You could throw a dart at a board of all the world’s music genres, and chances are fair that you’d hit a sound that Melbourne band King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard have explored. King Gizz started life as a bluesy garage-rock outfit, but over the past 14 years, they’ve leapt into metal, jazz, folk, electronic, and even microtonal music. They’ve spread their adventures over 26 LPs—five of them released in 2022 alone.
On tour this summer in support of their latest, Flight b741, the band stopped at Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater, where Premier Guitar’s Chris Kies caught up with guitarists Joey Walker and Stu Mackenzie for a look at how they navigate the Gizzverse onstage. Here’s a preview of some of the goods, but tune into the full Rundown to catch all the details—including Mackenzie’s famed Flying Microtonal Banana, the namesake of their 2017 album.
Brought to you by D’Addario.Turkish Delight
Walker’s Godin Richmond Dorchester has been subjected to a few changes. When King Gizzard entered their “microtonal phase,” influenced by Mackenzie’s travels to Turkey, the guitar was modified by a luthier friend with a fret arrangement (identical to Mackenzie’s Flying Banana) that permits microtonal intervals, like a Turkish bağlama. Walker explains that it’s like adding extra frets between the traditional 12 notes, so there are quarter-tone intervals rather than just semitone steps. It took some learning to figure out how to play, but at this point it feels like muscle memory for Walker.
The Jammer
This H-S-S Novo Idris does the heavy lifting for Joey Walker playing deep into King Gizzard's expansive, extended sets.
Samurai Sword
Mackenzie admits that he’s not picky with his guitars: He likes unpredictable gear, and he’s prone to impulse-buying weirdo axes. He picked up this Yamaha SG-2 in 2013, and it sounds like no other guitar he’s played. The weird, noisy pickups cause interesting microphonic glitches, and while it’s a bit of a pain to keep in proper playing order, Mackenzie knows his way around the guitar and trusts it. The SG-2 is strung with .011s and handles standard-tuning numbers.
Stu Mackenzie's Pedalboard and Amp
While Mackenzie’s guitar selections are rather offbeat, his pedalboard and amp setup are fairly straight-laced; in fact, 70 percent of the set is played with no effects on at all. His signal runs first into a Boss TU-3 tuner and DD-3T delay, then to a Devi Ever Aenima, a Jam Pedals Boomster, a Fender Tread-Light Wah, and a Dunlop Volume (X) Mini. His vocals run into a custom multi-effect pedal by EarthQuaker Devices, which features both overdrive and a gated echo, preventing ambient noise from triggering the effect. A VVco Pedals Time Box helps Mackenzie keep the set from running over.
From the board, his signal runs to a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, an amp he can pick up virtually anywhere in the world. He runs it fairly clean, but adjusts it between every song for varied gain-staging. A Mesa Boogie PowerHouse Attenuator keeps the stage volume in check.
Hefty Hitters
Joey Walker's Pedalboard
The guitarist's stomp station is surprisingly sparse for the melody and mite that swirls in a King Gizz performance. He has five key signal sizzlers: an Electro-Harmonix Flat Iron (fuzz), Wampler Faux Analog Echo (delay), Strymon Sunset (overdrive), Dunlop Cry Baby (wah), and Wampler Mini Ego (compressor). He uses a Death By Audio Echo Master for his vocals, a Boss LS-2 Line Selector & Radial Engineering HotShot to handle amp & mic switches, and the Boss TU-3 Chromatic Tuner keeps his instruments in check.
![Baroness Rig Rundown with John Baizley, Gina Gleason & Nick Jost [2024]](https://www.premierguitar.com/media-library/youtube.jpg?id=53559996&width=1245&height=700&quality=85&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C0)
Hard rockers Baroness were busy writing during the early days of the pandemic, sharing ideas and bits of songs over weekly video calls until they had enough for a new record. Then, after scouting for potential recording locations, they rented an Airbnb in a tiny town in New York and got to work.
The band brought all their gear along with them: They literally loaded up a U-Haul truck and left no pedal behind—a bit unnecessary in retrospect. At the end of their stay, they’d all but finished their sixth studio album, Stone, which was released in September 2023. On their recent summer tour supporting the record, the quartet played Nashville’s Basement East, where PG’s Chris Kies met up with vocalist/guitarist John Baizley, guitarist Gina Gleason, and bassist Nick Jost to get an in-depth look at their current road rigs.
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Franken-backer
Baizley received this custom-built Rickenbacker during the band’s sessions for Stone. It’s got the body and electronics of a Rick 620 but the neck of a 660 model. The Rick and Gleason’s Tele fill in the sonic gaps for each other.
I Think I Smell a Strat
Baizley’s other two primary guitars are these Fender Stratocasters. The first is an American Pro II with a tortoiseshell pickguard and HSS pickup configuration; the second is an original American Pro. The AmPro II lives in heavier tunings and takes a set of .012–.052s, but Baizley prefers both in the fourth position of the 5-way selector switch to build space around Gleason’s leads.
Tele Twins
Gleason rocks two Fender Telecasters, again from both the American Pro I and II series. She actually prefers the first iteration of the V-Mod pickups for their aggression and grit in live contexts, while the V-Mod IIs make for a smoother recording weapon. One stays in D-standard tuning while the other is in C standard with a dropped A#. Gleason strings them with .009–.046s and .010–.046s, respectively, and the whole band loves D’Addario NYXL sets.
So Bass-ic
Bassist Nick Jost is a Fender man, too, with a Precision Bass and American Professional Jazz Bass that both run through his mini-but-mighty rig: A diminutive Gallien-Krueger Legacy series head powers a classic Ampeg 8x10 cabinet. He usually plays with his fingers, but when he loses a game of dice on the road, he’ll sometimes be forced into playing with a pick.
