Michael Romeo

"I used an ENGL on The Odyssey for the rhythm stuff and probably a lot of the solo stuff, but at that time I had been using Line 6 live. It was so easy – you had the head and the pedalboard all contained. So it was easy to bring around.

But I really liked the guitar sound on The Odyssey and then eventually I just brought out all the ENGL stuff live and that’s what I use now. So I have the Powerball as the main head, and I have a Fireball, and I’m using a TC G-System for chorus and delay and all that. It’s split in stereo, so that’s why the two heads. And that’s it – really simple." Michael Romeo

In the YouTube video "GEAR GODS RIGGED - Symphony X" by Trey Xavier, Michael Romeo is shown using two Engl Fireball 100-Watt Tube Guitar Amp Heads.

Signature Model Caparison made to MJR's Specifications.

"After hearing the album (The Odyssey) and using the ENGL, the things that I don’t like about all those amps is that you have your clean settings and your distorted settings and for us there’s always a million changes. I need this kind of tone for this, and that kind of tone for that… and with the Line 6, I would have like 8 different sounds for the songs we were doing. Then I didn’t really know what to do… I didn’t want to bring 6 amps out with me, that’s just ridiculous. Then someone told me about the Line 6 Vetta Head. I went…. tried it out….and bought it on the spot. I was a little overwhelmed when I brought it home. It’s not just one amp, you can put two on top of each other… and it can get out of control. You can feel that pump… that air coming out of the speakers. And it has all the switching. For me, that’s just as important. We have to go from clean to ‘this sound’ to distorted to ‘that sound’. And it sounds pretty damn good." Michael Romeo

"I used 3 different amps for the Odyssey - ENGL fireball, Line 6 Vetta head, and Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier. The rhythm tracks were mostly the ENGL and the Line 6 Vetta ( for different amp tones, clean, etc. ) and the Boogie and Vetta for the solos. The cabinets were Mesa/Boogie half backs ( 4x12 ). For mic choice and placement, I like to experiment a bit...but usually a Shure SM57 and a Sennheisser 421 - up close to the speaker ( the 57 a bit off axis OR off-center of the cone ) and sometimes an AKG 414 back a few feet for some ambience and space. Then into the Neve 9098s ( preamp & EQ ) and EQ a little to clean up the bottom end and get it sounding tight - I'll double track all the rhythms." Michael Romeo

He has used the X2N in the bridge for quite some time, it's currently in his Caparison Dellinger MJR signature guitar

In the GEAR GODS RIGGED video by Trey Xavier, Michael Romeo is shown using the Fulltone OCD Obsessive Compulsive Drive alongside a TS 808 pedal.

"For the solo CD and first 2 SymX CDs - the only amps I had, at that time, were a Marshall JCM800, Fender M-80, a Mesa/Boogie recording pre-amp. By the third CD ( Divine Wings ), I had bought the Tri-Axis and for some of the solos, I used a Rockman Compressor/Sustainer as a preamp ( in front of the Marshall...if I remember correctly ) - but only on that CD - thus - the 'Rockman-esque' tone on some of those solos. I always like to experiment and try out new things - different pre-amps, cabs , mic placement, etc." - Michael Romeo

Used as the neck pickup in his signature model.

"I used an ENGL on The Odyssey for the rhythm stuff and probably a lot of the solo stuff, but at that time I had been using Line 6 live. It was so easy – you had the head and the pedalboard all contained. So it was easy to bring around.

But I really liked the guitar sound on The Odyssey and then eventually I just brought out all the ENGL stuff live and that’s what I use now. So I have the Powerball as the main head, and I have a Fireball, and I’m using a TC G-System for chorus and delay and all that. It’s split in stereo, so that’s why the two heads. And that’s it – really simple." Michael Romeo

"For the solo CD and first 2 SymX CDs - the only amps I had, at that time, were a Marshall JCM800, Fender M-80, a Mesa/Boogie recording pre-amp. By the third CD ( Divine Wings ), I had bought the Tri-Axis and for some of the solos, I used a Rockman Compressor/Sustainer as a preamp ( in front of the Marshall...if I remember correctly ) - but only on that CD - thus - the 'Rockman-esque' tone on some of those solos. I always like to experiment and try out new things - different pre-amps, cabs , mic placement, etc."

In a video by Trey Xavier on GEAR GODS, Michael Romeo demonstrates using the Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer as part of his rig with Symphony X.

"For the solo CD and first 2 SymX CDs - the only amps I had, at that time, were a Marshall JCM800, Fender M-80, a Mesa/Boogie recording pre-amp. By the third CD ( Divine Wings ), I had bought the Tri-Axis and for some of the solos, I used a Rockman Compressor/Sustainer as a preamp ( in front of the Marshall...if I remember correctly ) - but only on that CD - thus - the 'Rockman-esque' tone on some of those solos. I always like to experiment and try out new things - different pre-amps, cabs , mic placement, etc." - Michael Romeo

In a video by Gear Gods, Michael Romeo is shown using the Boss AC-3 Acoustic Simulator during live performances.

You can see Michael playing this guitar through whole video.

At 4:40, you can see one on the top.

In this Rig Rundown, at 4:46 is mentioned that Michael used one G90.

According to this interview, Michael used TS-9

"IC: When working with tube amps in the studio, do you boost them at all with a Tubescreamer or anything like that?

MR: Yeah, the Ibanez Tubescreamer.

IC: One of the original ones?

MR: I don’t have the old, old original one. I have the TS-9."

Michael used Metallic Purple ESP M-II in "Guitar Chapter".

In the user-uploaded photo, Michael Romeo uses the Line 6 Vetta II HD 300 Watt Stereo Head during a performance of "Fireball."

In this video you can see a pair of KRK 7000b's positioned horizontally next to his computer monitors.

In this Youtube video you can see the Dynaudio BM5's positioned horizontally on top of his KRK's.

You can see X2 XDR95 in his rack.

You can see four E412VGB Pro cabinets on the picture of his rack.

You can see Furman M-8X2 Power Conditioner on the picture of his rack.

You can see Shure UHF-R on the picture of his rack.

You can see FC7 Volume Pedal at 4:58.

You can see Marshall 1960B 4x12 Cabinets at 27:47.

You can see Line 6 POD Pro at 3:42.

You can see Korg DTR-1 Tuner at 3:42.