A textbook case of somebody whose candle burns at each ends, pioneering garage-rocker and famend instrument collector/writer Andy Babiuk lives a sleep-deprived existence.

“My days begin early and I am going to mattress late,” he says of his routine, which began within the mid ’90s whereas researching his first guide, Beatles Gear, whereas he additionally labored a day gig at a guitar store and was recording/touring with garage-rock godfathers The Chesterfield Kings.

“I’ve discovered to dwell on perhaps 5 hours of sleep most nights, then crashing for 10 hours each eighth or ninth day. Doing books, there’s no manner round it, given the sheer quantity of labor they require.”

We caught up with him at his guitar store in Rochester, New York, as Chesterfield Kings ready for exhibits on Little Steven’s Underground Storage Cruise with Social Distortion, X, Rockets From The Crypt, The Hellacopters, Reverend Horton Warmth, and Previous 97s. In June, they’re touring Scotland, England, Spain, and France earlier than returning to organize new songs for an album tentatively set for launch in August of 2026.

How did music first enter your life?
I blame it on the Beatles. I used to be born in 1963, however had two older sisters, and one was obsessive about the Beatles – their bed room had a bunch of images on the wall and I assumed it was so cool.

I acquired my first Beatles album as a child, by extortion (laughs); my sister had Beatles 65, and I wished it actually unhealthy. Our dad and mom grew up with no cash, and their ladies sporting make-up was an enormous no-no. Properly, at some point I used to be coming down the steps and a handbag was hanging on the railing – filled with make-up. So, I held it up and mentioned, “Give me the Beatles document or I’ll drop this and mother will discover out!” She gave me the document (laughs), and I performed it so many occasions on my little Motorola. I might inform you each observe on either side, and I stared on the cowl. At dinner a number of years later, my dad and mom requested, “If you develop up, what do you need to do?” I mentioned, “I need to be a Beatle,” they usually needed to persuade me I couldn’t go to high school for that (laughs). However I went on to find different cool British bands – the Rolling Stones and Kinks – in addition to American bands like Paul Revere and the Raiders.

Once I met Ringo whereas going via his drums for Beatles Gear, I had that document with me so I might inform him the story, and he very graciously provided to signal it for me.

What led to your studying to play guitar?
My grandmother got here from Ukraine and was within the theater there, the place she sang and discovered to play on an Jap European seven-string acoustic. When my sister and I wished to study, she confirmed us these Ukrainian people songs in open tunings. That’s all I knew, and naturally, children at school had been like, “What are you doing?” Now, I hold certainly one of my guitars tuned like that, and I’ve tried to re-learn these songs.

Earlier than my grandmother handed away from dementia, I purchased her a guitar and he or she performed it and began singing. My children and I had been astonished that she might bear in mind these outdated songs.

What was your first guitar?
Our dad and mom purchased my sister an inexpensive classical and he or she’d let me borrow it. However I had a paper route and used my cash to purchase a used Danelectro Convertible, which I nonetheless have. Later, I purchased a inexperienced Kapa Continental, which was made in Chicago and had some Höfner elements. It was cool.

What did you plug them into?
I needed to make my very own amplifier! I don’t bear in mind how I figured this out, however my dad and mom had a console stereo – massive wood field with audio system on either side, mainly furnishings – and I reduce the tip off of a guitar cable and related the wires to leads coming off the amplifier, and my guitar would come via the audio system. When my dad and mom weren’t residence, I’d do this for hours. My dad got here residence from work at some point in the summertime and mentioned, “We’re going to do a mission,” and we took the stereo aside – took the amplifier out, eliminated the audio system, and constructed two speaker cupboards and a bit of field for the chassis, and that was my first amp. I used to be so happy with it as a result of it was loud (laughs). I didn’t know play, however I beloved making a racket. I began speaking to different children who performed and if I noticed one do a track I preferred, I’d have them present me.

What music had been you listening to at that time?
Within the ’70s, there lots of what I name “automotive illness music” on the radio as a result of it jogs my memory of Dad taking us to high school in the course of winter with the home windows rolled up on our ’62 Impala whereas he’d smoke a cigarette and a Helen Reddy track was enjoying. When the station would play a rock-and-roll track, it might catch my consideration and I’d attempt to study it from reminiscence as soon as I acquired residence. I went to the library rather a lot as soon as I spotted it had data.

