Endorsements
Everett Guitars
Kent Everett's been a dear friend for a long time and was always the go to guy for repairs in Atlanta whether you were local or in town playing a stadium show. He also built the coolest looking electric guitars and electric mandolins and when he started building acoustics he was still the go to guy. I've been playing his six strings for years and will continue to. I've had four. We call them all Kentabelle. Kind of like BB King's Lucille. But he's had over 35 Lucilles. I'm not like that. Everett Guitars was my first professional product endorsement. See more of Kent's work at the Everett Guitars Gallery in the Photos Section.
Mermer Guitars
Rich Mermer is one sweet cat and he builds gorgeous instruments. When we met I loved his stuff but already had an endorsement with Everett Guitars for my 6 string acoustics which I'm loyal to. The happy solution for everyone has been to play Rich's Kona style Hawaiian slide guitars. I now play two Mermer Konas. Kahu and Kula Kika. Rich names all his instruments. For more details about my Konas see the Mermer Guitar Gallery in the Photos Section.
Fishman Transducers, Amps, Preamps and more
Larry Fishman, Larry Dalton and the whole gang there at Fishman are total pros and un to work with. I've been counting on their Rare Earth Blend pickup systems and Blender Preamps for years and have never been disappointed no matter what instrument I'm running through the stuff...and I run a LOT of different instruments through their stuff. They are always doing research and their products keep getting better all the time. You can learn more about my set up by looking for the the DonCon Gear Box in the Letters Section.
J D'Addario & Planet Waves
After searching through a LOT of different string makers over the years I'm now happily addicted to D'Addario's Pro Steel Stainless Steel Strings. They work on everything I've got...acoustic or electric. I use over ten stringed instruments for performance and studio work. That's a lot of strings. When coated strings first hit the market I thought that would be my salvation...and they're pretty cool... but they just didn't work for my particular needs. The Pro Steel strings have been the total solution. The Planet Waves accessories are brilliant, too. I go into great detail about my string choices in the DonCon Gear Box in the News Section.
Pick Up the World PickUps (PUTW) and Enke Design Custom Instruments
David and Annie Enke are dear friends from La Veta in the southeast corner of Colorado. When we met I was using four different instruments on stage at every show and it required four separate preamps/lines from the stage to the sound system. They actually loved the sound of my Fishman Rare Earth Blend pickups, but we wanted to make all my instruments work together in a tonally balanced way using only one preamp, one cable, one tuner, etc. David's modifications using their amazing pickups and power modules turned my nightmare into a dream. Six string guitar, Resonator, ukelele, banjo ... no worries. I can step on stage now with all these acoustic instruments and never break a sweat getting them all to blend seamlessly through one preamp/line. In my case we blended the Fishman systems together with the PUTW systems and life is good no matter how diverse the venues and sound systems are along the way. Check out David's brilliant Light Body Guitar and Annie's amazing wood carved art.
Newcaster Guitars - Taos NM
Norbert Ubechel has been in Taos for a long time and his guitars really reflect the spirit of this community. Innovative, diverse, unique and beautiful. I'd been taking a closer look at Robben Ford's sound and technique and his predominantly 'tele' tone had really gotten under my skin. When I finally got around to visiting Norbert's shop in November of 2011 I played a few of his instruments and heard that tone leap out of one of his tele's that had an Alnico 5 dual rail pickup in the bridge position with a coil tap and a four way switch. That sound stuck in my ear and I knew it was going to shape my playing and writing from that day forward. Tele's are kind of mythical creatures. They're not easy to play or manage, but if you get a good one and put the hours in there's nothing quite like it. The sound, play-ability, tone and amazing feel of the necks on Norbert's guitars are outstanding.
