If In Flames didn’t invent melodic death metal, they cemented the genre’s arrival with Lunar Strain and Subterranean, and if those were early blueprints to the burgeoning style, the Swedes’ The Jester Race and Whoracle were the impeccable benchmarks that made the aggressive artform matter. They’ve continued to push the genre forward with ten subsequent releases—including 2023’s raw, visceral Foregone—further strengthening their core sound that, at its heart, is a modernized blend of intensified Iron Maiden and accelerated Black Sabbath.
Before the band’s headlining show at Nashville’s Marathon Music Works, In Flames’ Björn Gelotte, Chris Broderick, and Liam Wilson welcomed PG’s Perry Bean for a conversation about their powerful setups. Gelotte detailed his workingman’s signature Epiphone Les Paul Custom before his tech Greg Winn showcased a pair of unknown Marshall prototype amps never featured on a Rundown. Shredmeister general Chris Broderick discussed his hands-on approach to designing his signature sound that includes a beveled Jackson Diabolic CB2, modified DiMarzio humbuckers, and a thumbpick he invented. Lastly, Wilson compared the requirements and difficulties between playing bass with Dillinger Escape Plan and In Flames before dissecting his morphing setup that’s trying to feel like home while honoring Peter Iwers’ and Bryce Paul’s thunderous footsteps.
Brought to you by D’AddarioB.I.G.
Björn Ingvar Gelotte used his favorite Gibson Les Paul Custom so much he beat it into submission. It was a special instrument that he wore down to retirement because of fear of ruining it beyond repair. Luckily, around that same time, Gibson called the Swedish shredder wanting to collaborate on a signature model, but being a man of the people, he opted for an Epiphone namesake to keep the price down for fans and aspiring guitarists. It has a mahogany body and neck, an ebony fretboard, a LockTone “Nashville-style” Tune-o-matic bridge, Grover tuners, and a set of high-voltage EMG 81/85 MetalWorks active pickups finished in gold. Both of his guitars take a custom configuration of Dunlop strings (.012-.016-.022-.038-.052-.068) and they either ride in C or A# tunings.
Have a Drink on Me
This is Björn’s second signature Epiphone Les Paul Custom finished in bone white. It has the same DNA as the midnight ebony slugger, but it has gold “top hat” knobs and a stainless-steel bottle opener on its backside.
Mystery Machine
Gelotte has trusted his live tone to tenured tech Greg Winn for many years. Winn has encountered many growlers, but to his ears, nothing purrs like these rare Marshall MD61 heads (top and middle). He notes during the Rundown that they use four EL34 power tubes and four ECC83 preamp tubes. These are not production amps and Winn believes that less than 20 prototypes were built. They use JVM-series parts but have unique sonic architecture in their wiring. The top and middle MD61s are Björn’s clean and dirty amps, and because they’re a scarce commodity, they travel with a third Marshall (JVM205H) for backup purposes.
Can't You Hear Me Rocking?
In Flames has a clean, quiet stage. The MD61s hit an iso cab offstage that houses a single Celestion Vintage 30, which is miked by a couple of sE Electronics Voodoo VR1 passive ribbon mics.
Björn Gelotte's Pedalboard
A Les Paul Custom and Marshall don’t need much help to sound great when playing metal, but to add some spice and space, Gelotte will engage an Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer or MXR M193 GT-OD Overdrive for extra gain, and a MXR Carbon Copy delay for leads. Any additional effects come from the rackmount TC Electronic G-Major 2. To keep everything tight and crisp, Gelotte hits an ISP Technologies Decimator Pro Rack G. He plugs his guitars into a Shure AD4D wireless system and a couple Lehle boxes—1at3 SGoS and 3at1 SGoS instrument switchers—to organize signal flow and work with a Voodoo Lab Ground Control Pro MIDI foot controller.
