Michael Rogers

Fender got it right in 1965 with this amplifier. Gives you the 'radio sound' and can go clean tone to over the top. Don't let the open back twin 12" speakers make you think it cannot thump and rock loud. Lots of low end from the incredible amount of power. If I had to pick one amp to tour and record with, this is it.

The JCM2000 100 Watt is supposed to be a two channel amplifier with the RED channel being a hot-rodded JCM800 and the GREEN channel a 1959/1987/Plexi vibe. While it is really neither, it is close enough for any working pro. These exact heads were used by everybody from Jeff Beck, Iron Maiden, to Slayer. They are 100% Marshall - British made with the look and tone. Surprisingly it can clean up well but is more for classic and hard rock. Later Marshalls changed things a little, but this one gives you the nice combo of the classic throwback amps they made in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.

The 1970s Peavey sound was common to bands such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet, and the Outlaws. All of those bands loved Marshalls so Hartley Peavey came up with a road-worthy spin in the 1970s Marshall amp with his own twist on the sound. What resulted in was the Peavey Mace series around 1975. The Mace has undergone a couple changes (from the original 320 actually used by Skynyrd) to the VT series in the late 1970s/early 80s. The VT series was actually used by Neil Shon (Journey), and both Knopflers (Dire Straits). Known for its 6 power tube incredible output and headroom, its a clean tone machine. The amp overdrives well and takes pedals great - with an overdrive or light distortion easily gets the Street Survivors tone to a T. Lots of bark and bit, differs from a twin in being more dark-mid rather than the twin. To a point it is interchangeable with a Twin. Bullet proof and indestructible the one I use has the Kevlar reinforced Black Widow speakers rated at 700 watts each (for a cabinet rating of 1400 watts).

This is the best deal for a 1500 watt USA-made bass amp. 1500 watts of class D power into two 750 watt power amps that can be bridged. There is an EQ and crossover plus it uses a 12AX7 preamp tube for extra warmth. Like any other pro gear there are tons of jacks, inputs, outputs for loops, preamps, tubers, outputs. Neutrik and 1/4" are supported. I played an outdoor live festival with one and did not have to go into the PA. Crazy powerful!

Great pedal for booting a guitars signal for more bite. Gives a little more than a TS9/808 would but can add grit. Mine is an early 1990s RI that had the circuit matched to a 1978 Grey and the JRC4558 was replaced with the MC1458S chip. Softer curve to clipping, much lower end and bass, still has the hard diode clipping without the bright and brittle distortion the 250 normally has.

The MXR Distortion + is basically a DOD250 with different clipping diodes. Mine is a custom built classic 1970s with matched 1N34A diodes. It also has an indicator diode on it (separate power to it when it switches so it is not in the sound circuit). Classic sounds and responds differently than the DOD250. Used buy almost everyone at one point - Slash has used this often thought his career. I used it as an alternative to the harder clipping DOD250. Or even staged with a DOD250.

TC Electronic makes great pro-grade gear. This pedal is a crazy deal for the money. Its tone is more or less classic tube overdrive distortion, and if pushed goes into heavy/hard rock. The pedal sings and is great to tame an amp with weak control response. Works with any guitar and a nice pedal for the working drive part of your sound. The claim of it being more or less a drive channel for your amp is true. Very consistent and workable pedal - a must have. Used by Paul Gilbert and has the best review of it I ever found.

Gibson made changes in 2008 for the professional working musician: locking tuners, locking bridge and tail piece, Neutrik jack, asymmetrical neck, upgraded pots, Burstbucker Pro pickups, and chambered for resonance and weight relief. The result is a very versatile and reliable guitar for the working musician.

I have this guitar and it is highly customized: Dimarzio Area pickups (58, 61, 67), custom picked USA bridge, 5 springs, 902D Custom pickguard, Greasebucket and reverse switch pot. With the 43mm nut USA composite radius neck is has the look and playability for a working instrument.

This guitar is customized with a hand-picked vintage bridge, Fender locking tuners, 902D custom pickguard with a Dimarzio 36 Anniversary bridge pickup, a DImarzio Area 67 in the middle, and a Dimarzio Virtual Vintage Heavy Blues 2 in the neck. The neck is upgraded with a hand-rolled and worked custom shop neck. $1,500.00 in parts on a $1,300.00 guitar.

The Ibanez RG550 put Ibanez on the map for guitarists. The 550 inspired the JEM and scores of other Ibanez RG models. This guitar defined the SuperStrat. Mine is bone-stock except for a DiMarzio Gravity Storm set with the Dimarzio ISCV2 in the middle and improved Ibanez 5-position switch. This guitar is wired like the JEM.

