THE RIG: Kevin's instruments

THE HERO

№ 01 · The headliner · 3-tone sunburst

FENDER STRAT

The one that started it all and still runs the show. Black edges burning down to amber, a maple neck under that big CBS-style headstock, three single coils that quack in positions 2 and 4, and a whammy bar for when a note needs to wobble. Clean, glassy, loud: this is the voice of the rig.

Pickups3 single coils
Switch5-way blade
Controls1 volume, 2 tone
BridgeTremolo, with arm
NeckMaple, big CBS-style headstock
Finish3-tone sunburst

Photo: Sweetwater: Fender Player Stratocaster, 3-Color Sunburst, maple fingerboard · generic specs, exact model not recorded

№ 02 · Seafoam green, two humbuckers

FENDER TELE HH

Surf green with a black guard: a Tele that skipped the twang lessons. Two humbuckers mean fat, quiet, and ready for dirt. Plug it into the fuzz and it growls instead of spanks.

Pickups2 humbuckers
Switch3-way
FinishSeafoam green
GuardBlack
NeckMaple

Photo: Sweetwater: Fender Player Telecaster HH, Sea Foam Green (stock shot: parchment guard, pau ferro board) · generic specs, exact model not recorded

RED LABEL

№ 03 · All-solid, made in Japan

YAMAHA FGX5 RED LABEL

The red label inside the soundhole says it all: all-solid woods aged with A.R.E., scalloped bracing and a big punchy dreadnought low end. Plug it in and Atmosfeel blends a bridge piezo, a mic and a top transducer. Or don't: still the couch guitar.

BodyDreadnought, acoustic-electric
TopSolid Sitka spruce, A.R.E.
Back + sidesSolid mahogany
Board + bridgeEbony
Nut + saddleBone
PickupAtmosfeel 3-way (SYSTEM74)

Photo: Sweetwater: Yamaha FGX5 Red Label · specs: official page

FREAK

№ 04 · Experimental hybrid synth

ARTURIA MICROFREAK

A keyboard with no moving keys and a brain full of weird. Wavetables, granular, Karplus plucks and a vocoder, all pushed through an analog filter.

Keys25-key flat touch plate, poly aftertouch
Oscillator21 digital modes
FilterAnalog, 12 dB/oct, LP/BP/HP
VoicesMono, para or unison, up to 4
Seq64-step + arp, Spice & Dice

Photo: Arturia: official MicroFreak product image · specs: official page

POLY

№ 05 · Spontaneous algorithmic synth

ARTURIA MINIFREAK

The MicroFreak's big sibling: real keys, six voices, two digital engines into analog filters, and three stereo FX slots to smear it all.

Keys37 slim keys, velocity + aftertouch
Voices6 poly / 12 para
FiltersAnalog, one per voice
FX3 stereo digital slots
Seq64 steps (4 x 16)

Photo: Arturia: official MiniFreak product image · specs: official page

K.O.!

№ 06 · Teenage Engineering EP-133 sampler, not the Sidekick

EP-133 K.O. II (K02)

A calculator that hits like a heavyweight. Sample anything, chop it, sequence it, then punch in the FX live. Built-in mic and speaker, so the studio fits in a backpack.

Sampling46 kHz / 16-bit, stereo
Memory128 MB, 999 slots
Pads12, pressure + velocity
Voices12 stereo / 16 mono
Power4x AAA or USB-C

Photo: Sweetwater: Teenage Engineering EP-133 K.O. II · specs: official page

SIDEKICK

№ 07 · EP-136 · 2-channel stereo mixer

TE K.O. SIDEKICK

Mostly the audio interface: USB in, computer listening. But it's also a tiny mixer for a synth and the K.O. II side by side, and with the force pad and mod stick it turns into an instrument of its own.

Channels2 stereo strips + stereo aux
USBAudio interface, 8 in / 4 out, MIDI
EQ3 styles, high / mid / low
FX6 performance FX, force pad, mod stick
Power2x AAA or USB-C

Photo: Sweetwater: Teenage Engineering EP-136 K.O. Sidekick · specs: official page

BLOW

№ 08 · Five diatonic harps in a case

HOHNER MARINE BAND x5

Five keys, one case, all blues. Pearwood combs, nailed-on covers and a design that has barely changed since 1896. Pick the key, cup your hands, bend.

Type10-hole diatonic, Richter tuning
Reeds20, brass
CombPearwood, double lacquered
CoversStainless steel, side vents
Range3 octaves
KeysA, C, D, E, G

Photo: Focus Pro Audio: Hohner Marine Band 1896 5-pack with case · specs: official page

MAIN MIX

№ 09 · The main mixer · IR-2 lands here

MACKIE MIX12FX

Where everything ends up. The IR-2's amp tone comes in here, the synths get their own stereo channels, and a twist of FX to main adds a hall when the room is too dry. Small, metal, no menus.

Channels12: 4 mic/line + 4 stereo line
Preamps4, with 48 V phantom
EQ3-band, 75 Hz low cut
FX12 reverbs, choruses, delays
OutsMain, control room, phones, RCA tape

Photo: Sweetwater: Mackie Mix12FX · specs: official page

TANK

№ 10 · The vocal workhorse

SHURE SM58

The ball on a stick every singer knows. Brightened mids for vocals, a built-in pop filter, and a cardioid pattern that ignores the room. Drop it, kick it, sing into it again.

TypeDynamic vocal mic
PatternCardioid
Response50 to 15,000 Hz
GrilleSteel mesh ball, built-in pop filter
BuildPneumatic shock mount

Photo: Sweetwater: Shure SM58 · specs: official page

2x10

№ 11 · 1990s · solid-state, not tube

FENDER PRINCETON CHORUS

Two 10s, two power amps and a true stereo chorus that spreads across both speakers. Clean side with Volume, Treble, Mid, Bass and Reverb; flip to the drive side for Gain, Limiter and Presence. Headphone jack for late nights. Fender called it "tube or not tube"; it's not.

TypeSolid-state combo
Speakers2x 10 in, 8 ohm each
Power25.5 W RMS per side, 51 W total
ChorusTrue stereo, Rate + Depth
ChannelsClean + gain-switched overdrive with Limiter
LoopsMono and stereo effects send/return
LookBlack tolex, silver grille

Photo: Kevin's own photo, cropped (no decent stock photo of this discontinued 1990s amp) · specs: Fender owner's manual