Hey there! Ryan Dacey from AMS here. Over the last 13 years, I’ve been the electric guitar, bass, and effects buyer. Over the last 2 years, I’ve been more involved in our online content team. You might even recognize me from the AMS YouTube videos.
Back that up about, oh, 35 years — I’ve seen a TON of gear come and go. Being in The Industry has only enabled my G.A.S.-related sickness. And who am I to complain?
So, let’s get into it…
I mainly play electric guitar — and not just in live situations. Many a movie night has been augmented by soothing sensations of an unplugged electric guitar while sitting on the couch.
When recording, I tend to adopt an “anything goes” mentality. Sometimes whatever is closest to me is what gets used. So, for the sake of brevity, I’ll be listing the type of gear I gravitate towards for playing live.
I’ve been fortunate enough to get my sweaty mitts on myriad styles of guitars. While that can introduce a “paralysis of options,” I feel the opposite has been true.
Playing a ton of different guitars helps whittle it down to what pleases you and not other players. To that end, I tend to stick with single-cut electrics. If that brings to mind Les Pauls and Telecasters, you’d be right on the money.
Surely you’re thinking, “But Ryan, there are literally HUNDREDS of Les Paul and Telecaster variants out there, you moron!” That true (except the “moron part”). So I’ll cite an example of each guitar based on my preferences.
Gibson 1958 Reissue Les Paul VOS
Much has been made of The Holy Grail Electrics — "Gibson Les Paul Burst” models — in particular those made in 1959. Yes, I have had the pleasure of playing actual ’59s and several excellent R9 Reissue models. It all really comes down to neck profile for me.
While I don’t have very big hands, I tend to gravitate to slightly larger neck profiles. Hence, my affinity for the R8 (1958 Reissue) style. As is the case in many items in life, I have noticed “bigger isn’t always better.” To wit: while I tend to like a bigger necks, it’s the SHAPE of the carve that wins out.
Anyone can make a baseball bat neck and claim it’s superior, but it’s how Gibson shapes these R8 necks that calls to me. A full plank of exquisite mahogany to grab onto. Not too much shoulder. A hint of “V-profile.” Ahhhh….
And yes, we can talk about the figuring of the tops. Many 1959-style Bursts get love because of their highly flamed maple caps. Some examples are moo much for a pedestrian like me. The R8 models can vary in flame, but it’s there if you look. It just doesn’t hit you over the head.
In my opinion, there isn’t anything outrageous to detract from how great my fave R8 Les Paul is a perfect culmination of its parts: great old woods, adhered with hide glue, all adorned with tasteful binding and mildly aged nickel hardware. Top it off with what I feel are Gibsons’s finest pickups: Custombuckers.
Does anyone really know the “Ultimate P.A.F. Tone?” That’s hard to say since every one of them was wound slightly differently. Heck, I can’t tell you the difference between Alnico 2 vs Alnico 3 vs Al Capone. I just know Custombuckers sound great and have never left my Les Paul.
Fender American Vintage II 1951 Telecaster
You’ve probably heard it before: “Leo Fender nailed it right out of the gate!” And, in my mind, that’s pretty spot-on. There is just something downright romantic playing a Telecaster as Leo originally envisioned it. Enter the American Vintage II ’51 Tele that I love so dearly.
Oh sure, you can have all the fancy modern upgrades like Noiseless pickups, S-1 switches, and bigger frets (22 of them even). But I prefer the bludgeoning charm of Leo’s original design. Does it have it’s shortcomings? Well, the intonation can be a bit compromised, and the electronics can buzz a bit (especially with dirty tones). I say that adds to the charm.
Pick up one of these Teles and lean into it. You’ll find it brings out all the dynamics in your playing. I still firmly believe there’s just about nothing a good Tele cannot handle.
Oh, and it’s positively built like a tank. Just the thing to deflect errant beer bottles and discipline ornery lead singers mid-set.
Friedman Jerry Cantrell JJ Junior Amp
Admittedly, I only own two amps. This is after decades of having many different amps of varying formats and wattage. Regarding the latter, I usually use a particular amp not only for features and tone, but depending on what kind of drummer I’m playing with. If it’s a particularly heavy-handed brute, I opt for the Friedman Jerry Cantrell JJ Junior.
“Twenty watts isn’t enough,” you say? Well, I don’t have any gigs booked at The EnormoDome anytime soon. And this amp is plenty LOUD if I need it to be. We won’t get into the mystery of wattage and volume, or tube-powered vs. solid state. When it comes to amps, use your ears and dial that sucker in for optimum tone.
For me, it’s not so much about sheer volume but what we call “ear fatigue.” When you turn an amp up, it shouldn’t merely get louder — it should sound GOODER. Yes, that’s a technical term coined by Thomas Edison backed when he jammed with his buddies around a lightbulb.
