Howard Melnick has played in various bands in South and Central Florida over the past decade or so. These included Passive Aggression in Orlando (released No Encores Tonight), Fashionista in Miami (released Neptune, King of the Sea and 40 Seconds). He is currently working with Marqui Adora in Miami . Melnick has also worked with other artists and in production. He took some time, quite a lot actually, to talk about the various gear he has used over the years--and more importantly--why he has used it.

When it comes to guitars he has a massive and varied list. Often you find musicians who stick with Fender, Gibson or whatever. Melnick moves around.

One of his faves for recording is the Fender Jazzmaster.

"It's definitely a favorite of mine. Sounds really good clean and can get unusual pitch bend and tremolo sounds with it that you wouldn't get with a Floyd Rose-equipped guitar," says Melnick. "Another favorite is the Rickenbacker 330 12-String Electric. I usually use that for doubling parts I do with the Jazzmaster to brighten everything up even further."

He also uses a Gretsch White Falcon which he says is great for both clean and distorted sounds.

"I like it live because I can get both Fender and Gibson sounds out of it without having to switch guitars," he says. "It also has a unique tremolo arm that gives you different pitch bending sounds then you would with other systems."

There are a couple of Gibsons Melnick has employed as well; the Gibson 335 and a Les Paul. He describes the 335 as a very loud guitar, not bad for clean sounds but more a rock guitar.

"Great for Jesus and Mary Chain feedback and the like!" says Melnick.

He only uses the Les Paul in the studio saying that sometimes it is just called for. The Les Paul is, obviously, another loud one and is great for doubling distorted guitar tracks.

The Fernandes Revolver Elite is another of his guitars as is a Fender VI Bass/Baritone.

"This is very modern guitar with a Floyd Rose and Sustainer pickup," says Melnick. "You can pretty much do anything on this guitar and it sounds great. The Sustainer is really what makes it for me though."

The Fender VI is a 6 string bass that is tuned like a guitar.

"Very unique and very cool," says Melnick. "If you listen to the record Disintegration by The Cure, then you'll hear this all over the place."

Melnick has a less massive list of amplifiers but, again, he runs the gamut of brands and sounds. The first amp he lists is a hybrid--Peavey5150 Head with Marshall 4x12 Cab.

"This is pretty much my main amp live and in the studio. I copied a friend of mine when I saw him play with this setup years ago. I love this amp because the clean channel is really clean and the Lead channel is really over the top," says Melnick. "It also has a rhythm channel that has a mild distortion for it, which reminds me of a Ibanez Tube Screamer going through the amp. I think it sounds unique because it's not your typical Marshall or Mesa Boogie sound but there is a bit there because of the Marshall Cab, but it has that Peavey "sizzle" to it. Plus it's 120 Watts."

He also uses a Roland JC120 and a Marshall AC50. The former he says is strictly for the studio but that it is the "cleanest amp ever." The Marshall is an acoustic amp which his uncle gave him. In both cases he runs direct out of the amp to the board.

"My acoustics aren't really worth mic'ing." he says.

Keep an eye out for Melnick and Marqui Adora in South Florida.