We have not posted here for a while so we thought we would let Simon say a “few words” about why he now uses Gibsons so much…

“I’ve been playing guitar since I was about 11. starting, like most preteens in the 70s, on Kay guitars and really bad Les Paul copies. Some of which had cherry sunburst finishes and were truly shocking. 

In the mid eighties I graduated to a Japanese made Squire which I still have. I noodled for a while and then went on a part exchange journey that included a Gordon Smith, a rosewood Tele and a ‘74 Tele Deluxe. 

Then around ‘89 I came across an Ibanez Saber S540 in Lipstick Red and this became my main gigging guitar. Fond memories of sitting with a tape machine, maybe a CD player, stopping, rewinding and playing Surfing With The Alien, trying to work it out on that Saber. I still have that too.

 

I kept that guitar as my number 1 while I played in an originals band (post punk power pop – woohoo) until 1996. 

Married in 1998 then everything got pretty much left alone for a bit. A Marshall was bought in about 2000 just to keep my hand in. Until about 2009 when my child decided to learn guitar and I agreed to be the teacher. 

What really opened the gate for me was a Vox JamVox. A small black box that plugged into a PC, imported songs and let me play along with headphones. Oh how I wished I’d had that in 1990! I did use it to learn how to play Joe Satriani’s Summer Song. Much more effective than a cassette player or a CD player. 

As a result of posting stuff on YouTube, I got asked to join Break Cover and that journey is catalogued elsewhere. 

You will notice that none of the above included a Gibson. And that continued in BC. I was determined to showcase slightly exotic brands and not just be another cover band guitarist with a Les Paul. 

My problem was Terry, the band’s other guitarist. To call him a fan of the Les Paul is probably downplaying that a little. Without going into even more excruciating detail, I accompanied Terry on a few buying trips where we would try a bunch of Les Pauls looking for the right one. And, somewhere down the line, on one of those many trips, I got hooked too.

Early attempts (2014) at joining the Gibson brigade failed. First there was a Les Paul LPM. Essentially a Les Junior with a maple neck that had the robot tuners. Which were terrible. A great idea so you could switch tunings on the fly, but in practice soooooooo slow. Truthfully, I had an HH Telecaster that had more bite and it stayed in tune, so that was not to be.

Next (2015) I found an SG Deluxe that was Stunning. However… 24 frets – so the neck moved if you touched it and a Bigsby that wouldn’t stay in tune. So a lovely bit of wall art but a terrible guitar to play.

In 2017 Gibson launched the Custom Shop Modern Double Cut and I got to play one and I fell a bit in love but fought the urge to buy. I mean at £4,000 you would. 

Then…

2 years later, Gibson found some more Custom Shop Modern Double Cuts and released them at 50% off and I caved. Beautiful thing. A joy to play and so pretty. And now mine. 

More buying trips and more Les Pauls and then Gibson released a reissue of the ‘61 SG with a Maestro Vibrola (2021 ish). My fascination with Angus compelled me to buy one. 

At this point, I own 2 Gibsons but don’t really play them very often. 

And then at some point in 2022 I just started playing the SG a lot and the penny dropped. And I became a little obsessed. 

Since that SG:

2019 Gibson LP Goldtop. Didn’t gel: sold. 

New 2022 Gibson ES335. Sold it. Regretted it. More on that later. 

2014 Gibson LP CS Custom. Incredible. 

2019 Gibson Firebird. Ex Gibson demo. The most aggressive Firebird you ever heard. 

Gibson Custom Shop Flying V. Looks cool! Weirdly weak. Sort of meh after a while. 

2024 Gibson Theodore. A silly amount of fun. I get asked what is it? more than anything else. Somewhere between an SG and a Les Paul.

2024 Gibson Explorerbird. The Lzzy Hale signature red one. Sort of liked it but didn’t love it. It was a bit of a fight to play. 

Gibson Les Paul Junior in Break Cover colours. Fun.  

