Ungodly, sinister, and maliciously menacing guitar tones erupt from the Kentucky hardcore bandās 7-string Ibanez models, providing the soundtrack to the summerās biggest mosh pits and nastiest breakdowns.
If hell had a guitar tone, itād be what Knocked Looseās Isaac Hale and Nicko Calderon conjure up from their Ibanez 7-string beasts. The bandās mission since day one has been to pummel listeners with the most extreme form of hardcore music. Over the past decade theyāve throttled through all limits, making each breakdown, each riff, each scream, and each performance outdone by the next. A more recent (and seemingly) conflicting goal has been to infect the mainstream with their brutality. Their brand-new third album, You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To, paired them with pop producer Drew Fulk (Kevin Gates, NLE Choppa, Disturbed, Lil Wayne), and over the last two years, theyāve played Coachella and Bonnaroo, partnered with hip-hop duo $uicideboy$ for a sold-out tour, and were announced as direct support for Slipknotās 25th anniversary tour. Both of the bandās goals are being accomplished, as their sound has never been more punishing orpopular.
Before Knocked Looseās sold-out show at Nashvilleās Marathon Music Works, guitarists Isaac Hale and Nick Calderon invited PGās Perry Bean onstage for a fresh conversation about their updated mercenary squad. During our time with the Hale and Calderon, we learn about their custom 7-string Ibanez doom brooms, Hale explains moving on from tube amps and pedalboards to Quad Cortex units and MIDI switching, and Calderon details finding his place in the band and adjusting to an extra low-B string.
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Isaac's Iceman
When we spoke with the Oldham County, Kentucky, crew five years ago, cofounding guitarist Isaac Hale was using an Ibanez RGDIX7MPB. Heās still in the Ibanez family and strictly uses 7-string instruments, but heās gravitated to the iconic Iceman shape for his pit-provoking duties. This white custom configuration features a lighter nyatoh body, DiMarzio Fusion Edge 7 ceramic humbuckers, a single master volume knob, and a smaller neck profile. If all goes well, he uses this guitar onstage all night. He uses a custom set of DāAddario NYXL strings with the current low-B string a thick .070 gauge.
Nicko's No.1
Before joining Knocked Loose in 2020, guitarist Nicko Calderon had never played a 7-string guitar. (āIt was a huge learning curve for me,ā he says.) Like Isaac, if all goes as planned, Nicko will only play the above Ibanez Prestige AZ24047 all set. One of the requests Nicko had for Ibanez was to keep it simple with a single Seymour Duncan Nazgul Bridge 7-string humbucker and a lone volume knob. He goes with a DāAddario NYXL (.011ā.064) 7-string set.
Beautiful Backups
If things go sideways, both Isaac and Nicko have safety nets: Hale has a custom-painted Ibanez Iron Label Iceman ICTB721, and Calderon goes with another single-pickup Ibanez Prestige AZ24047.
Less Is More
Both guitarists have downsized to the Neural DSP Quad Cortex, and they have a pair of mirrored setups for both on and offstage. Hale and Calderon are both modeling 5150 III heads, but Calderon is going with the EL34 flavoring for a slightly different sonic distinction. Core sounds are built off the 5150 IIIs and other ingredients sprinkled in throughout the set include some slight chorus, heavily modulated āevil chorusā with an added semitone above the base sound, and an Electro-Harmonix (in the rack) that provides a layered octave sound for pure chaos. The EHX Freeze pedal onstage is put in place so they can hold a note and tune underneath it. They roam the stage untethered thanks to the Shure GLXD16+ digital wireless guitar pedal system.
Bring the Pain
The two Quad Cortex units work with Seymour Duncan PowerStage 200 amps to hit Orange PPC412-C cabs onstage that are loaded with Celestion Vintage 30 speakers.
Shop Knocked Loose's Rig
Ibanez Iron Label Iceman ICTB721
Ibanez Prestige AZ24047 Electric Guitar
Seymour Duncan Nazgul High Output Bridge 7-string Humbucker Pickup
Neural DSP Quad Cortex
Electro-Harmonix Freeze
Seymour Duncan PowerStage 200
Orange PPC412-C - 240-watt 4x12" Straight Cabinet
Celestion Vintage 30 Speakers
Shure GLXD16+ Digital Wireless Guitar Pedal System
Radial ProDI 1-Channel Passive Instrument Direct Box
D'Addario NYXL1164 NYXL Nickel Wound Electric Guitar Strings -.011-.064 Regular Light, 7-String
Titan tonal technician Kurt Ballou and sledgehammering bassist Nate Newton detail the chiseling tools they use to carve their colossal sound.