Anyway, Dave Friedman is an amp genius. I can’t recall trying any of his amps and not walking away impressed. So why this particular amp? You guessed it, it’s plenty loud, and awfully gooder than most I’ve tried. Just pop it on a 1x12 cab, and it's ready to rock. Plus if it’s gooder enough for Jerry Cantrell…
Fender 1965 Reissue Princeton Amp
So, if I’m in a smaller room — or playing with a more tasteful percussionist, the Fender 1965 Reissue Princeton amp is just about perfect. I set the volume on six, adjust the modest tone stack to my liking, and let my guitar’s volume knob coax lovely tones from this combo.
From sparkly cleans to a fair amount of hair, this amp is a classic for a reason. There are those who will complain of a relatively low level of headroom. Not me!
Plus, I’m not that tall anyway.
Pedals, Pedals, Pedals…
Yes, I’m fairly traditional when it comes to guitars and amps. But I have a fondness for pedals.
Sure, most gigs can be covered with a great guitar into a great amp. But, come on — pedals are fun! Thousands of players swear by multi-effects processors like those made by Line 6, Boss, Eventide, Kemper, and the like. And I have to admit, I’ve been tempted to check them out. Technology has come such a long way. But, let’s not forget: I’m kinda dumb. I’m also a glutton. So, the allure of mixing, matching, and BUYING new pedals is enjoyable and endlessly fascinating.
For the sake of this blog, I can openly admit my undying love for all things overdrive, distortion, and dirty/hairy goodness. Much like your favorite IPA, there are hundreds of dirt pedals on tap for us guitarists to lap up. And much like those hoppy brews, they can coexist on bar menus — I mean pedalboards — all over the country.
I’m a big fan of having a couple different types of overdrive on any given board to cover all sorts of sonic muckery. More often than not it includes a “Klon style” overdrive/boost and something a little more devilish. These days that would mean my trusty J Rockett Audio Archer and a Marshall JVM. The Archer is a classic in its own right. I usually set it for some tasty edge-of-break-up tones. And the JVM pedal? Well, it’s always nice to turn any amp into a fire-breathing Marshall at the press of a button.
J Rockett Archer Ikon Overdrive and Boost Pedal
Special Price $229.99
Moving on to modulation! Admittedly, I’m just not much of a chorus fan. Maybe it’s because I grew up in the 80s and 90s, and if your parachute pants weren’t flapping due to thick syrupy chorus, you just weren’t living!
Well, just when I thought I needed to cleanse chorus from my palette, I stumbled upon the Keeley 30ms Double Tracker. And yes, it really is “The Chorus for People Who Hate Chorus.” It’s very subtle and sweet in just the right ways. You can stay in “Abbey Mode” for all your Beatle-y cover tunes. Or you can combine it with gobs of gain for incredible STP riffs all day long. Great pedal!
Compression can be a tricky proposition. I feel that every guitar board needs a good compressor. It’s kinda like Ted Lasso said about being off-sides in soccer: “It ain’t easy to explain, but you know it when you see it.” For me, the ideal compressor is the Origin Effects Cali76. It’s a very powerful studio-grade compressor that makes everything sound… better. And yeah, I definitely notice it’s turned on.
Lastly, most players don’t love a purely dry signal. This would explain the throngs of people who get weak in the knees about reverb. That’s all well and good, but if I’m wetting things up, give me delay over reverb any day!
I’m not The Edge, and I can easily lose track of the rhythm of any song. So, for my delay needs these days, it comes courtesy of the EarthQuaker Devices Dispatch Master. Sure, it’ll give you lush reverb, if that’s what you’re after. But I LOVE how it combines it with up to 1.5 seconds of delay. This allows me to fine tune how much wet signal I need depending on the environment.
Bonus points for their Flexi-Switch Technology. Maybe I just need a few moments of delay in any given song. This momentary function lets me add just right bit of echoey goodness without tap dancing all day.
Honorable Mention: Boss Katana 50
I’m hardly the only person to get hip to Boss’s Katana amps. For several years now, the Katanas have been a revelation for thousands of players. It comes in several different flavors and power levels. Since I don’t gig with mine, I opted for the straight-up 50-watt combo for home use.
Long story short: It’s astonishing how great this little amp sounds — especially for the price. They’ve packed a truckload of modeling into this amp based on 50 years of great Boss pedals. Add in their Tone Studio for a delightful rabbit hold of deep editing and customization through the pleasures of USB. Truly inspiring!
The Gear That Runs AMS
I might not have the most sophisticated rig of all time. But in my experience, you can have all the gizmos and gadgets you want, but if something isn’t made well with the right materials, it won’t sound “gooder.”
Thanks for listening to my gear ramblings. There are tons of amazing musicians working here at AMS, and you might learn a thing or two by checking out their favorite gear. Read some of the other AMS employee rigs with more “The Gear That Runs AMS” blogs.