Beveled Beauty
Chris Broderick has toured with In Flames since 2019. He officially became a part of their crew in 2022 and made his studio debut with the band on 2023’s Foregone. Onstage he’s been getting the job done on a 4-pack of devilish 7-string instruments. Here’s his Jackson USA Custom Shop Chris Broderick Diabolic CB2 that is made with a mahogany body topped with a flame-maple cap, a quartersawn maple neck-through-body that has graphite reinforcement, an ebony fretboard, a recessed Floyd Rose Pro 7 bridge, D’Addario Auto-Trim tuners, and direct-mounted, custom-voiced DiMarzio humbuckers that are tweaked versions of their D Activator (bridge) and PAF Pro (neck). It’s worth noting the push-pull tone knob, when in the pull position, engages the tone circuit, whereas when pushed down, it bypasses it.
White Walker
This slick ride was the first-ever prototype for Broderick’s Diabolic signature line. He dug it so much that only minor changes were requested: moving the neck deeper into the body pocket for a tighter silhouette and slightly moving the controls out of his way, otherwise the Jackson Custom Shop knocked it out of the park
Flamethrower
After the success of partnering with Jackson on the Diabolic CB2, Broderick wanted to create something more subdued and built off the company’s Soloist platform. The Jackson USA Signature Chris Broderick Soloist 7 includes many of the same ingredients—mahogany body, maple neck, ebony fretboard, Floyd Rose Pro 7 bridge, and custom-voiced DiMarzio humbuckers—from the CB2 but some differences include a coil-split option with a push-pull master volume, a quilted maple top, a set-neck construction, and a kill switch.
Broad Strokes
Proving not only the quality of the Jackson Pro series, but also that a talented painter can use any brush to make art, he also tours with his import Jackson Pro Series Chris Broderick Signature HT7 Soloist that has a mahogany body, maple neck, laurel fretboard, Jackson hardware, and Broderick’s custom-voiced DiMarzio humbuckers. Like the Soloist, it includes the master volume push/pull option for coil-splitting, the tone circuit can be removed (when pushed down), and a kill switch.
Excalibur
Broderick has tried finding the pick for years. He finally found the perfect plectrum … he only had to design and make it himself via a CAD program and 3-D printer. As you can see, it’s a wide, rounded thumb pick that has a short tip for fluidity and precision. And all his guitars take Ernie Ball 7-String Super Slinkys (.009-.052).
Eviscerators
Chris matches Björn’s ferocity with a dual-amp setup, too. His weapon of choice, however, is the 4-channel Engl Savage 100. Each head motors up to 120W and rumbles off a pair of 6550 tubes. He runs a clean-and-dirty setup with the two Engls and has a third Savage as a backup. Unlike Gelotte, Broderick runs his amps into a full 4x12 (ENGL Amplifiers E412VGB 240W cab with Celestion Vintage 30s) that’s out of view on the side of the stage.
Chris Broderick Pedalboard
Keeping things tidy onstage, everything changing Broderick’s tone resides offstage in a rack. Signal from the guitar starts with the Shure AD4D wireless system, an ISP Technologies Decimator Pro Rack G keeps down the noise—with an ISP Technologies Decimator II G-String for extra coverage—and a TC Electronic G-Major 2 and Eventide H9 do the heavy coloring. And a Lehle 3at1 SGoS instrument switcher handles guitar changes.
Tone Zon
Bassist Liam Wilson spent the last 20 years holding down the chaos for Dillinger Escape Plan. He joined In Flames last year and helping him seamlessly make the transition is a pair of longtime 4-string companions. They are Zon Sonus Special 4 models that both have a 35" scale length, ash body with a maple top—black is flame and brown is burl—composite neck and fretboard, and specially-wound Bartolini “multi-coil” active pickups that give the basses amazing clarity and punch. With Dillinger, he used picks, but for In Flames material, he exclusively plays fingerstyle. He goes with a custom set of Ernie Ball strings (.070-.090-.110-.135).
