The band’s platinum pop-rock is fueled with amazingly customized axes, vintage Voxes, and plenty of sonic exploration.
Wayne Sermon plays several different BiLT guitars throughout the set. These offset beauties are highly customized with features Sermon specifically needs to create certain sounds from ID albums. His No. 1 is a gold-plated Volaré loaded with a pair of Lindy Fralin Twangmaster humbuckers. Each guitar is strung up with Elixir .011–.052 strings and Sermon uses Dunlop 88 mm 50th Anniversary Gold nylon picks.
Sermon’s BiLT Relevator is finished in shoreline gold and features both an MXR Carbon Copy and BiLT’s own fuzz circuit built into the body along with a Sustainiac in the neck position. Sermon can control the parameters of the effects via a wealth of buttons, switches, and controls that are accessible on the front of the guitar. There’s a Pedaltrain Volto on his strap that supplies power to the pedals via the stereo cable. He keeps this guitar tuned a half-step down from standard.
On “Fricton” Sermon reaches for this prototype BiLT baritone that’s tuned to A and features a Mastery bridge and tremolo along with a pair of Bare Knuckle Mule humbuckers. He strings it up with a set of Elixir strings gauged .012–.068.
For the acoustic tunes, Sermon grabs either his Gibson J-35 or Gibson LG-2 American Eagle (shown here), both flattops have LR Baggs M1 pickups. The LG-2 is kept in standard tuning and used on “Trouble,” “Thief,” and “Release,” while the J-35 is tuned a half-step down and is featured on the bridge to “I Bet My Life.”
The backline for Sermon’s chimey brand of pop-rock is full of classic British tones. His wet/dry/wet setup revolves around a quartet of vintage Vox AC30 amps—two from ’64, a ’66, and a ’67.
Along with the vintage Voxes, Sermon runs an angry Friedman Smallbox 50.
Each one is modded with a Top Boost Kit from Plexi Palace.
Friedman Smallbox 50 is plugged into a 65 Amps 2x12 Whiskey cabinet.
In order to keep things tight, Sermon’s pedals are kept offstage in a rack. The first drawer contains an original silver Klon Centaur, Analog Man King of Tone, ISP Decimator II, Paul Cochrane Timmy, and a Refractor built by Aion Electronics. The whole shelf is powered by a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus power supply.
The second drawer houses everything that’s routed before the volume pedal. It includes an Electro-Harmonix POG 2, Voodoo Lab Micro Vibe, J. Rockett Mark Sampson Hightop, Wampler Ego Compressor, Electro-Harmonix Superego Synth Engine, and a Malekko Vibrato (which is in the effects loop of the Superego). All of the effects are run through a RJM Mini Effects Gizmo and powered by another Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus.
The final drawer of “silliness” holds the Eventide H9, DigiTech Whammy, and Source Audio Programmable EQ. Sermon’s tech uses his iPad to connect to the H9 via Bluetooth in order to change or tweak any settings on the fly in real time.
During a typical show, Sermon needs to cover a lot of ground. After going through a Shure ULXD4 wireless unit, the signal hits a Sound Sculpture Switchblade GL before feeding one of three Eventide products: a pair of 7600 units and a H9.
Out front, Sermon uses a RJM Mastermind GT/22 for all his switching needs. He pairs that with a trio of Mission Engineering expression pedals that control the volume of individual amps and the DigiTech Whammy. Also on the board is a Boss TU-3 tuner.
Ben McKee keeps it cool with this custom bass built by Chris Stambaugh from Stambaugh Designs. It has some T-style design concepts along with a 33” scale length. It also features custom artwork using images that represent the band’s charitable foundation, The Tyler Robinson Foundation.
This Sadowsky Jazz bass is tuned to B-E-A-D for specific tunes on the band’s latest album, Smoke & Mirrors.
McKee also keeps this Mike Lull T4 tuned to B and it features passive electronics, a mahogany body and acoording to McKee, makes him feel like a “badass.”
A pair of Matchless Thunderman 50-watt heads provides McKee with his low-end rumble.
He runs the Matchless heads into a Bergantino NV412 cab.
Shane Johnson also built McKee’s bass rig. The goal was to be bulletproof yet still offer plenty of sonic options. His pedal drawer houses a Malekko B:Assmaster, Brimstone Audio Crossover Distortion XD-2, Electro-Harmonix Bass Micro Synth, and an Xotic EP Booster.
