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Rig Rundown: Children of Bodom

It’s all about ESP guitars and cranked Marshalls for one of death metal’s most melodic shredders.

Laiho tours with a trio of his signature ESP Custom Shop models. “Scythe” and “Greeny” are both tuned a whole step down from standard and house a single EMG HZ F-H2 passive humbucker and an EMG MM-04 gain boost. The boost is almost always on and is controlled with a simple switch near the volume knob.

Thanks to tech Mikko-Pekka Laine for help with the details.

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FINNEAS, known for his Grammy Award-winning collaborations with Billie Eilish, collaborates with Fender on his signature Acoustasonic.

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Pure nickel wound strings designed to capture classic tones. Available in popular gauges (9s and 10s), these strings are intended to offer rich, warm tones and longer string life.

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Big New York may have six strings, but he’s leading from the low end.

Bandleading on bass offers a unique challenge. Here’s how one player rises to the occasion.

Bassists are natural leaders, both rhythmically and harmonically, but filling the foundational function doesn’t always lend itself to becoming an actual bandleader or solo artist. For most of us, that’s just fine. We’re perfectly happy holding it down and creatively keeping things together. (Of course there are plenty of exceptions: Stanley Clarke, Les Claypool, Meshell Ndegeocello, Thundercat, and Victor Wooten, to name a few.)

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This Delgado 6-string tres reflects the instrument’s global history. It’s made with a Sitka spruce top, Mexican rosewood back and sides, a Macassar ebony bridge, African ebony fretboard, and African mahogany neck.

Our columnist traces the history of the 6-string Cuban tres—from Africa, to Cuba, to the top of American country music.

I love that I was taught by my father and grandfather to build a variety of string instruments. I have continued to do this—I have built so many different types, and I learn from each one. I am currently building a nanga, a rectangular, harp-like African instrument played by the Ganda people of Uganda.

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