Image credit: Olly Curtis/Future
When did you start playing guitar and what guitar and equipment did you start on?
I was about 15 when I started. I wanted to play bass, so I restrung my dad’s acoustic guitar with 4 strings to try to practice bass. I ended up getting a Kramer Strat shortly thereafter. I didn’t have an amp, so I’d just plug into the mic input on my cassette deck and put it in record pause. Eventually, after borrowing some actual amps from friends, I ended up getting a grey stripe Peavey Bandit.
Which bands inspired you to start playing guitar and are there certain riffs or songs that specifically motivated you to start playing guitar?
I mostly learned by playing along with the early Suicidal Tendencies, Metallica, and Slayer albums.
When did you really feel your guitar playing and equipment got more professional and you thought: “Yes, this is the sound I really like!” ?
There’s been lots of moments like that over the years, but they’ve never lasted long! I think the first one was when I plugged an EQ pedal into the effects loop of my Peavey Bandit and scooped those mids!
Do these 2 go hand in hand or did it evolve differently for your playing and your equipment?
There’s always a back and forth between guitar, playing style, and song writing.
Do you recall using what kind of amps, guitars, pedals and pickups on the albums? If so, would you mind sharing them? (for example: for album X we used a peavey 5150 mixed with a mesa dual rec and a TS9 and I was using a ESP LTD MH-400 with JB in the bridge)
Too many to list, but generally it’s been hot pickups (EMG 85 in the early days and GCI Slug Jammer more recently) into some sort of overdrive that cuts lows and boosts mids, and usually a medium gain tube amp like a JMP, Bad Cat, Traynor or V4. I did use a Rectifier for some tracks in the WFCC – Jane Doe era.
I have noticed the difference in sounds over years of your albums; did you switch to other amps, guitar and pickups but do you also feel the amps were a better fit for you, the songs and your playing?
I think no matter what I’m playing I end up making it sound like me. I usually just line up whatever I think might sound good, try it all and pick my favorites.
I see you know a lot about amps and pedals and I presume you tried out a lot of different amps, pedals and guitars over time for Converge and in the studio; do you have specific learnings of that equipment you tried out during the years on the records? (what works best for you or for recording guitars)
There’s very little gear I couldn’t live without. I’m always trying new stuff. I love finding new inspiration in gear I haven’t used before or new ways to use gear I’ve had for a while.
Have you modded any of the guitar gear you have or you use the stock/default setup of the guitars, amps or pedals?
Sure, if something isn’t working for me, but I want to keep it, I may change values in amps or pedals, swap speakers in cabs, change pickups in guitars, etc. But I also love touring with easy to replace gear, so if something happens, I’m not stuck. Lately I’ve just been using Helix as my amp and I have my settings backed up, so if something goes wrong, I’m fine.
Is there an amp, pedal or guitar you would still like to try out and which one is it and why?
I’d love to try Joe Perry’s gold-plated Dumble.
Can you tell me a bit more about the thick strings you use; how do they help your tone and does it help with playing as well? (why would a thinner set of strings won’t work for you?)
I like D’Addario NYXL 11-56. I generally play 25.5 scale guitars in D standard or drop C and those seem to cover it pretty well. They’re the right balance of stability and bendability for my hands.
How relevant is the speaker cab for you? Do you use what is at the venue, hook up to the FOH or do you prefer to play a default cab like a Mesa 4×12 with V30 speakers or something else?
Speakers and cabinet matter a lot, of course. But for live, they’re only for stage volume. FOH gets IR’s from Helix.
What is your favorite guitar atm and why?
GCI Craftsman! I’ve designed a bunch of guitars over the years, but this one best suits me these days. It’s light, lively, simple, and dependable!
If you could choose one amp to play for the rest of your life (can also be a modeler or profiler); which one would it be for you and why?
A well maintained Marshall 2204 can do just about anything I’d ever need.
Which album are you most proud of as a guitar player?
Probably Axe to Fall. That’s one of the more athletic Converge records. That or Bloodmoon 1 because I got to play a bunch of styles I don’t usually do.
Passive vs Active pickups: which one do you prefer for your style and band and why?
I like them both. That’s one of the first things in the signal path, so it’s going to influence your decisions for everything that comes after them, though. If you build a sound with passive pickups, then swap guitars for something with actives, good chance you’re not going to love it. But if you build something from the ground up with actives, then switch to passive, the same thing is gonna happen. It’s really tough to AB just one thing in the signal path without tweaking all of it.
What is the most consistent item in your guitar rig and why?
I’ll have eras where I play the same things for a while, but nothing lasts forever!
Which riff of one of the songs you wrote are you most proud of and why?
I’m mostly just proud of the whole body of work and that I get to keep making music with my friends!
Do you use a certain guitar playing technique that is instantly recognizable for who you are as a guitar player? (damping, blues licks, power chords/barre chords, pinch harmonics)
Not that I’m aware of.
Which guitar players of current existing bands inspire you as a guitar player and why?
I’m loving Nuno Bettencourt these days!
Last but not least: any last words or tips for guitar players out there?
If you feel like your skills have plateaued, don’t throw money at the problem. New gear isn’t going to make you better. Practice practice practice.
Kurt is also an amazing producer, check out
his studio website here
.
To read and hear more about Converge, see
their Instagram website here
And check out their videos here on
YouTube here.
That specific sound
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