Converge Rig Rundown Guitar Gear Tour with Kurt Ballou & Nate Newton
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- Опубликовано: 13 июл 2024
- Full Rig Details: bit.ly/ConvergeRR
Subscribe to PG's Channel: bit.ly/SubscribePGRUclips
Kurt Ballou takes tone very seriously. He’s been on the leading edge of aggressive guitar sounds since 1990 and Converge’s fourth album, 2001’s Jane Doe, is still seen as a game-changing release with its ferocious performance and masterful production. His sonic temple God City Studio is the destination for artists looking to make their rawest, heaviest, brutalist work. Ballou has even developed a gear brand (God City Instruments) that includes guitars, pedals, and pickups all in the pursuit of turning ideas into art.
During our conversation before Converge’s sold-out performance at Nashville’s Basement East on May 22nd, Ballou dove into his Line 6 Helix spice rack and shared how 30 plus years as a guitarist and in-demand producer have informed his guitar-design philosophy. Plus, he detailed why his goal is to get to a place where “gear doesn’t matter.” And then longtime bassist Nate Newton joined the fun by showing off his “Riffblaster” setup and how a special P bass helps him honor a dear friend.
Shop the Rig:
Quilter Labs Overdrive 202 200-watt Head: sweetwater.sjv.io/MmNzBN
Line 6 Helix Guitar Multi-effects Floor Processor: sweetwater.sjv.io/Qy6Lnz
Fender American Professional II Precision Bass V: sweetwater.sjv.io/5g7EZD
Orange AD200B MK 3 200-watt Bass Head: sweetwater.sjv.io/vNZk0L
DOD Rubberneck Analog Delay Pedal with Tap Tempo: sweetwater.sjv.io/Y9yPjr
Dunlop CBM105Q Cry Baby Mini Bass Wah Pedal: sweetwater.sjv.io/m52qrO
TC Electronic PolyTune 3 Polyphonic LED Guitar Tuner Pedal with Buffer: sweetwater.sjv.io/k0oEQV
Full Rig Details: bit.ly/ConvergeRR
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Don't Miss a Rundown: bit.ly/RIgRundownENL
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© Copyright Gearhead Communications LLC, 2023
[Brought to you by D’Addario String Finder: www.daddario.com/StringFinderRR]
00:00 - D’Addario String Finder
00:15 - Kurt Ballou Playing Intro
00:45 - Kurt Ballou & Chris Kies Intro
01:14 - God City Instruments Constructivist & GCI Soap Jammer Humbuckers
04:19 - Kurt Ballou's String and Pick Preferences
05:10 - Kurt Ballou's Guitar Gear Design Philosophy
07:05 - God City Instruments Craftsman
09:40 - Kurt Ballou on Using a Line 6 Helix
12:26 - Kurt Ballou on Organizing Helix Workflow
14:19 - Breaking Down Kurt Ballou's Converge "Kvrt Preset V6"
18:26 - Kurt Ballou's Line 6 Helix Amp Models & Quilter Overdrive 202 heads
19:57 - Getting to a Point Where "Gear Doesn't Matter"
21:40 - Bad Cat 4x12s & Speakers
24:19 - Kurt Ballou's Helix Channel 2 Settings
26:00 - Kurt Ballou's Pet Peeves on the Helix
28:05 - More of Kurt Ballou's Helix Channel 2 Settings
29:13 - Kurt Ballou's In-Ear Monitor Blend
30:18 - Nate Newton's Fender P Bass & Signature Lace Riffblaster Pickups
32:30 - Why Nate Newton Chose P over J Bass & Joining Converge
35:25 - Nate Newton on Touring with Cave In
36:31 - Nate Newton's Orange AD 200 Bass MK3
37:55 - Nate Newton's Pedalboard
44:45 - Playing Caleb Scofield's P Bass in Cave In
46:00 - Converge Performs "Axe to Fall" & "You Fail Me"
#guitar #rigrundown #converge #hardcore #kurtballou 
Видеоклипы
Full Rig Details: bit.ly/ConvergeRR
Subscribe to PG's Channel: bit.ly/SubscribePGRUclips
Win Guitar Gear: bit.ly/GiveawaysPG
Don't Miss a Rundown: bit.ly/RIgRundownENL
Merch & Magazines: shop.premierguitar.com
Ended up watching Nate eat that entire banana because I was too scared to break eye contact
Edit: I’m definitely being over sentimental about it, but I really love that he brings Caleb’s bass on tour
Haha dude when he showed up in frame, I literally couldn't look away.
