Ok all you Tone Rangers, here's the lowdown on the gear I use. If you don't play guitar this will seem incredibly boring, so may I suggest looking at the "Photos" section, instead.

I believe that tone comes from within, and that nothing substitutes for practice. However, as Muddy Waters once said, it's all about the SOUND. Once you have that the licks will come (I, for one, am still wondering exactly when this will happen). In the meantime it's nice to sound good.

As an added bonus I have included a section on how to know if you are getting good tone when out at a gig. This is an industry secret, and therefore is written in black. You must highlight the text to read this exclusive advice. Click here to see that section now.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, I had a good paying day job, as well as regular gigs with a couple of different bands. In my reasoning you only live once, so I wanted a nice guitar I could play for the rest of my life. I had the Epiphone version, which I enjoyed, but knew that this was the one.

I special ordered a blonde Gibson ES-5, just like the one T-Bone and BB used to play. The same month it arrived the entire department got laid off, and I wound up using a good chunk of my severance to pay for the guitar. On the bright side, I had plenty of time to play it.

Some people complain that the reissue does not sound good, but after some fiddling I have mine dialed in. It's different, for sure, and if you plug it into a smaller sized amp it sounds killer. I've wired it out-of-phase like the old ones, and when the bridge pickup is used in conjunction with the others (all stock Gibson P-90's) you can just nail that T-Bone tone. It's killer!

This one is my work horse; I use it pretty much all the time. Stock Gibson P-90's that give it a nice chimey tome, but also sound bad-ass through a tweed amp. You can get Freddie King tones or Johnny "Guitar" Watson tones at the flip of a switch.

The '54 RI has the wrap-around tailpiece, and I A/B'ed this model against the '56 RI. No contest. The '54 not only feels more "solid," but the tone sounds that way, too.

I used this guitar to record pretty much all of "Midnight Creep," as well as much of "Stay Tuned!"

The guitar is soon to receive a push/pull for the out-of-phase pickup mod. I have also heard Lindy Frailins in a similar guitar, and they sound great, too. Different than the Gibsons, for sure. More quack. I may switch to them, as well.

Ahh, the Strat. Some guys love 'em, some guys hate 'em. I once read somewhere that someone said they play it because that's what the crowd liked to see. I believe that a Strat must be played differently than any other guitar, because it is unique, and depending on what you want to hear no guitar can sound like it.

I've owned many Stratocasters over the years, and this one has been the most "alive" of any kind of guitar that I have ever owned. When it's properly set up is actually hums while you play it unamplified, so much so that it can be distracting! (I once thought my roommate was playing a harmonica downstairs while I was practicing)

I've got Fender Fat 50's pickups loaded in it for ballsier tone, and it's wired like the Jimmie Vaughan model. He likes using the bridge pickup with the tone on it, which is nice so that you don't make people's ears bleed if you accidentally hit the selector switch. I like it better for having the middle pickup wide open. In my mind the middle pickup on a Strat is THE sound of Rock N' Roll.

Through a small amp turned up or a Bassman this guitar sounds fantastic. The only issue I have is the neck getting sticky as I play... If you have any ideas how to fix this I'm open to ideas.

The latest addition to the arsenal, this is actually the third Casino I've owned. I had one that sounded great but sold it to help pay for my Bassman. I then bought another one a few years later, and wound up returning it because it sounded awful through the amp.

How's that for irony?

It was actually the Bassman that sounded awful because of some sort of transformer problem, and now that everything is in order I'm looking forward to hearing this thing in action (again). It sounds great through the Pro. For some reason P-90's sound extra bad in a Casino, and it's one guitar that you don't ever have to fight to make sound good.

If you own one be sure to replace the switch!

I love the finish of this guitar. It is a Mexicaster (the discontinued Tele Special), and originally had a mini humbucker in the neck position (very Keith Richards). I have recently replaced the pickups with Fender Nocaster pickups, which sound crazy raw. This guitar SCREAMS!

It has jumbo frets on it, but the neck is a little too thin for what I would like. I'm going to replace the neck someday with something beefier.

I don't use it out too often, but it sits in my living room and I noodle on it constantly, as does every musician that has ever hung out at my house.

For the price I paid this is a great guitar. I bought it while living back east with my parents, and BB King was playing the theatre right next door to the store when I was buying this. His bus was parked out back, and his drummer was in line right in front of me buying sticks!

I bought this guitar off of eBay for $100. I think I've played out with it once, maybe twice. The tuning pegs are pulling out of the headstock because I use heavier strings than I think it would like to see.

It gets a good tone and looks cool. That's all I can say right now. Did I mention it was only $100?

