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.
]
Article & Photos: bit.ly/KurtBallouRR
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Don't Miss a Rundown: bit.ly/RIgRundownENL
Merch & Magazines: shop.premierguitar.com
godcityinstruments.com
godcitystudio.com
convergecult.com
D'Addario Auto Lock Strap: ddar.io/AutoLockStrap
#rigrundown #kurtballou #converge

[@premierguitar]

Article & Photos: bit.ly/KurtBallouRR Subscribe to PG's Channel: bit.ly/SubscribePGKZbin Don't Miss a Rundown: bit.ly/RIgRundownENL Merch & Magazines: shop.premierguitar.com

[@SocialGore]

poopoopeepee

[@bluenitriletouch2842]

Kurt mic’d himself up for his own rig rundown. What an absolute legend.

[@Ikillbears]

And running through a distressor, probably an amazing pre amp too

[@shadoecrossland5457]

If you got it, why not use it?

[@phatnana2379]

Kurt loves tone so much he prob rocking a wireless in-ear monitor too and every time it cuts to the interviewer, Ballou is tweaking the EQ... " I can't get interviewed about my gear and NOT have a perfectly smooth, sexy voice coming in 100x better and clearer than the interviewer"

[@Vexicrypt]

Kurt talking about his gear for 1hr is the best thing in 2021 for me so far

[@InhumanTorture]

Probably the best Rig Rundown yet.

[@bretleal7723]

That is exactly what I was thinking! Great one!

[@baritonecult622]

I forget the interviewers name but he needs to be the main guy doing these. No add no interruptions , excellent listener . This was such a killer show, im gonna use a ribbon mic this week and move it to the outside of the cone. thanks Kurt. Cheers from Antartica Michigan

[@jvallely_]

Antarctica Michigan. I feel you. Cheers from home, bud.

[@oimonsexmann]

i admire kurt's musicianship, but aside from that, his level of knowledge is insane. every heavy music artist spending at least an hour with him talking recording stuff could learn a lot from him. besides that, he his just so well spoken.

[@jimtroeltsch5998]

Yeah this guy knows so much! I love listening to him speak on pedals, recording, guitar, music, etc.

[@ThreeNilOfficial]

Kurt talking about music/engineering/gear is ASMR.

[@flynnpaterson2025]

Was just thinking this. Absolutely engrossing.

[@thisistoomuchtotype]

watching kurt getting stoked on gear is the most inspiring. love that dude.

[@christianfriisjensen2055]

This guy is such an absolute nerdlord and I love him for it.

[@imoldcraig]

Kurt playing Outshined made my week.

[@paniccleo]

That this happened and is this long and was with Chris makes me so happy. What an excellent rig rundown.

[@tite93]

That Emma Ruth Rundle shirt!

[@TheXxjmpxxx]

If only every rig rundown had the artist's explaining the in's and out's, circuitry, and history of each individual pedal/gear piece before hearing it

[@HTRism]

the way he tap danced around the tuning subject was masterful.

[@Lukewarm111]

I wish I knew what the hell it was so i can play the ending of Jane Doe correctly

[@danielhelmer8511]

@@Lukewarm111 It's CGCFG#C. I asked him via AIM right after Jane Doe came out and that's what he told me. You can tell it's right just by playing the harmonics you hear in a couple of theirs songs and it makes playing the end of Jane Doe so much easier.

[@Lukewarm111]

@@danielhelmer8511 Yeah I figured that out shortly after commenting this. It’s like a C minor open tuning

[@mattkilloran]

I love that he calls the Boss Ps-3 the Cave In-ator haha

[@davidjameschamberlain]

Balloufinshmirtz evil incorporated

[@5tnblnkt]

I have been waiting for this since the dawn of time.

[@corycourtney8923]

Only Living Witness riff in the middle. You're the man, Kurt. Always.

