Justin Simison uses all of the following products exclusively...

Andrew Lauher Guitars
Simply the best guitars I have ever played. Take my advice, especially if you're considering Taylor, Martin or other so called "high end" guitars. STOP! These guitars are made in factories that produce 200-300 guitars per DAY and they're designed to be made as quickly and cost-effectively as possible. Not to say they don't produce some quality instruments, but they simply have to cut corners in an effort to produce guitars that please a mass market. Doesn't it make more sense to design a guitar that is designed to please YOU and order it from a luthier that produces less than ten guitars a YEAR and pays attention to the smallest details? People are always talking about my guitar tone, and a guitar with Andrew's name in it really is the only way to go. In fact, some people, musicians of course, will talk for hours about my guitars but never mention my songs. Thanks guys. All of my Andrew Lauher guitars (so far) are flat-top acoustics tuned B, E, A, D, F#, B. The string gauges I've found to be the best are .66, .56, .46, .36, .24, and .17, corresponding with the Newtone Strings' JB Baritone set.

AKG C-416
There are a number of mini-condenser microphones on the market that are designed to be installed inside the body of acoustic guitars. Certain microphones will perform well in a given guitar, others will not. On a different guitar, the roles might be reversed entirely. The AKG C-416 sounds wonderful in EVERY guitar that I've heard it installed in. This microphone is #3 in my signal chain.

Audix USA VX-10 Stage Condenser
In my not-terribly-humble opinion, this is the best high performance microphone on the market today. Worlds ahead of the competition's comparable products, including the hugely overpriced and underperforming Neumann model, this microphone is simply awesome. However, if your stage volume is really loud, try the Audix OM-5. Admittedly, I've heard the new Rode stage condenser is excellent, but I haven't heard it for myself yet. My gut feeling: Audix, audix, audix. If you are using an SM-58 or any other Shure product because it's all you've got and replacing it right away would be too expensive, I feel for you and you have many fine alternatives to look forward to. If you are using an SM-58 or any other Shure product because you think it sounds better than any other microphone, please close this window immediately.

Bellari RP533
I use this unit strictly though the effects loop (with the "replace" button "in") of the Pendulum SPS-1. I do not use the exciter section, only the preamp and compressor sections. I've heard this unit is cool as a vocal or bass preamp, but I've never really tried it that way. Eventually, I'd like to replace it with a more transparent compressor.

HHB Radius 40
I have used this unit only with the Audix VX-10 for EQ, pre-amplification and compression. This unit is wonderfully flexible and within minutes you can manipulate the Radius 40 to allow for a rich, focused and BALANCED tone. This unit has been discontinued by HHB, but they show up on Ebay occasionally. The new TLA 5051 offers the exact same circuitry (in fact, it's the EXACT same unit painted white), but it's much more expensive.

K & K Sound Pure Western
For under $100, this pickup is hard to resist. In fact, at low volume it is probably the best sounding pickup I've heard to date. While it's not the pickup to build your system around, it sounds wonderful when you blend it with a Sunrise and/or an internal microphone. This pickup is #2 in my signal chain.

Newtone Strings
I'm sure there are some people out there that think "strings are strings." Well, while I would always choose a great player over great equipment, that's just nonsense. These are without question the best guitar strings on the market. I use the "JB Baritone" set available ONLY online from Guitar Gallery.

Pendulum Audio SPS-1
After saving all of my pennies for nearly six months to buy this unit, I wondered if it could be as good as advertised. It is. This preamp is the ONLY way to go for acoustic amplification. This allows me to blend four pickups together and run them all at the same time, two into each channel. If you are an acoustic guitarist and serious about your live sound, I suggest you do whatever you have to do to get one. I use these four inputs in order: Sunrise S-1, K&K Pure Western, AKG C-416 and Pick-Up The World #27. All are passive, the SPS-1 is the only pre-amp you need. I recommend that you use ABSOLUTELY NO (none, zero, zilch, nada) under-saddle pickups of any kind.

Pick-Up The World #27
This is an alternative to the K&K Pure Western. It sounds a bit more "woody" but it is also more vulnerable to feedback problems. This pickup is #4 in my signal chain.

Sunrise Pickup Systems
After 25 years, the Sunrise still has a magical quality about it that cannot be duplicated. Sorry, L.R. Baggs. Of course, one pickup by itself is NEVER enough, but when you start to consider pickup options, I recommend you build your system around the Sunrise S-1. This pickup is #1 in my signal chain and my entire set-up is built around it.

Vintage Ventures Fossilized Walrus Ivory
After a guitar is built, there isn't much you can do to improve its natural acoustic tone. You can get better strings, a better pick, and fossilized ivory. That's about it. Why would you spend $200 just to replace your bridge pins, saddle, and nut? Well, unfortunately I can't really explain it to you. Just do it, then you'll say something like "Oh yeah, I get it now." More than anything else you can do for your guitar, this will improve your tone remarkably. Honestly, the difference is like night and day. If you use a soundboard pickup, you'll notice a phenomenal change in your amplified tone as well. If you have an under-saddle pickup, fossilized ivory will NOT help you. Remove your under-saddle pickup IMMEDIATELY and break it into lots of tiny little pieces. Feels good, doesn't it? It sounds good too.

Wegen Trimus 500
Like some will say "strings are strings," others will say "picks are picks." Of course, this is simply not true. These picks take some getting used to but they clearly sound better than any pick I've heard and they will force you to become a much more accurate player.