Dual Stereo
Baizley and Gleason both run stereo amp setups. Baizley changes his amp backline often; he used to run twin Roland JC-120s but just recently switched in this Fender ’68 Custom Deluxe Reverb.
Gleason keeps the Fender train rolling with a ’59 Bassman reissue and a ’68 Custom Princeton Reverb.
John Baizley’s Pedalboard
Baizley’s board is packed with staged dirt boxes and tasteful mod stomps, all held in check with a GigRig G2, Peterson StroboStomp, and Ernie Ball Volume Pedal. The crown drive jewels are a heavily modded EHX Big Muff and Crowther Double Hot Cake, but a Beetronix FX Overhive and Pro Co RAT add some sizzle, too. A Boss DD-3, DM-2W, and TR-2, EarthQuaker Devices Dispatch Master and Tentacle, MXR Phase 90 and Dyna Comp, and EHX Deluxe Memory Man handle the rest, while a DigiTech Whammy lurks for its moment to blast off.
Gina Gleason’s Pedalboard
Gleason’s favorite drive these days is the EQD Zoar, their instant-classic 2023 release. Piling on top of that are a MXR Super Badass Distortion, MXR Timmy, modded EHX Big Muff, and a touchy Philly Fuzz Infidel prototype; an Xotic SP Compressor and UAFX 1176 Studio Compressor tighten things up when needed. Three time machines—the Strymon TimeLine, EQD Space Spiral, and Boss DD-3—handle delay, and a Walrus Slo dishes out reverb. The MXR EVH Phase 90 adds some color along with another DigiTech Whammy. The Ernie Ball Volume Pedal, Peterson StroboStomp, and GigRig G2 keep Gleason’s board in line, too.
Nick Jost’s Pedalboard
Jost’s bass board, powered by an MXR Iso-Brick, is a touch more simple, with an Ernie Ball Volume Pedal and Boss TU-3 for utility duties before an Xotic Bass BB Preamp, Boss ODB-3, DOD FX69B Grunge, MXR Stereo Chorus, and Tech 21 SansAmp Bass Driver DI.
Roland Jazz Chorus-120
Fender '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb
Fender Bassman
Fender '68 Custom Princeton Reverb
Fender American Professional Telecaster
Fender American Professional Stratocaster
Fender Precision Bass
Fender American Professional Jazz Bass
Gallien-Krueger Legacy 800 Bass Amp Head
Ampeg 8x10 Cab
Tech 21 SansAmp Bass Drive DI
MXR Iso-Brick
Boss TU-3
Xotic Effects Bass BB Preamp
Boss ODB-3
MXR Stereo Chorus
Modded EHX Big Muff
Boss DD-3
MXR Dyna Comp
Pro Co RAT
MXR Phase 90
Boss TR-2
EHX Deluxe Memory Man
EarthQuaker Devices Dispatch Master
DigiTech Whammy
Walrus Audio SLO
Boss DM-2w
EarthQuaker Devices Tentacle
Peterson StroboStomp
Beetronics Overhive
EarthQuaker Devices Zoar
MXR Timmy
MXR Super Badass Distortion
Xotic SP Compressor
MXR EVH Phase 90
UAFX 1176 Compressor
Ernie Ball Volume Pedal
D'Addario NYXL .110 Strings
Strymon TimeLine
“It’s a loony bin.” That’s how Michael Lemmo describes Norman’s Rare Guitars, the coveted Los Angeles shop. Lemmo was tapped to join the store and eventually host their popular Guitar of the Day web series after Norm’s son Jordan spotted Lemmo jamming in the store and introduced him to his shop-owner dad. Norm kept in touch and eventually offered Lemmo a job, starting with his Lemmo Demo series of affordable guitars.
Lemmo toured through July with Allan Rayman. Ahead of their date at Nashville’s Basement East, PG’s Chris Kies caught up with the guitarist for some unofficial Lemmo demos.
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Lemmo got this Jazzmaster new in 2012, and its wear and tear is 100 percent organic—no relic job. Over time, Lemmo says, he “went to town” with it, starting with swapping out the factory bridge for a Mastery bridge, which holds it in perfect tune. He switched in the green anodized pickguard, and inspired by his guitar hero Eddie Van Halen’s red kill switch, he installed a red knob on the volume pot, then a blue one for the tone knob, to give it a Nintendo 64 vibe. Finally, a friend helped him pot a PAF humbucker in the bridge position. Lemmo runs D’Addario NYXL .011s on this dino.
Gift from the God
Tucked into the headstock is Lemmo’s prized pick, a gift from EVH himself. As random luck would have it, the famous guitarist began dating Lemmo’s friend’s mother during Lemmo’s first year of high school in Pennsylvania, and 14-year-old Michael had the opportunity to spend a couple hours talking guitars with Eddie one day. Van Halen gifted him this pick, which doesn’t stay in a glass case—Lemmo performs with it.
Low-End Evergreen
This backup Jazzmaster circa 2000 is set up to be a low-register, baritone-like guitar, with heavier-gauge strings and another PAF in the bridge. Lemmo leans on it to complement key changes and vocals in the lower register.
Base Camp
Lemmo likes a robust, clean base tone to build from on electric. At home, he usually plays through pre-1965 Fender amplifiers and trusts his pedals to give him all the tonal flexibility he desires. For this gig, he’s rocking a backline Fender Twin.
Simple Pleasures
Lemmo relies on his stomps for tone sculpting, but he doesn’t need much to get the job done. His signal hits a Korg tuner, followed by an Xotic EP Booster, Bearfoot FX Honey Bee OD, Red Panda Context, Boss DD-7, and TC Electronic Ditto. They’re all wired up to a trusty Truetone 1 Spot Pro CS7.