Here's what Liam said on a recent social media post about the instruments: “Absolute masterpieces. I appreciate all the time you spent to keep the dialogue going and deliver EXACTLY what me and the In Flames crew needed. Your commitment to the craft is inspiring. Endless thanks for digging so deep to get these to me in time, at the craziest time of the year, I’ve never felt so in my power as I do playing these instruments…Next level stuff!”Jab! Cross! Uppercut!
Prior to In Flames, Liam has always used a variation of an Ampeg SVT. He replaced Bryce Paul, who was an Orange dude, so Wilson has been trying several combinations of amps and pedals to nail the band’s evolving bass tones from their 14-album lineage. At the Nashville stop, Wilson was putting his Sonuses through these clobber boxes—a Tech 21 SansAmp RBI bass preamp, an Orange 4 Stroke 500, and an Ampeg SVT-4 Pro.
Shop In Flames' Rig
EMG 81 MetalWorks Gold
Jackson USA Signature Chris Broderick Soloist 7
Jackson Pro Series Chris Broderick Signature HT7 Soloist
MXR GT OD
MXR Carbon Copy
Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer
EMG 85 MetalWorks Gold
Shure AD4D
sE Electronics Voodoo VR1 Passive Ribbon Mic
ISP Technologies Decimator Pro Rack G
Lehle 1at3 SGoS 3 Amp Switcher Pedal
Lehle 3at1 SGoS Instrument Switcher
Voodoo Lab Ground Control Pro MIDI Foot Controller
Ernie Ball 7-String Super Slinkys (.009-.052)
ENGL Amplifiers E412VGB 240W Cab
Eventide H9
ISP Technologies Decimator II G-String
Tech 21 SansAmp RBI Bass Preamp
Ampeg SVT-4PRO 1200-watt Tube Preamp Bass Head
Co-founding member Billy Gould (left) hammers out grooving bass lines during the band's recent show in Japan at Shinkiba Studio Coast. The band's newest member—he joined in 1996—Jon Hudson (right) rips off a solo during the band's recent show in Japan at Shinkiba Studio Coast. Photos by Kazumichi Kokei.
In 1998, President Bill Clinton was in office, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls won their sixth NBA title, AOL was the leading internet browser and email service, Armageddon was the No. 1 grossing film, and on April 7, the funk-metal misfits Faith No More played their last gig in Lisbon, Portugal.
Current members bassist Billy Gould, drummer Mike Bordin, and keyboardist Roddy Bottum started the band (originally named Faith No Man) during the early ’80s in San Francisco, where they had a revolving door of singers and guitarists before drafting Chuck Mosley and Jim Martin for those respective chairs. This lineup released Introduce Yourself in 1987. The band eventually fired Mosley and replaced him with crooning, operatic, screaming sensation Mike Patton who solidified the band’s sound and direction by incorporating a more extreme palette of influences, including heavy-and-loud (“War Pigs”), funk-rock (“Epic”), lounge-y, jazz vibes (“Edge of the World”), and least-likely, Middle-Eastern rhythms (“Woodpecker from Mars”). In 1989, they released the platinum-selling, Grammy-nominated The Real Thing, which catapulted them onto MTV’s airwaves and into the mainstream consciousness.
With Patton firmly at the helm, the band pushed forward, blending and distorting musical boundaries on more adventurous albums: 1992’s Angel Dust (guitarist Martin’s last album), 1995’s King For a Day… Fool For a Lifetime, and 1997’s Album of the Year, which was guitarist Jon Hudson’s first recorded appearance. While many of their albums were critically acclaimed, FNM toured relentlessly in an effort to win over audiences.
quite a transition." —Jon Hudson
“We pretty much toured nonstop for a decade because label reps and publicity people would say this area isn’t getting you,” says bassist Gould. “We would record, rehearse, tour, and repeat that cycle every two years or so. By the end of Album of the Year and touring in 1998, we’d had enough of each other and had to go our separate ways. We were toast.”
