Gear Talk with Kristian!

[BloodLegion]

Kristian! If you'd spend some minutes perhaps we can discuss gear (I know you're a gear nut!) and perhaps let the fans into some of the hardware you're fond of and use for Demonoid?

Being a guitarist myself I'm always curious, so I hope you can reply and kick things off!

 

[Kristian Niemann]

Sure! A guy asked me exactly that on Myspace yesterday so I´ll just paste the answer here:

Gearwise, the first Demonoid record is:
- Ibanez RG540pII guitar with DiMarzio Super3 in bridge, Super2 in the neck.
- Boogie Triaxis preamp
- Boogie 2:90 poweramp
- Marshall cab w/ 75W Celestions for rhythm sound, Marshall cab with 25W Greenbacks for the melodies and solos.
- Boss CS-3 Compressor and Ibanez TubeScreamer for the solos.
- a bunch of cheap effects: Boss VF-1, Digitech XP300, a Vox wah pedal

For the new record I will do some experimenting: I`ll try my Boogie 2:90 poweramp or I´ll maybe a SWR hybrid bass poweramp. Then combine that with either my Marshall JMP-1 preamp or a Yamaha DG-1000 preamp. I´ll run some kind of EQ after that. Then try a shitload of pedals to boost the front end of the preamp a bit.
I have a Randall isocab speakerbox in my apartment, can´t mike up a 4x12 at home, so Im pretty much stuck with that unfortunately but I WILL make it work!! Its got a Celestion V30 speaker, which i really like, so it should be cool.

Also I got a few new guitars and had different pickups mounted in them (Bill Lawrence L-500XL, D Sonic, Steves Special) and I also have my new, awesome Custom Shop super-heavy mahogany Ibanez. Should be fun!

Questions anybody?


(...crickets chirping...)

 

[BloodLegion]

Thanks for the info, Kristian! It's an honor to be able to get in touch with you here! I've got more Qs if you don't mind (it's better than crickets chirping!)

1. In your natural-finished Ibanez (your current fave, I assume, the one you used live during the Gothic Kabbalah tour and Son Of The Staves Of Time video) has dual EMGs in it, is it an 85/81 combo?

2. When you play those tremolo-picked open low-E notes in songs like Firestorms, how do you get rid of any noise or feedback that you don't need? I experience that a lot especially at live gigs, and I think passive pickups are to be blamed to some extent. My new wife (Japanese made BC Rich Ironbird!) will have EMG81 in bridge so that may solve the issue. How do you deal with all the unwanted nuances with passive pickups?

3. Another pickup question: What brand of pickups do you prefer the most, and why? Active or passive, and again, why?

I hope I made some educated guesses and came up with some interesting questions for you!

 

[Jacob Kjær]

I have a Randall isocab speakerbox in my apartment, can´t mike up a 4x12 at home, so Im pretty much stuck with that unfortunately but I WILL make it work!! Its got a Celestion V30 speaker, which i really like, so it should be cool.

So you and Johan are recording guitars in a home studio in Stockholm while Ricky E is doing the drums in Australia?

How does the mahogany Ibanez sound like? I read something about a very uniform frequency spectrum. Did you order it specifically, or did Ibanez tell you to be their test hamster?

 

[Kristian Niemann]

1. Yup, 81 in the bridge, 85 in the neck.

2. Hmm, I havent noticed anything like that. I switched to EMGs primarily for the tighter bottom-end. In any case I dont mind a bit of noise. It adds to the music!

3. It all depends of what guitar they´re in and what music Im gonna play. Singlecoils in a Strat sounds great for a lot of things but I wouldnt use the for heavy chunky metal rhythms.
I really like the 85 in the neck but I also like a passive DiMarzio Super2 there. When I`ve started recording guitars for this album I can tell you what my favorite is! I´m guessing the 81/85
combination will shine once again!!!

Cheers!

 

[Kristian Niemann]

So you and Johan are recording guitars in a home studio in Stockholm while Ricky E is doing the drums in Australia?

Yes. Not the optimal scenario, but our only option right now. However I have complete trust that Ricky and the engineer Ricky will come up with something very cool soundwise. I already know Ricky is a dead-on motherfucker on the drums so the BIG question is...can I keep up?
I guess practice is the answer, as always!

How does the mahogany Ibanez sound like? I read something about a very uniform frequency spectrum. Did you order it specifically, or did Ibanez tell you to be their test hamster?

