The Big 5: The Darkness' Dan Hawkins

Vernon Reid is one of the most inventive guitarists in modern rock, equal parts razor-tight riff machine (hello, "Cult of Personality") and fearless avant-garde noise explorer. In this Blueprint, we dig into the gear that captures the essence of what he does: the Reverend Vernon Reid Signature guitar and four pedals he's actually used, the DigiTech Whammy Ricochet, DigiTech FreqOut, Red Panda Particle, and Red Panda Tensor. The takeaway? Be adventurous, take chances, and use gear that changes how you approach the instrument. You won't become Vernon Reid (nobody can), but you can get into the ballpark.