (phew, that was a good sign that he liked it).
The guitar sounded great and George agreed, so much so that he forgot the words to one of his songs as he got carried away with enjoying the sound of the guitar. I couldn’t have asked for a better compliment!
The new P-8 guitar has a cedar top, with Indian Rosewood back and sides, and a Spanish Cedar neck. The guitar has a very powerful pickup with Hex Piezo’s and an LR Baggs circuit board and microphone. It allows you to blend the piezo and mic sound to make the live sound exactly the same as the acoustic sound, a rarity for nylon string guitars.