Kurt Ballou takes tone very seriously. Heās been on the leading edge of aggressive guitar sounds since 1990, and Convergeās fourth album, 2001ās Jane Doe, is still seen as a game-changing release, with its ferocious performances and masterful production. His sonic temple, God City Studio, is the destination for artists looking to make their rawest, heaviest, brutalist work. Ballou has even developed a gear brand (God City Instruments) that includes guitars, pedals, and pickups, all in the pursuit of turning ideas into art.
During our conversation before Convergeās sold-out performance at Nashvilleās Basement East on May 22nd, Ballou dove into his Line 6 Helix spice rack and shared how 30 plus years as a guitarist and in-demand producer have informed his guitar-design philosophy. Plus, he detailed why his goal is to get to a place where āgear doesnāt matter.ā And then, longtime bassist Nate Newton joined the fun by showing off his āRiffblasterā setup and how a special P-Bass helps him honor a dear friend.
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Construction Zone
For this headlining Converge run, Kurt took to the road with a pair of his own God City Instruments shred sticks. This one is the Constructivist model that has a body shape Kurt has been employing for over a decade. This current iteration has an ash body, roasted maple neck (with bolt-on assembly and C profile), ebony fretboard with cream binding, a Graph Tech nut, and comes loaded with a set of GCIās Soap Jammers that are stacked alnico 5 humbuckers (10k bridge output/7k neck output). Ballou describes the Soap Jammers as ābeing high-output humbuckers that have the midrange push of a P-90 that still chugga chuggas like a humbucker.ā Heās been using DāAddario strings for over 20 years and has been loyal to the NYXLs since they came out. He currently prefers the Medium Top/Extra Heavy Bottom set (.011ā.056) and bludgeons them with DāAddario Duragrip Yellow (light/medium) picks.
Rock 'n' Roll Machine
Here is Kurtās single-pickup GCI Craftsman that has a chambered mahogany body paired with a wenge top, a maple neck with set-neck construction, wenge fretboard with cream binding, Graph Tech nut and PM-8593 bridge, and it screamsāthanks to the high-output GCI Slug Jammer humbucker that has a ceramic magnet and 13k resistance.
Ballou adds that āItās a beautiful guitar that I just love to play. This is my favoriteājust a basic rock ānā roll machine, and I use it the most for writing and recording Converge stuff.ā
A Floor Smorgasbord
Converge would love to tour with stacks of gear, but they also live in the real world. They understand the compromise a modern hardcore band must make to pull off shows to their high standard, while also staying in the black, so for a few years Kurt has turned to the Line 6 Helix. He says it gives him a consistent, reliable sound each night that can be stored as a carry-on. Another perk is that his setup is in a stereo configuration, and the Helixās direct-out function allows him to run front-of-house a stereo signal without having to worry about miking cabs (and possible phasing issues) that inevitably happen when mics and cabs get bumped and moved during Convergeās chaotic performances.
For these āConverge Classicā** headlining shows, Ballou operates the Helix in stompbox mode with a āKvrt Preset V6.ā Some of the pieces of the puzzle include a Centaur-style distortion, two separate noise gates, a Tycoctavia Fuzz, a Dual Pitch setting, Ping Pong (turning on stereo delay and reverb at the same time), and a Searchlights reverb patch. All of these are engaged and omitted by Ballou as if they were pedals on a standard board. He does use a phase looper for the song āEye of the Quarrelā that allows him to play both guitar parts featured on it. His amps are based on modelings chasing a Diezel (Das Benzin Mega) and PRS Archon.
Worth noting that Ballou's grievances on the Helix were addressed by Ben Adrian of Line 6. Here's what he had to say: The gripes Kurt had with the unit can be resolved by issuing an update a while back, the tuner got a "Trails on/off" control, which allows delay, reverb, and looper audio to pass when the tuner is engaged. Also, with an update, "Command Center" was implemented a while back.This allows almost any function to be assigned to any switch in stomp mode. This includes all the controls for the looper.
(**Converge did an album with Chelsea Wolfe in 2021 called Bloodmoon: I. That included the standard four-piece Converge lineup but then added Wolfe, Stephen Brodsky, and Ben Chisholm. They toured as a seven-piece band, then Ballou had his Helix in snapshot mode that had several changes and settings moved automatically by the unit. The band now jokingly refers to their regular quartet as āConverge Classic.ā)
Mighty Minis
Rather than employ the Helixās IR technology, Ballou runs out of the Helix to a pair of Quilter Overdrive 202 heads.
Cat Power
Those Quilters then power a couple of Bad Cat 4x12s filled with Celestion Vintage 30s, giving Kurt all the stage volume he can handle.
Meet Mr. Riffblaster
Nate Newton has been the Converge bassist since 1998, and has always stayed true to the Fender Precision bass. He was gifted this green P from Fender, and modded it by adding in his signature Lace Riffblaster that the company says utilizes āthe power of ceramic magnets to create the perfect balance of extreme power and articulation.ā He uses Ernie Ball Regular Slinky Bass strings and green DāAddario Duralin Precision picks (medium).