2023 Gibson Murphy Lab LP Gold Top. The easiest and nicest LP I have ever played and looks incredible. This guitar is called Lucky. It has an amazing story as to how to came to be with me. That’s one for another day.

Gibson Murphy Lab 1963 Firebird. In my top 3 ever. These are so expensive new. Probably cheaper to buy a ’63. Even heavily discounted I couldn’t afford one. Just needed to wait for one on the second hard market. And this was as close to new as you can get.

Rock and Roll Relics Thunders. Included in this list as it is essentially a Custom Shop ‘59 Les Paul Junior reissue. In my top 3 ever. 

Gibson Victory reissue. The most aggressive of the lot. Insanely resonant and discovered by accident. Never intended to buy but couldn’t leave it behind. 

And finally a 2023 Gibson ES345 that has been upgraded by its previous owner to be (almost) a replica of the Marvin Berry guitar that Marty McFly played in the movie. Somewhere in the upgrades magic happened and I see why the earlier 335 went. To make room for this. In my top 3 ever. 

If you made it through this, you probably need to get out more. And thank you for reading this all the way through. I realise this doesn’t really explain what shifted, why I went from being determined not to have the same guitar as everyone else, and realising that every Gibson is unique to a degree that even Gibson probably wouldn’t admit. 

I still can’t explain it other than: magic. Some of these guitars have magic in them. Why are the Gibsons I kept so much ‘better’ than the others I didn’t love? These ones have magic in them. Best explanation I got. Sorry. 

Why is the Murphy Lab Goldtop so much easier to play than the 2019 one? The 2019 one had a flame top hiding under the gold. So pretty but I could not gel with it. 

Why has the Thunders got so much more mojo than the Junior? They are almost identical. But they really aren’t. 

And finally why are Gibson ES guitars so utterly compelling? I read somewhere that an ES335 was voted the most versatile guitar ever. I would argue that my 345, with its weird upgrades, is even more magical than the stock ones. 

I have deliberately not gone down the vintage route. I like the reliability of new / nearly new ones and I definitely prefer the prices. I did try an actual ‘63 Firebird once but the neck dive was so awful that I couldn’t play it long enough to make an assessment. First impressions were not great though. (I bought a 1968 Telecaster instead, don’t ask.)

Last thought. Would a 1959 Burst in all original condition really be worth between £300,000 and £500,000? And why would one be £500k and not the other? 

Some of it is rarity- only about 200 are thought to exist. 

Some of it is musical heritage: so many songs recorded with these. 

Some of it is hype. Undoubtedly. Just look at the Klon Centaur (and yes they are worth it. Mostly.).

Some of it is some sort of mystical folk legend. And I like that. 

And some of it will be genuine magic. I think that’s why some of them are worth £200k more than others. From Terry’s and mine’s experiences not all Gibsons are the same. Different wood, different makers, different weather, different pickup windings, different glue application, different hand blown finishes, etc, etc. 

Famous players will factor too. 

For me though, some of them will have magic, or mojo, or whatever you want to call, it baked in. I don’t think you need to play a 70 year old guitar to find that. I do think Gibson guitars have more of it, and more often, than other brands I have tried and that’s what’s led to this obsession. 

Probably. Maybe I just need help. 

PS. Does anyone know when the Gibson Victory Floyd Rose is coming out?

Thanks for reading.” 

Simon Dickenson. 18 March 2026. 

August Bank Holiday Sunday 30 August 2020 – what a terrific day organised by Salisbury Live.

Originally planned as a full electric event – a revised “unplugged Garden Party” was put in place after receiving updated advice from Wiltshire Council.

With a strict social distancing, no dancing, no sing along policy it could have been a bit flat and lifeless but instead it was a celebration of local bands, original and covers, with all the tables being sold out with over a week to go. The weather was kind all day, although it did get a bit nippy when the sun went down.

