California metal giants Deftones returned this year with Private Music, their first album in five years. In support of it, they ripped across North America on a string of headline shows and support slots with System of a Down.
We linked with Deftones guitarist Stef Carpenter for a Rig Rundown back in 2013, but a lot has changed since then (and as Carpenter reveals in this new interview, he basically disowns that 2013 rig). Back in August, PG’s Chris Kies caught up with Carpenter again ahead of the band’s gig in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where the guitarist gave us an all-access walkthrough of his current road rig.
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Blue Battle-Axe
This headless, color-shifting Kiesel Vader 8 was the first Kiesel that Carpenter got his hands on.
Kiesel Kavalcade
Carpenter requested Vader models in all-black, all-white, and goldtop finishes, then Jeff Kiesel himself surprised Carpenter with the remainder, including the camo and green sparkle models shown here. Carpenter will choose which guitar to use based on how he’s feeling each evening. To record Private Music, he switched between his trusty ESPs and these new favorites.
Stef’s Selections
One of Carpenter’s two guitar vaults is full of his current favorite ESPs. Of those, this glow-in-the-dark version, along with the pink-finish model, is his top pick. Curious about his pickup configuration? It’s got nothing to do with sound; it’s purely based on how guitarists like Vivian Campbell and Adrian Vandenberg set up their guitars. Carpenter loved the look, so he copied it.
Back to Bogners
Carpenter says he’s had “too many fails” relying on a completely digital rig, so these days he rolls with a hybrid setup designed by his tech, Greg Dubinovskiy, and Dave Friedman, the latter of whom built the rig.
It’s based around these KT88-loaded Bogner Uberschall Uber-Ultra heads, which are wired to two Bogner 2x12 UberKabs (with one Celestion V-30 and one G12T-75 each) and two Bogner 4x12 UberKabs (with two V-30s and two G12T-75s in an X pattern). A Shure Nexus 57 and Shure KSM32 are used to capture the amp sound.
Rack Rundown
Beside the Bogner’s, another rack houses a Shure AD4Q, Radial JX 44, and a Fractal Axe-Fx II. (Carpenter has no desire to upgrade to the latest model.) Lower down, there’s a pair of Rivera Mini RockRecs.
Most of Carpenter’s pedals are shelved below these units, including an Eventide H9, Boss FZ-1, ZVEX Fuzz Factory, custom ZVEX Machine, , Pigtronix Gatekeeper, Xotic SP Compressor, Strymon Mobius, Strymon BigSky, Strymon Timeline, and TC Electronic TC 2290. A Voodoo Lab Hex powers the pedal party.
Stef Carpenter’s Pedalboard
Carpenter’s Line 6 Helix unit is the brain of his setup, and handles all switching. Also on hand are a DigiTech Whammy Ricochet, a Dunlop Volume (X) Mini pedal, and a TC Electronic PolyTune 3 Noir.