So they went off and did their own things. Patton put all his energy into Fantômas, Mr. Bungle, Tomahawk, Peeping Tom, Italian operas, video-game voiceovers, and even did time as a singer for Dillinger Escape Plan. Bottum pursued new music as singer/guitarist for Imperial Teen. Bordin went on to drum with Ozzy Osbourne and Alice in Chains’ Jerry Cantrell. Gould worked with Jello Biafra, Brujeria, and produced several albums on his Koolarrow Records label. And guitarist Hudson left music altogether.
Around 2007 or 2008 when Roddy got married, most of the band attended the ceremony and reception, marking the first time they’d been together since the ’90s.
“Since it was a personal thing and we were there to celebrate Roddy’s happiness, we had no pressure or expectations,” says Gould. “It was real casual, but I was apprehensive about it since we hadn’t been in the same room together in nearly a decade, but everything was great. My thing was if the vibe was weird, tense, felt forced, or we didn’t get along, it would be a telltale sign that any type of a reunion wasn’t in the cards. Thankfully, everything went great and that was the first step to where we are today.”
Billy Gould's signature Zon Sonus bass has an onboard preamp designed with Greenhouse Effects Roy Zichri so Gould doesn't need any effects onstage. The bass also has proprietary-designed Bartolini pickups first put in his basses in the early '90s.
After years of reunion shows and festival appearances, the band quietly decided to start recording new material. Released nearly two decades after Album of the Year, FNM’s new album Sol Invictus proves they can still harness the manic energy of their earlier music. We recently caught up with Gould and Hudson, and they described the reformation process, what it’s like to self-produce a record, and why neither of them use distortion or overdrive pedals.
Jon, you essentially quit professional music. What was your day job?
Jon Hudson: I worked in property management—I oversaw condominiums for Homeowners Associations in the Bay area. Getting paid to play music is crazy, and to have that be your day job is just incredible. To go from that into management is quite a transition.
When the band split up, I toyed around with having my own band and putting out my own record, but I couldn’t really find the right people to work with at the time. I was also trying to be realistic about it. I just thought, look, I had a great run with the band, but it didn’t pan out, so I switched gears and grew up. Managing a portfolio of properties was probably the most challenging thing I’ve ever done. I’m glad to be playing music again for my day job [laughs].
Do you remember when you decided to move beyond playing reunion shows and actually make a new album?
Billy Gould: A lot sooner than we announced it. The problem is when you haven’t put out music in 18 years and you start hinting that you’re going to do something, the hype machine starts up. We just wanted to be absolutely sure that we had enough material we were really happy about—that means all of us, not just one of us—before actually taking the necessary steps to being a living, breathing band again.
Hudson: For about five or six years, we just enjoyed playing the old material. It was nice to be around the guys again. I don’t remember who brought it up, but at some point we decided to try writing new material. It was so informal that it practically went by unnoticed. It was very relaxed and we had no pressure on delivering anything other than to ourselves.
Bassist Billy Gould digging into his signature Zon Sonus BG4 bass during the band's initial reunion shows alongside longtime singer and collaborator Mike Patton. Photo by Lindsey Best.
Were the Sol Invictus sessions similar to how you worked on Album of the Year?
Gould: I’d say pretty similar. We have a certain way we work and collaborate with all of our personalities. What did change is that all of us have become technically better at what we do, so we can actually work better independently than we used to. Also, because we’re all better at our craft, it allows us to openly tell each other what we’re thinking. It’s not about being right or better, our goal has always been to just put out the best album as a collective unit. With everything up to and including Album of the Year, we were always working in the studio with a producer and an engineer—I learned so much from Andy [Wallace], Matt [Wallace], Roli [Mosimann] and others, but I think we’re now to the point where we can work amongst ourselves and avoid any outside coloring.
