GALLERY: Riot Fest 2016
Holy White Hounds’ James Manson
For the band’s midday set, Manson went the distance with this Epiphone Firebird that he bought online because of how beautiful it looked with its gold hardware. Manson hasn’t done anything to the guitar since buying it, but the pickups have so much sweat, beer, and grime in them that their tone has been muddied up, so he employs a few select stomps to brighten up his sound for the stage.
Holy White Hounds’ Brenton Dean
The band’s frontman did some heavy reworking of his main axe—a Fender Jazzmaster—as he gutted the electronics from his older DeArmond M-75T, hence the tailpiece having a ‘D’ on it, and dropped in a set of TV Jones Super’Trons.
Meat Puppets’ Cris Kirkwood
Wasting no time or energy, the band’s low-end anchor relied on his custom-built P-bass copy that was built by “Guitar Dog” aka James Knopp. Here’s what Kirkwood said of the 4-string: “It features a fake Fender Precision body with a real P-bass maple neck, a Badass bridge, and Seymour Duncan Performer pickups. The main thing I asked for in the development of this guitar was that it be lightweight—as plenty of the basses I've played over the years have tended to be on the somewhat hefty side—because I've become old and broke down. Thankfully the bass sounds great and is very versatile tone-wise, and it adapts well to the variety of vibes that the band touches on during performances.”
Meat Puppets’ Curt Kirkwood
Curt, the other half of the Kirkwood duo, rocked his custom one-off that was built by Jimmy Bernard who teaches at the Roberto Venn School of Luthierie in Arizona, where the Kirkwoods call home. The builder based it on Kirkwood’s old 1959 Gibson Les Paul Reissue. Curt says he enjoys gigging with this one because it’s lighter and is one of the most magical guitars he’s ever played.
Pepper’s Kaleo Wassman
If you’re going to tour with just two guitars, make them count. Kaleo brings a pair of Fender Custom Shop ’61 Strats that were put together by Master Builder John Cruz. This one is loaded with Seymour Duncan Custom Classic single-coils.
Pepper’s Bret Bollinger
He’s played many basses over the years, but Bret Bollinger can’t put down this gift from his mom—a 1972 Fender Jazz bass that was upgraded with Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound pickups. “Once I started playing my jazz bass, I never put it down. I never got very good at it, but nonetheless I never put it down because it's always felt like home to me!”
The Hold Steady’s Steve Selvidge
Steve never looked back once he grabbed his 2016 Fender American Vintage ’52 Telecaster and hit the first chord in “Stuck Between Stations.” Here’s what he had to say about his newest guitar: “In the past, Tad and I doubled up on the humbucker-equipped, set-neck guitars. With Franz back in the mix on keys, I thought it would be a cool idea to change things up and go with the classic blackguard-Tele vibe. It's worked out really well, I think. I got this guitar new from Fender and I've done nothing to it other than play it. It's a fantastic guitar with a great neck shape and super-musical low end. A keeper for sure.”
Glassjaw’s Justin Beck
The longtime 6-stringer for the post-hardcore band played favorites during the festival set by only using his Gibson 1961 Les Paul Tribute. Beck bought the guitar last year and the only thing he’s done to make it his own is swap out the standard “sideways” Vibrato with a Vibrola because he said it never truly went back to the zero position. He’s really enjoyed jamming it because of its thinner neck and he’s loved having a functioning whammy bar since he hasn’t owned a guitar with one since 1993. And as he put it, “Dive bombs all day!”
Glassjaw’s Travis Sykes
Much like his bandmate, Travis stayed close to his main instrument, an ESP Vintage 4 PJ, for Glassjaw’s set. He’s seen here holding down the low end during “Mu Empire.”
Bad Religion’s Brian Baker
Brian Baker—one half of Bad Religion’s guitar buzzsaw—is seen here with his trusty 1955 Gibson Les Paul Junior that has been outfitted with a custom-wound Seymour Duncan P-90 (with ceramic magnet), a MojoAxe compensated bridge, and vintage nickel Grover tuners from the ’70s. Brian on his Juniors: “I love vintage Juniors. I feel there really is a tonality unique to old rosewood, and the simple fact that pretty much every one of them has been a guitar (vibrating, expanding and contracting) for 56 years or more is really inspiring. The only mods I've done on the guitar are for live show playability. The bridge and tuners do make the guitars intonate better and make the tuning more stable. The Duncan P-90 is wound a good bit hotter than the stock pickup, which I need for the gain structure I use in Bad Religion. My main guitar also has a white pickguard, which I had made so I could tell the difference in the dark between it and it's backup, an almost identical 1955 Junior!”
Bad Religion’s Mike Dimkich
Just like Baker, Dimkich goes old school by rocking a 1958 Gibson Les Paul Junior that is all stock, aside from a refinish and tuners. He loves the raw sound of a P-90 because “it’s probably recorded more classic rock and roll records than folks would ever imagine and has been on most classic punk albums—NY Dolls, Sex Pistols, the Clash, 999, the Avengers—plus the single pickup and minimal controls makes a guy's life far easier in the heat of battle onstage (laughs)!”