Lurking banana eating was great 😂
@@Jarrodpimental dude was funny asf
Hey all. It's Ben, one of the amp/effects modelers for Helix/Line 6. After an update a while back, the tuner got a "Trails on/off" control, which allows delay, reverb, and looper audio to pass when the tuner is engaged.
Also, with an update, "Command Center" was implemented a while back.This allows almost any function to be assigned to any switch in stomp mode. This includes all the controls for the looper. Check it out!
The looper could get some quantization love ❤
Looks like a cool rig. Thanks dude
The cartographer is crucial, Ben. Bravo to that and the rest of the work you’ve done.
I think he also missed that native doesn’t have to be crippled but I can’t remember the setting to turn off hardware limitations
Thanks for chipping in, Ben!
Also, you don't need to tape the Main Volume knob. You can assign it to only control the digital out, which means it won't affect your XLR or 1/4" outs.
Almost an hour of the best hardcore band ever plus there's a bass rig? Bring it on
I can’t get tired of Kurt. Hella knowledgable. Also Nate is a great plus!
A great plus?!!? Hahaha! Broooo!
Trying to get ready for work and you all drop this? Looks like I’m going to be late today…
😂
😂same
This thing can go the moon, but it can’t go to Kroger. That made me laugh out loud, nice!
You're not trying! I know because I do the same shit. 😆
This is your boss... so THAT'S why you were late. We're going to have a chat when you come in to work tomorrow 🤔
Great run down. Glad bass was given some time. Hope this happens more often.
Also, Nate at 22 mins just eating that banana in the background was great.
Seriously the best part of Kurt’s interview! 22:17
Great rig rundown! As a modeller user I'm often disappointed that in many rundowns when there is a Helix, Fractal or whatever it usually goes like "oh here's my entire rig, plugged this way" and that's it; so this was a nice change of pace to see the artist actually going through his preset and explaining his design idea and reasoning. Hope to see more like this in the future
Awesome to see Kurt’s rig and to see some detail about the Helix setup beyond “I use a Helix” and moving on. As someone who tours/gigs Helix regularly.. I’d love to pass along to Kurt that the giant volume knob can be disabled “in the menus” - lest he doesn’t love neon tape ;). Hopefully Helix 2 won’t have that damn thing: Long live Converge 🤟🏼
Do you like the helix? I have used line6 stuff live and I love it
Nate eating a banana in the background while serious cabinet talking happening is gold.
Also he is becoming Tom araya. Boss.
Nate eating a banana at 22:30!!!! LOL!!!
Michael Myers vibes.
Premier Guitar never fails with the rig rundowns, what a surprise this one!
Kurt knows his shit, a true passionate gear nerd. He's incredible
Nate staring into my soul
Chris is always amazingly researched on folks he doing rundowns with.
I think he's just a genuine fan of most of the artists! Chris seems to have deep HC roots
@@jakelorefice Definitely, it's just cool and even they seem surprised sometimes when he pulls out some deep info.
Wow this guy is knowledgeable. I don't want to diss other professionals because they're obviously better than me, but Kurt knows what he uses and is eloquent in explaining the how's and why's. Good interview.
Nate is my bass hero. So good to watch live, and unreal tone.
GREAT banana
Nicest, most down to earth people and ground breaking musicians. So awesome to see this.
My man at 22:17 eating the popsicle kinda stole the show
Edit: P.S. can we get a Nails Rig Rundown, guys?
lmaooo so glad someone else noticed this 😂😂
Looks like a banana
@@NimrodBoz He does sort of look like a banana
I listen to a lot of music. This dude might be one of the best hardcore guitarists of all time. Very creative, incredible technique. Does some genre blending stuff.
When Kurt and Chris talk about the problems with the Helix setup, this is exactly what I've found troubling with most multifx units and modellers. They're extremely powerful for complex stuff, but have glaring oversights in unexpected places
I could not have clicked on this faster. Love this band for 20yrs and this was cool to see. Also I love that a performance was included at the end. I hope that becomes regular!
Thank you so much for having Kurt go through his helix pedals. I've been wanting that. So many of us use modelers and it's so helpful to see how other pros are using the same gear. It's the same as going through their pedalboard signal chain and I hope you do this every time.
Thank you for including the full bass rig with Nate and letting Kurt dive into the reasoning behind his Helix patch (his take on noise gates is priceless wisdom). They've always had great songs with a great sound.
Amazing! Been waiting for this for ages!
Kurt is such a passionate gear nerd. I love hearing him talk shop.
