Rig Rundown – Kurt Ballou
If you’ve thought to yourself, “this is the most vicious-sounding record I’ve heard,” chances are Kurt Ballou’s fingerprints are on it. Since officially starting in 1995 inside his parents’ garage and eventually opening GodCity Studio’s doors in 2003 (in “Witch City” Salem, MA, no less), Ballou has chiseled out granite tones for bands like Every Time I Die, High on Fire, Torche, Cave In, Old Man Gloom, American Nightmare, and Kvelertak. (“He brings a lot to the table, and he’s been pretty important in terms of how our sound got formed,” Kverlertak’s Vidar Landa in a PG interview on working with Ballou.) Oh, and we can forget his genre-shaping band Converge, that he’s played guitar in since 1990, co-produced since 2001’s hardcore pillar Jane Doe and been the console captain since 2006’s No Heroes.
As you’ll soon find out in this hour-plus episode, the dude is fascinated with every component of guitar tone. In between recording projects and creating new instruments and pedals, Ballou virtually welcome PG’s Chris Kies into GodCity Studio. In this Rig Rundown, Ballou details his own GodCity Instruments Craftsman Series 1 (something he calls a “simple rock ’n’ roll machine”), provides a crash course on mics (types and techniques), and shows off additional GCI pedal wares—and a few foreign specimens—that contort, mangle, and destroy any (in the prettiest way possible) guitar’s native tongue.
[Facing a mandatory shelter-in-place ordinance to limit the spread of COVID-19, PG enacted a hybrid approach to filming and producing Rig Rundowns. This is the 38th video in that format.
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Originally posted by UC5J-hZ4wNf7OlkzIn49LHoQ at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcbuIp2Mvn0
Article & Photos: http://bit.ly/KurtBallouRR
Subscribe to PG's Channel: http://bit.ly/SubscribePGYouTube
Don't Miss a Rundown: http://bit.ly/RIgRundownENL
Merch & Magazines: https://shop.premierguitar.com
Aw man, wish he showed his rickenbacker 650 with the emg pickups. I saw them back in the early 2000s and thought it was so cool. That is what I will always think about as THE converge guitar. It was a great idea, a vintage unique style guitar but it was a through body and he put emgs , giving it the tone for converge.
For how awesome and knowledgeable Kurt is, his guitar tone is so awful whenever it’s not on recording. I can’t figure out why.
PRONE MORTAL FORM RIFF
Probably the only RRD where you can hear Only Living Witness riffs… Kudos to Kurt… as usual
Such a fantastic articulate musician and sound engineer. You can learn a lot from this man.
Kurt's absolute golden. Always find him to be like a modern day Steve Albini but a lot more into knowhow high tech of pedals, amps, mics guitars. Listening to his work most of my life. He's been source of inspiration most of the time..???????? one thing though, where's the day where he just used a boss metal zone mt-2 with an EQ pedal or boss hyper metal ????????
Love this guy…his pedal designs are a blast to put together and play ????
Guitar Journalism Gold: "So, it's like a Super Swedish Metal Pedal".
awesome,kurts ambient trick is the same as mine-except i use a coin
C #F C #F C #F C #F
Chris showing his excellent taste with the Emma Ruth Rundle shirt!
What an interview. Kurt puts the GOD in God City and no better person to interview him than Chris!
isn't this the sheriff from stranger things?
Kurt is such a nice guy, but I had a really strange interaction with him. I contacted him by email to look into booking time at his studio to record guitar and vocals and he actually told me (very politely) to record them myself. Really odd!
This is the best version of any of these I have watched over the years. KB is the best
With all the new gear Kurt Ballou develops, I really wish he would make something with the Ampeg V4… either clone amps or plugin versions of it
"Whatever magic Lollar does" indeed.
I wish he would release a cab IR pack or do something with two notes.
These rig rundowns are getting way too long!!! Over an hour for this unknown?? I mean, MY GOD!!!!
Fuck, that Sweet Emotion was the sickest shit.
"Hey please, turn THAT knob down…"
Where’s Nate bass rig???
This isn't really a rig rundown though. This is more of Kurt talking at length about using different mics speakers and amps for recording. He's already thoroughly done several of these types of videos. Would've been more interested in seeing more of his rig, if you know what I'm saying.