It sound massive! I asked Ibanez to make me the fattest-sounding guitar ever and yes, it is FAT! Im still in disbelief that they actually gave me a beatiful customshop instrument....for free! I love those guys.

 

[Jacob Kjær]

You lucky, lucky bastard

 

[BloodLegion]

Thanks for the insight, Kristian! I can't wait to try out my EMG81, it's still in it's pretty box!

So do you rely on any distortion pedals (aside from the Tubescreamer for soloing) or just use the gain from your amp/s?

\m/

 

[Kristian Niemann]

So do you rely on any distortion pedals (aside from the Tubescreamer for soloing) or just use the gain from your amp/s?

m/

The last couple of years I´ve been using the Boss SD-1 live and in the studio as my main booster pedal. I like it because it adds a lot of attack and compression to the tone, but its CLEAN because its an overdrive pedal, not a distortion pedal. Ive tried the DS-1, the MetalZone and some other dist pedals but they dont work at all for me. Too raspy and it adds too much of an artificial, ugly "glassy" high-end.

The SD-1 is on pretty much all the time, except for the really quiet clean parts I did in some of the Therion songs. It has less of a mid boost and more attack than a Tube Screamer, at least to my ears and it works better with my gear and taste. To get a bit more "cut" on the solos live I just switch programs on my JMP-1 to a preset with a little more mids, and a little less highs and lows.

Again, for this record Im sure I´ll end up using something different. Im going for the ultimate huge, fat, ballcrushing, atom-bomb-in-your-pants-type tone. We´ll see what happens!

 

[Jacob Kjær]

Im going for the ultimate huge, fat, ballcrushing, atom-bomb-in-your-pants-type tone. We´ll see what happens!

Must suck to be your neighboors

It's really sad to hear that you are hindered by the lack of a studio. This will result in a lower production quality, if I am not mistaken? What's keeping you from getting one?

 

[Kristian Niemann]

Must suck to be your neighboors

It's really sad to hear that you are hindered by the lack of a studio. This will result in a lower production quality, if I am not mistaken? What's keeping you from getting one?

Money.
We´d rather spend it on the drum recording, vocal recording and on the mix.

But I´m very confident in my ability to get a good guitar tone, studio or no studio. I´ve got a good speaker and mike and I can still crank the power amp quite a bit. I might have to compensate for the smaller box (and the possible loss of some low-end) with some eq:ing but it will be cool. I know exactly what I´m looking for so the only thing that matters is having the time to make sure I get there. And at home, I do have that time.

 

[BloodLegion]

Money.
We´d rather spend it on the drum recording, vocal recording and on the mix.

But I´m very confident in my ability to get a good guitar tone, studio or no studio. I´ve got a good speaker and mike and I can still crank the power amp quite a bit. I might have to compensate for the smaller box (and the possible loss of some low-end) with some eq:ing but it will be cool. I know exactly what I´m looking for so the only thing that matters is having the time to make sure I get there. And at home, I do have that time.

I don't think it'll be a problem to nail a killer tone, Kristian! Money is always the issue. With what they're doing now, someone should grab the gear from Metallica and pass it to you and Johan

By the way, what gauge strings do you use? And I find that thicker strings (I started with 08s, now a firm believer of 11s!) really have a lot more tone in them (even between 10s to 11s) which prompted me to switch permanently to 11s. The difference is really obvious to my ears, do you notice the tone/thickness relation too?

 

[Kristian Niemann]

By the way, what gauge strings do you use? And I find that thicker strings (I started with 08s, now a firm believer of 11s!) really have a lot more tone in them (even between 10s to 11s) which prompted me to switch permanently to 11s. The difference is really obvious to my ears, do you notice the tone/thickness relation too?

I use Ernie Ball´s 009-046 Hybrid Slinkys for my E strung guitars and Beefy Slinky (011-054, but with the 022 G string replaced with a 019) for C# tuning.
Sure there is a difference (in output) but everything depends on how you setup your amp, the type on music you play and on your playing style. Contrary to popular belief a thicker string DOESNT necessarily equal a heavier tone. Of course the string needs to be taut enough to produce a solid note but that depends on your righthand attack and on your lefthand pressure on the neck. Too thick a string just get woofy especially in the low-end, and ESPECIALLY if you play with lots of distortion.

Blues great Stevie Ray Vaughan use super-heavy strings but he had enormous hands and played a Strat with very little output, through practically a clean amp, boosted only by a TS808 Tube Screamer. Then it totally maks sense to use heavy strings, because it increases the output. The guitar gets louder. But with mega-gain amps and high-output pups....it doesnt do much for the tone. My opinion!