[@ThePhantomnaut]

I do wanna see a Rig Rundown of Todd Jones of Nails. Also Taylor Young of Twitching Tongues/ex-Nails.

[@ha7e777]

Kidney for Kurts Helix presets!

[@Mindartcreativity]

I found on a german website a somewhat description of how he uses the Helix. He has two amp models simultaneously running in stereo. He uses a minimal delay and a minimal pitch shift on one channel to get a doubler effect. Cab sims are IRs he created himself and go directly to the PA. He also uses real amps, for that particular gig it were two 100W JCM900, but only as power amp (for stage monitoring?). Should be a good starting point.

[@ha7e777]

@@Mindartcreativityyes! I'm doing it since got helix. Two separate paths with different amps. On one path i got doubling effect, I've used mimiq earlier but helix got pretty good block for it. The key for good sound are ir's. I'm mixing two for each path like 121 with 57 on v30 cab from own hammer. Some eq and it work extremely well. For stage volume i use two 4x12 powered by matrix. I'm pretty happy with this setup, but always looking for improvement;) I would love to get IR pack from Kurt. Just imagine 6x12 emperor cab miced with those fancy mics...

[@Mindartcreativity]

@@ha7e777 That sounds awesome! Yeah, I agree, IRs from Kurt would be so awesome. I'm actually in the process of buying a HX Stomp after reading and hearing so many artists using them live. What amp model do you use in your preset if I may ask?

[@KingNed]

Pretty sure Kurt's secret tuning is CGCFAbC. Ab/G#, obviously. At least, that's what I figured out a few years ago when trying to work out Aimless Arrow.

[@Zane_Doe]

I (think) I agree. If I remember correctly, this is what I landed on trying to get the quiet part of Jane Doe. I also seem to remember a social media post where Kurt said that the tuning contains a G#.

[@Benny_Howie]

I watched Nate tune to CGCF when I saw them in 2019

[@DNOWAKJR]

Pretty sure you are correct, it’s the correct way to play Jane doe as well

[@danielhelmer8511]

I asked Kurt via AOL AIM when his screen name was GodCity back in 2001 and this is what he told me, so yeah.

[@HTRism]

that and at least 5 more.

[@jackflorio6483]

this is my favorite piece of content on the internet. far better than any movie could ever be

[@zucchinisurprise6347]

great video, this makes me a bit more optimistic about our chances for an Aaron Turner rundown in the future ;)

[@VikingWizard]

I'm guessing that you have already watched this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h6a4oICnYrBrbsU

[@zucchinisurprise6347]

@@VikingWizard yep, I just want to see if there have been any significant changes or updates since then. Seen Sumac twice, and saw Isis and OMG at the Scofield benefit in LA, always been mystified by Aaron's live sound.

[@ileutur6863]

@@zucchinisurprise6347 Ehh I would have preferred to see his rig from the days where he made beautiful post metal instead of caveman noise or whatever sumac is doing these days

[@zucchinisurprise6347]

@@ileutur6863 I love Isis as much as the next guy, but Aaron clearly wasn't having much fun and the band's sound was beginning to stagnate towards the end. Wavering Radiant was a great record but it clearly was not what he was interested in any more and I personally am happy to see him working on something compelling again

[@natronbetticus]

one of my favourite people in music. Thanks Premier Guitar, thanks Kurt.

[@pauljohnson3317]

Awesome! So stoked that there is a rig rundown with Kurt Ballou!

[@maximecoste5554]

Probably the only RRD where you can hear Only Living Witness riffs... Kudos to Kurt... as usual

[@garrettboomerbender]

I'm actually crying tears of joy thank you so much

[@matnukin1584]

I’ve been waiting for this for so long. This also one of the best covid rig rundowns, I guess due to the phenomenal sound. Kurt’s pedal designs are interesting as well. I’ve actually considered buying a kit and building one. Just can’t decide which one. Love the fact that you didn’t make a blooper reel. 😃

[@robwalsh9843]

I always admired Kurt's penchant for turning more vintage rock and jazz guitars into brutal metal machines.