Hudson: This time felt much more relaxed. We’re putting the new album out on Mike’s [Patton, singer] label Ipecac Recordings, so we had unlimited time and no expectations.
During the Sol Invictus sessions I always had a DI track of guitars running, so we had additional options during mixing. I never did anything like that on Album of the Year. We actually took the DI track and ran it through a Kemper Profiler. We’d listen to how those rhythm tracks sat in the mix, and then use the Kemper to reamp the DI track and fill up the sound.
Early on Billy and I decided that I’d basically use my live setup for recording—my old Marshall head and cabinet with a Les Paul Standard. We set up a few different tones on the amp’s various channels and then ran a few mics on the cabinet. We really dialed in the sounds beforehand, as opposed to over-EQing those tracks later on, which can sometimes cause phasing issues.
Billy, you’ve produced other bands and have co-produced some of Faith No More’s earlier work, but on this album, you’re the sole producer. Describe that experience.
Gould: It’s definitely been a challenge. I felt like the bar was set pretty high by the other guys we worked with, so that made me step up a little bit. It was fantastic because the band gave me a lot of confidence and support through the whole process. At the end of the day, we’ve all been making records for so long that it’s now just a group thing—I’m driving the car, but we’re all on the same journey together. I’m kind of just the engineer or the manager of the technical side.
Do you think the band’s broad musical palette made it easier to make a Sol Invictus after a long hiatus, since you couldn’t be pigeonholed into a specific category other than Faith No More?
Gould: I’m glad you hear that! That’s what we were hoping to accomplish—it was definitely one of our greatest concerns. It’s kind of common that at some point, bands we loved growing up mature, write some good stuff, but their sound and dynamic changes. Sadly, more often than not, they kind of suck—I think that’s more often the rule than the exception. We never wanted to be one of those bands. I don’t think it’s happened yet and I’m very happy to say that.
Hudson: Mostly I think it came naturally. I don’t think that it was like pulling teeth or anything, and it wasn’t a particularly arduous process. We just kept working and before you knew it, we’d made an album and it’s 100 percent Faith No More.
Jon Hudson's Gear
GuitarsTwo 2004 Gibson Les Paul Standards
1981 Gibson Les Paul Custom
Early ’90s Gibson Les Paul Traditional
Amps
1980s Marshall JCM800
Effects
MXR M135 Smart Gate
Boss GE-7 Equalizer
MXR M109 6-Band Graphic EQ
Guyatone MD-2 Digital Delay
MXR Carbon Copy Delay
Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail Nano Reverb
Zoom MS-50G Multistomp
Marshall RG-1 Regenerator
Custom Audio Electronics MC404 Wah
Strings and Picks
Dunlop 1.0 mm Ultex
Dunlop Nickel Wound (.010–.046)
Billy Gould's Gear
Basses and GuitarsSignature Zon Sonus BG4 with onboard Greenhouse-designed preamp
Fender Classic Player Jazzmaster
Amps and Cabs
Fender Bassman 300
Aguilar Tone Hammer 500
Kemper Profiler
1990s Peavey 8x10 cabs
Effects
None
Strings and Picks
Dunlop .88 mm Tortex Triangle
Dunlop Nickel Wound Bass Strings (.045–.105)
Jon, in the opening title track it sounds like you’re really trying to make the delays or reverberated parts musical.
Hudson: You’re right, the guitar parts in that song are delayed pretty heavily throughout. I don’t really play many notes, but the objective was to make eerie, ghostly notes through the reverb and delay trails.
Do you recall what you used for delay?
Hudson:We used plug-ins. I honestly don’t remember which one because Billy handled a lot of that business behind central command [laughs]. I know in live settings I’ll be using a Zoom Multistomp that has three or four delay presets on it—each setting is just a little bit longer of a delay time. Delay has never been an integral part of my sound. It’s just a little added effect.
