The first question I felt I had to ask Brad Gillis, guitarist for Night Ranger, was not about gear. It was about a song -- one particular song that had been going through my head incessantly from the first moment I knew I would be speaking to him. I wondered if, after 25 years, he ever became tired of playing any of the band's songs.

"I never get sick of playing songs. When you see the audience digging it. It is to the point where you see parents with kids coming to shows," says Gillis. "Our audience seems to get bigger. We played Brookville, Indiana. Fifteen thousand people were there. To be able to still do it is amazing."

And Night Ranger plays about 80 or so shows a year.

Gillis plays a few guitars live, but as a collector, he has over 150 instruments. For playing live he has a couple of favorites.

"My fave all time is one I sanded down in the 70s -- a '62 strat. [I] Painted it red with leftover paint from my Datsun and put in a Floyd Rose," says Gillis.

He also has a 1986 Fernandes Brad Gillis model which also has a Floyd Rose.

"The first ten they built were spectacular." says Gillis.

Gillis likes all his guitars to have 22 frets. And he can go on and on as he owns so many guitars. As a collector he points out a few that are special. including a '67 Antigua Coronado.

"A gorgeous guitar that plays great." he says.

He also has a '68 Pink Paisley Tele , a '69 Floral Tele and a no serial number 1952 Gold Top.

"It is one of the first ones. I am pretty proud of it." says Gillis.

Gillis also has a number of 1980s Gibson explorers and a Gibson Moderne.

These guitars were patented in 1957 -- a sort of cross between a Flying V and a Explorer, They were part of Gibson trying to join the space age. But they were never mass produced until the 1980s.

"Some people called it a Flintstones guitar, a Jetsons guitar. Its real fat and nasty and grindy sounding." says Gillis.

Gillis says the Moderne was never as popular as the Flying V or the Explorer. You can find these Gibsons for sale still--be sure to bring your checkbook because the cost on one is between $5,000 and $6.000.

Among the other Gibson's in Gillis' collection is a Blond ES175.

"I used it on a lot of rhythm stuff." says Gillis.

He also has a '49 ES175 and a wide variety of vintage basses (Jazz and Precision).

He is a big fan of the Floyd Rose locking tremolo.

"He (Floyd Rose) made the first batch in his garage. I have the third one ever made built in my red Strat," he says. "I've created a style using the tremolo. Later ones they made, they did not make as well."

The reason the latter ones were not as good as the originals? The metal wasn't as hard, the casing wasn't as hard. Gillis says the heavier the metal the more stable the system is. He is fond of the locking tuners.

"I can use one guitar all night. It is amazing how they stay in tune for me." he says.

When it comes to amplifiers Gillis sticks with one. Since the band flies to gigs a lot they often are using rental gear. Even so, Gillis prefers Mesa Boogie Dual or Triple Rectifier.

"I have a pair of old Hiwatt cabinets, and I have been using that combination on the road." he says, adding that his collection at home is broader. "At home I have a wide collection of old Fender Black Faces -- Vibrochamp, Princeton, '59 Fender Bassman."

Gillis eschews the use of pedals.

"I play straight into the head with a tuner and delay for one song," he says. "So I use no pedals except channel switching. I feel it is best straight up live. I use volume control a lot."

Gillis says digital recording has also made life easier -- especially the ease of having a decent home studio. The last Night Ranger album, Hole in the Sun, had all the ideas sketched out at home.

"We met at Jack Blades house to rehearse and hash out parts," says Gillis. "Having a home computer has helped. I use Digital Performer. I started on Performer when it was just MIDI. I have been using it for years. I have all the plug ins you'd ever need. I do all my stuff for tv, radio at home."

And Gillis does a great deal of TV and radio work (for ESPN, Fox Sports Fuse channel to name a few). He also worked on the Tiger Woods Playstation games.

"I have the luxury of going out with Night Ranger on weekends and working on this (radio / TV) during the week." he says.

Being a working musician for nearly three decades is, indeed, a luxury.