This article series is about the tools of popular guitarists. What are their favorite guitars and how is it related to them? This time with Mike Wilkins.
When you start guitar playing and do you remember your first guitar?
I started playing when I was 13. My first guitar was a Moridiara Hurricane Strat copy. It was $199 new with the amp included. The amp was so cheap it had no distortion channel. The guy that sold it to me said that if I turn the amp up all the way and play through it for a week straight the speaker would blow out and I would get distortion. Haha. After a year I swapped out the pickgaurd for a black one and installed a Dimarzio Fast Track 2 in the bridge position. Because of that I ended up playing that guitar way longer than I should have because it looked and sounded good. In hindsight it played terribly though.
What are your influences and which guitar players are your favs?
For Songwriting Judas Priest and Dokken are huge influences. Also, Phil Collen from Def Leppard. As far as lead goes it is George Lynch, Reb Beach, Warren Demartini, and Glenn Tipton. I did a lot of woodshedding with the Yngwie Malmsteen REH video as a teenager. Nowadays I rely more on legato and tapping than fast alternate picking because it is unreliable. Sometimes I go to do it and it just does not work. Especially if I’m not warmed up. Lol.
How many guitars do you own and what are your favorite models?
I only own one guitar right now because I am poor. Haha. No in reality I had a drinking problem for the last 20 years that made it impossible to get anything done or hold on to material items. I quit drinking so now I am on an upward trajectory making up for lost time. For years, my main guitar was a Japanese Fender Heartfield which I eventually sold to a pawn shop for vodka money. It was made in the Ibanez factory for Fender. It was very similar to an Ibanez RG570. Then I played a Jackson DK2M for a few years. My current guitar is a Kramer Baretta. It is pretty killer. I am still getting used to no neck pickup. Lol
What do you think makes the perfect guitar and amp?
For me, the perfect amp is pretty basic. High gain tube 50 watt. I don’t like messing around with Tube Screamer type pedals. I used to play through a modded Marshall JCM 800 from the 80’s that was like some kind of magical unicorn I will never find again. I have no idea what was done to it, but it sounded amazing.
How do you feel about the question of modeler or tube amp?
For home recording on a budget, I have to say modeling is the way to go. The technology is becoming frighteningly indistinguishable from the real thing. I’m using a Pod Go right now. It has a Helix processor. People keep asking me, „dude, what amp are you using“? I’m like, „a $400 floor FX unit“. Lol. Live I prefer a loud tube amp. I’m trying to imagine just plugging the Pod Go into a PA system as my live rig. It would feel pretty weird to have no amp behind me. Like I’m a contestant on, „The Voice“ or something. Haha
Which guitars and amps were used on the new recordings?
On the new stuff I am recording, everything is done with the Kramer Baretta through the Pod Go.
When you only can choose one guitar, which one will you take?
The guitar I really want to save up for is the Satchel from Steel Panther signature model Charvel. It’s like $1,450. I played one the other day. It’s perfect.