In the last song, “From the Dead,” are you playing a lap steel or a slide guitar?
Hudson: Billy actually played slide guitar for that song after everyone else thought it was done. I was pretty floored when I heard it and felt it added to the song so much.
Gould: I just felt that outro part needed a little bit more emotion. I heard it in my head, so I tried it and it worked out. The guys responded really well to that addition. It’s really just colors and textures I’m adding—I’m a shitty guitarist [laughs].
Do you recall what guitar you used or amp you used?
Gould: I believe I used a Jazzmaster into the Kemper.
Are there any other guitar parts that Billy played?
Hudson: Bill plays the solo on “Superhero.” It’s really great. The arrangement had changed, and Bill recorded that at the last minute after I tried tracking it, but what I played didn’t add anything and his take has a great vibe and meshes really well with the song. Sometimes you have to concede and be happy he’s in your band and your producer [laughs].
Gould: I wrote that song, so I threw that part together as a placeholder to show Jon what I was going after. When he came in he had a few runs at it, but ultimately he told me to just use my original recording. I was like, “Are you sure, Jon?” He was totally supportive—that’s just an example of how everyone has matured and we can work for the greater song rather than worrying about who played every note on the record.
Jon, are you playing at the end of “Separation Anxiety” where the solo carries out the song?
Hudson: Yeah, I played that. The song continues to slowly build to that point and the solo kind of becomes the catalyst for everything else happening in the track. I really wanted to nail that frenzied little part to continue pushing the song right up to the end.
Here is guitarist Jon Hudson's go-to live setup—a respectable pedalboard with two EQ pedals (a Boss GE-7 Equalizer and MXR M109 6-Band Graphic EQ) that he uses to lower and boost the amp's volume and his 1981 Gibson Les Paul Custom.
Billy, talk about the groovy, slithering main bass riff in “Sunny Side Up.”
Gould: That was the last instrumental part we added in that song, which usually isn’t the case, so it was definitely a challenge to work from that angle or perspective. Since the structure of the song was already there, I tried to play around the drummer. Usually I’m pushing the drummer along, and normally I have a thing where I kind of play bass like a drummer, so we’re always playing off of or against each other. This time I just decided to kind of sail around it and play a little more syncopated. For a Faith No More song, it’s not our typical approach. “Sunny Side Up” might be my favorite song on the record right now.
And about two minutes into “Matador”—when Mike’s vocals shift from singing to an almost spoken word—that bass line steers the song. What was your goal for that part?
Gould: Just like anything I play in Faith No More or any project, I try to put a groove into the song. What’s catching your ear is probably weird 7/8 timing that we’re playing through most of the song. It’s not in your face, but you notice something is just off, but in a good way.
Let’s talk gear. Jon, are you still using the Marshall-Fender dual-amp setup?
Hudson: No, I got rid of the Twin. I love Fender Twins, but it becomes problematic to get a good balance between amplifiers onstage. The levels got off, and sometimes it became more of a hassle than it was worth. A few years ago, I started trying to get everything out of my JCM800. Right now I just have a Boss GE-7 Equalizer that boosts the midrange a little bit—that’s sort of my overdrive/boost. I can obviously boost that signal and get it to go a little more over the top, but my other EQ pedal—the MXR M09—pulls almost all the frequencies down by 10 dB. I’ll leave a couple of the upper frequencies intact, but I’ve also tried pulling the full signal down, too. The amp is consistent the whole time, so the tone isn’t altered.
I’ve had different overdrive pedals, but sometimes when I go back and listen to recordings, I feel they compressed the sound more than I wanted. The tonal character changes and the guitar disappears. That’s an issue I sometimes have with a lot of high-gain amplifiers as well.
Billy, your signature Zon bass has an onboard preamp for instant distortion. Did you use that at all while recording or is that just a live thing?
