Backstage with... Breaking Benjamin HQ (GuitarEdge.com)

Guitar Edge's Elliott Politte goes backstage with modern rock giants Benjamin Burnley and Arron Breaking Benjamin for an in depth look at their gear.

[@pivetlord13]

"what kind of pickups are in these?" "Dimarzio!" lmao XD

[@dbj0hn]

Man, I freakin' love Ben's Baritone. So damn nice looking!

[@TNTMan93]

Man if this band didn't break up, they could have made a song called chewing bubble gum.

[@davidgibson2489]

They are back together, new single comes out tomorrow.

[@adamkahn8645]

David Gibson theyre not together, Ben moved on without everybody else

[@Shilvic1]

+Adam kahn new band my friend

[@adamkahn8645]

which is exactly what i just said lol, dingleberry

[@Shilvic1]

+Adam kahn you said Ben moved on without everyone else. I said that there is a new lineup.

[@mrshizznip511]

Anyone else notice the drumstick in the air at 3:58

[@andrewelam4124]

Chad's been workin' lol.

[@BiRDiEHere]

Me

[@trippdawg3337]

Damn such a genuine guy you can tell ben has bad anxiety seems to be pretty common with artist though

[@BiRDiEHere]

Just FYI, *RF=Radio Frequency*

[@BlacklistSpy99]

His guitars are epic *_*

[@ayeilikecroissants2584]

wow aaron is blazed lol

[@blind-rk6fl]

I love the sevendust in the background when Aaron is talking

[@SDADSDSFDSGDA]

Ben used to be such a slim sexy beast! I loved Aaron's description of 'low ass tunings'

[@scarlettbullet00]

Ben is still a sexy beast!!

[@siddyation]

ben is a king to put guitars back before they hit each other :D

[@XMetalChefX]

siddyation haha Yngwie...

[@ang_sun]

ben has epic guitars

[@ldblumhorst]

i love breaking benjamin but im kinda surprised at how little they know about their own gear...

[@arsfarciministhorkeksson7661]

Considering what a Nirvana fan Ben is, not caring about his own gear is probably something he took from Kurt Cobain lmao

[@th3m1ke]

Not only was this done very well and extensivley - but I enjoyed seeing Ben describe everything himself, not a tech (no offense Hoogie).

[@EnterTheDream]

3:57 random flying drumstick :D

[@scorpion80117]

Its crazy back in 2015 i met him back stage at the utah show and he still had the same rack of guitars minus the black back up.

[@wohoSG]

aww i wanted to see the drum set!

[@marrow089]

ben is the typical rockstar that doesn't care about shit at all

[@Snob04rd319]

I have the same PRS it's kick ass!!!!

[@bradhargis2261]

No ya don't.

[@gntrihg]

I like all of Aaron's shit better. And he seemed to get more in detail

[@alexbumpers]

Omg this video is awesome!

[@joesmitherman5597]

Aaron Fink guitar is the DJ Ashba signature model Ernest Ball

[@Ralenissocold]

lmao i completely agree w/ aaron in the fact that tone nobs are completely useless. I'm with him when i say that i NEVER touch the tone nob lol

[@stevefarrington5618]

Don’t tell that to Eric Johnson

[@brutalsacktap]

Aaron smoking a cig while showing the guitars is jokes

[@themodernguitarist]

Probably DiMarzio Axis pickups, which are only available on the Music Man Axis guitars. According to DiMarzio, the AT-1 (bridge) and Air Norton (neck) are very similar.

[@AlanM11Drums]

Chad playin drums in the background hehehe...

[@emirarnas]

who's still here today ??

[@RisenInThreeDays]

exactly what i was thinking man

[@themodernguitarist]

You're welcome. I think he eventually switched them out for EMGs, or just did for "Tony", because in the video he was in for Guitar World, you see... well... EMGs.

[@crewin97]

No they do not, however if you are looking for a PRS baritone Mike Mushok has a SE model in silverbust and sunburst and it sound awesome check it out!

[@Fre3King]

Too bad they broke up. I really like this band and never got to see them live. Maybe Ben will hire a new guitarist and Bass guitarist

[@redcoldriver21]

interesting to read comments after many years))

[@diegomazzaron9191]

@@redcoldriver21 Why? Ben is the man who break up the band.

