Interview – Matthew Wood – One King Down

When did you start playing guitar and what guitar and equipment did you start on?

Although I started out playing drums when I was 9 years old, my mother had a Hondo II acoustic guitar that I messed around on starting at around 13 or 14 years old. My mother taught me all of the Major chords that weren’t barre chords, haha. My first store-bought guitar was a Gibson Les Paul Studio.

Which bands inspired you to start playing guitar, and are there certain riffs or songs that specifically motivated you?

Van Halen and Rush made me really want to play guitar. Ed’s tapping and the constant smile on his face made me want to play. I was also a huge Rush fan back then, so I wanted to be able to learn their complex songs. The first VH song/riff I learned was the intro and verse to “Panama”, and I learned “Broon’s Bane” by Rush.

When did you feel your guitar playing and equipment became more professional, leading you to think: “Yes, this is the sound I really like!”?

I knew from a young age that I wanted to play music professionally in some capacity. I believed that to achieve that goal, I was going to need professional equipment. Honestly, looking back, I was right and I was wrong. Mike and I had MONSTER guitar rigs at the beginning of our careers. Huge professional equipment. We needed it and didn’t need it. Who the hell uses a full stack and a wireless unit at a basement show? We did! Now, we can fit our equipment in a guitar case and a grocery bag. To answer your question though, my playing and equipment became more professional the day I bought my Marshall 4×12 in 1993. I bought that cabinet before I even bought my first guitar! (I was borrowing from multiple friends). I felt that to play music professionally, people were going to need to hear me and so the Marshall Cabinet it was!

Do these two elements (playing and equipment) go hand-in-hand, or did they evolve differently for you?

I think it was an evolution. In the beginning, I needed a lot of distortion and it needed to be loud. So I bought a Marshall Amp and Cabinet. Of course, from there, to get the sound that was in my head out into the world, I needed to do some EQing, and so effects started to come into play. We began adding some pedals and/or rack effects to help us color some of the riffs we were writing.

Do you recall what amps, guitars, pedals, and pickups were used on your albums? If so, would you mind sharing them? (e.g., for album X we used a Marshall JCM800/Peavey 5150 mixed with a Mesa Dual Rec and a TS9, and I was using an ESP Viper with an EMG81 in the bridge):

For the majority of the 90’s and early 2000s, I was using rack-mounted gear: Marshall 8008 Power Amp, Marshall JMP-1 Preamp, Rockman Stereo Chorus, Yamaha D1500 Delay, DOD EG with ,like, a thousand bands, haha, and a Korg Tuner. Eventually added the MXR Phase 90, a VOX Wah, and a Hush pedal.

For a handful of shows in the 2000s, I was using a Peavey 5150II.

After reuniting in 2017, I was using a stock Marshall JCM900 Head, MXR EVH Phase 90 Pedal, MXR EVH Chorus Pedal, Dunlop EVH Wah, MXR Compression Pedal, MXR Flanger, and a mini tuner. I now only use/travel with a Blackstar Amped 3, the MXR EVH Chorus, Dunlop EVH Wah, Electro-Harmonix Noise Suppressor, and tuner.

Bloodlust Revenge:

We used a Peavey Bandit 112 amp with the guts pulled out and rack-Mounted for Mike. We used rackmount Rockman Stereo Choruses and MXR Phase 90s. That, you hear heavily on “More Hate Than Fear”. Mike definitely used some other pedals for his parts. I remember a Morley Steve Vai “Bad Horsie” Wah Pedal. I think Mike used that on his solo in “Defiance”. I also believe that we both used his Ibanez Joe Satriani guitar for our rhythm parts, but I remember using a 1978 Gibson SG on some parts just to say I did it, haha. That guitar had an EMG81 at the bridge. We really didn’t change any of the pickups on our guitars. They were almost always stock.

God Loves Man Kills:

Honestly, this one is a huge blur. I know I used my Peavey Wolfgang Special for my guitar parts, but I can’t remember for the life of me what we used for amplification. I know Mike will be able to answer that! I was still using my Rockman Chorus at this time.

