These purveyors of punishing ’90s-style hardcore chisel their heavy sound with downtuned 7-strings and lighter hues of delay and modulation.
In celebration of their sophomore release A Different Shade of Blue, the Kentuckian hardcore youngbloods nearly crumbled Grimey’s with their breakneck ways during a full-band, in-store performance. (Watch the full performance here—shockingly no records or employees were harmed.) The next night the quintet took over Nashville’s The End for a proper record-release show. And before that sold-out performance, PG’s Perry Bean stopped by for a post-soundcheck hang to cover all the Ibanez instruments, blaring tube heads, and select effects they use to create sweaty, chaotic pits.
Lead guitarist Isaac Hale slays audiences every night with this Ibanez RGDIX7MPB. The 24-fret, 26.5"-scale instrument has an ash body with a poplar burl top, DiMarzio Fusion Edge humbuckers, and Gotoh MG-T locking tuners. The band previously tuned their 7-strings to G–D–G–C–F–A–D, but have since moved to drop-A tuning: A–E–A–D–G–B–E.
Isaac Hale plugs his mighty 7-string into this EVH 5150 III Limited Edition that fires through a Mesa/Boogie 4x12 straight cab.
The stomp station for Isaac Hale is where he can deviate from the heavy and add to it. Currently, he’s rolling with a Way Huge Swollen Pickle, Maxon ST9 Pro Plus Super Tube, Boss DD-3 Digital Delay, Boss CE-5 Chorus Ensemble, Electro-Harmonix Freeze, Boss RC-3 Loop Station, and ISP Technologies Decimator II G-String. Everything operates thanks to the Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus and is in tune thanks to the Boss TU-3.
Rhythm guitarist and newest bandmember Cole Crutchfield rocks the same way bandmate Isaac Hale does—with 7-string Ibanez monsters. This Iron Label RGAIX7U-ABS RGA is his main ride. Cole really digs the natural wood finish and the Bare Knuckle Aftermath pickups.
Cole Crutchfield’s only other guitar on this tour is this a brand-new Ibanez Prestige RGR5227MFX, which features the company’s proprietary Wizard-7 neck, Bare Knuckle Brute Force humbuckers, and Gibraltar Standard II-7 bridge.
While recording A Different Shade of Blue, the band leaned heavily on a mix of Mesa/Boogie and 5150 amps, but for this tour Cole Crutchfield left his 50-watt 5150 III at home and ponied up for a Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier.
The pedal playground for Cole Crutchfield begins with the Morley Steve Vai Mini Bad Horsie 2 Wah, and from there things get louder with a Mesa/Boogie Grid Slammer and Way Huge Swollen Pickle. After that you get the EHX Freeze, ISP Technologies Decimator II G-String, TC Electronic Hall of Fame, and a pair of Boss modulation pedals—a CH-1 Super Chorus and BF-3 Flanger. Everything is given life thanks to the Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus and is in tune thanks to the Boss TU-2.
Bassist Kevin Otten keeps the Ibanez theme rolling with his pair of 5-strings—his No. 1 above is a Premium BTB1805 that’s been upgraded with Bartolini BH2 passive pickups alongside Ibanez’s own 3-band EQ electronics.
Before playing with Slayer at Heavy Montreal Fest, Kevin Otten treated himself to this elusive Ibanez ATK305 bass. He’s been on the hunt for one of these for years because of its body shape, wood pickguard, hot pickups, and back-saving weight.
While it is a lot to lug around and set up, Kevin Otten brings the hefty Ampeg SVT Classic and Mesa/Boogie 8x10 for the tone.
Not one to miss out on the fun pedals can provide, Kevin Otten has a healthy board that includes a trifecta of Darkglass Electronics boxes—a Microtubes B7K Ultra, Microtubes X, and Microtubes X7 that acts a D.I. box for front of house. He uses the DigiTech JamMan Solo XT for 808 bass drops. And like Isaac and Cole, he has a ISP Technologies Decimator II G-String, Boss tuner, EHX Freeze, and Shure GLXD4 Wireless.
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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.