This spring, the revered death metal band Dethklok—the very definition of TV turned reality, after the band jumped from the show Metalocalypse onto real stages nearly two decades ago—has been on tour with Swedish melodic death-metal giants Amon Amarth. Last month, they blew the roof off of Fenway’s MGM Music Hall, and PG’s Chris Kies joined Dethklok leader Brendon Small, bassist Pete Griffin, and tech Robb Philpotts before the gig for this new Rig Rundown. We’ve gathered a few highlights below; watch the video for the complete picture.
Small’s main machine is this early-2000s Gibson Explorer with jumbo frets and Burstbuckers. It’s tuned to C standard with D’Addario strings (.011–.052), and he plays with Dunlop Tortex Sharp .73mm picks.
Zebra
Small also travels with this Ernie Ball Music Man Jason Richardson Cutlass in custom matte black, which has white stock Ernie Ball pickups and Lumenlay side dots.
Brendan Small’s Rig
Small uses a Neural DSP Quad Cortex for all of his core tones, which come from a Peavey 5150 amp model. He keeps two Dunlop expression pedals on hand: one for volume control, one for wah and whammy effects.
Question and Answer
Brosh’s primary picker, at right, is her signature Ibanez guitar, dubbed “the Answer.” Introduced earlier this year, this RG-style electric has a basswood body, maple neck with exclamation mark inlays, and a Lo-Pro Edge trem system. It carries EMG H1 and S1 passive pickups, and Brosh plays it with Ernie Ball Burly Slinky strings (.011–.048) and Dunlop Big Stubby 3mm picks.
The Ibanez RG5170B Prestige at left is a backup, primed with active pickups.
Nili Brosh’s Rig
Brosh runs through a HeadRush Flex Prime unit, programmed with rhythm and lead patches.
Up Against the Wall
Griffin’s go-to bass is his Dingwall D-Roc Standard (left) with fanned frets, tuned to C standard. The Dunable on the right is on hand for backup service. Griffin uses Dunlop Heavy Gauge (.055–.115) strings and Dunlop Flow Standard 1.14mm picks.
Pete Griffin’s Rig
Like Small, Griffin runs through a Neural Quad Cortex, primarily using a patch modeled on his Ashdown amps. Also on his board are a Dunlop Justin Chancellor Cry Baby wah, a Sushi Box FX Finally tube DI, and a top-secret prototype of a distortion stomp that will be coming out in the future.
In January of this year, PRS launched the SE Ed Sheeran Cosmic Splash Limited Edition. The exact same model but now in catalog colorways instead of Cosmic Splash, the SE Ed Sheeran Hollowbody I Piezo Baritone is available in exclusive finishes Kaleidoscope and Pink Ombre, along with Orange Tiger Smokeburst. This model will also feature birds on the fretboard.
“Metal guitarists will absolutely shred on this, jazz guitarists will love this, and it will be able to fit into so many great scenarios. For all the guitar people out there who look at me as not an electric player, don’t let the person behind the guitar fool you. This is an incredible instrument and will fit in many, many guitar players’ collections,” said Ed Sheeran.
Designed in collaboration with Ed Sheeran, the 27.7" scale length model is built with a maple top and mahogany back, and features a fully hollow body with a center-block design for added resonance and controlled feedback. Equipped with PRS 85/15 “S” pickups and a PRS/LR Baggs piezo system, the guitar offers the ability to blend the piezo’s acoustic voice with electric power or isolate either signal for stage or studio flexibility.
“Artists are such an important part of our product development,” continued Higginbotham. “The relationships we have with new artists is one of the amazing, energizing, motivational, inspirational things that we get to do as a company. Developing this guitar with Ed Sheeran is a great example of what these types of relationships are, and how we can collaborate with a world-renowned artist to create something new. Further, it highlights how the SE Series in general is studio and stage ready for even the biggest artists.”
PRS
SE Ed Sheeran Hollowbody I Piezo Baritone
Hollowbody Baritone Electric Guitar, Signature, with Maple Top, Mahogany Back and Sides, Maple Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, 2 Humbucking Pickups, and Active Piezo System - Kaleidoscope
The renowned songwriter of the popular hitmaker duo Hall & Oates chops it up with host John Bohlinger about developing and nurturing his songcraft skills, how he scored his beloved 1958 Strat, he reflects on how production methods changed over his career, discusses balancing commercial success with artistic authenticity, and of course, the Johns share a pair of jams.
Guitarists in the early 1950s had a big problem on their hands: the annoying hum of single-coil pickups. When Gibson engineer Seth Lover introduced a way to cancel that noise, a new era of guitar tone was born. Instead of a single coil, Lover used two, wound in opposite directions and wired out of phase. Seventy years later, the humbucker is still being refined and reimagined. PG contributor Tom Butwin sets out to demystify the humbucker pickup and how modern designers and builders have evolved the design, construction, and circuitry.