Do you bear in mind the primary track you discovered to play?
It was in all probability a Ukrainian people track from the 1800s. The primary rock-and-roll track was Chuck Berry’s “Rock and Roll Music” or one thing off Beatles 65.

When did you first jam with different children?
In the summertime, my dad and mom would ship us to camps with different Ukrainian children, and we’d take guitars. That’s the place I bear in mind studying “Blowing In The Wind,” with three or 4 of us strumming without delay. I bear in mind studying “As Tears Go By” and considering it was so cool.

What was your first critical band?
Freshman or sophomore yr. I met guys who performed drums and guitar, and we’d get collectively. It was horrible however we had fun and performed in some lady’s storage for her birthday. I used that do-it-yourself amp and my Kapa.

When did your first improve guitar come alongside?
Once I was 15, I labored in an Italian grocery – a kind of nook shops the place they did chilly cuts. They needed to pay me beneath the desk as a result of I wasn’t sufficiently old to work legally. One night, I used to be slicing bologna and my hand slid into the blade and reduce the tip off of my index finger, right down to the bone. My first thought was, “Oh, no! I received’t be capable of play guitar!” And I don’t know what possessed me, however I discovered the piece of pores and skin beneath the bologna slices and pushed it onto my finger. My dad and mom took me to get stitches and it took a pair months to heal; feeling didn’t come again to the tip of that finger till 10 years later. I used to be working at some point when the place was held up at gunpoint. After that, my dad and mom mentioned, “You’re executed” earlier than I had saved sufficient to purchase a brand new guitar.

Did you have got a particular guitar in thoughts?
No, however I had $125, so the $300 I wanted was like 20 grand to me on the time (laughs). However, throughout lunch at some point in school, I talked to a lady who labored at a guitar/document retailer, and he or she mentioned, “Why don’t you see should you might get a job there, promoting guitars?”

I had an aunt who owned a liquor retailer a number of doorways from the store, so I went and requested her if she knew them. She mentioned, “Oh yeah, they arrive in right here on a regular basis.” She put in a great phrase, I acquired a job, and I grew to become the standard naive 16-year-old guitar salesman. Instantly, a co-worker named Greg Prevost requested, “What sort of music do you want?” I advised him I preferred the Beatles, the Stones… He goes, “I’m beginning a band and we’re going to do stuff from the ’60s. On the time, punk and new wave had been actually taking place – the Automobiles, Intercourse Pistols, all that; it was 1978. The Stones had been rebutting punk with Some Ladies – “Emotional Rescue,” Tattoo You – in-your-face music.

Anyway, what Greg was saying was music to my ears, so we acquired collectively. We had been two guitars and drums – no bass participant. I’d seen a Höfner 500/1 in a pawn store for $75 and thought, “A Beatle bass!” and there went most of my cash! I wasn’t desiring to play bass, I simply thought it was cool. The shop was run by this shady man and the bass was in all probability sizzling, and once I requested about it, he mentioned, “What would you like that for? Why don’t you get a manly bass?” It so occurred there was a more-expensive P Bass there, too. Regardless of his perspective, I purchased Höfner, and at our subsequent rehearsal I began enjoying it.

What yr was it?
A ’64. After we began gigging, I ended up with 5 of them as a result of once we began recording, I spotted that some had lifeless spots on the fretboard, so I’d have to change.

Was that the start of the Chesterfield Kings?
Yeah, we had been a four-piece, initially. We performed perhaps two exhibits earlier than we “knew” that we must always document a single. We discovered a man with a four-track Tascam and printed 500 copies of a forty five that Greg acquired one to his pal Greg Shaw, who ran Bomp! Data. He then requested us to contribute a track to a “battle of the bands” compilation album he was doing, and he’d organized a tour for it. We had no clue what it meant to tour – we had been too younger, so we couldn’t go. However they mentioned, “May you at the very least play a present in New York Metropolis?” and our third or fourth present was on the Peppermint Lounge; we performed obscure songs by the Standells, Chocolate Watchband, and Shifting Sidewalks. After the set, two native music writers, David Fricke and Kurt Loder, cornered us and requested “The place are you guys from?” and “What impressed you to do that?” Being little sthead children, we mentioned, “We hate every little thing that got here after 1966. We solely watch outdated TV exhibits like ‘The Munsters,’” they usually beloved it. Fricke was writing for New York Rocker they usually did a three-page story on us. Subsequent factor , the telephone was ringing off the hook and Bomp! provided us a contract, however as a result of we had been making an attempt so arduous to be boastful little fkheads, we turned it down. Then, Mirror Data, which was owned by the man we labored for at Home of Guitars, mentioned they’d launch our document. Since we had been working for them, we figured it might be handy as a result of we’d nonetheless have a job once we got here again from touring. So we went with them and toured the U.S., then launched a bunch of data and toured Europe.