In the Stream of Caleb Scofield
Newtonās other main gig since 2018 has been filling the void of Cave In bassist Caleb Scofield who tragically passed away five years ago. To honor their fallen brother, Cave In has kept Scofieldās P in their gear collection for Newton to use on Cave In recordings and tours. He has it with him on the Converge tour because once their run ended, he met the Cave In crew out in Colorado for their tour behind 2022ās Heavy Pendulum. Newton put in a set of his Lace Riffblaster pickups and noted during the Rundown that āitās the best-sounding P-Bassā heās ever played, and, for what it means to play this bass in Scofieldās spot: āItās a weird thing, especially playing the older songs and using this bass. In a twisted way, it kind of feels like hanging out with Caleb. It feels like heās there with us, and itās an honor to play this bass in that band. I cherish it.ā
Slim and Husky
For years Newton has plugged into this Orange AD200B Mk3 that pumps out 200 watts, thanks to four KT88 power tubes. It runs into an old Ampeg 8x10 cabinet. A Quilter Bass Block 802 rides as a backup for Converge, but takes the spotlight when he plays with Cave In.
Nate Newton's Pedalboard
The condensed stompbox station still shifts tectonic plates, in large part because of the Nunez Tetra-Fet Drive always being on with Converge. It takes the AD200 from a rumbler to molten-lava erupter. Both the Dunlop CBM105Q Cry Baby Bass Mini Wah and DOD Rubberneck Analog Delay are rarely used with Converge, but both get plenty of usage for Cave In sets. The Shift-Line A+ CabZone Bass sends the signal to front-of-house and offers 10 power amp emulations for additional shaping. The TC Electronic PolyTune keeps his Ps in check, and everything rides tight and tidy on a Pedaltrain Nano+ platform.
Shop Converge's Rig
- Quilter Labs Overdrive 202 200-watt Head
- Line 6 Helix Guitar Multi-effects Floor Processor
- Fender American Professional II Precision Bass V
- Orange AD200B MK 3 200-watt Bass Head
- DOD Rubberneck Analog Delay Pedal with Tap Tempo
- Dunlop CBM105Q Cry Baby Mini Bass Wah Pedal
- TC Electronic PolyTune 3 Polyphonic LED Guitar Tuner Pedal with Buffer
Hardcore heavyweights Greg Hetson and Zander Schloss still supercharge slam-dancers with just an SG, a P bass, modded tube heads, and lots of downstrokes.
Any band that hammers along for 43 years should be praised. But for a hardcore outfit that first seethed āI donāt wanna live / To be thirty-four / I donāt wanna die / In a nuclear warā 42 years ago on their 1980 debut Group Sex, pushing on for over four decades is a bit of a miracle. The Circle Jerks should be honored with a skanking statue in their hometown of Hermosa Beach, California.
āIf you wouldāve told me in my 20s that Iād be in a seminal hardcore-punk band in my 60s, I wouldāve said āyouāre fucking crazy, dude! Iām going to be dead by that time,āā jokes longtime Circle Jerks bassist Zander Schloss. āNow I say, live slow, die old!ā
The Circle Jerks were formed in 1979 by former Black Flag vocalist Keith Morris and ex-Redd Kross guitarist Greg Hetson. (Hetson has also been a member of another seminal SoCal punk rock band, Bad Religion, from 1984-2013.) They were joined by bassist Roger Rogerson and drummer Lucky Lehrer. Group Sex is one of the most important albums in the first swell of hardcore. Itās worth noting that the 14-song collection was crammed into less than 16 minutes of tape. Tasmanian devil Morris raged his commentary on sex, drugs, politics, the rich, and even self-reflection. His bandmates redlined to keep up. Hetsonās swift, stabbing guitar parts pierced and slit through the slamming, double-time rhythmic pistons that were Lehrer and Rogerson.
Their 1982 follow-up, Wild in the Streets, contained five songs over two minutes long and three covers (āWild in the Streets,ā āJust Like Me,ā and āPut a Little Love in Your Heartā), but all 15 tunes were still laced together with the same frenetic guitar bursts and rambunctious rhythms of Group Sex. The last of their most-influential works was 1983ās Golden ShowerĀ of Hits, which alternated between short, melodic mayhem and slower-but-still-acerbic stompers. The next year saw the arrival of Schloss, who contributed heavily to the bandās final three studio releases: Wonderful (1985), VI (1987), and Oddities, Abnormalities and Curiosities (1995). While out in support of the latter, their major-label debut, the Circle Jerks imploded.