Gould: No I didn’t record with it—it’s on my bass to kind of replace the Fulltone Bass-Drive in my live rig. Roy [Zichri] at Greenhouse Effects and I worked on this idea for a preamp circuit that’s kind of like a parallel drive. Not a distortion—it just adds a little bit of drive and a little bit of edge.
If you disengage it, it goes back to passive I imagine?
Gould: Exactly. It takes the circuit out completely. The other thing that’s cool about it is that when I tour a lot, sometimes I can’t bring my amp with me and the backline gear is a struggle to work with. With something like this onboard preamp, I can actually bypass a lot of those problems by having the tone come from the bass.
Tell us about your signature bass.
Gould: The signature models that are coming out are actually based on the first Zon I got back in 1990. Joseph made me something to the specs that I needed, because I have small hands, and I needed to feel comfortable touring and playing every night. My old No. 1 bass broke a string, so I used the Zon for the rest of the show. That was it—I haven’t used too many other basses since then. The Bartolini pickups in the signature models are based on the original pickups I got back in the early ’90s. This bass coming out now is my bass of 20-some years ago.
That Fender Bassman 300 you recorded with is a big tube monster. Will you tour with that or pare things down?
Gould: What I’m using now is an Aguilar Tone Hammer 500. I really like it a lot. In fact, I probably would have recorded with it if I’d had one then.
I’m curious about your approach to effects. From what I could tell from recordings and watching live videos, you’re not using many effects on the bass.
Gould: The whole time I’m using my signature Zon bass with my Fender Bassman 300 into my old Peavey 8x10 cabs. Completely dry signal. It’s just a big, ballsy, full amp. It’s a very big, thick sound with lots of bass. If you’re playing jazz-fusion, you’re probably not going to like that amp very much. It’s a little closer to the SVT side of things, but for me it was a pretty cool sound. It has something like 18 tubes, so it’s not very practical. When it’s good, it’s really pretty badass. It’s like having a tractor with a supercharger.
YouTube It
Check out one of Faith No More’s frenetic sets from one of their first shows in 2009—complete with a cover of Peaches & Herb’s “Reunited.”
I try to make the bass sound like a bass. I like messing around with effects for fun, but oftentimes bass—more so than guitar—loses its oomph and low-end character the more its core tone is altered, and that causes it to get lost in the mix.
Jon, you’ve mentioned that growing up you played Teles and Strats, but now you play Les Pauls with a DiMarzio Dual Sound in the bridge position. What do you like about that setup?
Hudson: Well, in this band and this context, it fills out the sound the right way. A Fender with a humbucker wouldn’t be quite the right sound for this band. I think that live, the Les Paul is the way to go for Faith No More. I can actually get a fairly twangy sound if I knock the volume down a little bit and maybe play closer to the bridge. I really like the DiMarzio humbuckers because while still being hot, they offer a nice, solid midrange tone.
What are you using for the beginning of “Cone of Shame,” where it’s just spare drums and a spaghetti-Western guitar line?
Hudson: That was definitely one of Bill’s plug-ins because I played that part clean with a Fender American Standard Telecaster. I remember I wanted a really bright tone that would really pop out of that sparse arrangement, so I played that Tele on the bridge pickup and we added reverb and delay afterwards. Live, I’ll use an Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail.
Another unique guitar sound is in the opening, cabaret-style part during the intro and verses of “Rise of the Fall.” What are you playing?
Hudson: There are lots of clean parts on that song—some are mixed down a little quieter because we wanted them to sit lower in the mix compared to the vocal. I did a lot of work with my Gibson ES-335 for the real, clear precise parts. There were a few different layers on that one. For the melodic break in the vocals, I double-tracked parts with my Les Paul Custom and the Tele.
How about another new album?
Hudson: Oh boy. Now you’re going to get me in trouble!
I get it, but let’s not wait 18 years until the next one.
Hudson: Message received [laughs].
