Rohan Mansley's Guitars

If you are anything like me, you like checking out other people's guitars. For anyone who is interested, below is a list of my personal guitars.

1989 Gibson L-4CESN
I've had this one since 1994. I was particularly inspired at the time by the guitar playing of Tuck Andress. He plays a 1950's Gibson L5 (which looks like this but is even bigger). Although this style of guitar is closely associated with jazz, I've used it for all sorts of styles including rock.

The top is carved spruce, the back & sides are mahogany as is the neck, and the fretboard is ebony. 24.75" scale length. Some guitars come and go, but this one is a keeper.

Mid 80's Larrivee L-19E
I've had this one since 2002. It's a small-bodied acoustic with a spruce top, indian rosewood back & sides, mahogany neck, and an ebony fretboard. I've found that the focused sound of the smaller body size is brilliant for finger-picking. I love the sound of this one recorded.

It was made by Jean Larrivee, when his workshop was in Victoria B.C., Canada. He has relocated to the US now. His wife Wendy is a great inlay artist.

1984 Tokai "Goldstar Sound" Strat Replica
I've had this one since 2001. I had another fender at the time, but I had to admit that the Tokai was better than the real thing, so I kept the Tokai and sold the Fender. It's quite resonant, even played unplugged. I've had it refinished in candy apple red by Adam Philips, and it has Fender Texas Special single-coils, and a Seymour Duncan Li'l '59 pickup in the bridge position.

It's a replica of a 1964 Strat. Strats from this era had round-laminated rosewood fretboards rather than a slab rosewood board like you would see on a '62. I think this gives the guitar a sound somewhere between the warmth of rosewood and the brightness of maple.