Premier Guitar | 1 decade ago
Article and photos: http://bit.ly/VolbeatRR
On April 28th, 2014 Danish metal band Volbeat met with Premier Guitar before their show at Marathon Music Works in Nashville TN. Guitarist Robert Caggiano, formerly of the band Anthrax, reveals the secrete of his signature ESP guitar that helps you see where you are on a dark stage. Bassist Anders Kjølholm shows how he gets his thunderous tone with minimal gear. Gear: Volbeat has three complete backline systems; one setup for U.S. tours and two more setups for Europe allowing them to leapfrog from show to show. Here's what they carry in The States.
Founding member/bassist Anders Kjølholm is a MusicMan man, touring with seven different MusicMan Stingray four strings. He tunes six of them down a full step and keeps one at standard E for a couple of songs. When not playing his MMs, Kjølholm plays a bass custom-made by Bill Baker of New Jersey.
Kjølholm uses two TC-Electronic RH450 amps, each one packing a bone-crushing 450 watts. He runs the amps into four TC Electronic RS4-10 bass cabs for a total of sixteen 10" speakers blowing loud and proud.
Bass Effects: Kjølholm is not an effect guy. The signal starts at the Sennheiser EW500 G3 wireless system that runs into a Whirlwind Selector. The Whirlwind allows fast switching between the receivers and a tuner-out that runs to a TC Electronics Polytuner on stage and a second Polytuner in a Furman powered rack backstage.
Rob Caggiano exclusively plays his ESP signature guitar exclusively, touring with two identical production models. The signature was based on the ESX horizon. Caggiano's ESP features glow-in-the-dark neck-dot markers, Tonepros Locking TOM Bridge and Tailpiece, a Dimarzio Air Norton in the neck and a Dimarzio signature RC Custom in the bridge. Caggiano strings his ESPs with D'Addario EXL140-3D Nickel Wound Electric, 10-52.
AMPS: Caggiano runs two Fryette Sig:X G100SX 100W Tube Guitar Amp Heads. One acts as a main amp, the other as a slave. The main amp runs two Fryette Deliverance D412-P50E 200W 4X12 cabinets. The slave amp runs two Fryette Fatbottom 4x12 cabinets. All cabinets live on stage.
Effects: Caggiano runs his ESP into a Sennheiser Ew500 G3 wireless systems which runs into his Jim Dunlop GCB95F Cry Baby Wah into a Musicomlab EFX MKIII Effects Controller which handles channel switching on the amps and at the same time turns on and off presets of his peddles. Looped into the switcher is a TC Electronics Polytuner, a MXR Custom Comp, a TC Electronics Spark Booster, a MXR Smartgate then a Pigtronix Philosopher's Rock Compressor/Sustain/Distortion. Next inline is a MXR Micro Chorus then a Boss DD6 Delay connecting to a custom Tap-tempo pedal. Next is a Tech21 RVB Boost then a Death By Audio -- Interstellar Overdrive Deluxe. A Rocktron Hush runs through the amp's effects loop.The Musicomlab has four presets and 3 amp sounds: lead, rhythm and clean. The switching presets are as follows Preset 1. Amp channel Rhythm , MXR comp,TC spark, Boss delay tap Preset 2.Amp channel Rhythm , MXR comp, death by audio, Boss delay tap, Preset 3.Amp channel Lead , noise gate, and micro chorus Preset 4. Amp channel clean, philosophers rock, reverb
Special thanks to Volbeat's Guitar Tech, Tue Bayer for all of his help!