Stompboxtober Day 29 is live! Enter today to win a pedal from StewMac—more chances to win tomorrow!
StewMac International House of Overdrive Pedal Kit, With Bare Enclosure
The IHOO is based on the Crowther Hot Cake, an overdrive that became available around 1976. It was one of the earliest hand-made boutique effects pedals available. The circuit was designed to be what is now referred to as a “transparent” overdrive. An effect that enhances the player's sound while keeping the original tone intact.
This circuit has undergone many changes since its inception, and we have further expanded on the design by returning to an earlier version most revered by players and removing the buffer, which resulted in a reworked circuit that is true bypass but still retains the charm of the design.
We also include the original LM741 IC chip found in the originals, as well as the TL071 that is found in later versions so you can experiment with which IC best suits your playing style.
A 1000-watt speaker cabinet crafted for musicians who demand power and precision. Sunn Amps intends to reinvent the standard 4x12 configuration with the introduction of this new cabinet.
The Sunn Amps DoomBox is built to accommodate both guitar and bass, offering an impressive 1000-watt handling capacity—making it the first commercially available 4x12 cabinet with such high power handling. With four specially designed 12” drivers rated at 250 watts each, this cabinet provides clean, unrestrained sound levels that can maintain power integrity across all frequencies, ideal for high-volume performances.
Inspired and developed using feedback from artists and bands who rely on the depth of lower tunings and high volume genres, the DoomBox was engineered to meet the unique demands of professional musicians looking for a robust, high-efficiency cab that can translate the raw power of their sound without compromise.
Premium Craftsmanship and Materials
The Doom Box cabinet is crafted from solid finger-jointed Baltic Birch plywood, ensuring both durability and tonal clarity. Each cabinet is constructed by hand in the U.S.A. using original 1930s machinery, the DoomBox reflects Sunn’s historic commitment to quality, contrasting with some of the mass-produced, MDF-based cabinets on the market today. The cabinet’s aluminum basket, ferrite magnet, and custom Sunn weave Tolex with a custom grill design complete its professional-grade build.
Technical Specifications:
• Power Handling: 1000W
• Inputs: 1 x ¼”
• Impedance: 8 Ohm
• Drivers: 4 x Sunn 12S250
• Construction: Marine Grade Baltic Birch
• Dimensions: 29.25” X 30” X 14”
• Weight: 107 lbs
• Price: $2399.00
With clear low-end punch, even sound response, and ample air movement, the Doom Box ensures that every note reaches the audience with clarity and power. This cabinet is a game-changer for musicians who need high-performance, road-ready equipment that enhances their unique sound.
Does the guitar’s design encourage sonic exploration more than sight reading?
A popular song between 1910 and 1920 would usually sell millions of copies of sheet music annually. The world population was roughly 25 percent of what it is today, so imagine those sales would be four or five times larger in an alternate-reality 2024. My father is 88, but even with his generation, friends and family would routinely gather around a piano and play and sing their way through a stack of songbooks. (This still happens at my dad’s house every time I’m there.)
Back in their day, recordings of music were a way to promote sheet music. Labels released recordings only after sheet-music sales slowed down on a particular song. That means that until recently, a large section of society not only knew how to read music well, but they did it often—not as often as we stare at our phones, but it was a primary part of home entertainment. By today’s standards, written music feels like a dead language. Music is probably the most common language on Earth, yet I bet it has the highest illiteracy rate.
Developed specifically for Tyler Bryant, the Black Magick Reverb TB is the high-power version of Supro's flagship 1x12 combo amplifier.
At the heart of this all-tube amp is a matched pair of military-grade Sovtek 5881 power tubes configured to deliver 35-Watts of pure Class A power. In addition to the upgraded power section, the Black Magick Reverb TB also features a “bright cap” modification on Channel 1, providing extra sparkle and added versatility when blended with the original Black Magick preamp on Channel 2.
The two complementary channels are summed in parallel and fed into a 2-band EQ followed by tube-driven spring reverb and tremolo effects plus a master volume to tame the output as needed. This unique, signature variant of the Black Magick Reverb is dressed in elegant Black Scandia tolex and comes loaded with a custom-built Supro BD12 speaker made by Celestion.
Price: $1,699.