FAQ - Equipment List
For the past five years my main amplifier has been a Matchless DC30L head with a separate 1x12" speaker cabinet. I picked it up in the U.S. whilst working with Aimee Mann, who had the whole band rigged out with them. It's far and away the best-sounding, most reliable amp I've ever owned, and the most expensive.

I've already mentioned the '62 Fender Tremolux (in my autobiography section); the cabinet now houses two heavy-duty Celestion 10" speakers to cope with the bass frequencies. I also have a 1963 Fender Super 2x10" combo, and a new-ish Fender Pro-Junior (which you can just see in the background of the inner "Upsy Daisy" photo), a gift from Lyle Workman and a great little amp.

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amps & FX
I've used a tiny Japanese Fender Sidekick Reverb 30 practice amp on any number of projects since 1986 (when I bought it), and is actually one of Andy Partridge's favourite recording amps! I've also a Roland JC-120 combo and a Korg A2 Digital Processor that is useful for recording at home.

I just purchased a Line 6 POD module to replace the Korg, which is fantastic – genuinely authentic-sounding guitar amps and speakers, with optional effects, all in a convenient digital format (check the sound-bytes on this site for proof!).

Although I don't go in for pedals much, I recently bought (and fell in love with) a Danelectro Fab Tone Fuzz box, and I also like this little Guyatone VT-2 tremolo pedal that Andy P. gave me. I've a Boss Flanger , Chorus, Compressor, and a DS-1 Distortion unit but I seldom use them. I have a late-60's Vox Wah-Wah pedal, and a Jim Dunlop Cry Baby 535. For recording electro-acoustic guitars I use an Award-Session GG10 pre-amp.
Most of my leads I made up myself using oxygen-free copper cable, but best of all is a Monster Cable lead with gold plated plugs – it really DOES make all the difference. I currently own over 30 guitars, and I may put some of them on display in these pages in the coming months.

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In the past I've regularly used Ernie Ball strings, and made up my own sets from individual sizes, but I've recently switched to D'Addario XL-115's (.011 - .049) because they're cheaper and easier to get hold of. No, I've never had an endorsement deal for strings.

Picks are plastic Fender Heavys, though for acoustic guitar I like the Jim Dunlop Tortex .60mm (the orange ones). Acoustic strings are Martin Phosphor Bronze M530 Extra Lights, but with the top .010 replaced with a .011.

I treated my studio to a lovely new TubeTech compressor/limiter (another step further to my dream home set-up), and myself to a 40-year-old cherry Gibson Les Paul Junior which sounds outrageous! This spend-thriftyness is the result of XTC finally being paid for our 1996 audit discovery of Virgin Records. It's now late '99, you'll notice. Evil villains, the lot of them.