More About GuitarRon

When I was 17, I started dating a girl, who went to a little Baptist church in Indialantic, FL. She, of course, invited me to go with her one Sunday. And I reluctantly accepted, having never attended a church before (I was officially agnostic to the bone). Boy, did it feel strange. It was like the preacher was talking to me only. Talk about scary. After that, I started making up excuses for not going, and then one day (after I'd fallen head over heels for her) she met me on the side of her house (I remember holding my Hondo II guitar, while sitting on the air conditioner)
"Ron, we can't see each other anymore."
My response was a stunned... "Whaaaaa? Why not?"
I could see that this wasn't easy for her to talk about. But still, she struggled on. "It's not right that a believer be dating a non-believer."
You talk about rocking my world. I couldn't believe that she'd turn me down for something as unbelievable as God.... that is, If there really was one.
I remember heading out to the beach, half a block away, my Hondo guitar on my shoulder, just crying my eyes out. I still couldn't believe that she'd turn me down because of God. After walking a few miles, I came home and set out on a quest to find God. Why, I even decided to read the entire Bible that night. (Made it to Exodus before falling asleep). Looking back, I'm glad that she broke off the relationship. For it was that severing that started me searching. Seek and ye shall find? Yep, that's exactly what happened.
I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior about a month later. That was in 1981, and I still don't think I've "gotten over it". The peace of mind that He gives is nothing short of amazing. Have you met him yet?

Want to know more? Click Here for more information on becoming a Christian (From my Sandcastling site)

So, you really want to know what kind of stuff I have?  My setup didn't cost an enormous amount, but it has taken me over 20 years to accumulate. What I have, I enjoy immensely. 

 