StewMac
Parsons Street Humbucker Pickups
Straight-up raw vintage tone! Closely modeled after outstanding original P.A.F.s, these humbuckers capture the tone that changed music forever.
50th Anniversary Limited-edition JB/Jazz Humbucker Set
Experience the true origin of the hot-rodded humbucker with the 50th Anniversary Limited Edition JB / Jazz Set. Built with historically accurate parts including butyrate bobbins and rough-cast magnets, this set faithfully replicates the earliest production models. Presented in retro silver packaging and limited to 2026 production only, this is a collectible piece of tone history.
The concept for our Monolith Humbucker set was to explore a higher-output pickup set intentionally designed for guitarists who play both modern and extreme styles of music. High-output humbuckers often suffer from either a boxy voicing or a harsh and brittle top end that can be fatiguing. We voiced a set of pickups with the right balance of a strong, thicker midrange and smooth top end for clarity and articulation.
Traditional pickups often shape the voice of a guitar before the signal ever reaches the rest of the rig.
MagFRAG was designed with a different goal: remain open, balanced, and dynamically responsive, allowing the guitar, pedals, and amplifier to do more of the talking. The result is a foundation that feels immediate under the fingers and integrates naturally with vintage amplifiers, modern designs, pedals, modelers, and recording workflows. MagFRAG isn’t a “flavor pickup line.” It’s a pickup system created to reveal the instrument and respond to the player.
The MagFRAG lineup is organized into two families, each focused on a different role in the signal chain.
Our cleanest-sounding humbucker with an open and percussive tone, chimey highs and relaxed mids. And, thanks to the Railhammer design, our neck humbuckers don’t go all mushy when you dig in hard—even with chords. Great for blues, classic rock, old-school metal, punk, and more traditional tones. It does everything a classic PAF does, but better.
MortalCoil delivers three precision-engineered voices: a tight, aggressive modern metal MC1 voice with fast, controlled attack, authentic JB and Jazz-inspired passive tones, and a clear, articulate single-coil. Built with optimized-resistance coils and advanced audio op-amps for exceptional response and efficiency, MortalCoil is a powerful, versatile active upgrade.
Known the world over as one of the greatest guitar players ever, Zakk Wylde relies on his EMG 81/85 signature humbucker set for his aggressive tone and sustain.
*This classic setup comes complete with long shaft volume and tone controls for installation*. Short Shaft versions are also available, please check your instrument before making your wiring kit selection. Make sure to check the instructions for pickup measurements before purchasing to compare your existing pickups with EMG models.
Fluence Modern pickups are the most versatile humbuckers ever created, enhancing your favorite guitar with three selectable voices including the ideal single-coil sound.
Period correct from the construction to the sound, the Vintage Mini Humbucker delivers the classic Vintage Firebird tone that has all of the sparkle of a single coil with the tight low end of a full-sized humbucker.
This vintage mini humbucker pickup is gritty and punchy in the bridge position, while the neck model strikes a musical balance between the clarity of a single-coil and the low-end tightness of a full-sized humbucker.
For more than 20 years, English guitarist Barrie Cadogan (aka Little Barrie) has been one of the go-to 6-string collaborators for England’s biggest rockers, from Morrissey and Liam Gallagher to Primal Scream, Paul Weller, and more. The Better Call Saul theme song composer has also made a name for himself in the U.S., notably as a trusted creative collaborator for Dan Auerbach and his Easy Eye Sound studio. That’s where PG’s Chris Kies linked up with Cadogan for this Rig Rundown. Tune in for the full interview for all the fascinating details, and peek at a quick preview roundup below.
Cadogan acquired this P-90-loaded goldtop Murphy Labs Les Paul from the Gibson Garage in Nashville last year. It was fitted with a Bigsby later, and the neck has been slimmed down. Cadogan uses a custom set of ProSpec Pyramid flatwound strings (.011–.014–.018–.028–.038–.048).
Blue Bomber
Cadogan designed this 6-string himself, inspired by a guitar owned by John Squire of the Stone Roses. A bit of a hybrid between a Jaguar and Jazz bass body, it’s also equipped with P-90s and a Bigsby, and holds up well to touring abuse. Plus, Cadogan had a killswitch installed.
Tarulli Tones
Black Keys’ front of house engineer Jason Tarulli built these two combos. One of them is inspired by the early-’70s Fender Musicmaster Bass amp circuit, while the other takes after a tweed Deluxe. Cadogan loves the sound of them running together.
Barrie Cadogan’s Pedalboard
Cadogan’s few-frills board carries a Boss TU-3W, Sola Sound-modded Boss TB-2W, Fredric Effects Super Unpleasant Companion, Strymon Deco, Fredric Effects West Germany Vintage Tremolo, and an Echo Fix EF-P2 Spring Reverb.
![Rig Rundown: Dethklok [2026]](https://www.premierguitar.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=66769279&width=1245&height=700&quality=70&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C0)