I have owned Fender custom shop and USA Standard telecasters. This one is made at in Mexico and designed by the USA custom shop. Just like the 1952 except the neck is composite radius, it has 4-way switching and phase inverting, and Custom Shop Twisted Tele set. Plays like a dream and is the legit real-deal on a tele. Does the vintage Tele sound and the modern Tele sound. Very versatile and a better choice for a working Pro as it does everything.

Fender and Baldwin partnered up to produce an affordable line of guitars for schools to use in their music program. These are tough, well built, and play great. You can typically find them at Goodwill and second-hand shops, or Craigslist. The one I have I paid $20.00 for it and put in a $10.00 acoustic guitar preamp in it. It is awesome - I have played live shows for more than 10 years with it. It has sat in hot cars, in the rain, in the cold, beer and whisky spilled on it and it still comes back for more. Great guitar for the working musician.

Your typical lower end acoustic but plays like a dream. Great for the studio or playing a live show where you might have to use it as a weapon to get out.

The best bass hands down for about all styles of music. Own the legend and find out for yourself.

The Sterling Ray35 is on par with the USA Stingray 5 except for the compensated nut. The bass is remarkably well built and nothing like the cheapo S.U.B. series. These are Indonesian and setup in the USA and is a fantastic deal. You could work as a pro musician with two of these for the price of one Stingray 5.

TC Electronic gear is all-pro quality. This pedal has nearly zero latency and does all of the harmonies you want. And its polyphonic - sounds great with chords. A must have if you need a real working pro harmonizer on a pedalboard.

I have a 1992 'stack-of-dimes' inductor model. All stock and works great. You don't need more for a wah.

The TC Electronic gear is all-pro gear. The Flashback series is a nice compromise to the Nova Delay series.

The TC Electronic gear is all-pro gear. The Flashback series is a nice compromise to the Nova Delay series but in a small size.

Great guitar - played scores of shows with it. Nice for more classic and traditional Tele music.

Nice guitar! Un-weight relieved, 57 PUPs, vintage mint green tuners, no fancy push/pull pots. Lots of weight and tone. I wrestled this for a number of years - if you are in the Rockford area and bought it in 2016 hit me up! This guitar was in a great pic taken of me at a large venue show.

2015 model: contour body, Twisted Tele pickups, upgraded standard tuners. Great tone and plays great!

This was great - all the sounds you would ever want but only worked good with 4 cable. Used by Steve Vai and I used this setup for the 2013 Single "Crash and Burn".

Great strat for Yngwies sound. It had the DiMarzio series before he turned traitor from Dimarzio to go to Seymour Duncan. Scalloped neck and good for ONE sound: his.

Not a bad guitar but like the other post-Yngwites I had to have it even though it looked nothing like "The Duck". This model series was supposed to be the first signature guitar offered by Fender.

This is the Laney AOR 50. Getting a sound out of it was like pulling teeth. Once it was dialed in adjusting anything required more tweaking. But it was British, hand-made and cool!

Laney knocked it out of the park when they designed a pretty good sounding head that was so loud it damaged ears blocks away. My ears would ring after playing it - I think my tinnitus was from this amp. So loud it tickled your ears and you involuntarily would itch your ears. Good sounding.

This was the most advanced form of the Twin around 2010. It had an FX loop, was wider than the 64 and 68 model, and weighed 10 more pounds. Fender was nice enough to put casters on it. A true hernia machine and sounded GREAT. I recorded the 2012 single "Crash and Burn" with one.

This was the 1985 copy of the super lead 100 that got Peavey sued. I had the only one in the region in 1985 as they were $1,800.00 back in those days for the full stack. I had it on and off for nearly 20 years before a bandmate ended up buying it from me. 6L6 powered, professional all the way. Buy one if you ever can!

Aria Pro made some great guitars - I bought this one in Germany in 1985. Played it for 15 years. Recorded 6 catalogs of material with it. I ended up getting an amicable divorce from it in 2013 after 13 years of not playing it.

This was my first guitar in 1983. I got it from a local guy who grew up to run a very pivotal studio in the Santa Barbara area. Played it on both costs and Europe. I don't remember what happened to it.

Great guitar but came in many colors. I had Rustoleum Silver. It looked like someone with a spray can painted it. It did have a bound neck though and the Edge Pro trem. Nice consolation prize but was like owning an unfinished guitar. Played awesome like you expect a Prestige to.

This is one that got away. I wish I never sold it. This is perhaps the only Blue one that exists today. It is the ibanez RG1200TB.