First up: 1995 Fender Stratocaster
This is one of the most popular electric guitars in production. The year this guitar was made was in 1954 and hasn't been changed much at all since. It was created to fix a lot of the complaints that people had with the earlier Fender Telecaster. For example, people said that the Telecaster was too heavy and that it hurt the players arms and stomach after a while of playing (Hence the contours in the upper left corner and the back of the guitar. It still has the 3 single coil pickups, same neck radius and same tremolo. This is my top electric guitar choice because of it's versatility. It's arguably one of the best clean sounding guitars made but can also provide great distortion when needed. Mine is 1964 seafoam green with an aged amber pickguard and knobs to give it a vintage vibe (just preference). I also prefer the maple neck over rosewood because it's a much more crisp tone that cuts through a mix well. It's a widely used guitar by many huge names in worship like Vertical Church, Gateway Worship and Hillsong. Nigel Hendroff, lead guitar player of Hillsong, used a Stratocaster to record "Hosanna" because of it's clean but cutting sounds. It also saw a lot of use by people and bands that I won't mention much (Journey, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, etc)
Second: Line 6 POD HD500 Effects Pedal
This is a Line 6 POD HD500 Effects Pedal. This particular pedal has been in production for a couple of years now. It also is very versatile in what it can do. Versatility is the reason I pick my equipment. Serving a guitar pedal is only scratching the surface of what this what made for. This pedal comes with software for that allows you to create sounds and effects on your computer, test the sound, then upload it to the pedal to use on stage. You can add anything from just a clean sound, to delay, wah, phaser, reverb, distortion, fuzz and even special effects like synthesizer sounds and more for extra layers. With this, if you can imagine a sound, it will create it for you. When making sounds, you can pick which amp you would like it to replicate, and also which guitar sound you want. If you're making a sound for acoustic guitar, you can even pick which microphone you want it to sound like. It's also a great tool for recording. When not using it on stage, you can turn it in to an audio interface and record with it, using the same sounds you would on stage, which really sold me on this. Also, it's a Line 6 product so it's built like a tank in my opinion. Having this really makes a "do-it-yourself" pedal board (like this one) obsolete.
Third: Paul Reed Smith Angelus Custom Acoustic Guitar
This guitar is the newest in my collection of instruments. A year ago, I didn't even know that Paul Reed Smith made acoustic guitars. So, when I found out they did, I wanted one. Before buying it, I had played one in a shop and loved the feel of it. The neck is the closest thing I have ever played to a Stratocaster neck, which really attracted me to it. It's very light and has the perfect size. This is actually the first acoustic guitar I've had that has not been a Dreadnought size and it took some getting used to. The auditorium size (this guitar) is not nearly as loud and doesn't have the bottom end of a bigger guitar, but the higher notes cut through so much better. It also has a great pre-amp which makes the guitar sound great plugged in. When recording with it, I don't even use a microphone (which to an Audio Engineer is a recording "sin") because it doesn't need it. With the pre-amp it has, I can just plug it in directly and play it straight into the recording software and it sounds great. The Angelus Custom has a solid sitka spruce top with solid rosewood back and sides, so this guitar is all solid; no laminate. Which means the older this gets, the better it will sound.
Last but not least: Ibanez 375M 5-string
I don't actually play bass on the Praise Team at my church, but I do play on our new album and just in my free time. Personally, bass is one of my favorite instruments because it can serve so many purposes based on what you want to do. Also, any bass player at pretty much any skill level can play a bass in the purpose it was meant for. It's mostly used as a foundation instrument, giving songs rhythm and depth, leading you into the next passage. The bass plays a vital role in making a song an emotional roller coaster. Bass players know there's nothing like a low B string...when played right, it will literally make your heart thump. My particular bass is an Ibanez 375M (the M standing for maple neck). Again, this is a very versatile instrument because the ability to change the sounds on board the bass rather than having to go through an effects pedal. I tend to use the more deep, clean sound, but for solo bassists, it can have a fuzzy, almost distorted sound by turning a knob. This is just a great, all around bass.
I hope you've enjoyed my equipment tour!!
Peace,
Justin
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