Bad Religion’s Jay Bentley
During “Los Angeles is Burning” and the rest of the set, Bentley rode hard and fast with his 1977 Fender Precision bass that now has a DiMarzio DP122 pickup and a Badass bridge. And if you look closely, you can see that he has no tone or volume controls because “turning down isn't an option!”
With Our Arms to the Sun’s Josh Breckenridge
Making the trek all the way from Arizona, WOATTS guitarist/frontman Josh Breckenridge rocked and rolled with his Schecter Solo II Platinum, loaded with active EMGs in it, during the band’s entire set.
Gwar’s Balsac—the Jaws of Death
In his typical awesome fashion, Mike Derks donned his oversized monster suit and played his signature model Schecter Balsac the Jaws 'o Death 6-string during the whole hilarious set in Chicago. Nicknamed "Jaw," it’s a jagged version of a classic V-shape body loaded with a Seymour Duncan AHB-1 Blackout pickup.
Gwar’s Pustulus Maximus
The band's newest guitarist, Brent Purgason, slayed on his signature Blakhart model, the Whargoul Pustulus Maximus. Even though the guitar takes a beating every show, Purgason says he's only had to make minor adjustments. His guitars are strung with D’Addario (.010-.046 ) strings.
Gwar fans
And this is what happens when you’re in the front row of a Gwar show.
Julian Marley
The lone reggae torchbearer at this year’s fest held down the easy-skanking vibes with a Gibson Les Paul Standard as he paid homage to his father’s classic album Exodus by playing it front to back.
Ween’s Dean Ween
One of the ringleaders of the offbeat alt-rock group Ween, Dean (a.k.a. Mickey Melchiondo) pays constant tribute to his Hendrix influences by primarily rocking a Strat onstage. The mashed-up Strat's cavity has a '57 route and has a dowel cut in half lengthwise glued to the outside wall to receive the extra screw hole for a '62 or later pickguard. It was refinished Dakota red in the early '90s. And its neck plate dates to 1962. The guitar has a Seymour Duncan Hot Rails pickup in the bridge and Fender Lace Sensors in the middle and neck positions.
Refused’s Magnus Flagge
Kicking the nighttime Chicago crowd into a frenzy during the opener “Elektra,” Flagge sneers down at his Fender P bass. Notice the gaff tape he uses to make sure the pickup selector stays in the middle position no matter how ferociously he picks.
Refused’s Mattias Bärjed
For “The Shape of Punk to Come”, the newish guitarist (he joined in 2015) gets a little help from show-stopping frontman Dennis Lyxzén.
The Vandals’ Warren Fitzgerald
The lone axeman in the band holds it down during “I’ve Got an Ape Drape” with his Fender Telecaster HH.
The Smoking Popes’ Josh Caterer
He’s seen here taking a moment in “Let’s Hear It For Love” to show the hometown crowd that it’s all about the Fender Jazz bass.
The Smoking Popes’ Matt Caterer
The guitarist/frontman gets frisky with a quick solo on “Gotta Know Right Now” thanks to his U.S.-made Fender Double Fat Strat.
Black Foxxes’ Mark Holley
Enjoying their first U.S. festival right after releasing their debut album, I’m Not Well, the frontman/guitarist shows off his brand-new custom creation from Hugh Manson out of the U.K.
Bob Mould
Working an equal amount of Hüsker Dü and solo material, Mould had no regrets spending most of his time with his Fender Strat Plus that has replaced his original No. 1 blue Strat. He recently spoke with PG about his new batch of Strats after retiring the blue one from the road: “They’re all pretty much late-’80s Strat Plus factory gear, but I’ve swapped out the pickups for the Lace Sensor Blue pickups because I prefer the original Blue ones.” (Check out our interview with Bob Mould.)
The Hives’ Vigilante Carlstroem
With nothing more than his main guitar—a stock ’59 Epiphone Coronet (just the input jack has been replaced)—and a whole lot of attitude, Carlstroem sped through the band’s 8-song midday set. (See the rest of Vigilante’s gear in our Rig Rundown.)
The Hives’ Nicholaus Arson
The Hives cofounder stayed true to his first love during most of the band’s high-energy performance. Arson rocks a vintage Fender Telecaster Custom with a hot bridge pickup. He never uses neck pickups—there's not even a switch. Learn about the rest of Nicholaus’ gear in this Rig Rundown.
Descedents’ Stephen Egerton
The punk rocker has been loyal to Ernie Ball guitars since the mid-’90s. For the band’s most recent album Hypercaffium Spazzinate he used an EBMM Axis that he calls “Old Gray,” but for the Riot Fest performance of their popular anthem “Hope” he used a sleek EBMM StingRay.
Brand New’s Jesse Lacey
Opening the set with the fiery “Sic Transit Gloria… Glory Fades,” Lacey opted for a recently acquired Fender Jazzmaster that is already receiving his trademark barrage of stickers and artwork. (Get the inside scoop on Jesse’s gear in our Rig Rundown.)
Brand New’s Vincent Accardi
Vincent’s love for Cyclones is pretty prevalent (check out our Rig Rundown with him where he put a Cyclone neck on a vintage Telecaster) and he’s added another to as his stash as he’s seen here wailing on a 2000s Fender Cyclone during “Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don’t.”
