Mastodon's Brent Hinds
Signal Chain: Boss TU-3 Tuner (split off), Ernie Ball volume pedal > Morley Bad Horsie wah > Boss GE-7 Graphic EQ > Morpheus DropTune > VMan Overdrive
(custom) > Ibanez TS-808 > Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor > Boss DD-6 Digital Delay > Stereo Split Left (Boss RE-20 > Line 6 DL4 > Lee Jackson 4-Way
Split > EbTech Hum Eliminator > Amps) OR Stereo Split Right (Boss RE-20 > Line 6 DL4 > Amp). Photo by Ken Settle
Hinds’ setup has been fairly
constant, with the Line 6
DL4, Boss GE-7 Graphic EQ,
Ibanez Tube Screamer, Boss
DD-6 Digital Delay, and Boss
RE-20 Space Echo comprising
the band’s live tone for years.
In 2009, Hinds added the
Morpheus DropTune.
Hinds favors a TS-808 Tube
Screamer with a JRC4558 chip
for overdrive. He has a signature
Monster Effects Mastortion
pedal based on this version of
the TS-808, but with more
volume and low end. When we
caught up with Hinds during
the band’s tour in support of
The Hunter, however, it was the
trusty TS-808 on the board.
Photo by Chris KiesHinds described his
approach to effects as simple:
“Anything other than those
effects or something with a
lot of knobs and switches
[laughs], I don’t know how to
work! I want to be like Omar
Rodríguez-López [guitarist of
The Mars Volta and At the
Drive-In] with tons of effects
and pedals, but I don’t have the
most patience in the world and
I only have one foot to control
my pedalboard.”
But he’s on his way. One
newer addition to this board
is the Morley Bad Horsie wah,
used on the song “Dry Bone
Valley.” Hinds joked, “Essentially,
to be considered a bonafide
guitarist you need to record one
wah wah song … ‘Dry Bone
Valley’ has this perfect swaggering,
galloping vibe to the chorus
and verses that leads right up the
wah-solo perfectly.”
Of course, despite adding a
pedal here and there, Hinds will
likely never dive into a more
complex setup and still prefers
to get his chorus sounds a bit
more naturally: with his 9- and
12-string guitars. He explains,
“The octave strings create this
ringing, atonal chorus effect
unmatched by any chorus
pedal. A 6-string and a pedal
sounds stale in comparison.”