[@robertschmidt7607]

great rundown! but i would have liked to know also what happened to demovids, Kurt's gear/pedal channel on youtube. It was very promising and then stopped all of a sudden.

[@Gore171459]

Already appreciate that a video on his live AND recording setups even exists at all, especially sick that its over an hour long.

[@TheCollisionofworlds]

I SEE THAT STRUGIL SIMPSON POSTER CHRIS. You guys should get him to rundown his sound and fury rig.

[@danexplodes]

Thank you for this, Kurt! Such a knowledgeable dude. I have his creative live class from a few years ago....great teacher as well!

[@DNOWAKJR]

I have waited so long for this

[@spuuuuuz]

I've really enjoyed watching this guy and his band getting more and more recognition since Jane Doe. So cool that his knowledge and skill is hitting a wider audience.

[@The404Erorr]

Seeing my musical hero playing a riff by another musical hero is awesome. Kurts knowledge is massive and we're not worthy.

[@RhombiClan]

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!

[@haarisali7052]

This is the best version of any of these I have watched over the years. KB is the best

[@tazmon122]

RIP Daddy's Junky Music.

[@Lukewarm111]

Laura Palmer

[@matthewvanderford1275]

@@Lukewarm111 fire walk with me

[@xbreathingisirrelevantx]

I've been waiting for this vid since I was 14. Im 24 now

[@JordonBeal]

When that Ebow fell, I felt that in my soul. The same thing happened to me a few weeks ago, and we wound up cobbling it back together with electrical tape to finish the session.

[@dccallaghan901]

Such a fantastic articulate musician and sound engineer. You can learn a lot from this man.

[@SpruceCreekTraders]

Love this guy...his pedal designs are a blast to put together and play 👍

[@slayerus23]

Kurt is an amazing guitarist and a SUPERB producer. Also a very cool dude if you have the chance to meet him.

[@broda769]

The thumbnail is priceless! Kurt is such a cool dude.

[@halfameatballz]

Best rig rundown ever!

[@acidgrain]

I understood maybe 10% of the stuff he's talking about but I learned more with this 1 hour video than in the whole last year. He's talking about so much stuff you can't just read somewhere.

[@kevinmyles6369]

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 😆🤘

[@mkk1980]

that Only Living Witness Riff with the SBD 🖤🖤🖤

[@Joosatch]

Rig rundown of the GOD

[@dariaelectra]

Yes Yes Yes 💙💙💙 Thank you so much 🙏

[@FelixUnger]

You can't play Only Living Witness enough. Prone Mortal Form is one hell of a riff.

[@corycourtney8923]

The tone here sounds so close too!

[@puredistraction]

Could watch him play OLW with those tones for an hour

[@matthiasfeit8739]

I am pretty stoked, that i instantly recalled what that riff was at kzbin.info/www/bejne/iJTFpnymZ7KppJI ! Been a while, will listen to it now!

[@Kirillkedzz]

Thank you for the video! Very interesting!

[@premierguitar]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@cloudedleopardeffects5010]

Best rig rundown ever

[@Creed_fan_69]

“I guess I won’t be doing anymore post rock” hahahaha

[@scottbarnez]

This is pretty amazing.

[@OTTOAUDIO]

Dont go quicker, take your time Kurt, we can watch all day.

[@zelicanth1927]

That guitar looks identical to the old first act custom shops, from what i remember he used to rock those.

[@DeadlyRythmnStudio]

I think that First Act is the company associated with GCI for guitars

[@nickmartinez229]

That Tyler amp in the beginning!!! Love my jt14

[@kellymoon3406]

I have one of those Demedash Videotape Delays and they are awesome, took over a year to get one but well worth it! His overdrive pedal is also insanely good.

