Philadelphia-raised metal guitarist Xander Raymond Charles has built himself quite a following on YouTube—his subscribers now number over 120,000. But when he’s not YouTubing, he’s playing live, and earlier this year, he went out on a national tour with metalcore artist elijah. Charles formed half of elijah’s brutal dual guitar section, along with Brandon Kyle. Ahead of a recent Nashville gig, the two shredders sat down with PG’s Chris Kies to share what they packed for the road trip.
Brought to you by D’Addario.
Rooting Around
Charles’ go-to metal machine is this Fender Jim Root partscaster with a 2014 Strat body and 2018 neck. He put in a pair of Root’s signature EMG Daemonum pickups, then pulled out the neck one out of “boredom” while on tour. He’s also replaced a lot of the factory hardware with odds and ends from Lowes or Home Depot. Like most of the duo’s guitars, the partscaster is tuned to drop C, and this one rocks a set of Nashville-made Stringjoy .012–.062 strings.
From the Bench to First String
Kyle’s main ride is this ESP LTD TE-401, which started its life as a backup but has graduated to be Kyle’s No. 1. It’s an affordable model from ESP’s line that Kyle maintains is one of the best-sounding guitars he’s ever played. He loves the playability and feel, which are similar to the Fenders he grew up playing. Obviously, the EMG pickups give it more gas than other T-styles.
Backup Warhorse
This single-humbucker, JM-style ESP LTD XJ-1 HT is another warhorse in Kyle’s stable and serves as a backup during elijah’s current set. It’s equipped with D’Addario XL .012–.056s.
Low and Long
This stunning Squier Vintage Modified Baritone Jazzmaster can handle all of Charles’ low-end demands with its 30" scale length.
Fresh from the Lab
Charles was gifted this 7-string Cerberus prototype, which is geared up with locking tuners, a single Guitarmory Pickups humbucker, and a 30" scale length.
Quad Power
Both Charles and Kyle are running Neural DSP Quad Cortexes, and after some testing, both decided to roll with a profile of an EVH 5150 loaded with EL34s. For clean sounds in the set, they lean on a Friedman profile. Sennheiser wireless systems let both guitarists cut loose onstage.
“For almost 30 years Slipknot's attention-grabbing, aggressive style of music, energetic and chaotic live shows have influenced and honored heavy metal and its impact on music culture,” said Jon Romanowski, VP Category Management Charvel. “Jim Root is an innovative and ferocious player – we could not be more excited to introduce his new Signature Pro-Mod San® Dimas model, continuing our long-standing collaboration with an incredible talent who has dedicated most of his life to his career.”
Although Root is one of metal’s most beloved players, his history with Charvel began long before he was shredding in front of packed arenas. As a teenager, he spent night after night watching Headbanger’s Ball on MTV, falling in love with the lightning speed riffs and chugging rhythms of early hair metal. But one player grabbed his attention like none other—Warren DeMartini of Ratt. While his playing left him speechless, Root was particularly mesmerized by DeMartini’s rotating arsenal of ornate Charvel guitars. Needless to say, when Root got a Charvel of his own for Christmas that year, it was a dream come true.
Introducing the Jim Root Signature Charvel Pro-Mod San Dimas
“I freaked out. It was a Charvel Model One with the fulcrum tremolo. One humbucker and a hockey stick headstock,” said Jim Root. “It was like a goal to reach, you know? I would always think to myself, one day I will have one of those Charvel guitars. And then, there it was.”
The Jim Root Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas® Style 1 HH FR E/M is as much an ode to the classic Charvel guitars that captivated Root as a child as it is a perfect representation of the Slipknot guitarist’s progressive, earth-shaking sound. The heart and soul of this guitar is its mahogany body; the heavy wood provides a rich and warm tone that is the foundation for much of Root’s sludgy yet melodic playing. Paired with the custom EMG Jim Root Daemonum humbucking pickups, the Jim Root Signature is a versatile metal making machine unlike any other.
“The signature pickups have the high output of active pickups but with the response of passive pickups,” said Jim Root. “They’re as good for artificial harmonics and dive bombs as they are for chimey, clean jazz.”
In addition, the Jim Root Signature is outfitted with a bolt-on maple neck that is reinforced with graphite, making this the ideal workhorse for any touring guitarist. While the neck is tough as nails, the 12”-16” compound radius fingerboard with rolled edges and 22 jumbo frets make easy work out of the most delicate and complex riffs. And even though the amount of features and versatility that this instrument boasts might seem dizzying, much like Root’s style, it is straightforward and to the point. The guitar features streamlined controls consisting of a three-way blade pickup switch and a single skirted Strat®-style volume knob. The guitar also features a heel-mount truss rod adjustment wheel, Luminlay side dot fret markers and a Floyd Rose 1500 Series double-locking tremolo to fulfill any dive-bombing needs. Models include a maple fingerboard option in Satin Black and an ebony fingerboard in Satin White. Both colors feature black hardware and come in a Charvel multi-fit hardshell gig bag.
Jim Root came to the Dunlop String Lab to design a set of strings that can handle blast-beat-driven grooves and extra twisted melodies from downtuned depths. Jim handpicked each gauge and core size to ensure peak performance, from feel and response to tuning stability.
“These strings give me what I need to get my sound, and they’re comfortable to play no matter what I throw at them,” Jim says. “They keep their high-end clarity for a long time, and they’re really consistent from one pack to the next—they never break on me.”
Features
- Handpicked by Jim Root in the Dunlop String Lab
- Each gauge chosen for peak performance under intense playing conditions
- Designed for exceptional tuning stability and high-end clarity when tuning down
Dunlop Jim Root Signature Strings are available in Drop A and Drop B sets for $19.79 MSRP from your favorite retailers or directly online from www.jimdunlop.com.
