James Hoey

James plays drums in Tangled Thoughts of Leaving, an excellent local band, but is also a guitarist, and as such he wanted a guitar that would get noticed on stage. He is also left handed, and as all "lefties" will know, they get a raw deal when it comes to choice of guitars.

James' guitar has BC Rich and Gibson Explorer influences, yet is undoubtedly his own design. The straight string pull on the headstock owes much to PRS (see below). Neck is maple/rosewood, but body timber is Myrtle, a Tasmanian timber with excellent acoustic properties and an attractive orangey hue.

Lawrence Cheng

Lawrence was not a guitarist but wanted to design and make a guitar on which he could learn. He developed a passion for PRS guitars, and a fastidious attention to detail, which served him well.

The PRS influences are obvious, but Lawrence has made subtle changes making the design his own. Pickups are Kent Armstrong P-90s, though these turned out to be a little "polite" sounding.

Timbers are as James' guitar, but Lawrence chose, with the aid of a local antiques restorer, to French polish his body. This is not the most durable of finishes, or the easiest to apply, but the result is a gorgeous honey-coloured body, which catches the light to accentuate the contours.