[@tyhen12]

uploaded on my birthday! :)

[@maxheadroom7931]

Using a Distressor for his voice in this video, nice one :)

[@elnico135]

That amp tone 😍

[@lowqualityguitarvideos]

appreciate this

[@premierguitar]

Appreciate you!

[@Count_Apollyon5]

Kurt could play Ed Kemper in an Biopic haha

[@gowahouway1512]

Always thought that intro to Plagues was a triplet chug. Mind blown

[@andrewfuentes1632]

Can’t wait for my Silver burst Series 2 to come in 🤘🏽

[@avrahampatino2580]

That Only Living Witness riff was gnarly!

[@matthewf9500]

great stuff

[@harrisholt12]

I legit thought that was a Malcolm Young signature for a second.

[@wheresallthezombies]

I wish he would release a cab IR pack or do something with two notes.

[@shaunlafountain7189]

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

[@bishlap]

LOVED his movie w/ Jane Fonda, Kurt Ballou... great movie, Kurt, thank you.

[@Carlo.WTF416]

PRONE MORTAL FORM RIFF

[@voxpathfinder15r]

I was in bands in high school in the early 90s to a nearby town to Salem, MA. And I remember a Kurt Ballou in one of the undergraduate classes, he was a blond kid I think? But I remember that name. Edit: update, I remember painting houses during the summers with this guy in a college painters franchise being run by a high school friend, Pete.

[@MB57]

Keep it going, in Kurt we trust! My question is if you're going chambered, why not any top cuts? Also, you love bass guitar more than most guitarists. I get it, Nate. Maybe a baritone could be released in the future?

[@F1Fanatic76]

Dig the Soundgarden riff

[@NinoJoy]

Emma Ruth Rundle shirt : instant like

[@henrydemonfreid1985]

the peavey logo is in the background loud and proud but sadly not on the amp where it belongs. early peavey classics are underrated imo.

[@adhamhocaoimh]

The man is God City.

[@jasonlang8818]

I have one or more Heil Mics and I love them all. Rich Lang, Lang's Recording Studio, SCORE Records.

[@edwindude9893]

Those craftsman are hard to find.

[@deathtax823]

Did anyone else notice the Sparrow Son wink at the camera at 33:22 when Kurt mentions it?

[@robertgoyette5863]

just wait the next time converge tours hes gonna be playing a totally different guitar w/ a totally different rig haha

[@premierguitar]

We'll be there!

[@greham]

Kurt. Another Craftsman batch. Please. Sincerely, me.

[@dangerzebra589]

Gonna be honest, I didnt read the title and thought this was a Mick from That Pedal Show rundown.

[@ShibDais]

Is that some Neil Young there in the end?

[@H_Oscarsson]

What pickup di he say he had @9:15 ?

[@jaywishmaster1984]

What was that tape delay called again? Don’t make me reverse this..

[@premierguitar]

Demedash Effects T-120 Videotape Echo

[@Alfredo78666]

"Hey please, turn THAT knob down..."

[@ebanizalex]

I love this... but does this mean I can’t play dragonaut at guitar center anymore?

[@ThePhantomnaut]

Pretend you're Matt Pike and give them some weed.

[@k.g.alatore355]

Fuck, that Sweet Emotion was the sickest shit.

[@cloudedleopardeffects5010]

57:36 anyone know that song?

[@SPMinerva]

Kurt looks like Ed Kemper with glasses and moustache

[@AB-ye6cl]

Miss you Mal

[@gaetanheuze8028]

ONLY LIVING WITNESS!!!!

[@billyperry3059]

"Whatever magic Lollar does" indeed.

[@sinistrousdiabolus]

awesome,kurts ambient trick is the same as mine-except i use a coin

[@michaeltherion7459]

Should do Sandy Clams Band next!

[@jeremywhite9408]

I can’t believe this info is free lol

[@tonymillman]

Guitar Journalism Gold: "So, it's like a Super Swedish Metal Pedal".

[@tonymillman]

Chris Kies brings the levity!