[@Gridtrackers9Studio]

@rambo9791 they have to have a lot of guitars because they usually play 2-3 songs from each album, each album has a different tuning.

[@kadenromig8374]

Ben reminds me of myself bc me and him have the exact same personality and taste in music were both rlly socially awkward and we have anxiety lol idk he he just reminds me of me

[@heldas1937]

We love ben

[@GSSMAV]

4:48 bro on the left be hardcore judging them from head to toe with that invasive stance lol

[@fluffytoaster427]

And it was...EVERY...guitar. *twitch*

[@ryanevans00]

When Aaron says he's "never touched a tone knob" does he mean hes got it constantly down or constantly up?

[@collinmilliron6717]

Bypassed. No treble roll-off.

[@pivetlord13]

aaron may not be a shredder, but hes an amazing rythm player

[@thebrokensound]

He can actually shred a solo very well. Ben just didn’t like it in the songs. Look up shallow bay live and there’s a sound check video of him “shredding”

[@Shrbrt]

@@thebrokensound I was wondering why that solo wasn’t in the song I wished it was

[@StricklandAssistantManager]

also, at about 4:10 there's this little 40 watt marshall practice amp in the background. Who the hell is using that?!?!?

[@JonathanBBlaze]

Did anyone see what bens bass, middle and treble were? I paused it and still cant tell

[@OrangeishPotato]

5:00 Seven dust "Black" in the background

[@rileybo123]

I swear you can hear stinkfist by tool at one point but I'm not sure

[@Ralenissocold]

@ComfortablyNumbAgain prolly changed them after the issue was released

[@danielgibeault8060]

I'm pretty sure I heard blind by korn in the background

[@ercap114]

He fucking said RECORD Ben!! Punch him lol.

[@DilaudidDays]

"Okay, WHERES THE RECORD??" Hahaha, yes!

[@SonOfManMusic]

nice

[@craigime]

do they sell Ben's custom model?

[@renanluiz5570]

por que a guitarra dele tem duas entradas?? alguém aí pode me explicar?

[@user-er5mj9rr2z]

Porque um e pra som de violao e otro e pra som de electrica, muito loco ne

[@renanluiz5570]

SINISTRO,, tem isso aqui no brasil? ou tem que mandar fazer??

[@justsomeguywholosthismusta8495]

I’m kinda happy that I almost got Aaron’s guitar distortion tone with just my old boss metalzone hlhahahaha

[@Snob04rd319]

well the reason mine was 450 was because it was made in korea and not maryland

[@hadiiskk]

Omg that riff. which song is that from? or is that just from the live concert? :c

[@Delllly]

Bens riff is from Lights out, Aaron's riff is from I will not bow

[@hadiiskk]

Bro. u are awesome. c: thnx!

[@flawflaw1]

is that Sevendust - Black at 4:58 in the background? :)

[@Ralenissocold]

@ldblumhorst haha i think the only mistake i found was ben mistaking his CE24 as a mccarty....unless its custom designed....but honestly aaron talked as if he didnt give a shit which i found hysterical

[@pivetlord13]

what was so funny when aronn said: Dimarzio!

[@fluffytoaster427]

Just sayin bud. that wouldn't be nearly the same, and there's only the high end custom shop. There is no SE Custom shop in korea

[@caparison092]

@MTLittleWolf lights out

[@xingg96]

is that pink floyd--coming back to life at 2:30 and 2:40?

[@Fre3King]

What color is it? I've been playing a long-ass time and would like too upgrade.

[@darklegendoriginalowner8470]

Anyone know where I can find a Washburn model like Aaron's?

[@XMetalChefX]

You mean the Idol? Dont recall a music man style from Washburn...

[@lucskywalker16]

3:58 ...drummer gettin fancy :P

[@pivetlord13]

i thought aaron used emg!?

[@Pilsungbo]

"what type of pickups?"

[@aboveunow]

What kind of amps does Arron use?????? Left that out

[@envcas31]

@pivetlord13 because he actually knew the answer without his tech answering for him XD

[@fluffytoaster427]

What DiMarzio pickups does Aaron use?

