Who is Cameron Johnson?
Born: ?/?/83
Hobbies: music, juggling, running, weights, reading, hacky sacking, amps, and what not
Favorite food: Thai and Pizza
Favorite Bands: Incubus, 311, Saves the Day, Weezer, Metallica, Dave Matthews Band, Silverchair, Swift, Alice in Chains, the Deftones, The Offspring, Ace of Base, Dream Theater, Meshuggah, Tool, Swift, Staind, No Doubt, Queen, Big Wreck
Previous and current bands: Post Nasal Drip, Shrapnel (in middle School), Wrath of the Gods (98'-99'), JGL/Nihil (99'-00'), Pariah/Quicksand (00'-01'), Last Stretch (03'-now), the Macdonalds (04'-now), Sack Lunch (05'-now)
Guitars:
Electric-94' Gibson Les Paul Studio, 03' Carvin DC727 7 string, 94' Fender American Strat, 98' G&L ASAT Classic Three (only 100 made), 91' Fender Squire Strat, Homemade 1 Humbucker guitar
Acoustic-Takamine Santa Fe PSF-35C (discontinued), 98' Dolphin DS65 nylon string
Bass- Ibanez SR 505, 70's Aria Pro 2 CSB-300
Amps: Soldano Atomic 16 head, Carvin MTS head, Marshall JTM 30 combo, Soldano 4X12 cabinet, Avatar 2x12 cabinet, Fender Princeton Chorus combo
Effects: Ibanez Turbo Tube Screamer, Guyatone Micro Delay, Danelectro Milkshake chorus, MXR Phase 90, MXR Super Comp, Analog man modded Boss DS-1, Boss TU-2 tuner, Boss Graphic eq, Boss CE-2 Chorus, Boss Line Selector, Voodoo Lab Super Fuzz, Boss Noise Supressor, Cry Baby Wah, Ernie Ball Volume, Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2
Drums: Yamaha Stage Custom with Zildjian, Sabian, and Istanbul cymbals
This is my main live amp, a Carvin Master Tubes Series head. I bought this for super cheap second hand and really like it. I recently retubed it with EL-34's and it smokes! It was used on all of the Macdonalds Demos, and on 70% of the unreleased Last Stretch album.
This is my Marshall JTM 30 combo. It is used as a practice amp and as a backup to my Carvin. I have recently been using it in the studio for Sack Lunch stuff and I have been very impressed with the tones I have gotten. I also got this amp for super cheap because I find the sweetest deals! It was used on most of the clean parts on It's Time to Rock, most of the Macdonalds Demos, 30% of the unreleased Last Stretch album, and 100% of the Sack Lunch EP.
This was my main amp for at least 4 years, my Soldano Atomic 16 head. I have stopped using it live because it only has one channel and I needed the flexibility of two channels since I do a lot of switching live. It is a very complex sounding amp but doesn't have a ton of gain or bottom end, but certainly enough for me. It sounds awesome on tape and I will continue to use it in the studio. It was used on all of the dirty parts for It's Time to Rock, The Last Stretch Demo, and the first CJE album. Also, all of the controls go to 11; seriously.
This was my first real amp, a Fender Princeton Chorus. My parents bought it for me right before I played my first gig in 8th grade. I have since used it for clean sounds on the first CJE record, and for clean and overdriven sounds paired with my Gainiac tube preamp on the Last Stretch Demo and with in my old Last Stretch rig. It is one of the best solid state amps I have ever played. It now sits in my house, by itself.
Oddly enough, this is the amp I use the most, a battery operated Lil' Smokey. I have had it for a year and I have yet to replace the 9v battery. I just keep it in my desk with a cord, metronome, and a tuner. The good thing about the amp is that you have to make it sound good, cause it won't make you sound good. Your playing really comes through, especially when you roll back your volume and get a cleaner sound which can be sobering when I am not playing well. Amazingly, you can use this little amp to power a 4x12 cab, and it sounds good! I would highly reccomend any serious player to get one of these to help with practice; they are cheap too!
