Gear

Current Endorsement Relationships

Updated: May 27, 2019

GIBSON Electric Guitars

GODIN Acoustic Guitars

REDPLATE studio combo tube amp

REUNION BLUES Gig Bags and Equipment Cases

Really digging the Rotaries in my Godin Supreme (Monty, with the suspension tailpiece). Just for the record – I’ve also gone up one level of string gauges on the trebles, from the D’Addario NYXL1052’s to the 1152’s – with a 1st of .011, 2nd of .014, and 3rd of .018: tending to play more of a fingerstyle electric style on them, as opposed to full-out rockin’.

To my ear, the Rotaries are smoother and more velvety than the Hum IV’s and Black Earth’s in my Les Pauls, while also being warmer & fatter than the Split Single and Hum III in my stop-tailpiece Supreme – closer to a PAF world than a single-coil Telly vibe. As with all MJS offerings, they feature ‘articulation’, but with the Rotary, I’d describe it as more of a P-90 authority (punch with no hum!). All the Brrrrrrritish sustainnnnnnnn one might hope for, ideal in my airy, transparent archtop: giving the guitar loads of output with a distinct, unique, articulate voice. I predict all kinds of orders for these pickups. MJS has done it again.

Stage Gear

Updated: Nov. 21, 2018

3 MAIN ELECTRIC GUITARS:
3 GIBSON Les Paul “Classic” 60′s reissue, chambered, with custom MJS handwound pickups. – a black LP (Rik’s favourite, nicknamed “Johnnie”, as in Johnnie Walker Black), and a totally refinished flametop named “Amber”, plus one in a honeyburst finish, with a Bigsby, called “Goldie”:
1 Godin Supreme, in a vintage sunburst, modded with MJS pickups, nicknamed “Soupy”: and a 2nd Supreme in tobacco burst, named ‘Monty”.

Custom pickups added in 2015:
Both the Les Paul neck pickups are: MJS Black Earth @ 8.4K ohms output, with Neodymium magnet
Both the Les Paul bridge pickups are: MJS Hum IV @ 13.4K ohms output, with Ceramic magnet
Soupy’s neck pickup is an MJS Split Single @ 9.2K ohms output, with Alnico 2 magnets
The bridge pickup is an MJS Custom Hum III @ 10.8K ohms output, Alnico 2 bar magnet with alternating Alnico 2 polepieces and steel slugs

MAIN ACOUSTIC-ELECTRIC FOR LIVE PERFORMANCES: Godin A6 Ultra, in cognacburst. (“Connie”)

D’Addario strings on all. On electrics, EXL 140 – .010 to .052: on the Godin acoustic-electric, EJ21 [jazz light, .012 to .052].

OTHER STUDIO GUITARS

1 Gibson Custom Shop CS-356, cherry flame GIBSON (nicknamed “Ruby”: outfitted with hotter MJS pickups, under gold pickup covers).
1 Gibson CS 6 / 12 doubleneck, in arctic white.
– a collection of GODIN acoustic-electrics: 2 nylon string models, including the Grand Concert: an A12 12 string, and 3 different 5^th Avenue archtops: a blonde one with a floating neck pickup; a tobacco burst with a full-size humbucker on the top; and a red one with two humbuckers and a Bigsby.
In the main studio racks are Rik’s favoured studio acoustics: a Martin OMCPA 1 [stock] and a Yamaha LSX-36C modded with a Fishman Matrix II.

There’s also a non-cutaway Yamaha L-36, and 1981 L-55 6 and 12 dreadnought acoustics, a Hawaiian ukelele, a Baby Sitar guitar, a Pacifica USA-1 electric [custom shop, with Seymour Duncans], a 1979 Laskin handmade classical, a Yamaha cutaway nylon string with electronics and a spruce top, a Fender Jeff Beck Strat [stock, with a white finish, rosewood board], a customized Esquire Japanese reissue in tobacco burst with Barden pickups (rosewood board), and a 2016 American Fender Telecaster in a trans white finish, with MJS pickups (named “Annabella”).

Pedalboard: electric gigs: VOX Tonelab SE. Acoustic Godin A6 – Zoom G3.

AMPS: custom handwired RedPlate Magica 1×12 combo. Roland Cube 60, Fender Hot Rod Deluxe III, Yamaha THR10, Vox AC15.] For rock sounds, Rik leans towards classic Marshall Plexi and Vox Top Boost amp modeling.

This and that…

Updated: Nov. 21, 2018

Rik uses a regular size heavy celluloid pick, and also has acrylic nails on his right hand.

In 2007, DEAN reissued a limited edition Rik Emmett model Flying V from the Triumph Allied Forces era.
Rik also has an Alcivar dobro, a Yamaha SLG ‘silent’ guitar, as well as a wide range of archtop electrics from Yamaha, including a custom blonde AES-2000 from 1985, a custom shop bluefinish AES-1500, and a Kiyoshi Minakuchi Yamaha Tokyo Custom Shop AEX-1500, a personal favourite, nicknamed “Jackie”.
In his collection, Rik also has a National Lap Steel from the 50’s, a Fender Jazz bass, a Yamaha Nathan East 5 string bass, and many other collectible instruments, including the first acoustic and electric guitars he ever owned, as well as the first Yairi classical he ever bought.

Rik’s luthier / repairman is Mike ‘Smitty’ Smith