[@collinmilliron6717]

They would be whatever stock ones came in his Music Man. It's not a model you can buy separate. Ernie Ball keeps the specifics of said pickup secret. Aaron later switched them out to an EMG 81/85 set.

[@abigail1403]

@josh123mohikasurf also he has autobot on his other hand middle finger

[@StricklandAssistantManager]

3:52 lol clean distorted??? what?

[@BiRDiEHere]

0:38 That's not a SE277, So what guitar is that one?

[@jonathananthony1901]

It's a USA PRS Baritone Custom made specifically for him. I was hoping it would become a production model lile the the Tremonti, but now he has parted ways with PRS and has a signature LTD BB-600

[@royalcat10]

I don't believe the SE277 was in existence at the time of recording this video. Ben Burnley and Pete Loeffler (The vocalist/guitarist from Chevelle) had guitars custom made that were one of the first Baritone PRS guitars ever, and for a long while the only ones.

[@alexgr666n]

haha 3:57

[@AlanM11Drums]

4.59 BLACK BY SEVENDUST

[@pivetlord13]

what dimarzios does aaron use??

[@callumsinclair6097]

Why does Aaron's Axis' neck look super BOWED!

[@eortega0413]

I own it. It is haha.

[@fluffytoaster427]

@@eortega0413 wait holdup lol You *own* it?

[@dramafree2474]

aaron seemed to know about the peddles then the guitar......

[@fluffytoaster427]

I think he uses Randalls. Not sure, Google's always your best friend.

[@Ralenissocold]

@ComfortablyNumbAgain maybe he prefers passive pups

[@WarpedZachAttack]

Blind at 3:50

[@DReidGuitars]

decepticon tatoo!!!!! 0:49

[@fluffytoaster427]

Sounds a little too good to be true. He had his custom made and it probably cost him about 7,000

[@Ralenissocold]

@ryanevans00 probably constantly up.....if it was down the guitar would sound bad

[@jacobvera2014]

*is

[@Zukadic]

I hope I get to the point where I can repeatedly smash PRS guitars together and not care about it.

[@rabozzotheclown]

U MISSPELLED AARON ):

[@Nix11999]

nice. how much is it lol?

[@samuelxander]

4:20 whats that song?

[@EmperorPalpamemes]

Samuel.ne I will not bow

[@KPXP3]

Nice stuff. Aaron can't explain his shit worth a shit though, haha.

[@MrAussieCroat]

Ben's a decepticon! O:

[@diegomazzaron9191]

7:16 and 5:18 it’s almost the same guitar. Come on man, you don’t have a Gibson or a Fender in your guitar set for a tour?

[@onion69420]

Gibson: i guess the scale length could prove a problem, especially if it has tuning problems Fender:i guess he prefers other guitars

[@H3lloSE]

@th3m1ke wookie man

[@klok8129]

Why do a lot of interviewers try to fuck with or embarrass the members of BB?

[@lewisevans1132]

I don't think they do... It just seems that BB members don't like being interviewed.

[@alisamissesbella]

why do you say that

[@leogarcia3]

@samuxxn I Will Not Bow

[@pivetlord13]

what wood is aarons music mans made of?

[@collinmilliron6717]

Stock ones are basswood. But his is custom so who knows.

[@diegomazzaron9191]

@@collinmilliron6717 You are the guitar tech of Aaron? 😂

[@collinmilliron6717]

@@diegomazzaron9191 No, just an avid fan of both Breaking Benjamin and Music Man guitars.

[@diegomazzaron9191]

@@collinmilliron6717 Oh good, what do you think about the new Breaking Benjamin?