Did you apply the time period “storage rock” to yourselves?
We by no means did. Some had been calling us a new-wave band, however we at all times mentioned we had been a “’60s band.” Fricke first known as us “storage rock” in writing, however I feel he copped it from the Nuggets compilation albums that gathered regional hits by bands they known as “storage rock.” Within the wake of the Beatles, many bands grew to become fashionable of their residence cities and had these native hits; one instance was “Discuss Discuss” by the The Music Machine.

What was the arc of the Chesterfield Kings via the ’80s and ’90s?
We performed in New York Metropolis each different month. We’d get affords to play the Peppermint for 2 nights, or we’d open for bands; we opened for Stray Cats after they had simply began getting performed on MTV. We did lots of exhibits with the Ramones and different bands that acquired actually massive. The Smithereens opened for us in Boston, then acquired manner greater. Each time we performed New York Metropolis, a handful of bands would document our exhibits with cassette gamers they’d set on the entrance of the stage. There have been lots of bands mimicking what we had been doing.

Most of us had been at school nonetheless and had jobs, so we’d gig in Chicago, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, or some place on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, perhaps Monday – do a run after which go residence, then play a weekend in Virginia and Washington, D.C. We did lots of cool, actually memorable exhibits. In D.C., we opened for Bo Diddley, then backed him for 2 nights on the 9:30 Membership.

The primary time we went to Europe, in 1987, we had been there for 4 months and performed practically each metropolis, Helsinki to Barcelona, which helped cement our recognition.

What sort of gear had been you utilizing?
We had Gretsches, Rickenbackers, outdated 330s, and SGs. When it got here to amps, I used to be obsessed. Our first album was executed at an enormous studio right here in Rochester, and the engineer hated us. His declare to fame was that he had recorded Chuck Mangione, so he knew document jazz, and on the time, the dominant method was to isolate every little thing, which created a really sterile sound; within the ’60s, bands mainly stood collectively in a room. Anyway, we’d take heed to mixes and it was horrible. I’d say, “This doesn’t sound just like the Stones. Doesn’t sound just like the Beatles.” So we felt like we wanted cooler amps, and that’s once I discovered that Thomas Organ Vox amps had been completely different from the British stuff (laughs).

Was that the start of your deeper gear training?
Properly, working in a guitar retailer, I attempted every little thing that got here in. I’d discover outdated catalogs and discuss to anybody who knew one thing. It acquired to the place when somebody got here into the shop asking about outdated amps, the employees would inform him, “You must discuss to Andy.” One of many guys, Steve White, mentioned to me, “You must get a case of beer and lock your self in your own home for the weekend and write down every little thing concerning the Beatles’ gear. You’d have a guide.” I assumed, “Yeah, perhaps I’ll.”

So between the band, the shop, and writing, what had been your days like?
That’s once I taught myself to dwell on 5 hours of sleep, typically 4. If I wasn’t on the highway with the band, I’d come residence from work, eat one thing, say “Hello” to the youngsters, make some espresso, and get to work. This was earlier than the web and cell telephones, so I used to be spending some huge cash on lengthy distance calls and FedEx shipments. My spouse thought I used to be nuts. After 5 years, I had $26,000 in payments associated to the guide.

The place had been you sourcing outdated catalogs and no matter else?
Properly, on Chesterfield Kings excursions I met lots of people who had been into amassing guitars and kit, and I began calling. A pal in New York had each subject of Beat Instrumental, from England. She despatched them in an enormous field and I went via each one and scanned every little thing that was related. Discovery was an insane quantity of labor; lots of interviews over the telephone, utilizing a suction-cup microphone and a cassette participant.

I captured lots of priceless data from individuals who’ve since handed away. Dick Denney, who invented the AC30, advised me wonderful tales. Don Randall advised me issues about how a few of Fender’s enterprise was dealt with within the U.Ok. that will be a revelation within the classic market in the present day.