When I picked it up I was almost struck by lightning. True story. We met in a bowling alley parking lot, and while we were doing the transaction there was a sudden flash and a HUGE thunder-clap at the same time, and I almost jumped up into the sellers arms because it scared the s**t out of me. And then that was it. It never even rained or anything.

To this day I bring extra underpants every time I go bowling ;-)

I used to have a RI Fender Bassman, which was pretty good sounding, but A/B it against the Victoria model and you'll see how much warmer the Vicky is. It's also not as harshly loud as the Fender.

This amp is still being tweaked years after I bought it. It has the Jensen P10R's in it, and I have replaced the rectifier and lowered the voltage. I've also had the transformer replaced with a lower powered one.

When it's working, this is a great sounding amp. The day I bought it the tubes began smoking in the store, and it seems like that was an omen. Lots of issues with this amp. I'm pretty sure it's ok now, though. Thank God for Bruce Collins at Mission Amps.

I believe people confuse a "big" sound with a "loud" sound, which means that even with the lower powered transformer this amp sees limited action.

So...

I also have a Victoria Pro. 1x15 Jensen C15N with a ceramic magnet. I tried a Jensen alnico, but both speakers I received were defective. The ceramic sounds great, though. Very chimey.

This amp is like night and day with the Bassman. I have never had a problem with it, and I think I still have the tubes in it that came with it. I love this amp for club gigs.

I'm lucky to own two Victoria amps. Did I mention that I used to have a good day job?

This is what an amp should sound like, I think. I bought this off of eBay, and replaced the speaker with a Jensen P10R. I use it for recording and sometimes even on stage. It can be heard on most of "Midnight Creep" and all of "Stay Tuned!"

Whether it's the Strat, ES-5, or whatever, this amp sounds KILLER!

For about two hours.

Then it overheats and muds out so bad it's not even musical. But hey, it's fun while it lasts. I usually put a fan behind it to cool the tubes as it runs, and then it seems ok.

Two knobs and pure tone... the way an amp should be.

It also makes a great step ladder!

This amp is a limited edition of a limited edition (usually you see it with a wheat grill cloth). I replaced the speaker with a Jensen C12N and it sounds HUGE. Big sound and tone from such a little amp.

I put on white knobs to give it more of a vintage vibe. The original knobs are probably still underneath the stove back in an apartment I used to rent, courtesy of my roommate's cats who thought they were fun to bat around.

I used this amp for part of "Midnight Creep" and also bring it out to jams. I would recommend owning a Deluxe to anyone.

I use this with all of my tweed amps, and sometimes even the Deluxe. Some mods have been made to get it sounding better, and I've replaced the power tube with a 6K6 like the originals had.

This is actually the second tank I've owned, and it's not quite as splashy as the first one. This one happens to be an earlier reissue, which may or may not have something to do with it. It's a huge pain-in-the-rear and breaks down all the freakin' time, but when it's working it sounds great.

For swampy numbers or some West Side sounds this is a great little box. It's tube driven by an AX7, and even gives a nice warm, fat boost to your overall volume. A great way to add tremolo to a tweed amp.

These reissues sound darned close to the originals, and I use it to fatten up the sound in places where I can't turn up. I also use it with the Stratocaster on certain numbers to get that rockin' blues kind of tone. Not really my thing, but people like to hear it and relate it to the sound of the blues.

Craig, Chris, Kyle, or whomever may be hittin' the skins keep it swingin' and steady on this kit.

Traditional Rock 'n Roll sizes: 22" bass, 16" floor tom, 13" tom, and a 6.5"x14" matching maple snare. This is all paired with some Zildjian A cymbals: 20" ride, 18" crash/ride, and 14" New Beat hi-hats. Sometimes a cowbell, and don't forget the Speed King!

A modern kit with nice retro vinage styling, and what a sound! Plus, it looks soooo cool up on stage. I often set it up and dream that I'm half the drummer that these guys are.

Then, while plugging in my amp, I remember that I still have a ways to go on the guitar...

OK, here's what'cha do. Set up your amp, plug in your guitar, and play a couple of licks. If everything is working you're doing fine. Don't start off too loud or else you'll never get good tone.

Get the show started, and once you're warmed up turn your amp up a little. Remember, if everyone gets loud together then nobody's too loud. At this point you'll probably start having fun. You may even be smiling! Your guitar sounds good, your amp sounds good, you're playing good. Life is good.

At this point the bartender, soundman, or sensitive person who shouldn't even be in a bar will come up to you and say "Can you turn down?" This is the exact moment that you know that you were getting good tone. For the rest of the night your amp will perform right below the cusp of where it should be running, therefore sounding weak and lame. But hey, for those few moments you were getting good tone.

Congratulations!