Gravity Wins Again:

I know I used my Peavey Wolfgang. I believe I used Mike’s 61′ Reissue SG too. We may have used my Peavey 5150II amp and/or Mike’s Marshall Super Lead. I can’t remember if I bought the 5150II before or after the recording. I used a VOX Wah pedal for the beginning of “Hasp”. As always, I kept rolling with the Rockman Chorus.

I’ve noticed a difference in sounds across your albums over the years. Did you switch to different amps because you felt they were a better fit for you, the songs, and your playing? For example, comparing the Bloodlust revenge EP to the God loves, man kills CD, there is a difference in gain and sustain. To me, the God kills album sounded heavier. Did you use different amps, guitars, or pickups for those albums, or was the difference primarily due to the studio/producer?

We recorded all the records at the same studio and with the same engineers. Paul Benedetti at MaxTrax. With God Loves Man Kills, we were definitely trying to get some Pantera-like power. For the Gravity Wins Again record, we were just going for your straight-forward hardcore guitar tone, but with a little of our usual flavor. By the time we got to God Loves and Gravity, we were consistently using my Peavey Wolfgang and Mike’s Gibson SG 61′ Reissue. All stock pickups, no funny business. Effects-wise, all of the same personal gear plus an Electro-Harmonix Delay.

The God kills album also sounded more technical (in my opinion as a guitar player). Did you raise the bar or set a different strategy in terms of riffs and technicality for that album? I don’t mean to suggest the Bloodlust revenge EP is worse or easier to play, but listening to the God kills album was a “Wow! What a change!” moment for me. It sounded more complex to play to me.

We were all becoming better players and, as a band, knew we wanted to step up the technicality of the songs. BLR came out in early 97, but by late 98 we had already written the majority of GLMK. We really worked our asses off to write and record that record. Definitely a high point for us.

Do you set up your guitars yourself, or do you have a tech or shop that handles maintenance for you?

We have always done our own setups and tech work. We were never a band that made enough to hire a real crew, haha, but we each REALLY enjoyed working on our own gear. For me, I had my own way of doing things and just really enjoyed working on my guitars, so I didn’t allow anyone else to steal my joy from me.

Have you modded any of your guitar gear, or do you primarily use the stock/default setup for guitars, amps, and pedals?

All of the guitars and equipment that I use for One King Down are stock. I’ve always bought equipment that I felt was tried and true and I didn’t need to mess with. With that said, I have modded and “built” some guitars where I’ve swapped out pickups, electronics, and necks just to play around and try to achieve different sounds, but none of them have ever made it to an OKD record.

Can you tell me more about the tuning and strings you use? How do they help your tone, and does it also help with playing? (e.g., why would a thinner set of strings not work for you?)

For as long as I can remember, I’ve used GHS Boomers. Mike, Bill, and I have had a partial endorsement for decades. I don’t know how they did it, but they always lasted longer and stayed in tune better than all of the other strings we had ever used. I’d name them, but I wouldn’t want to disparage them. I would never stop using GHS ever. For my Wolfgang, I use 9-46 as it has a Floyd Rose, but also the D-Tuna, and the 9s just work better. For my Les Paul Standard, I use 10-52. We tune to Eb, so a little bigger for my Les Paul. When we play live, I like to just use my Les Paul and then the Wolfgang as a backup.

How relevant is the speaker cabinet for your sound? Do you use what is available at the venue, hook up to the FOH, or do you prefer to play a specific cab like a Mesa 4×12 with V30 speakers or something else?

To be honest, I have never put a whole lot of thought into the cabinets. Mostly because I had a Marshall that I loved right away, but also because if we needed to use a venue backline, more often than not, it was Marshall. Either that or Mesa. But I love those too, so I never really had to put too much thought into it.

What is your favorite guitar at the moment and why?

For playing live, it’s my Les Paul. I’ve loved Les Pauls since I was a kid. However, if I’m able to travel with a backup, I always bring my Wolfgang. That thing is SO easy to play. But for my ABSOLUTE favorite guitar; I own an EVH Frankenstein Relic Strat, and that thing is a MONSTER! By far, the most comfortable, smoothest, and easiest guitar I’ve ever played. I play it stock. However, I added bicycle reflectors to the back and added the 1971 quarter. I sanded off the EVH logo and rubbed it down with graphite powder to match the relicing. Then topped it off with cigarette burns on the headstock.

