Gear Review: A Criminal Risk guitarist Chris Douglas on his Bogner Alchemist 40 Watt Tube Head

Recently I had the chance to speak with Chris Douglas, guitarist of the New Jersey-based punk rock act A Criminal Risk. We delved into the gear Chris uses in order to obtain his unique, signature sound. Here is what he had to say.

What one piece of gear do you use to obtain your signature sound?
Nick: The Bogner Alchemist 40 watt tube head is the main source of my sound.

What about it makes it important to you?
Nick: That head is absolutely amazing and very versatile. I play two Gibson Les Paul’s and a PRS Starla, which all have different pickups and different sounds. I switch guitars during our live show to fit certain guitars to certain songs, and the head is easy to adjust to each guitar and works with great with all of them.

What are the major pros and cons?
Nick: The big pro is that the amp can easily adjust to the different sounds of each guitar I use. It also has a 20 watt feature for home use, smaller venues, or venues where the guitars get mic’d. I haven’t really had any bad thoughts or experiences with it, besides the fact that when you first use it, the tones take a little more time to find than some of my other and older amps.

How long have you had it and would you ever consider changing it?
Nick: Just under a year. I eventually will change as our music grows and as I grow as a musician.

Any final thoughts on the gear?
Nick: I would definitely like to say that I recommend every product I use: Gibson guitars, PRS guitars, Bogner amps, Panamax power conditioners, Boss tuner, Line 6 wireless G50; they are all great products… very reliable and they all work very well!

Check out the song “Brooklyn”