The crowd stayed for the entire day and were entertained by

Ribble (guitar and fiddle – a “none more English” sound);

Tim Madden (singer songwriter + guitar – a little nervous without his full band but carried it off wonderfully);

Robb Blake (also singer songwriter + guitar – but made enough noise that he sounded like he had a band with him);

Lump light (like Lump but lighter – always entertaining. Salisbury songs for Salisbury people);

then the covers kicked off with Trinity who brought the tempo up to set the scene.

And then it was our turn. No on-stage speakers, an electric drum kit and in ear monitors – quite different but we think we got away with it. The crowd got us to play three encores which is always a good sign!

A huge thanks to Salisbury Live for organising a magnificent event, to Salisbury Rugby Club for hosting, to the great audience, and all the bands who played on the day.

A quick mention to BSM Stage Tec. They had something we’ve not seen before – wireless speakers around the venue. Genius idea – doesn’t have to be loud because there’s always a speaker nearby. an innovative way of getting sound to everyone without contravening the new noise rules. Extremely clever idea and the stage look brilliant too!

Thanks to all that came – we really hope it’s not another five months until we see you again.

That’s our last gig for 2019 done.

A huge great big juicy thank you to everyone who came to see us in 2019 and who liked our page and who shared our pictures and generally supported us throughout the year especially with the major change around the mid way point.

Without you it wouldn’t be half as much fun so thank you, thank you, thank you!

Have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year and we’ll see you in the Twenties!

A little photo album of some memorable gigs, various line-ups, and general larking about you do as a band over 7 years.

Craig has been a founding member of the band back in 2012, and has been the drummer/vocalist all the way through to now. He took the decision some time ago to leave the band, and this time was always going to come. Through thick and thin, 7 years and 222 (yes, I counted them!) gigs, we all wish him well in whatever he wants to do next. Take care Craig!

The weather people tells us this weekend is gonna be a scorcher. Even without their wisdom we know it’s gonna be good!

Tonight (Friday) Salisbury Market Square is the place to be for the Salisbury Live Summer Finale.

Then we say goodbye to Craig with a double header. First up a stormning gig at Fun In The Field in Berwick St John. Check out that lineup!

This is gonna be insanne – find a way to get there!

Then to round off the weekend (before collapisng with a gig hangover on Monday) we have the very last gig with Craig at the Shrewton Cricket Club Beerex at the Shrewton Recreation Centre which is also going to be amazing fun.

Wish our Craig the best and see you all hot and sweaty!!

Breaking News:

Back on the 14th July we announced the sad news that Craig had decided to leave the band. At the time we said:
“Our intention is to hand all lead vocal duties to Amber with the rest of the band providing backing vocals, once the new drummer is in place. There is no fixed timescale for this so we will let you know as it breaks.”

The breaking news is that Craig will be leaving the band at the end of August. We have three more gigs until then so please make every effort to come and see us with Craig doing his thing. Those last dates with Craig gigs are:

• Salisbury Market Square Friday 16 August
• Fun in the Field. Berwick St James Saturday 24 August
• Shrewton Cricket Club Beer Festival Sunday 25 August

Come and show Craig your support and help us to wish him all the best for the future.

Back in July we also said: “we are not actively looking for new gigs until the new drummer is in place and we are all comfortable that the Break Cover magic is in place… we are confident that you’ll enjoy what this turns in to.”

This is also updated as we have a new drummer, we are over the moon with how everything is sounding and are now extremely confident that you’ll love what this turns in to – that Break Cover magic is alive and well. So, the great news here is that we can start taking bookings now for dates from October onwards.

Please follow the events page below to track where we are playing. There are a few surprises to come too. Stay tuned and we look forward to seeing you at an event soon.

https://www.facebook.com/pg/BreakCover/events/

What a night at Qudos – Music Bar & Grill! Audience dancing right from the off. Love a last minute gig, but one with such a jumping atmosphere… Brilliant!

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A return to Elizabeth Gardens Salisbury for the City Council’s Music In The Park series of events. A beutiful location, a very appreciative audience and a simnply wonderful atmosphere.

Our favourite comment of the day was that it needs to go on for longer. A better compliment we could not ask for.