There have been far fewer reference books on the time.
There wasn’t a lot. Richard Smith’s Rickenbacker guide was an enormous deal. I really like that guide and the analysis he did, nevertheless it’s primitive in comparison with the way in which we do books now. Tony Bacon was one of many first to do a particular instrument guide that was a distinct stage of high quality. Miller-Freeman printed his The Gibson Les Paul Ebook, and that’s why I reached out to him about publishing Beatles Gear.

How did you make direct connections with the Beatles?
I known as lots of people and mentioned, “I’m penning this guide about their gear…” I bear in mind reaching out to George Harrison after studying that the sister of his spouse, Olivia, was certainly one of his assistants. The Beatles Anthology had simply been launched and he or she advised me, “George is Beatled out. He doesn’t need to discuss concerning the band…” I mentioned, “I don’t need to speak to him concerning the band. He was the guitar man – modified his personal strings and will substitute tubes in an amp. I need to discuss to him about that, and that’s all.”

So, I despatched the questions and he or she would reply – all by fax – and I acquired a solution again two weeks later saying George would discuss his gear, “…please ship questions in written type.” So I typed 12 or 15 questions and he or she forwarded them to him and advised me it might take a while. However then somebody broke into his residence and stabbed him. Whereas he was being handled, an MRI discovered most cancers and he went immediately into remedy, and everyone knows what occurred.

After the guide got here out, I did a presentation at a Beatles conference, and some individuals really mentioned to me, “Even when he was sick, it’s best to have talked to him.” I used to be shocked – they thought I ought to be chatting with the man a couple of Rickenbacker 12-string when he’s combating for his life.

The guide was launched in October of 2001.
Yeah, and we’d deliberate a number of launch appearances – at Madame Tussauds in London, one on the Cavern Membership in Liverpool, at a guitar present in Birmingham, and on the guitar shops on Charing Cross Street and Denmark Road. There was additionally a New York Metropolis launch at a bookstore within the Commerce Heart concourse. However on 9/11, the world got here to a halt. Two weeks later, the publishers advised me the provide was nonetheless good, however in addition they understood if I used to be reluctant to journey. I thought of it and determined that, given all the additional safety and metallic detectors and every little thing, “I’m doing it. I could by no means write one other guide.” I flew to London on a 747 with perhaps 20 individuals on it. At Madam Tussauds, Tony Bacon, who was the guide’s editor, did a Q&A with me in entrance of a settee with Beatles’ wax figures sitting on a sofa (laughs). It was actually humorous. In New York Metropolis, we ended up at Manny’s as a result of the Beatles had purchased stuff there.

There was monumental response from nearly each Beatles fan, gear nerd, the guitar press…
I used to be very lucky, and blown away by the vary of people that responded to it. I acquired a observe from Tony Blair, the Prime Minister of England, saying he beloved it. Dallas Schoo, who works for U2, advised me that Bono and Edge despatched him out to purchase examples of each guitar within the guide.

By then, Chesterfield Kings had turn into the primary band signed to Little Steven Van Zandt’s document label, Depraved Cool Data, and due to that, we had been forged to carry out as ourselves on “The Sopranos” after which acquired to satisfy Bruce Springsteen at certainly one of his exhibits on The Rising tour. Steven, Max Weinberg, and a bunch of us had been having dinner when Bruce says to me – Bruce talks form of quietly and all people shuts up to allow them to hear what he’s saying – and he says, “Andy, that guide you wrote is one thing else,” and I mentioned, “Oh, thanks, man!” He goes, “No, you don’t perceive. After we had been within the studio, Max was studying it and I mentioned, ‘What’s that?’ And he gave it to me… I couldn’t put it down. We needed to cease the session. I’ve acquired to inform you one thing. Once I noticed the Beatles on Ed Sullivan, it actually modified me; I beloved their music, I beloved their haircuts, the fits, the boots – every little thing. However I preferred their gear simply as a lot as I preferred their music. I by no means advised that to anyone. I assumed it might be bizarre. After which I noticed your guide, and I assumed, I’m not the one bizarre man on the market.” That was the best praise ever. Blew me away.

I had lots of these moments the place well-known individuals from completely different walks of life advised me one thing comparable. Mark Hudson, who produced a few of Ringo’s albums, advised me that on one session they wished to cop sounds off Beatles data, and Ringo pulled out the guide and mentioned, “This tells every little thing I used.”