Got My Mojo Working
The ice-blue finish on the Mojo’s alder body and headstock is a thing of beauty. I almost always favor a natural finish over paint, but the blue hue on this instrument just looked so right. It’s also available in black, white, and red, and there’s an available upgrade to an ash body ($200) that offers the choice between a natural-gloss or sunburst finish.
Mosaic Mojos go through a meticulous inspection and setup when they arrive at Zon’s shop in California, including Plek’ing and handpolishing the frets. Even after logging some serious miles in transit, the action and feel was spot-on. Fretwork was excellent too, and there wasn’t a hint of a sharp edge.
The 24-fret, 3-piece, bolt-on maple neck is topped with a rosewood fretboard and dressed with classic clay dots for position markers. Up past the 1 9/16" graphite nut, the 2-on-a-side, Gotoh-style tuners feel solid and, with their unique, offset placement, look cool on the tilt-back headstock (no string tree needed here).
Though the headstock deviates from J-bass-style convention, the curvaceous body looks and feels as familiar as can be, with its chrome control plate, a Fender-style machined-brass bridge, and a set of three knurled-chrome knobs wired for master volume/blend/tone.
The pair of Aguilar passive pickups includes a hum-cancelling 4P/J-HC in the bridge and a 4P-60 P-bass-style pup in the neck position. (The Mosaic Mojo is available in P/J active, J/J active, or a J/J passive configuration as well, so there is something for everyone.)
At just 8 pounds, the 34"-scale Mosaic Mojo is pretty svelte, which enhances the overall sense of comfort when you play it. The satin-finished neck feels wicked-fast, buttery smooth, and effortless.
Say Hey P and J
To get acquainted with the Zon, I fired up a Gallien-Krueger 800RB head pushing a TC Electronic RS410 cab, plugged in, and set the amp’s EQ dials flat. I turned the Mojo’s volume and tone knobs all the way up and set the blend dial to favor only the neck pickup.
Aguilar designed the Mosaic Mojo’s alnico 5 P-bass-style pickup after closely studying the pickups from a pair of early ’60s Precisions. Little surprise then that I was greeted with a recognizable, mellow and clear P-bass sound full of vintage-y warmth, big bottom end, and round high-mids. Whether plectrum picking through rock riffs, or fingerpicking blues lines or country shuffles, the Mosaic Mojo delivered much of the same warm, woody tone that has makes the P-bass such a chameleonic instrument.
Ratings
Pros:
Fantastic neck and fretwork, and a very nice pair of pickups.
Cons:
In a crowded category, the price could scare some off.
Tones:
Playability:
Build/Design:
Value:
Street:
$899
Zon Mosaic PJ Passive
zonguitars.com
Dialing down the blend knob close to halfway (favoring the split-coil) for a 60/40 split between the pickups coaxed definition, and crisp attack from the output, while still maintaining bottom end and volume. By rolling the tone knob down to about 75 percent, I got in a tone space where finger pulling melodic-jazz chords or digging in hard with a pick for fast and furious metal was equally natural.
Like many, I rarely rely on a bridge pickup alone. Still, I rolled the blender all the way back to disengage the neck pup and check it out by itself. Predictably, the tone thinned out and I perceived a volume drop compared to the soloed neck pickup. Hum was not an issue at all, however, and the resulting burpy tones are great for funky textures.
For the most part, however, I favored the neck pickup, blending in just a touch of spice from the bridge, and diming the tone control. The resulting fat, full, defined and punchy goodness is something the Mosaic Mojo PJ delivers with ease.
The Verdict
Zon’s new take on the tried-and-true J-bass is ready to go to work right out of the case. Yes, $899 is not chump change, and borders on pricey compared to other imported J basses or J-style basses out there. But the Zon’s neck is one of the nicest I’ve handled in recent memory. And when you also consider the quality components, attention to build detail, and available tones, the Mosaic Mojo is a solid value that can return your investment in reliable, versatile, sweet sounding performance.
