Queensrÿche – Operation: Mindcrime (Remastered / Expanded Edition)

Amps: I understand you used a lot of gear from the Mindcrime/Empire-era for recording. How was it going back to that, and did it have any impact on your writing mindset for this record?

Michael: Yeah, I still have all my old amps and guitars. We recorded the guitar parts for the album at my place, Watershed Studio where I have my arsenal of Marshall amplifiers, the JCM 800s that were used on Mindcrime, and for the tried and true lead sound we used the Roland JC-120. You know, (former guitarist) Chris DeGarmo and I have used that amp on so many different songs. It’s one of those things that just works great, and I hope they still make them!

Used on the Operation Mindcrime tour, as stated by inventor Rick Erickson in a 4:48 September 19, 2000 Ampage forum post and in a November 12, 2008 The Gear Page forum post.

Ampage

Later I would build some with solid state switching for Howard & also for Michael Wilton of Queensryche but am told the original version sounded better. The same flanger was used on Mistral Wind & Sleep Alone on the Passion Works album as well as others by Heart. I'm not sure what songs Michael used the flanger on, but it was in his rack for the Operation Mindcrime tour, and I think for the tour before that. (I can't remember what album that was).

The Gear Page

[4 units were made - One each for Roger, Howard, and Nancy, and then the tech kept one for himself.]

There were more than that made, I did several for local lesser known musicians, (at the time) including one for Michael Wilton of Queensryche.

(...) Here's some pictures of several of the flangers I have built. The top unit is/was Howard's #1, the middle one was built for Michael Wilton, the bottom one is mine.

[http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v326/ampdog/EAR%20PFL-1/001_PFL1_FrontWM.jpg]

[http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v326/ampdog/EAR%20PFL-1/002_PFL1_LeftWM.jpg]

[http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v326/ampdog/EAR%20PFL-1/003_PFL1_RightWM.jpg]

[http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v326/ampdog/EAR%20PFL-1/004_PFL-1_Foot_SwitchWM.jpg]

In a personal letter written by Chris DeGarmo about the guitar shown on the Juliens Auction website, Chris mentions the Kramer Voyager was used on The Warning album, Rage for Order album, and the Operation: Mindcrime music video. A photo of Chris holding the guitar shows the albums and tours it was used on written in white pen on the back, which verifies this information.