If you could choose one amp to play for the rest of your life (including modelers or profilers), which one would it be and why?

For the rest of my life? Oh man, that’s tough. My immediate thought is a Marshall Bluesbreaker. I love Blues and Classic Rock and have always wanted that Amp.

Which album are you most proud of as a guitar player?

Although it doesn’t get the love I feel it deserves, God Loves Man Kills is probably our proudest moment, guitar-wise. We worked really hard on those songs and really tried to step our game up and I think we really did that.

Is there something you learned over the years about guitar gear (e.g., using a Tube Screamer, specific pickups or strings, amps, cabs, passive vs. active pickups, etc.) that you wished you knew earlier and that gave you an “AHA!” moment?

Band-wise, we probably could have slimmed down the amplification. No one needs to use a full Marshall stack at a basement show, haha. I currently use a Blackstar Amped 3 and that has been life-changing from a travel standpoint. I don’t have to figure out how to get a huge amp on the plane, but also sacrifice zero sound or tone. It was a huge upgrade and thanks to Scott Crouse for the tip and to Blackstar for the hookup! Guitar playing-wise, I’ve embraced the single coil pickup in my older age, haha. Not for OKD, but for playing the different styles I like.

Passive vs. Active pickups: which do you prefer for your style and band, and why?

I only used an active pickup for a very short time, so I can’t say I prefer one over the other, but passive has just been what I’ve used.

What is the most consistent item in your guitar rig and why?

30 years of GHS strings use. If your strings are garbage, how can you expect to play well?

30+ years of Marshall cabinets.

Which riff of one of the songs you wrote are you most proud of and why?

For a riff that I brought to the band, I would have to say the intro of “Deliver Me”. I’m a big rhythm guy and I like crazy time signatures, so I think that was a shining moment for me. If I could pick one for Mike, I think my favorite Mike riff is the verse part of “Deliver Me”. The chords are crazy and that really helped push my playing to another level back in the 90s. And it’s also so signature “Mike” with the dissonant chords.

Do you use a certain guitar playing technique that is instantly recognizable as your signature? (e.g., damping, blues licks, dissonant power chords, pinch harmonics)

I mean, it’s hardcore, so our technique isn’t something that is instantly recognizable, but one element that has stayed pretty consistent is our use of Chorus and Phasers to help add a little color to some parts.

Did or do you change your riffs when composing towards having a second guitar player in the band (e.g., for harmonies and melodies, or one playing more rhythm and the other more lead parts)?

I definitely hold down a lot of rhythm parts. Mike has a lot of parts that aren’t necessarily leads, but parts that he plays to add to the overall dynamics to a song. At times, Mike has written a riff that we both play together, but if I hear a little something in it that I think to add to it, I may play it slightly differently or add a small harmony to it. There are subtle things like, I may play a riff down an octave. One thing that was really fun to do; there’s a part in “Deliver Me” where, although we are in standard tuning, the riff calls for just playing the open A and open D to bring out a low D tonality (inverted 5th?). But because I had the D-Tuna on my Wolfgang, mid-song I could quickly pop the guitar into Dropped D, play that riff with the low D root, then pop it back into E for the remainder of the song.

Which guitar players from current existing bands inspire you and why?

Oh man, I go through these seasons where I lock onto a band or artist of a certain genre and consume as much of their music/playing as I can. It could be Guthrie Govan and The Aristocrats, but then it could switch to Whitesnake, and then to Zappa, haha. I really enjoy the playing of Doyle Bramhall II. He’s a monster blues player. But as of this moment, I’ve been listening a ton to Big Wreck. I never really gave them much of a chance when they first came out because I just pegged them as a Canadian Soundgarden, but wow, man. Ian Thornley is an absolute beast of a guitar player and his songwriting and singing just blows me away. So, for about the last two months, I’ve listened to almost nothing but Big Wreck, haha.

Although he is not “currently” playing in AF or Madball, I’ve always thought Matt Henderson wrote some of the greatest, grooviest hardcore riffs.

Last but not least: any final words or tips for guitar players out there?

Thanks so much for including us. Van Halen Forever.

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