Once again the weather was extremely kind for us and the people of Salisbury came out to enjoy a picnic, or a very nice hotdog or just drinks and a relax in the sun to free music provided by Break Cover and the very talented Daisy who got a huge reception.

Many thanks to all those who provided photos of the day

There are three more dates for this event this summer – get along – it’s a terrific atmosphere…

21st July – Sticky Toffee Jazz
Jazz and Swing vocalist with a big vintage vibe
Support Act – Becca and Tebby

4th August – Shannon Laura
A solo vocalist who performs Pop and RnB covers
Support Act – Hope Amber and Jess Corbett

18th August – TuneBox
A brother and sister music duo who performs acoustic covers of hit songs from across the decades
Support Act: Lucy Trigwell

Saturday was a terrific day at Ebblefest! Lovely weather for it and what a crowd! We made sure we sampled all of the food stalls and the bar at the end of the Marquee. The Fete beforehand was well attended and then when the evening descended, well, the pictures show what happened!

Definitely a great way to spend a sunny Saturday afternoon / evening! Thank you for having us Village Fete & Ebblefest – Odstock, Nunton, Bodenham.

Also a tip of the hat to Just Because, Badger Blues Band, Common Confusion and The Lyte Brigade playing throughout the event…

As most guitarists will know, sometimes a guitar will catch the eye, you buy it, you gig it, it’s just another guitar. However, every so-often there is that guitar that ends up with a story behind. A story that many will never know. And so, as a serving member of the RAF with two very large military based events coming up over the next week, I would like to share the story of the blue Stratocaster.

Back in 2011, there was a trawl for volunteers on the RAF main internal website. The RAF theatrical association were looking for a Guitarist, a bassist, a drummer and brass players to become the pit band for a musical. At this point in my life, I’d left any hope of joining a band back when I joined the RAF in 2000, but I was asked to audition and then offered the job!

At the time, my kit was definitely rated as “bedroom player” but one of the things I wanted to do was to get myself a guitar that matched the performance. It would of course be on show, but just stage left of where the cast were performing!

I bought myself a Squier Bullet Stratocaster on special offer at Argos in Salisbury for £80. Then armed with a swatch of material the acting cast would be wearing, I hopped over Southampton Road to Halfords and picked up what I thought was the perfect colour match… Peugeot Kingfisher Blue.

The guitar was dismantled and sanded down (with any “lines” blended out). It got a couple of coats of grey primer, Metallic blue, laquer, the special touch of an RAF roundel and Voila! The guitar was set.

After many months practicing at home, and rehearsals with the band and cast, the week long run of the Return to the Forbidden Planet was over……BUT, I’d caught the bug again for playing in a band!

In the winter of that year I answered an advert from a band looking for a guitarist. That led on to become Break Cover…. From dusting off playing guitar; to my first proper band: this guitar has seen it all.

Being in the military, deployments are part and parcel of the job. So, when I found out I was going on a 4-month tour of the Falklands, there was no question of what guitar would come with me! The Blue Stratocaster was the cheapest guitar I owned. If it was to get broken in transit, it wouldn’t have been a major loss. During those 4 months, the guitar was played at Jam nights, when bored in my room, when letting off some steam in the music club or as part of 3 different bands playing at over 15 gigs, including two high profile events with the Island’s Governor in attendance. In the years following, this guitar has travelled with me on numerous operational deployments and exercises. It has racked up a distance of more than twice around the world in air miles and even had some time in a Chinook…

After being played in numerous practices, jams, and gigs on 4 different continents, it has definitely outlived it’s “Argos Starter Guitar” label, and is by far one of the most comfortable guitars to play. Although this might have something to do with the hours and hours and hours it has been played for! This guitar has definitely “lived” with me through the last 8 years in the RAF. And despite still being the cheapest guitar I own; its sentimental value is priceless. So, it seems only fitting that the blue Strat is the guitar of choice at the RAF Benevolent Fund event on Monday and the Armed Forces Day gig on Friday.