The Reyeses were not rich, and his first proper guitar was a fake Gibson acoustic worth Php150.00 that his mother promised as a gift if he won a declamation contest during his junior high school year in De La Salle Lipa.
The school's prohibitive tuition fees plus the delicate financial status of his family at the time took their toll and he went looking for writing jobs to supplement his income.
He became friendly with the group's guitarist/founder Teddy Diaz and they even spoke of forming a thrash metal side project with drummer JB Leonor's brother Dennis.
Although constantly encouraged by peers to create a guitar-oriented solo album, Reyes is not interested, preferring to focus his energies on the Dawn.
He formed the improvisation-oriented trio Garlic with Razorback bassist Louie Talan and Imago drummer Zach Lucero (also an NU107 alumnus) in 1998.
He was part of Helenovela with former Orange and Lemons frontman Mcoy Fundales, now with KENYO and PESO Movement with Japs Sergio (ex-Rivermaya), drummer Kurt Floresca and former Jet Pangan Group bassist Macky Macaventa who is now with True Faith.
Reyes credits Ritchie Blackmore's solo on the intro to Deep Purple's "Speed King" as the moment when he decided he wanted to be a guitarist, although he was an obsessive Queen/Brian May fan as well.
His current influences are Pat Metheny, Eric Johnson, Robert Fripp, Allan Holdsworth, David Torn, Adrian Belew, Matthew Bellamy, Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Nels Cline, and Jimi Hendrix.
His other guitars used to include a Squier Standard Telecaster, a Gretsch 5235T Pro Jet, a Dame Mind 505, and a pre-lawsuit Yamaha Lord Player which he all sold.
Reyes also has a Vietnamese dan tranh, a Xaphoon pocket sax, and assorted small instruments such as a kalimba and tin whistle, all subtly used in the Dawn's recordings.