Zion PowerGlide	Glued in neck Floating Kahler Tremelo with Flip Down nut clamps EMG Select Pickups (Humbucker Bridge, SC Mid and Neck) Phoenolic Fretboard Super-cool flaked Aqua/Teal/Bluish color.  Sept 2002 - Bob Hartman signed the back of my Zion (see more below) Truly the most awesome guitar I have ever owned. The play is fluid, the tone luscious.   Zion's website lists me as Zion's "Number One Fan". I'm so thankful that I can finally say I'm part of the Zion family. If you'd like to read more of my Zion Guitar experiences, Click Here   Amazingly, Bob Hartman, of Petra, owns a near** duplicate of my Zion. For a detailed description of his Zion PowerGlide, click on over to this link from Bob's "Guitar Closet". My Zion is also featured in a recent jam I did entitled Journey To Boston, Part 1 Hear it over on my Audio Zone Page. Bob Hartman, Ron, and... Larry Boy.
Zion "By Design"	Zion by Design, or, as I call it, my Zbd for short. At 41 I finally bought my first new guitar. Zion designed, but built overseas, the Zbd still shines. It's a beauty with a Blue Transparent Finish, 25 1/2" Scale Length, Rosewood Fingerboard, Jumbo Frets, Custom High-Output Pickups (2SC, 1HB), Maple Neck, Custom Zion Tremelo. You can hear it here on an instrumental done on 8/8/04. Check out my Audio Zone Page. Listen to how long some of the notes ring out. Cool!
Squire Stratocaster	Red with pearloid pickguard, Squire Series, chrome hardware, maple neck. This was a surprise Christmas present from my wife.  The action feels right for it, and it exudes some decent sustain. It performed flawlessly for a recently performed Terry McMillan song, "Amazing Grace" It also has the rather unusual distinction of a vast difference in fingerboard color from the 4th to 7th frets. The cause? A price tag had been placed between the strings, and the guitar put in a shop window, exposed to sunlight. Yikes! Tan lines!
Yamaha Pacifica	Boy, has this one been though some changes. Originally it had a natural finish, but then I tried staining it blue. The stain... well, it didn't turn out too well. Then I sanded it... then I ended up getting my "Zion by design". So, now it has a pretty "distressed" look to it. But that's ok. It travels well under a car seat.  And the action even surprises me. Now, if I could only get the pickups to work. So, it's my "work in progress" guitar.
Hondo II '79-'80 "Les Paul" Style Electric	I received this as a birthday present while near Omaha, Nebraska while my Dad was stationed at SAC. This Reddish-Brown Hondo II has the distinction of being what I consider my first electric. Once it was set up many years later in Florida, the action was fluid. I swapped it for about six months for a friend's Gibson Les Paul "fretless wonder". The Gibson didn't play as nice, but they sure tied in the "I'm Real Heavy" department.
Ovation Celebrity Acoustic	Six String, medium depth body with cutaway. Ampable, with a simple volume and tone knob.
(On loan to a good friend, so it wasn't around for a picture!) Yamaha Classical G-231 II	(In the past, I've used this one extensively during church services / weddings / instrumentals. It was also used for a Harris Corporation's promotion film's background music. Which was made possible by Mr. Hohner below....)
Hohner IIGG14	This is the guitar that made me "famous" when I was spotted at Harris Corporation playing it on a park bench. It was breaktime, of course. The clock had hit 9:05 a.m. when Chuck, the Audio Visual man stopped by to listen. "Say," he began, "You ever thought of doing some music for a film?" That's how it started. And five songs later, I was jammed into a recording box the size of a phone booth. It was a neat experience. Of course, then there's the saga of how I bought this guitar... When I was 17 (or was it 18?) I was invited to visit Bob Jones University during the Thanksgiving break/weekend (why, it was even in November! What a memory!). I neglected to take a guitar with me on the long trip north. (what was I thinking?) While I was there (an incredibly long 2 day stay) I suddenly developed this craving for a six string. It was one of those, I just gotta play kind of things. I must have been speaking aloud of this musical stirring, because during breakfast in this huge BJU cafeteria "auditorium" a young girl at the table I was at remarks, "I've got this little guitar in the trunk of my car that I'll sell you." Inwardly, I grimace... In the trunk? (gulp!) Well, I went to look at it... and yes, it was little... and it had this weird zip-up simulated leather case with it... but at the time, I was desperate. (All of you guitar players out there know what I'm talking about, right?) "How much?" I ask. "Fifty bucks, with the case." A desperate guy never hesitates. "Sold!" The looks have changed a bit in the 23 plus years I've had it -- the low E is tuned via an attached Oscilloscope knob, and the nut has been modified with some cardboard -- two very distinctive features, I might add. But, hey. When the craving hits - or I'm looking for something to take to the beach - it's just right. (Don't have to worry about anyone stealing it either.) And for all of you who are curious -- I didn't end up attending Bob Jones, although many good friends of mine have. For those of you looking for a good Christian college... make sure you check it out. (Although, I'm not sure that they offer any guitar related courses -- at least they didn't back when I visited.)

	Digitech GNX3 Signal Effects Processor My main foot stomping friend.
	E-Bow Plus Handheld Bow This little critter is a blast! Talk about endless sustain.
	Sabine STX-1100 Auto Tuner
	Crate Amp
	Carvin SX200 - 100W 2x12 Very loud, yet clean amp. The Digital Effects don't work (they give a huge pop when the knob is touched) but, I love the clean sound I get when running my Digitech through the effects loop.
	Dean Markley DMC-40 Stereo Chorus Amp -- Output power (according to the 50Ws RMS (25 Watts/Channel x 2 at 4 Ohms) Sure seems more like 100ws though. It features (2) 8" Vintage Rock speakers. The Chorus is a bit noisy when not playing, the only negative on the whole setup.
	Yamaha PSR-510 Keyboard -- really helps out for those background drum effects.
	Gore Elixir Acoustic Light Strings - I'm starting to really like these. They feel slick all the time, and are really cutting down on fret noise when amping my acoustic.

Spotted after a morning service... Ron and Brinson cranking out those chords.... F major I believe....

 

Other Web Creations

You just can't miss my other hobby.... Sand sculpting. Visit it here: Sandcastling.com!  Here's a shot of a sand sculpture I did for a championship competition. It's title:  "Carrying A Tune". To read more / see more, click the picture.

Since 10/20/97