Social Distortion’s Mike Ness
One of SoCal’s punk godfathers sticks with what he knows and likes—Gibson Les Paul Deluxes. While working through their classic album White Light, White Heat, White Trash, he leaned heavily on his 1976 Deluxe that was modded with Seymour Duncan Antiquity P-90s after learning from Neil Young’s tech Larry Cragg that Neil Young swears by those style of pickups when SD opened for Young in the ’90s during the Ragged Glory tour. (Learn about all of Mike’s Deluxes in our Rig Rundown.)
Social Distortion’s Jonny Wickersham
Normally dealing with classic, vintage guitars, Wickersham clung tightly to his signature Echopark Downtowner, which he co-designed with luthier Gabriel Currie to create a guitar the incorporate elements of a ’50s Gibson Les Paul Junior and a Supro. (Check out the rest of Jonny’s setup in our Rig Rundown.)
Tiger Army’s Nick 13
The lone original member Nick 13—aka Kearney Nick Jones—does his best psychobilly freakout with his custom Gretsch White Penguin in the middle of the cut “Firefall.”
Chevy Metal’s Chris Shiflett
Best known for his 6-string role in the Foo Fighters, Chris Shiflett, is enjoying the festival circuit with fellow Foo Taylor Hawkins in their cover band, Chevy Metal. The band tackles classic rock and metal songs from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. Seen here, Shiflett grabbed his goldtop Gibson Les Paul for the Thin Lizzy song “Jailbreak.”
Sleater-Kinney’s Carrie Brownstein
Carrie cranks it up for “One More Hour” with her custom-made, one-off Tele clone that was built by Rueben Cox. Here’s what the builder had to say about it: “The guitar was completed on New Year's Eve 2014. The pickups are Lollar Wide Range humbuckers. The body is mahogany—completely hollow except a for a mahogany bridge block—with a book-matched mahogany top and back. I gave it a chopped tele bridge and the 3-way placement is similar to the SG.”
Thursday’s Tom Keeley
September 18th, 2016, marked the first time Thursday played two shows in one day. They started the day with a show at Chicago’s Double Door at 1 a.m. and guitarist Tom Keeley is shown above with his Fender Telecaster for the rocker “Cross Out the Eyes.”
Thursday’s Steve Pedulla
Not to be outshined by his bandmate, Pedulla grabbed his own Fender Tele and rode with high-gain waves for “Signals Over the Air.”
Underoath’s Timothy McTague
Armed with nothing more than his Gibson SG—with just a bridge pickup and volume control—McTague went berserk during “In Regards to Myself.”
Underoath’s Grant Brandell
“Plug in and play loud” should be Grant’s mission statement as he strapped on his Fender Jazz Bass—that has no volume or tone knobs or circuitry—on “Breathing In a New Mentality.”
Underoath’s James Smith
The band’s other guitar slinger held tight to his First Act Lola for the slamming “It’s Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door.”
Jake Bugg
The 22-year-old from Nottingham, England, started the party with “Two Fingers” and his Fender Stratocaster.
Deftones’ Stephen Carpenter
Longtime ESP user Stephen went with his signature 8-string, loaded with his signature Fishman Fluence pickups, for the opener “Rocket Skates.” Carpenter spoke with us earlier this year and had this to say on why he loves 7- and 8-strings: “The lower registers. Having that option to drop down to the lower stuff—it’s just fun, really heavy to play, a little darkness. Darkness!” (Read our recent interview with Stephen about recording the new Deftones album Gore.)
Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard
This man loves Fender Mustangs. He vibes with their 24” scale. As you can see above, he’s using one of his 1970s Fender Mustangs during the song “Crooked Teeth.” During our Rig Rundown with the band, his tech told us that the pickup switches and tone controls have been removed—a single volume knob controls both pickups—and he replaced the trem springs with bolts, locking down the floating tailpiece.
NOFX’s Fat Mike
The not-so-rotund bassist held down the music-mixed-with-comedy set with his main squeeze, a Danelectro DC Copper bass.
NOFX’s Eric Melvin
Cofounding guitarist Eric Melvin is never without a dual-humbucker singlecut and such was the case during “Stickin’ in My Eye” when he opted for his ESP Eclipse.
Rob Zombie’s John 5
A man of many Teles (check out his lava lamp Fender Tele in our Rig Rundown), John 5 used his signature J5 Tele with a “paddle” headstock for most of the set that celebrated White Zombie’s Astro Creep 2000.
Rob Zombie’s Piggy D.
Zombie’s longtime long-end monster took a break from grappling with his Fender P bass to let the crowd know it’s time to rock and roll.
The Anniversary’s Josh Berwanger
We saw plenty of Gibson Les Pauls at Riot Fest, but guitarist Josh Berwanger held the only mysterious Moderne spotted in Chicago all weekend.
Jimmy Eat World’s Jim Adkins
The band’s main man wails with his signature Fender Tele that has a semi-hollow ash body, maple neck, and is loaded with two Seymour Duncan SP90 pickups.
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