Mike Ness

Ness currently lives in Newport Beach, California with his wife Christine and two sons Julian (born 1992) and Johnny (born 1997). He is an avid collector of vintage ephemera such as Hamburglar toys and hot rods, owning a 1954 Chevy and a 1936 Ford. In 2003 he founded Black Kat Kustoms with "long time hot rodder and builder" Don Nemarnik. Black Kat Kustoms is an expression of his love for hot rods, cats, bikes, and counter-culture clothing. Ness is a vegetarian.

Ness was seen early in his career using Gibson SGs and SG Juniors but currently uses 70's Gibson Les Paul Deluxes (a 1971 sunburst, a 1975 sunburst, a 1975 goldtop and a 1976 goldtop). His 1976 goldtop is his favorite and most used guitar currently however his 1971 sunburst was his main guitar for many years, especially through the 1990s. Ness uses Eb Standard tuning and usually uses a capo on the second fret while using his goldtops. He has used Seymour Duncan P-90s in all of his guitars since touring with Neil Young in the early 1990s. Ness' goldtops have maple necks which he says contribute to his tone especially when using a capo on the second fret. Read Less