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Guitars through the years
CSL FLYING V
Originally purchased from Paul Garvey Music, Eldon Square, Newcastle Upon Tyne in 1980. Financed by my father it was one of two identical Wine Red models that were bought in from the Frankfurt Music Messe.
It was tragically lost/stolen in the USA.
Originally Wine Red, the same as KK's Gibson, I resprayed it Silverburst and sprayed the Black Metal head on the reverse of the body. It was further modified with the addition of a DiMarzio Super Distortion in the bridge position.
25th anniversary fender stratocaster
This guitar originally belonged to Eric Cook, who of course went on to become Venoms manager, and as his involvement on the management side increased he graciously donated this guitar to the cause.
It was modified at Spenders Guitars by Jim Tearse, the in house guitar repair wizard who later became my touring guitar tech.
The neck was shaved down to a very slim line taper and a Floyd Rose locking trem system installed.
IBANEZ ROADSTAR
Another purchase from Paul Garvey Music in my home town of Newcastle.
It boasted one Humbucker pickup and a non locking tremelo system which miraculously never went out of tune no matter how much abuse I gave it.
And yes . . . the only reason I did that tape job, three times to be exact, was Eddy Van Halen!
This guitar served me well through many shows and recording sessions until it sadly 'disappeared' in America.
WESTONE DIMENTION 4
This was probably the only guitar I was kind of endorsed by in the early years, it was certainly only one of two that I didn't pay for with my own money as I had never actively pursued a guitar endorsement.
I can remember taking a taxi to Newcastle Central Station to pick up the guitar off the freight train.
It served me very well for many years and endured a couple of cosmetic modifications as can be seen by the photos.
IBANEZ DESTROYER
Myself and Cronos received the Destroyer guitar and bass models at the same time courtesy of Neat Records when they first came out. We both chose the red model as we thought it would look cool to have matching guitars on stage. Definitely one of the guitars I wish I had kept. The black Phil Collen model came later and cosmetically it looked great but I have to admit I preferred the red model.
IBANEZ rg
I bought the Ibanez RG from small boutique type store simply called The Guitar Shop in Newcastle city centre. The shop was owned by a friend called Brian and I had popped in just for a visit and a chat. This was a matter of a couple of weeks before Venom were due to headline the Dynamo Festival. As we were chatting I mentioned the festival and my need for another backup guitar. He brought out the blue Ibanez RG, which was second hand by the way, and told me I could take it and use it for the festival and if I liked it he would give a good price on it. This guitar went on to be my main guitar throughout the reunion and recorded both Cast In Stone and Resurrection and continued with me through the Zero Tolerance period. This guitar is now owned by a collector and the other RG that can be seen in the above photo was actually identical and bought again from Brian, however, it became a project and I modified it as seen.
JACKSON RR
I always loved the look of the RR or 'Sharkfin' as we used to call it and so eventually I managed to acquire one . . a mid range Jackson RR for which I traded my Jackson Dinky.
This guitar was with me through the Zero Tolerance period and did the majority of the Scooter shows I did as their session guitarist until it had an unfortunate accident at the hands of Scooter's pyro guy who was attaching the rockets and receiver pack for my part in the song 'Fire' when it fell out of the rack and landed on the headstock snapping it at the high E string tuning peg, he was horrified and the look on his face was priceless, but it wasn't completely his fault, bless, lol! . . . and so I finished the show with 5 strings.
I had this guitar modified with a set of Zakk Wylde EMG's and it served me well.
It is now retired to the studio and will be a project some day . . stay tuned.
OTHER FAVOURITES
FRET KING ECLAT
GIBSON LES PAUL STUDIO
STEINBERG
EPIPHONE SG PROPHECY
IBANEZ SA
CURRENT ENDORSMENT WITH CAPARISON GUITARS
ORBIT
HORUS
ANGELUS TRANS RED C2 SERIES
These are quite simply stunning instruments, lovingly precision crafted in Japan by master luthier Itaru Kanno.
I was first made aware of these amazing guitars when M-Pire Of Evil toured with Onslaught. Shortly after this encounter, courtesy of bass player Jeff Williams, I was offered the chance to take delivery of a prototype for the Angelus C2 series. To be quite honest, I didn't know what to expect but from the moment I took it out of the case it felt like I had played it forever. I still have this prototype and now it remains safely in my studio. The red Angelus that I am now mostly associated with is my main touring and recording guitar. It shows all the signs of a hard working road guitar and has never let me down. I also use the Horus FX AM and the Orbit but the Angelus is MY guitar. Massive Respect and eternal thanks to Gabriel and Itaru.
MARSHALL JCM 800
CSL SUPER FUZZ
Purchased from Paul Garvey Music in Newcastle with the help of my father who signed the finance agreement, I can still vividly remember the day Paul delivered it to my house along with the angled 4x12 cabinet . . this was a huge step forward for me and I have been a Marshall user ever since.
Now, in the present day, my touring and festival rider states that I require a Marshall JCM 900 with an angled and straight 4x12's.
That Marshall JCM 800 was the sound of those early Venom albums . . thanks Dad x
So I had my first guitar, a cherry red SG copy with a single humbucker and my amp was a 10 watt Fender combo and yet there was still something missing . . distortion and so I returned to the store that supplied me with my guitar and amp . . Jeavons of Newcastle. Here I purchased the CSL Super Fuzz and it remained with me through the recording of the first 2 Venom albums
boss gt 5
My first step into the digital world of guitar processors.
This unit was the first guitar signal processor that I had linked through an external interface/soundcard for the purpose of recording.
It recorded the 'Zero Tolerance' album and was my live sound for that period . . it was linked through the effects loop of a Marshall Transistor amp and on more than one occasion went straight into the PA system if the amp choice at a venue was less than desirable
boss gt PRO
While on tour with SCOOTER there was a visit from the guys from Roland who endorsed SCOOTER with keyboards and other accessories. I was using the XT Live at that time but still had a fondness for my GT5.
We spoke about this and they asked if I would like to use the GT PRO and very kindly supplied me with one at the next show.
It became my main recording tool in my studio for quite some time recording all the DRYLL demos.
ASSORTED PEDALS
EH SMALL STONE PHASER
This pedal was responsible for the explosion effect I used to create live, simply by turning the control all the way to the right and adding some delay at the same time.
TS9 TUBE SCREAMER
I have quite a few overdrive/distortion pedals in my collection but this is the one that I use with my Strat for solo projects.
A second hand purchase from Guitar Center when on tour in America
LINE 6 POD XT LIVE
This was purchased specifically for the SCOOTER world tour as there was to be no provision of amps or cabs. It was linked straight into the PA system and was monitored through side fills and front wedges.
I continued to use it through all the DRYLL and M:PIRE OF EVIL shows however it was always powered through a Marshall 800 or 900
My touring pedal case . .
Live I use the Digital Delay, the Super Chorus, the Overdrive, the Chromatic Tuner and the Cry Baby Mini Wah all straight into the front of a Marshall JCM900.
I have played festival shows with only the Overdrive and Chorus . . . keep it simple and organic