In subsequent years, Hetson focused on Bad Religion, started Punk Rock Karaoke, formed Black President, and built out his Hetson Sound studio. Schloss played guitar for Joe Strummer, drove the bass for the Weirdos, and even entertained on the silver screen, starting with the role of Kevin in Repo Man. While Morris battled health issues (he fell into diabetic comas in 2008 and 2013), he was able to get several projects off the ground and revisit old ones including Midget Handjob, Off!, and FLAG. The latterās a Black Flag byproduct featuring former members bassist Chuck Dukowski, guitarist/vocalist Dez Cadena, and Bill Stevensonāwho produced most of their 1980s catalogāon drums, plus Stevensonās Descendents bandmate Stephen Egerton on guitar.
Before the current celebratory run marking the bandās first live shows in 11 years (and first full U.S. tour in 15), they announced drummer Joey Castillo (Queens of the Stone Age, Danzig, Eagles of Death Metal) would be propelling the Circle Jerksā runaway train. And since the bandās core members are now all in their 60s, and the resolution of the ripping āLive Fast, Die Youngā is yelled out at each show (āI donāt wanna live / To be fifty-seven / Iām living in hell / Is there a heaven?ā), theyāre well aware that according to their own canon they shouldnāt be here and certainly not having this much fun.
āI never thought the Circle Jerks would tour again, but you know what? Dreams do come true, and in some weird way, weāre doing better than ever and this world tour proves it,ā remarks Schloss.
But is the grind too much?
āAs a younger man, I used to resent breaking my arm off to play this music because itās so fast, so hard, and so intense, but as a 60-year-old Iām finding it really exhilarating,ā he admits.
Well, sir, then letās have a bash!
Hours before the Circle Jerksā July 21 headlining show at Nashvilleās Brooklyn Bowl (a Covid-delayed celebration of 40 years since Group Sex), PGās Perry Bean took to the stage and talked gear (a conversation longer than most Circle Jerksā albums) with Schloss and Hetson.
Brought to you by DāAddario String Finder.
The Industry Standard
āIāve always thought the Fender P bass was the industry workhorse,ā allows Schloss. His beastly battle axe is an American Professional II Precision bass that has a ā63 P neck profile, the companyās new V-Mod II Precision Bass split-coil pickup, and a Hi-Mass Vintage bridge. Schloss used to play roundwound strings, but he would constantly break them and do some serious damage to his hands. He made the switch to flatwounds in the ā90s. The string snaps significantly reduced and he found their sound sits better in the mix, making it more distinct and outside the guitarās lane.
During the Rundown, he offers up two vintage tidbits: After the bandās last show in 2011, he sold his 1964 P bass to the Hard Rock International, and the second is that he loaned a black 1964 Fender Stratocaster to producer Guy Seyffert, whoās on the road with Roger Waters and has been using it onstage. Schloss says it was a gift from Joe Strummer and once belonged to Sid Vicious, and then Steve Jones.
Slice ānā Dice
Schloss swears by Fender Classic Celluloid triangle picks (355 shape). As he shreds off a tip, he rotates the pick around for another angle. As he says, āIt has a lot more click for the buck.ā
Close Enough for Jazz
For backup purposes, he totes along this American Professional II Jazz bass that also has flatwounds. Schloss acknowledges that the thinner neck isnāt his favorite and wishes heād brought out a pair of Ps.
No Take Backs!
Probably as collateral on that ā64 Strat, Guy Seyffert loaned Schloss an early ā70s blue-line Ampeg SVT that hits a slant-back Ampeg SVT-810E that belongs to one of the tourās openers. Itās up for debate who has the better end of the deal.
Solid Greg, Solid Guitar
If youāve seen Greg Hetson thrashing onstage with any of his numerous bands, youāve seen him rocking a Gibson SG. For the Circle Jerksā world tour, he brought out this recent SG Standard ā61 Maestro Vibrola reissue with a mahogany body, a SlimTaper mahogany neck paired with a rosewood fretboard, and an ABR-1 Tune-o-matic bridge. It originally came with a set of BurstBucker 61s, but Hetson removed the T pickup (bridge) and dropped in an uncovered Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro humbucker.
Moshing With Marshall
Hetson loaded up a pair of 1980s Marshall JCM800s for this run. On the left is an early-ā80s 2203 model, while the other is a late-ā80s 2555. Both run into their own Mesa/Boogie Rectifier Traditional slant 4x12 loaded with rear-mounted Celestion Vintage 30s. On the floor, youāll notice Hetsonās lone āeffectā: a TC Electronic PolyTune.
Weāve Seen This Before
The 2203 was overhauled with the venerable ācrunchā mod by L.A. Sound Designās late Martin Golub. If that tone tweak sounds familiar, then this will surely ring a bell, as the ācrunchā mod is also referred to as the āDookieā modāwidely known for residing in Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrongās āPeteā Marshall 100-watt 1959 SLP reissue head. (The much-revered Golub passed away in 2021.)