Job: Website Programmer
Started playing: December 88, aged 14. Got a Maya strat copy and a little Laney amp for £100 from the local paper, got it home, and was disappointed that it didn't sound like Guns N' Roses as soon as it was plugged in (I didn't know what overdrive was...) Took lessons from a local teacher for 18 months, then struck out on my own. Been in loads of local bands in and around Eastbourne, my then home town, but nothing since I moved to London. I've been focussing on my recording.
Main gear: Ibanez electrics all the way.
1) a moderately good PGM30 - Korean made Paul Gilbert model, white with black painted f-holes, has a red DiMarzio FRED in the bridge.
2) superb RG750 - great axe, my main squeeze for ages. metallic crimson (rar!), superslim wizard neck, DiMarzio FRED in the bridge and Humbucker From Hell in the neck. Badass.
3) 1989 JEM77FP Steve Vai floral. All original, PAF Pro PUs, JEM contour 100% unfinished neck, vine inlay. If it were possible I would start a family with this guitar.
4) yellow RG550 bought from ebay in pretty good nick. Going to rip out the pickups and cram some DiMarzios in there some day.
5) (buying next week at time of writing) a 1993 JEM777DY, the classic yellow Jem.
Ampwise, a Marshall JCM800 100W lead head into a 2x12 cab, with a Zoom 8080 Super Player handling FX and an ADA MP-1 midi preamp doing all distortion duties. Very nice.
Favourite music: It all started with Mr Knopfler and his fingerstyle twiddlies on the Alchemy album. From there to Clapton, to Brian May, at which point I discovered rock, and took the express train via Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai and Joe Satriani.
Definitely the biggest influences/impact on my musical life was the whole Surfing With The Alien/Passion & Warfare era of rock guitar, which I spose is why I widdle so much. From there, it's more of the same, with portions of Vernon Reid, Steve Morse, Diamond Darrell, Richie Kotzen, Paolo Gilberto, Blues Saraceno, Nuno Bettencourt and more.