ARDENT-JESSE

This guitar is exceptional for its price range. The included hardware is exceptional and the playability is excellent. My particular guitar is perfectly suited for what I play, but I find that it lacks a warm bloom-like quality that I desire when playing clean. This may be due to the pickup configuration (Dimarzio Fusion Edge). It's perfect for articulate and full bodied high gain playing—a little tonally dark for cleans with stock pickups.

Helix is the most integral piece of my live rig. It has replaced my live pedalboard and amp and allows me to play freely while all my effects changes are controlled externally via USB and MIDI from Ableton Live. I just to play and sing without worrying about effects changes, my stage volume, the mic placement, or anything else that comes from playing with a live amp. This has completely changed my approach to writing, recording, and preforming guitar. 100% would recommend to anyone who is actively involved in live music production, songwriting, or studio production.

The Matchless Chieftain 2x12" Reverb is the most versatile amp I've ever owned. I previously owned a Matchless Nighthawk and enjoy the aggressive potential of the Chieftain far more! This amp can do ANYTHING. the open-back cab allows it to breath in a controlled yet wide manner for exceptional low-end responsiveness, while the Matchless modified Celestion G12H and Greenback 25 deliver a balanced and expressive midrange and high-end control. I've owned 6 amps and played through dozens more. This is likely to be the only class-A tube amp I will own for the rest of my life.

In addition to the convenience of wireless, the Line 6 G50 seriously eliminates tonal degradation that occurs from using cable. I place it with 4" of George L's cable right into the input on my Helix and the clarity is unreal. The range is excellent and I've experienced no major problems. The body pack is not a great design and I'd love to upgrade to the G70, but everything in moderation right?

There is essentially no reverb sound that cannot be created using the Big Sky. This is simply the most powerful reverb engine I have ever used. There is too much capability to possibly touch on in one paragraph, but the simplicity of the pedal's UI is excellent, so it is very easy to command. :)