Andrew Sinclair

Job: Well it says Senior E-business and Data Solutions Consultant on my cards...

Started playing: Back in the early 70's. A friend offered me a guitar and amp and speakers for £25 and I persuaded my parents to let me buy it. Can't remember what they were but it was probably a fair price. I messed around with friends at school and ended up playing the lead parts for Jesus Christ Superstar in Glasgow's City Hall. (Now where have you read that about someone else in the Freakshow...) Kinda stopped playing in the early 80's having sold all my kit and didn't restart until a couple of years ago.

Main gear: Hardtail Stratalike, bought at a local auction house. Now fitted with Lace Sensor pickups and it sings nicely! Steinberger Spirit GT Pro (as pictured) which having added Seymour Duncan pickups can out Gibson a Gibson. Aslin Dane 335 copy. This is an excellent 335 copy and is my main squeeze these days. These are all played through a superb Sessionette:75 (if you see on buy it, they are the most amazing 1x12's) via a Boss ME-8, Sansamp GT2, Bad Horsie wah, or Korg PX3 Pandora. Acoustic playing is handled by my Applause AE28. Oh, and there's a Squire Musicmaster shortscale bass which my son is learning on. That's about the GAS for now... but a 4-track digital recording studio would be nice...

Favourite music: First solo I learned from a record was Paul Kossof playing "All Right Now", so I've always loved his playing. Then I got seriously into the playing on the "Layla" album and became a real Clapton-ite. At the same time though I was listening to a lot of Steve Howe, Ritchie Blackmore and all the other guys a 70's teenager would hear on the Tommy Vance show. I was quite into Steve Hillage for a while, I think everyone liked Lynyrd Skynyrd and played Freebird, Carlos Santana was in there too. Pete Townsend has always been my main man for rhythm playing, but I could never get the windmill right. Although I stopped playing I never stopped listening and these days still like all the guys I've mentioned but probably have a wider range of heroes. I'd love to be able play like Eddie Van Halen... or Larry Carlton... or Steve Lukather... or Stevie Ray Vaughan... or Gary Moore... or the guy who played the solos on Goodbye to Love... now does anyone know of a shop who sell talent and ability??