Did another notable of us chime in about it?
Everybody from politicians to actors to guys on the road, Olivia and Dhani Harrison advised me they hold it within the studio and confer with it on a regular basis.

What spurred the revised version?
Properly, a bit of labor like that’s by no means really completed. Stuff comes out of the woodwork afterward, and it’s a easy actuality that not every little thing might slot in one guide, however the reality it offered so nicely made it doable to refresh it. To this point, it has offered greater than 200,000 copies and continues to be promoting.

Did its success make The Rolling Stones Gear guide simpler?
For positive, as a result of as soon as individuals see what you’re after and that it labored so nicely, they’re less-guarded. The twist with the Stones, although, was they had been nonetheless a band. The web made the legwork a thousand occasions simpler, as nicely.

Whose thought was the Stones Gear guide?
The writer was after me as quickly as they noticed the gross sales numbers for Beatles Gear, which they needed to reprint inside the first month. They requested, “So… hypothetically, what should you had been to put in writing one other one?”

How lengthy after the launch of Beatles Gear did they name?
At the least a pair months later (laughs). They initially wished a collection of books, together with one on the Grateful Lifeless, however I didn’t need to immediately. I used to be overwhelmed and advised them, “If I do one other guide, it’s going to be The Stones.” Third on my listing was The Who. Plenty of bands approached me – Steven Tyler talked to me about one on Aerosmith.

Did you commit immediately to the Stones guide?
I made some kind of preliminary deal however I wouldn’t take cash up-front as a result of that will’ve pressured me right into a deadline. On the time, I used to be contemplating taking jobs at Korg USA and Fender, however each would’ve concerned transferring my spouse and 6 children. Across the similar time, Fred Gretsch requested me to do a guide about Paul Bigsby and his guitars. I advised him I’d give it some thought, and 6 months later he known as once more, then came around. This was proper after I’d left Home of Guitars, so I agreed and it took me a yr to do The Story of Paul Bigsby: The Father of the Fashionable Electrical Stable Physique Guitar. Once I was executed, I assumed, “That wasn’t unhealthy,” so I began on Stones Gear.

Was it extra manageable since you might make it your full-time gig?
Yeah, and know-how had advanced immensely. The one hitch was Chesterfield Kings had been getting busier. We performed on Conan O’Brien’s present on NBC, did Jimmy Kimmel, did “The Sopranos.” We had been touring continuously in Europe and the States. And as I used to be beginning the Stones guide, I opened a guitar retailer that ultimately grew to become Andy Babiuk’s Fab Gear, which has a gross sales and restore employees of 5 plus a number of guitar lecturers. We’ve got two warehouses and a recording studio with a ton of classic stuff. There are a number of lesson rooms we name Fab Gear Rock and Roll Academy, and its focus is getting children to play guitar. We work with faculties right here and promote enjoying guitar and drums. We see about 160 college students per week.

Is the studio near the shop?
It’s two minutes away, in a suburb of Rochester known as Fairport. It’s in an outdated Crossman BB gun manufacturing facility. We recorded lots of the Chesterfield Kings albums there, in addition to the 2 Empty Hearts albums, which I shaped in 2013 with Clem Burke on drums, Elliot Easton and Wally Palmar on guitar, and Ian McLagan enjoying keys (Ed Word: McLagan handed away in 2014, Burke in April of ’25).

How have you ever obtained most of your gear via the years?
I actively appeared for a few of it, just like the Baldwin electrical harpsichord as a result of the Beatles used one. There have been solely about 400 made and I discovered it on the College of Wisconsin, had it refurbished, and we used it on the most recent document, We’re Nonetheless All The Similar.

Some issues fall in my lap, like my ’68 plexi Marshall Tremendous Tremolo with serial quantity 5. It’s mint situation and walked within the store with a neighborhood fan of the Chesterfield Kings and Empty Hearts. He’s a kind of guys that is available in on occasion simply to speak store. I’ve recognized him for a very long time and at some point he requested, “Hey, do you purchase amps?” I advised him I did and he confirmed up with it. And naturally I’m a magnet for anyone with one thing they suppose is Beatles or Stones associated.

What’s in your fast future?
I’m engaged on songs for a brand new Chesterfield Kings album and we’re touring Europe quickly. I’m wanting ahead to seeing mates there I haven’t seen shortly.

This text initially appeared in VG’s July 2025 subject. All copyrights are by the writer and Classic Guitar journal. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.