Intellitouch Tuners (From OnBoard Research)
These Texan men and women have solved a serious problem for a LOT of musicians with these brilliant pieces of engineering...and they have been very good to me. I use these tuners on bass, banjo, acoustic or electric guitar, lap steel... the list goes on. In 2011 they released a brilliant idea... a clamp on capo with a tuner built into it. Rust never sleeps at OnBoard Research where the Intellitouch Tuners are created
Oasis CD Manufacturing
Micah Solomon, the founder of Oasis, and I go way back to my first rock band in Plainfield Vermont called the Zuchinni Brothers Band. He auditioned to play keyboards but iI believe we broke up. I think that happens to a lot of power trios when they audition keyboardists. I recorded for years before ever making a CD, but when I finally did I noticed an ad in Dirty Linen Magazine for Oasis and discovered that it was Micah. I have done virtually every CD project with him and intend to do every future project with him as well. They are an amazing resource for an artist. They don't just make CDs.
Fred Carlson and Beyond The Trees
I met Fred when I lived in Plainfield Vermont. He lived at the New Hamburger Commune which was reknowned for it's fine wood workers. I was learning to play fingerstyle and Fred was playing this wild creation of his called Guistar with a 2" wide neck. It was love at first sight and Guistar became my first handmade guitar thanks to Fred's incredible generosity. Fred lives up in the redwoods now near Santa Cruz. His instruments are visually stunning and they've been exhibited by the Smithsonian. Guistar had a serious accident and is being re-incarnated into another magnificent creation that I'm looking forward to meeting in the future.
Godin Guitars
These guys make a LOT of fine things. I was interested in finding a different kind of sound and fell in love with their thin line electric-acoustic models. I ended up with the A-12 which is a 12 string and have leaned on that thing hard for a long time both on stage and in the studio. I'm blown away by the Multiac line as well. Brilliant. I hope to work with one of those in the future but first I'll need a more spacious home and a larger vehicle. Something that runs on used guitar strings, ideally, or electricity...bio diesel or hydrogen would be alright, too. For more about my Guitar Arsenal look for the the DonCon Gear Box in the Letters Section.
Michael Kelly Guitars
When Ellis Paul became the first acoustic artist endorsed by Michael Kelly Guitars I played his and was very impressed. But I was blown away by their electric guitars. When they first got in touch with me I'd just started studying jazz and they hooked me up with a badass archtop hollow body electric called the Vibe which I fell in love with. It rounded out my electric arsenal beautifully. I'm so glad these guys took me on board. They've been great fun to work with and make some fantastic instruments. If you're into pickups then you'll want to look into Todd Rockfield's stuff. He works closely with Michael Kelly Guitars.
Ome Banjos
Formerly know as Ode Banjos...I met these guys while I was playing the Rocky Mountain Folks Fest. They had several tables full of banjos in a tent and I was like a kid in a pet store looking at all the cute puppies. I fell for a Jubilee open back banjo and left the festival with it heading for New Mexico. Three days later I wrote "Beautiful Valley" on it. They are great folks to work with and make amazing instruments. You can me with it in the Concert Gallery in the Photos Section
Kyser Capos and Musical Products
David Wilcox taught me years ago how to saw and file Kyser Capos to convert them into partial capos. Dave is an open tuning wizard...I'm still trying to figure out standard tuning, which when you think about it is a really bizarre tuning. With partial and multiple capos I get the open sounds I love while staying in straight tuning. Now they're doing all the sawing and filing at the factory. You can't purchase them directly from Kyser but click these links to have a look at them. Try the Dropped D 5 string capo and / or my personal favorite...the Short Cut 3 string capo. You can learn more about my approach on my "Capo Abuse and Guitar Techniques" instructional DVD available here in the Music Section
Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs
Chicago is, in my estimation, the greatest American city...architecture, food, jazz, blues, cycling, the big blue sea called Lake Michigan and support for the arts. I'm very grateful to the folks who run the CAAP program because they've assisted me in my jazz studies. It's my current big, musical project...instead of writing a new batch of songs or producing a CD. It's probably my most challenging undertaking and this particular project is partially supported by a Community Arts Assistance Program grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
Nathaniel's - Master Hat Maker - Nate Funmaker
Nate made my Rio Grande hat for me while he was still apprenticing with dear friend Steve King of The Bounty Hunter (Telluride). He has carried on the tradition as a master in his own right.