Kurt Ballou's God City Instruments Constructivist & Soap Jammer Humbuckers + His Gear Design Mindset

Full Rig Details: bit.ly/ConvergeRR
Subscribe to PG's Channel: bit.ly/Subscrib...
Not only does Kurt play guitar in converge, produce out of God City Studio in Salem, MA, he always has spent the last decade designing guitar gear. Here he talks about his latest model and the ravaging pickups put inside it.
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...
Line 6 Helix Guitar Multi-effects Floor Processor: sweetwater.sjv...
Fender American Professional II Precision Bass V: sweetwater.sjv...
Orange AD200B MK 3 200-watt Bass Head: sweetwater.sjv...
DOD Rubberneck Analog Delay Pedal with Tap Tempo: sweetwater.sjv...
Dunlop CBM105Q Cry Baby Mini Bass Wah Pedal: sweetwater.sjv...
TC Electronic PolyTune 3 Polyphonic LED Guitar Tuner Pedal with Buffer: sweetwater.sjv...
Full Rig Details: bit.ly/ConvergeRR
Subscribe to PG's Channel: bit.ly/Subscrib...
Win Guitar Gear: bit.ly/Giveawa...
Don't Miss a Rundown: bit.ly/RIgRundo...
Merch & Magazines: shop.premiergu...
PG's Facebook: / premierguitar
PG's Instagram: / premierguitar
PG's Twitter: / premierguitar
PG's TikTok: / premierguitar
© Copyright Gearhead Communications LLC, 2023
#guitar #rigrundown #converge #hardcore #kurtballou

[@premierguitar]

Full Rig Details: bit.ly/ConvergeRR Subscribe to PG's Channel: bit.ly/SubscribePGKZbin Win Guitar Gear: bit.ly/GiveawaysPG Don't Miss a Rundown: bit.ly/RIgRundownENL Merch & Magazines: shop.premierguitar.com

[@dejavoodooV2]

yup, thats a dude that Actually needs a fat wide neck. I appreciate there are increasing amounts of options for chunkers, but i could swear north of 80% of my guitar KZbin feed is suggesting eryone goes out and gets em ,... when only about 20% of their viewers would be even 80% of the size of kurt:) (I get it though, it was decades of thin modern C's etc. but still:)

[@ahtech1990]

Holy shit, how big is Kurt? Awesome looking guitar too btw, but wtf?!

[@paultrombetta]

Cool ass design