Other examples:
Dimebag had the fattest, most aggressive tone in the universe and he used 009-046.

Yngwie uses 008-046 tuned down a half-step. His tone is awesomely, supremely massive.

 

[BloodLegion]

Great points, man!

I guess it's in the equipment! I tune to Eb so 11s just feel really meaty under my fingers, and not too thin. I guess the tonal difference is psychological!

Kristian, one more question if you're not bored of me yet - I read that you use Dunlop Jazz III picks (the only picks I can use!) are they the only picks you use, and what made you pick them (pun intended)? Did you experiment with different picks, or just use the Jazz IIIs cos they're pointy and built tough?

By the way, I'm Jai from Malaysia, and I guess I'll be asking the most questions in here (hope I don't drive you nuts!).

 

[Kristian Niemann]

Kristian, one more question if you're not bored of me yet - I read that you use Dunlop Jazz III picks (the only picks I can use!) are they the only picks you use, and what made you pick them (pun intended)? Did you experiment with different picks, or just use the Jazz IIIs cos they're pointy and built tough?

I used to use them for a very long time but I´ve been using Ibanez Paul Gilbert picks for about four years now UNTIL a friend of mine showed me the Ibanez Sand Grip picks a few months ago and that´s what I use now. They dont slip out of your hand and they last a bit longer, and they sound really good too!! Plus I get them cheap
Yes, I originally went for the red Jazz III´s because of the pointy tip and the thickness, and I still like them for solos but they are just too small for me for rhythm playing. Also if I play acoustic I try to find a real light pick. That sounds better to me than the heavy ones.

By the way, I'm Jai from Malaysia, and I guess I'll be asking the most questions in here (hope I don't drive you nuts!).

Hey man, no problem! That´s what Im here for Just make sure you buy around 1500 copies of the new CD and we are even!

Cheers!

 

[BloodLegion]

I used to use them for a very long time but I´ve been using Ibanez Paul Gilbert picks for about four years now UNTIL a friend of mine showed me the Ibanez Sand Grip picks a few months ago and that´s what I use now.

No way!!! I used PG picks first THEN got introduced to Jazz IIIs by a friend! I tried the Stubbys too, they're really good for tremolo picking but I prefer a flat pick than one that feels like a blob of plastic!

Hey man, no problem! That´s what Im here for Just make sure you buy around 1500 copies of the new CD and we are even!

Will life-time support and undying loyalty to Demonoid do instead?
Anyway, I wonder if there's any chance of you signing my Riders cover? I can post it to you or something and include a self-addressed envelope to return it? Unless you bring Demonoid to Malaysia...

 

[Andiferum]

Kristian, if you like Jazz IIIs but think they're too small, why not try the bigger versions of them? My friend at college has the Jazz III in a bigger size & it's a really awesome pick!

 

[BloodLegion]

The Jazz III XLs right? Yeah those are a good 20% bigger or something...

 

[Jacob Kjær]

Kristian, which tubescreamer model do you use?

Thanks in advance,

Jacob

EDIT: Oh, and where can the XP300 be heard on Riders? I listened to [ame=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBf2lc0PCxA]this demo[/ame], but I can't put my hand on where it is.

 

[Kristian Niemann]

Hellöööö to you my devoted diciple

I dont use the TubeScreamer anymore, and havent for the past 4-5 years, but I used to use the inexpensive TS-10 for years and years and years. I compared it to the insanely pricey TS-9 reissue and I honestly couldnt tell the difference, especially when used solely as a solo boost.
My TS-10 died a while back and I really wanted to have a Screamer just for certain things outside of metal so I bought the cheapo TS-7, which also has a Hot mode. It works great for that honky, nasal midrangey grinding "indie" tone. Its just that its too thin-sounding for my metal rig. It sucks out all bottom-end and adds an ugly coating on the tone, no matter how much I try to eq it, whereas my SD-1 adds attack, sustain, chunk and tightens up the low frequencies really well. I love that little piss-colored box. I wouldnt change it for the world.
But of course it all depends on the rig youre running it through.

The XP300 is on 14th C Plague. That whole backwards-sounding solo was done on it, and also the chaotic ending of Firestorms has some 300 in it. I also used it for some pad-like textures on Wargods, the part after the solo, but its mixed very low.