My journey began with a Fender Sidekick Chorus, circa 1986 and a Yamaha single humbucker guitar that I can't remember the model.
Blew up the Fender running it too long @ wide open, (really just blew a mains fuse inside but I didn't know any better at the time) so it got tossed.
Bought a KMD 60 watt 1x12 combo with another 1x12 ext. cab, and sounded a lot better. Also had a new Squire Strat at this time loaded with EMG pups and a Kahler locking trem.
I couldn't get past the sound of single coils, and traded it in on a new Yamaha RGX211 axe. Shred City!
Played this through a friends pair of JCM900 half stacks with a stereo Chorus pedal connecting the two, and decided I definitely needed that, but I could only afford one half stack: Peavey Triumph 120. Sounded pretty good at low volumes but it got too loud and mudded right out past 3 on the Master anyway, so got rid of that too. About then I stopped playing altogether for a few years.
When I got back into it, I found some ridiculously good deals: First a Jackson PS4 guitar that I EMG'd, and a used Peavey 4x12 cab from the late 70s. I went shopping for a Marshall head and found I could only afford the VS100H. Not bad, but definitely not great either.
When I had some $$ to spend again, about year 2001 in there somewhere I went to a local Music-Go-Round. 3 things caught my eye...(well 4 if you count the girl who worked there)
An ADA MP-1, a Rocktron Chameleon, and a BC Rich Gunslinger with the snakeskin print.
The Gunslinger was missing screws, locknut parts, and had a lot of rust on the metal. They wouldn't budge a penny on the price, either so I passed on that.
The preamps were the same price, but I went with the ADA because I remembered seeing the adverts in the magazines about them. I had no clue who Rocktron was at the time.
Plugged into the Powe In of the VS100H sounded really underwhelming. Plugged into the front Input it was a real screamer. And I mean that in both good and bad ways. I had a killer sound but I couldn't shut it up at any volume without rolling the guitar volume off. Bye bye VS100H.
I made the jump at that point to go full rack with a Rocktron Velocity 300 poweramp, a Rocktron Intellifex, Korg DTR1000 tuner, Rocktron Hush Super C, BBE 482, both a Marshall 1960A and 1960B cab, etc. and it was just on from there. Got another Jackson Superstrat, and a pair of Jackson Kellys. Started following the Mod doc made available and got busy. Real busy. Probably repaired and modded 50-60 MP-1s. Sold the Velocity for a Peavey Classic 120 tube poweramp, sold the Intellifex for an Xpression, and sold the BBE just to make it go away. I still have the Korg tuner. Sold the Superstrats. Still have both Kellys. No MP-1s anymore; the MP-2 is my Grail. Sold the Super C, since the MP-2 has it's own Gate. Sold the Classic 120 because it was too heavy, and got a ADA MT200.
There's a lot I missed, but this is the brief story. lol There was a lot of heavy shit going on at the time, and I got where I'm at now with a little help from my friends. I said I got by with a little help...from my friends. And I'm forever grateful.