22:18 I love how the Side Villain Character goes up like that in the middle of Conversation 😂
Interesting that he doesn't use a Kemper since he has a dedicated pack, also props to Nate for just staring at us while eating
i admittedly don’t listen to much converge, but i could listen to kurt talk about gear for hours
That part about Nate using Caleb's bass brought me to tears. As a former touring bassist, Caleb and Nate's style were huge influences on my writing and playing. That's so sweet he keeps him that close.
Haven't heard from these guys in a while. One of my favorite bands.
As someone who has been playing in heavy bands for the last two decades, and now making my first tentative steps into music production, Kurt is a massive influence. IMO, God City is the perfect moniker for his various endeavours. Thanks so much for this rundown. One of the best!
I’ve never been so intrigued and so lost at the same damn time.
Shoutout to Stefanie and Stijn in the background waliing by. Brutus deserves your ear RUclips commentors!
Fantastic video, great interview, great band. This made my day! Excellent work Premier Guitar!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great rig rundown ! So fun to see Kurt being all nerdy and precise and Nate being.........himself xD Freaking legends, Converge rules !!
I used to help out Nate all the time at Guitar Center, Danvers. Always such a cool dude. I was dying watching him standing in the background. 😂
Kurt knows what he's doing! Dark riff lord 💯
NOW I KNOW WHAT THAT MINI HEAD THEY HAVE BEEN USING IS! Seems like such a cool amp for playing with amp modeling. Kurt and Nate are kings of tone and riffs to me
I knew this would be an excellent Rundown and it was but Nate in the background eating that ice cream?... LMAO
🍌
What a fantastic treat y’all
Finally some bass! Great Nate’s gear 🎉👍🏻
I like the dude just standing eating a popsicle or something at like 22:30
Axe to fall plus you fail me. Yes thanks, great rundown thank you guys
Glad you enjoyed
@@premierguitar also the live song is Axe to Fall then goes into You Fail Me. Cheers
YESSSSSS!! 🎉 and thank you 😊🙌
I love taking the time to walk through the modellers setup rather than just ”I use a kemper… ok moving on”
Hands down my favorite Converge gear was their Jane Doe setup
Iconic.. Kurt's Rick with his stampede, and nate with his Ernie Ball Sting Ray.
@duhlike I think Kurt also ran a Ampeg v4 and JMP in combination while Nate bi amped his bass with the Ad200 and Thunderverb guitar head if I'm not mistaken...and of course Kurt's sick Rickenbacker
@@shaunlafountain7189 can you imagine how loud it was in front of that V4 and JMP combined? Fuuuuuuuck….
54 mins of kurt and nate talking about gear?! I love you premier guitar
this was awesome
Best band. So excited this happened
Loved to see Kurt and Nate too! nice one
As a guitarist, Kurt is f***ing incredible.
Had no idea this rundown was happening and now I only wish my lunch break was longer!
didn't knew anything about the guys and did not expected MachineGun Blue Sparkly cool riff
i could relate
7:35 so simple yet cool in that SG sort of coolness
This guy eating in the background 😂 classic.
Also Kurt is amazing. So down to earth and I love his view on gear. I mean, I love my old 2203 and my sg’s but lately I just plug into my cheap orange super crush and we just jam a bunch of doom stuff and it sounds awesome… It really is just in the fingers. Cheers guys, love this stuff🤘🏻😎
sweet, awesome band
HAHAHAHAH Nate waiting his turn patiently in the back 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I will watch anything coverage/kurt vidjios 🤙👏👏👏
Finally First Act getting their shout out for the design.
Coverage are Lords🤘🏼need one of those GCI guitars. I love the deconstructivest shape the most wish he had one out for this. You guys should do an in person redo of the Dave Davidson rig rundown as well!!!
YESS
Nate is excellent, seems like such a chilled out dude.
Kurt looks and talks like he's explaining his new birding setup.
YES
This guy has great advice, especially that you don't need a magical pedal like a Klon. What's weird is how we got here. Imagine Hendirx's rundown, a wah, fuzz, octavia, vibe, amp
Big man!
Converge's Jane Doe got me through multiple combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Prior to missions it was all I listened to. I absolutely love this band! Thank You for being there for me.
I'm sure hardcore punks love the fact that oil empire invaders listen to their music
love how much security is enjoying them playing. haha
YES.
Cool tone from the Helix. 2 button looper should be possible if you connect midi cable from in to out, and setup buttons to use the midi mapping of the looper instead.
