Like most guitarists, I love my gear. Over the years, I’ve regretted every pedal, amp and guitar I’ve sold on, but new gear needs funding somehow…

One of my favourite rigs was a Marshall JMP-1 preamp into an Alesis 3630 compressor, driving an Ibanez Starfield stereo power amp that weighed a ton! Later, I used a tweed ’85 Marshall JCM 800 along with a bunch of drive and effects pedals. After that, I bought a Hughes & Kettner Switchblade – a fantastic 100W tube amp that I still own and use to this day. For a while, I dabbled with a monster 200W head containing KT88 valves, built by Aitken Audio, and which weighed more than Satan’s balls but had incredible headroom. For cabs, I used a single Marshall 1960B 4×12 for a long time.

In terms of pedals, my favourites include the Boss Super Overdrive, the EHX Micro Synth, and the Dunlop 105Q Bass Wah. I also love the Boss RE-20 Space Echo and Fender Blender fuzz.

Currently, I’m using a rackmounted Kemper Profiling amp and the power section of my Hughes & Kettner Switchblade to drive two cabinets; both custom 4×12s built by Gary Walker and Chris Williams. I use the Kemper Remote to control patches, a Mission Engineering EP1-KP for expression, and a Dunlop XL volume pedal. The rig offers me a light, portable rig that involves the fewest number of cables to worry about. My clean tone is based on a Suhr Badger amp, and for distortions I rely on a modified Friedman BE-100 profile. All effects come from the Kemper.

Over the years I’ve owned Fender Stratocasters and Jaguars, as well as Godin guitars. These days, I’m using a Squier Vintage Modified Telecaster Special with a Seymour Duncan Lil ’59er in the bridge and the stock Jazzmaster pickup in the neck position. I also use a Gretch Pro Jet Electromatic with a FilterTron pickup in the bridge and the stock pickup in the neck, but with half the pole-pieces removed. My third main guitar is a heavily modified Epiphone 335 Dot Studio with Duesenburg pickups, a roller bridge and a trapeze tailpiece. I’ve also recently acquired an Epiphone Les Paul with Seymour Duncan pickups.