Amps
Amplifiers
For larger venues or outdoor shows, Jeff runs his guitars into a Mesa-Boogie Mark IV amp head, powering two Mesa speaker cabinets. Mesa amplifiers first became known when they were adopted by Carlos Santana, who used one to obtain his signature sound. Hand-built, they are used by Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, and many other internationally prominent acts who all were evidently inspired to try the company's amps after learning that Jeff uses them!
Sometimes only a Marshall Stack will do, so Jeff has one of these rigs available. His is scaled-down from the coliseum-shaking 100 watt versions favored by Hendrix, Clapton, The Who, Deep Purple, Cream, Led Zeppelin, and 10 Years After, but does deliver 15 watts of tube power into two cabinets, each with a 12" Celestion speaker. Of course, this amp goes to 11....
Here's a recent addition to the band's backline. It's part of Jeff's quest for the lightest professional and road-worthy gear on the planet, and is used with his Carvin V3M amplifier. From an Italian product line, this is an unusually small and light guitar cabinet, ideally suited for use with "lunchbox"-sized mini-amplifiers. Weighing only 12 pounds, this little Mini Twelve cab houses a 12", 150-watt speaker incorporating a lightweight neodynimium magnet, enclosed in a very compact enclosure that is only 15" tall and 16" wide! If the band had roadies to haul its gear, this would be totally irrelevant!
Jeff's newest speaker cabinet is this Revsound RS28 bass cabinet, equipped with two 8" Celestion bass speakers. This cabinet weighs only 19 lbs, but is fully suitable for professional use.
Accessories
Accessories & Microphones
The band has gone wireless with the latest technology from PRA Audio Systems. The super-compact transmitter and receiver untether the guitar from the amp, so the stage can now be the entire venue!
Jeff's mic locker includes a Neumann KMS 105 supercardioid stage condenser microphone for his solo performances (Neumann microphones were used in the studio by the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and countless others), a Audio-Technica ATM710 cardioid condenser stage microphone, a EV N/D767a dynamic mic for louder stage environments, a T.C. Helicon MP-70 dynamic supercardioid in the Engine14 rehearsal studio, a Shure SM7b dynamic mic for recording, and a few others.
Studio vocal effects and processing on location! That's the idea behind this device, a TC-Helicon VoiceLive Play GTX, which Jeff uses in his solo performances. Adaptive tone technology intelligently controls EQ and Dynamics (Compression & De-ess) to provide tonal balance and dynamic control. An adaptive gate helps suppress feedback. Reverb, echo, delay, and other effects are available through this little box, as are two voices of harmonies and voice doubling. Included are a full range of guitar effects, so if you want to hear one of Jeff's acoustic guitars sound like a Les Paul through a Marshall stack, this will do it!
Jeff has used a number of guitar effects units over the years. In an effort to achieve the best sounds with the smallest footprint and lightest weight, he recently acquired a Hotone Ampero One.