About Us |
 |
Paradise Guitars started
out in November, 1986 with co-owners Mike Johnston
and Gary Phillips in a small two story house. The
buildings previous home was The Peg Nelson Guitar
Center, which served Beloit, WI for 30 years. The
store out grew it's walls after 2 years and moved
to it's current location in September of 1988.
After two building expansions, our facility has
grown to approximately 7000 sq. ft. We have a full
sales staff of 3 employees, a complete repair staff
of 2 employees, and a teaching staff of 7 teachers.
Please feel free to check our store Employee Bios
below. |
Employee Bios |
| |
 |
| Name: |
Mike Johnston |
| Position: |
Co-Owner |
| Musical
Influences: |
Born and raised on 80's metal, love all the
guitar bands of that era. I've been on a country
kick for the last couple years, but basically
like most styles of music that are polished. |
| Instruments
Played: |
Guitar, Bass |
| Years of Service: |
Co-Owner for 21 years, playing guitar since
age 8 |
| Favorite Guitars: |
Ibanez Jem Steve Vai, Charvel model 4,
Fender USA Strat |
| |
 |
| Name: |
Chris Johnson |
| Position: |
Sales / Internet Sales |
| Musical
Influences: |
Elvis Costello, Guided By Voices, Wilco,
Sonic Youth, Pedro The Lion, Jim O'Rourke |
| Instruments
Played: |
Guitar, Bass, Drums |
| Gear: |
'64 Fender Jaguar, Fender American Tele,
Fender '62 Jazzmaster Reissue, Rickenbacker
330-12, Gibson SG Standard, '71 Fender Twin
Reverb, '78 Marshall JMP Head, Fender Vibrolux
and a ton of pedals. |
| Years of Service: |
5 |
| Favorite Guitars: |
Fender Jaguars, Jazzmasters, Tele's |
| |
 |
| Name: |
Jim Davis |
| Position: |
Repair Tech. / Teacher |
| Musical
Influences: |
Enjoy all styles of music where the guitar
is the featured instrument, from classical to
heavy metal and everything in between. My all
time favorite is Jimi Hendrix. |
| Gear: |
I own a variety of instruments, amps, and
effects, but usually play a Strat or Ibanez RG
Series guitar with a tubescreamer and wah pedal
through whatever little amp will fit in my
trunk. |
| Instruments
Played: |
Guitar, Bass |
| Years of Service: |
10 years @ Paradise Guitars teaching and 8
years in the repair dept. I've been playing
guitars, taking them apart, and fixing them
since age 11. |
| Favorite Guitars: |
Ibanez Universe 7 string, Flying V's, Strat
style guitars and the big hollow body jazz
guitars. They're all cool!! |
| |
 |
| Name: |
Matthew Pitterle |
| Position: |
Sales / Teacher |
| Musical
Influences: |
Frank Zappa, Villa Lobos, Robert Johnson,
Merle Travis, Eddie Van Halen, Jorge Morel, SRV,
Chet Atkins, Bjork |
| Gear: |
Fender American Deluxe Tele, Fender Highway
1 Tele, Fender Jazzmaster, Esteve Classical,
Hamer Chapperal, Fender Hot Rod Deluxe 4 x 10,
Crate Power Block, SKB effects board, Ibanez
DE-7 delay, MXR Super Comp., Line 6 modulation
pedal |
| Instruments
Played: |
Guitar, Bass and Banjo |
| Years of Service: |
3 |
| Favorite Guitars: |
Any guitar with versatile tonal
possibilities. The guitar should have a
personality and play consistent. The feel of an
old or vintage guitar helps. I usually go with
something Fender. |
| |
 |
| Name: |
Gary Phillips |
| Position: |
Co-Owner / Service Manager - Repair Shop |
| Musical
Influences: |
Electric blues, Southern Rock, any guitar
instrumental music, Allman Bros., Clapton, Johnny
A., Hellecasters, Robben Ford, SRV, Bernard
Allison, Molly Hatchet, Brad Paisley, Outlaws,
Larry Carlton. |
| Gear: |
I have a large collection of Gibson's,
ranging from a 1952 Goldtop and a couple
ES-125's, to a considerable collection of
one-off Custom Shop pcs., which were all cherry
picked on my numerous trips to the Gibson Custom
Shop. I also have an Adamas #47 Reissue (s/n
15), a 1997 & 1998 Collector's Edition Strat and
Tele, a Buck Owens Tele and a Taylor Pelican
Limited Edition. These are all part of an on
display collection in the store. I also have a
small collection of amps on display, Fenders,
Gibsons, a couple 15" Hardwood Boogies and some
Custom Shop pcs. |
| Instruments
Played: |
Guitar |
| Years of Service: |
Co-Owner for 21 years. I have been repairing
guitars for about 36 yrs. and amps for about 11
yrs. I have a 1500 sq. ft. shop at the store and
love what I do. |
| Favorite Guitars: |
Gibsons, Taylors, Fenders |
| |
 |
| Name: |
Dwayne Meyer |
| Position: |
Drum Instructor |
| Musical
Influences: |
Led Zeppelin, Rush, Queensryche, Iron Maiden, Dio |
| Gear: |
Pearl Session Kit with Vintage Leedy Ludwig snare, Zildjian Custom Z cymbals and Vintage 20" Zildjian Earthride |
| Instruments
Played: |
Drums, Percussion |
| Years of Service: |
18 |
| Favorite Drums: |
Pearl Reference Series |
|
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