The man with the hot sauce, the Jack Daniels bass and the high pitch backing vocals... in addition to his thundering bass lines, Michael's melodic and instantly recognizable backing vocals play a huge part in the unique sound of Van Halen. He is responsible for many of the ear-shattering squeals and screams found throughout the band's albums.

As a connoisseur of Jack Daniel's whiskey, Mike was prompted to build a bass in the shape of a Jack Daniel's bottle at the urging of friends. The bass was originally built as a novelty item and was assembled from various bass parts including Kramer rear tuners by Michael, Kevin Dugan and Dave Jellison. The pickups were built into the bridge to keep the paint job smooth and consistent. The guitar made its debut appearance in the video for "Panama," and was delivered during filming of the video at the Spectrum in Philadelphia.

The JD bass was later donated to the Hard Rock Cafe chain, but was such a hit, that Michael decided to build a high quality version. The Jack Daniel's company offered to assist with the graphics in exchange for Mike's entry into their hall of fame. This bass was built by Jim O'Connor and the final airbrushed graphics were done by Dan Lawrence of GMW Guitars in Glendora (California, USA).

Michael's bass solo has always been nothing short of spectacular. Over the years, it's evolved from a mind-numbing theatric excursion to a jaw-dropping technical display. Whether launching his bass from the risers and stomping it into the ground, throwing in a little humor by adding the Bonanza theme, kicking things off with Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor or the sonic crush dubbed 'Ultra Bass,' you never know what the man is gonna throw your way. And that's just the way he likes it. The backup Jack Daniel's bass was even brought out of retirement on the III Tour. Mike played it during "Somebody Get Me A Doctor" - his solo spot that featured him on lead vocals, which became an instant crowd favorite!

Brand/Model	Serial #	P
Yamaha BB1000MA Signature Model		[ +1 ]
Yamaha BB3000MA Signature Model		[ +1 ]

Considering his gear, we also have to include his passions: hot sauces, whiskey and cars. And for those, he has his own custom "Mad Anthony Hot Sauce" (in cooperation with Mike and Diane’s Gourmet Kitchen, with two 2005 variations), a bottle of "Jack Daniels" in hand and, car-wise speaking, a 1969 Shelby GT500 Mustang (with a 428 Cobra Jet engine), a 1984 Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer 512, a 1999 Ferrari 550 Maranello, a one-of-a-kind 1933 'Fire' Roadster (built by Hot Rods By Boyd), a 1940 Ford Ragen covertible (with a Chevy LT4 engine and 700 R4 transmission).