Shame we can't do that in the box-the beauty of keeping everything in Helix is reducing or even eliminating points of failure, but that definitely seems like a solid workaround! Thanks!
That moon/Kroger line was great
Nate eating a banana in the backgound at 22:20 is hilarious
Hell yeah
42:29 -
Kurt Ballou is a legend
the best bit is the story about joining Converge, that Nate tells 😂😂😂😂
HELL YES
Gonna have to try out a quilter on my 80s road ready boogie 2x15. Cheers bro
MAD 😮
I really hope you guys did Frail Body too ♥️
at 10:59 Stefanie Mannaerts from BRUTUS :)
38:43 "It's not very exciting..." then plays the exact sound that I think about when I think about metal and hardcore bass.
I love the Helix line of products. I own a Helix LT, an HX Stomp XL and Helix Native, and I love them very much. Good sounds, awesome interface, and tons of options, but it's nuts to me that Kurt says that his Helix is reliable. I've had all sorts of footswitch malfunctioning problems and am down to my second Helix LT unit (original was replaced after of a fabrication error of the expression pedal). The Stomp I also had to send back for a footswitch fix. I love those products but it would be awesome if Line 6 would do something about the sturdy-ness of those products.
Great interview once again, PG!
Possibly luck of the draw? I’ve gigged with my floor 3 nights a week for 2 years with no issues.
These Rig Rundowns never fail and to feature one of my al time favorite bands is just too awesome!
Just wondering with their sound demos here, if that's captured from room mics or from the FOH signal? They're sounds here are killer and totally gives justice to how loud they are.
Kurt put his sound direct from the Helix into our cameras via XLRs. We plugged into the mic on Nate's Ampeg 8x10.
Can't wait to see these at Arc Tangent and explain to a stranger in between songs that is silence because the Helix tuner mutes the output and not the input
DEMOVIDS!
22:14 Nate hangs around to much with Santos! Premium Dork
Nate! We need demovids back!
This is awesome! I thought that Nate was The Terminator for a moment.
💚
Let's. Fucking. Go.
Toasted maple neck. Cool!
I love hearing a gear monster like Kurt saying that the gear isn't important, and that a good show comes from connection over gear fetishism.
This is the Lord’s work.
Kurt and I are similar build. Im a. It taller. anyways, my custom guitars all have even wider nuts than the 1 and 3/4 inch nuts…or around 44.5mm. That felt awesome years ago, but I took a chance and went even wider with a 46.5mm wide nut and wider spacing. The bridge is also roughly 4mm wider total than a standard 6-string and the strings are spaced further apart accordingly. THEN, I thought well maybe I need a thicker neck too to feel totally comfy…..so I ordered some foam and carved mock-ups….1” thick is only on like older gibsons and fenders as far as I could find for electrics. And 1” or 25.5mm is thick as hell. BIT, it wasn’t enough ….honestly I could tell it wasn’t optimal. So in the end I went with 31.5mm-33.5mm - first fret thickness and 12tj.
This was life changing….seriously life changing. First time I was fully comfortable on a 6-string….and again, I play obnoxiously technical death metal guitar….not dad rock bullshit lol. For decades necks have imo gotten way the hell too thin….to where it’s interfering with our hand anatomy.
“I play obnoxiously technical death metal, not dad rock bs”
Have you consider that there are plenty of musicians that think what you do is endlessly boring and derivative and every bit as unoriginal and stagnant as manufactured pop music and would classify it as “bs”.
Of all the years Kurt used cool and weird gear,including pedals and guitars-it would be the tour with the helix
kurt rips! nice seeing Tomas in the background
then nate with the banana lol
this guy, Nate, this guy
10:58 Stefanie! 😍
My god, yyyeeeeessssssss!!!
I had this Crate amp that I had for 20+ years. Not sure on the model, but it was all transistor, but with two tubes working the pre amp. It had an effects loop that I never used. I tried hooking my Big Muff to the effects loop to see if I turned the loop blend knob down, could I get muff dirty with no hum. It didn't work, but I accidentally left it set up and realized I had more power and beef to my tone. So I just used a six inch cable that went from effects out to effects in. It kept that amazing tone! I used it forever and it became my sound. Unfortunately I would notice some heat building up above the Fx loop. Nothing too hit. But less than a year of that and the amp kicked the bucket. After years of use and abuse, it decided to die onstage at my then bands last show. Anyway, now after all that, I was wondering if anyone knew what was happening? Such an odd thing to occur. But after hearing about this Quilter, maybe it was a happy accident. Not sure, but happy to share the story and ask for any info on why this happend. Thanks!!!