[@collinmilliron6717]

@@diegomazzaron9191Apologies for the essay. There is a TL;DR at the end. To answer your question: Hard meh. Could be nostalgia or other biases, but I don't think they've really evolved much in their last 2 studio albums. I understand the fan base may want to listen to the same sound over and over again, but I think it's possible to evolve while still keeping the sound familiar. Dark before Dawn sounded like a mediocre amalgamation of all their previous records, and Ember sounded like Pantera, but more radio friendly. Which isn't a bad thing. Some of it really slapped. But it's not innovative. Not like Dear Agony or We Are Not Alone. Of course, these albums were not the most ground breaking albums that have ever been, but they were a new sound nonetheless. And people really liked them. You don't need to be Frank Zappa to keep things fresh. Take Failure for instance. Killer song. But then listen to So Cold and you will hear that the songs follow the same formula. Very obvious in the intro especially. Formulas aren't inherently bad, and these songs are not too similar to where it's a problem, but I would nonetheless try to switch it up a bit more. I've made conscious attempts to experiment in my own music and gotten great results (in my opinion). And I would not consider my music to be revolutionary. If you are interested in hearing what I mean, this is a song I made about 5 years ago (Eaten by the Forest is the name of my band). You can definitely hear the Breaking Benjamin influence while also hearing that it doesn't sound like the early 2000s post-grunge. soundcloud.com/parasolmultimedia/eaten-by-the-forest-machines?si=08128b0dae1b43259eab323104a38117& I'm not saying that I'm better at making music than Breaking Benjamin by any stretch of the imagination. I am merely saying that a little experimenting can go a long way and you don't need to change your whole sound to do it. New BB has some killer tracks like Failure, Psycho, Tourniquet, Save Yourself, etc but if you took all the good songs from their last 2 albums, you could make 1 solid album. I did not feel this way about their old stuff. Again, maybe it's just nostalgia, but perhaps firing the old band and replacing them with a bunch of spineless yes men wasn't the best move (musically). But who's to say? I wasn't there when it all went down. Their music output has also been not very good especially considering Ben doesn't have to write all the songs by himself anymore (plus he's learned how to record himself with Pro Tools). There are other artists these days that have higher output of better music and are pushing musical innovation better than BB. Don't get me wrong. BB fucking slaps still and their past contributions to music will not be forgotten by me, nor will their musical influence. But now the scene is different and they have the new kids on the block to compete with. There were less bands back in the day to compete with. And less forms of entertainment in general. Many people just play video games or watch Netflix instead of listening to music these days. For many, music is now more of a background noise to listen to while you're doing something else. On top of that, everyone wants to be famous these days. Not just famous but a solo act making everything themselves and starting KZbin channels so they have more control and less reliance on others. There are some talented hungry people in this industry now. So BB will have to try harder if they want to stay relevant. I understand Ben has his perma-illness and his new child so I find it unlikely they will ever return to their peak form. I would love to be proven wrong though. Either way, he's made enough musical contribution and doesn't owe the world anything. I don't consider Aurora a new album since for most of it they just took their old recordings and replaced the electric guitars with acoustic ones. Came off as a lazy cash grab to me. Wasn't different enough from the original song versions in my opinion. Listened once on KZbin and then forgot about it. Didn't buy that album. I did buy the other 2 New BB albums though. I just hope they don't rely on nostalgia too much going forward. That all being said, Ember was the first album written by the new band and not just Ben himself. And it was noticeably better than Dark Before Dawn in my opinion. So hopefully we'll continue to see evolution there. But all of this is just my opinion. Perhaps I fully understand the situation. Or perhaps I'm just another KZbin commenting idiot, vomiting out his bad takes for the world to see once and then forget forever. Time will tell. TL;DR New BB isn't bad but it's not fantastic either in my opinion. There are some good tracks, but overall I would like to see them start innovating more, like they did back in the day. What's your opinion?

[@punk9999643]

Hahah, random stick at 3:58

[@Bentense]

Why do people sometimes call them Breaking Benjamins, come on.

[@danielgibeault8060]

LMAO 3:58

[@D2LGuitaristOfficial]

Lol. I think I know more about guitars than him and I'm 13! But no doubt he is a better player than me.

[@steveclarkeee222]

@th3m1ke lol hoogie?.. wookie

[@bjfx123]

wookie got let go by them and is now the tech for myles kennedy and brian marshall of Alter Bridge watch?v=Z1fC7xha-ys&feature=related @ 2:05

[@jacobvera2014]

Aaron os kinda like a more masculine tony stark

[@danielgibeault8060]

LMAO 5:38

[@chowsno1]

10 bucks that cigeret isent just a cig