My beloved Soldano straight front cab. I really don't see myself ever selling this cab because it makes any amp sound awesome. I even bought a custom purple flight case for it just to make it harder for me to carry around. I would love to have another one of these, but then I would have to buy another heavy ass flight case. It was used on everything I have ever recorded except for the Sack Lunch EP.
My Avatar 2x12 cab. I had this made for me my freshman year in college as an alternative to my Soldano cab. It has a celestion Vintage 30 and G12H30 in it. It actually sounds great and was very affordable. I used it for half of It's Time to Rock and in an early incarnation of my Last Stretch rig.
My Furman power conditioner and Audio Technica wireless system; just like pretty hair, power needs conditioning and wirelessing.
Some unused rack gear including a Behringer Compressor/Limiter, Rocktron Gainiac, and Behringer Virtualizer. I have used the Gainiac's clean channel in my old Last Stretch Rig and on the Last Stretch Demo with my Fender Prenceton Chorus for my clean sound. The distorted channel sounds terrible so I use it for low-fi sounds now and again.
Just some pedals and crap that have fallen out of favor, waiting to be cycled back into my pedal board. I will probably use the stormtrooper Pez despencer for my clean sound on the next record.
My favorite guitar in the universe, a 94' Gibson Les Paul Studio. This guitar has graced all of the recordings I have ever done in some way. It is also my main live guitar because it is so easy to play. Her name is Pauline, and she might as well be my girlfriend. You can hear her on all of the CJE recordings, the Macdonalds Demos, on the unreleased Last Stretch Album, and the Sack Lunch EP.
This is my 94' Fender American Standard Strat. For some reason, I can't get enough of this guitar! This is the guitar I play the most right now because you have to work a little more when you play it, which makes the Les Paul seem easier to play. It also has that mojo that only a Fender bolt-on can have. I like the way this guitar feels with my picking hand because of that extra tension vs. the LP. It makes picking faster a little easier, but harder on the fretting hand. I will probably play this with my LP live 50/50. I used this on the Last Stretch Demo half of the time, on some of the Macdonalds Demos, and on the Sack Lunch EP.
Ahhh, Fender.
The previous owner of this guitar changed out the bridge and neck pickups for Seymour Duncans. The bridge is now a Hot Rails and I have no idea whats in the neck. The hot rails sounds very percussive and has a lot of bite which is very cool. The volume and tone knobs are also push pull pots. The volume splits the coils of the neck and bridge, and to be honest, I have no idea what the hell the other one does. What a sweet and mysterious guitar!
This is my main recording guitar, my Carvin DC727 7 string. It has the best sound to tape of all of my guitars. I used to use it live, but I never really used the low B, so I switched to my LP. It was used on one song from It's Time to Rock, half of the Last Stretch Demo, and most of the unreleased Last Stretch Album.
This is my very rare, limited edition, G&L ASAT Classic Three tele. Only 100 of these beauties were made. It has very nice tone and an incredible neck. It was used a lot on the first CJE album and on some of It's Time to Rock.
Check out the birdseye figure!.
My crappy Fender Squire Strat. I bought this as a beater my freshman year of college. It has never never been on anything I have recorded cause it sucks.
My Aria Pro 2 Bass. I bought this for $70 because it was in a fire. Believe it or not, this bass is awesome! Someone retrofitted a pair of EMG pickups in it so it sounds killer. I cannot tell you how many offers I have gotten for this bass but I won't sell it! It was used on all the CJE releases, the Macdonalds demos, and on a song off of the Sack Lunch EP.
Old school EMG's!
This is the current incarnation of my ever changing pedal board. I still have to buy more cable and trouble-shoot it, but it should be pretty sweet. I'm just glad it doesn't look excessive. In the future, I plan on getting a midi foot controller and interface so I can rack mount all of my pedals.
Guitarzzzzz
Amps...Hooray!!
Yamaha Stage Custom drums
Cymbal insanity!
