Jazz Guitarist Brian Hughes Official Web Site/Guitar Gallery

My current workhorse,
a 1971 Gibson ES-175.

I picked this up about a
year before I recorded
"Straight To You" primarily
as a backup guitar for my Guild
DA-500. I started playing it
from time to time and really
fell in love with the warm
tone and feel of the instrument.
I used it on all the tracks on
"Straight To You" (except the
acoustic ones) and exclusively
on "One 2 One" and "Shakin Not
Stirred". It's also equipped with
a Roland GK 2A pickup that I run
into a Roland GR-09 which triggers
a Roland JV 1080 for doubling
some of the melody lines and
triggering samples.

My first love,
a 1964 Guild DA-500.

It was my main guitar
until I dumped her for the
other Blonde!!!
"Between Dusk and Dreaming"
and "Under One Sky" were
recorded using this guitar
and it really is a lovely
instrument.I may start
playing it again.

Takamine EN-60C nylon string
guitar circa 1988.

The pickguard was added by my
guitar tech Guy Vignola as my
Flamenco strumming (with a pick)
was starting to dig a hole through
the top. I have used this guitar
on all the nylon string songs on
my CD's. (Dusk, Nasca Lines,
Strangers on the Promenade, Sleeping
Angel, Bridges & Rain, Andalusian
Night). As well as on many of
Loreena McKennitt's CD's and on
tour with the Chieftains.

'73 Fender Strat with early
EMG pickups,a Kahler trem
system and a Roland GK 2A
pickup.

I've refinished the guitar
a few times after some mosquito
repellant on my arm at an outdoor
gig blistered the original finish.
I use this guitar sparingly
in my group,(Together Again from
"Between Dusk and Dreaming" and
Here Comes Trouble from
"Under One Sky"),but like to
pull it out live every now
and then just to shake things up.
In contrast I play this guitar a
lot when I work with Loreena
McKennitt particularly for
ambient washes & solos.

Turkish Oud made in 1917.

After going through a few
inferior Oud's, (they don't take
to the Northern climate that well)
I was performing at the Istanbul
Jazz Festival in 1996 and was
fortunate enough to meet up with
Oudist Rabih Abou Khalil. The
band was going instrument shopping
and he came along and picked this
Oud out for me.
The Oud has no frets and there are
several variations on the number
of strings and tunings used. My
setup is with 11 strings, the low
single string being a "D" (a tone
below the low "E" on the guitar) and
the next 5 are doubles or chorouses
tuned "E", "A", "D", "G", "C".
You can hear this Oud on Loreena
McKennitt's "Book Of Sectrets" CD on
the tracks "Mummer's Dance","Marco
Polo" and "Night Ride" and also on
the "Live in Paris and Toronto" CD.
The Oud I played on the "Mask and
Mirror" CD has since been retired.

Italian made Celtic Bouzouki.

Not a great one, but gets
the job done and can be heard
on the "Live in Paris and
Toronto" CD.I mostly use
a GDAD tuning on it.

Godin LGX.

A cool guitar that Godin
was kind enough to give to
me. It has an acoustic system
and Roland midi system built
into the bridge along with the
electric pickups. It tracks midi
very well and I use it primarily
for playing parts into my Mac
(running AudioLogic) when I
am composing.

This Russian Balaliaka was won
by my brother-in-law in a costume
contest on a Russian cruise ship
when he was 11 years old.

I think he dressed up as a
chicken(no I'm not making
this up).My wife Pamela,
had it hanging on the wall
as an ornament for several
years prior to our marriage.
One evening I took it off the
wall,put some new strings on it
(the old ones were black with
corrision) and moved the bridge
around until it would play in
tune and it sounded so cool that
it ended up on several tracks
(All Souls Night, Lady of Shallot,
Tango To Evora)of the Loreena
McKennitt CD "The Visit

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