Rig Rundown: Melvins' Buzz Osborne [2015]

Article and photos: bit.ly/BuzzoRR2015
Subscribe to PG's Channel: bit.ly/SubscribePGKZbin
Perry Bean met up with the Melvins’ King Buzzo shortly before his code-violating loud show at Nashville’s sweatiest club, the Exit/In. King Buzz showed his unpretentious yet absolutely effective approach to his inspiring tone.
Although linked to backbreaking Les Pauls since the ’80s, King Buzzo currently tours with a trio of less traditional Electric Guitar Company axes. This all-aluminum, chrome-finished model is slightly heavier than Osborne’s Les Pauls.
This Standard model sports an anodized gold finish and (like the other EGC guitars) is loaded with a Gibson 498T in the bridge and a low-output EGC humbucker in the neck.
To continue learning about Buzz's oddball gear, visit: bit.ly/BuzzoRR2015

[@thisnameiseitherrestricted6270]

How many guitarist have said "here try it" about their guitar on a rig rundown? I'm going to go with one... Buzz.

[@TheVoidedPresence]

***** Exactly.

[@musicallyfuckable]

+TheDogpa very cool

[@robertsparling917]

+This name is either restricted, too long, or contains too many invalid characters. Only Buzzo, in this video.

[@ceilingtracer]

That just blew me away.

[@SomeJustice19k]

Jim Root does as well.

[@doogdoogdoogdoogdoogdoog]

What an absolute dude; _"Here, try it. You play guitar?"_

[@TheSonsofHorusx]

*pauses melvins to watch rig rundown of melvins*

[@nofi4]

muhahaha same here man!! :D

[@kylelikeskjvbible]

@@nofi4 yea bro. he also used Gibsons too in the early days, like a lot of people. So new Gibsons must not be as good as say those pre 1990 since a lot of musicians are now using ESP or someone else.

[@pauljohnson3317]

Exactly what I did!

[@SleepFan771]

Awesome rig rundown on Melvins' Buzz Osborne. "You either love the Melvins or never heard of the Melvins." - Some guy on the music video for "Revolve"

[@joeswansonanator]

Clearly I heard of them and now their my favorite metal band.

[@ddavis_drums]

+Rafael Alejandre I think they are grunge

[@SleepFan771]

Drake Davis *Sludge Metal dude. They inspired every single grunge band though.

[@joeswansonanator]

Drake I gotta tell you something, Houdini is my favorite metal record

[@ddavis_drums]

+Rafael Alejandre really? I know it's your opinion but there are so many more albums from start to finish that are more complete than Houdini. When I listen to albums, I listen to the whole album and determine if all of the songs were worth the $10 I paid. But like I said, totally your opinion

[@Agent-dj8nx]

the interviewer is either : very high, just a slightly awkward dude, or nervous about meeting someone he really looks up to lol. i relate to all three

[@beef88]

Cocaine

[@jeremyrafuse5330]

This is one of Perry's more dialed back interviews. He's actually letting Buzz talk haha

[@robertrwii6835]

@@beef88 yea as the Stones say, it appears he has "cocaine eyes"

[@pawlpoche8736]

I’d say he’s on adderall or vivance

[@rdvgrd6]

finally someone unconventional that doesn't give a shit about whats supposed to be good or bad. just play with what works for you. great

[@cranklabexplosion-labcentr8245]

Many are now actually realizing this and are finally getting the notion that there’s more and louder amps than Marshall’s and Mesa boogies. No hate on them but they are in 99.9% of bands a few years ago

[@fraxxcjangerl7195]

I love when a guitarist use different things instead of using the same 😒 like every guitarist !!!

[@gasolinechlorine]

Best RR I've seen in a long time. We need more guitarists with Buzzo's attitude about gear.

[@MrSammy1776]

+gasolinechlorine Most of the genx players are not really gear geeks,they just get what they needed to get what sound they wanted and then thats it ,unlike in the 80's and this generation.

[@gibsonman4]

Idk if you are a fan, but you should see Stephen Carpenters' rig rundown of Deftones.....his answers are all basically "I just like how it looks"

[@Chuggsbigman]

"Here try it" god he's the best.

[@cadedonnghail9317]

"when you have the hands of a 5 year old like I do" lmao Buzzo is the best.

[@pjshiell9410]

What a great guy Buzz Osborne is. I've watched a couple of interviews with him and he is so down to earth and honest. I have only recently got into the Melvins; what a band.

[@StayFreshMyFriends]

I love the reaction i get when a tube snob tries my gear and hears how good some solid state amps can sound. Ampeg and Sunn all the way

[@jg932]

Honestly, what really matters is it works him

[@Ninja_Gaijin]

It is true, gear is about what works best for you, not 'types' being better..

[@ks-zc1jh]

that is what can happen when hype trumps experience. I knew a guy in high school who always talked junk on solid states not realizing that his amp had not a single tube in it. haha

[@MK-oz2lf]

Dumb Question: What do the QSC power amps do for the Sunn Beta Leads? Don't those already have a power section?

[@wisegoat6261]

The Driver, the Sunns are beta pre amps

[@k.g.alatore355]

I was at this show. Buzz and Jeff's rigs sounded absolutely massive.

[@Seth-hc2bj]

Kim Alatore hopefully going here soon, can't Wait!!

[@crellison4537]

they have to be ...to be heard over Dale's monster drumming

[@swami47]

1. "These guitars are pretty cheap" 2. Goes on their site 3. 2000 $ Ok Buzz

[@jackp.walker6247]

YUP, deff much cheaper than a black Les Paul Custom, at $5000.00

[@Ivegotwormsinme]

Absolutely. Aluminum is a metal that you can pass down to your grandchildren's grandchildren and as long as you've taken care of it, it'll still be in the same condition it began in. Source: I work with metals, love metal, and I've been around metals for my entire life.

[@eeshsinger]

blush cannon mmm hmm true dat

[@eeshsinger]

Ivegotwormsinme yeah so it is worth it

[@iceWaterProductions1]

Now those guitars are $2999

[@caseyjones7404]

I dont think the musical appreciation of Buzz will be fully understood for a long time. He is notorious for microwaving a crowd. I doubt anyone ever went to a Melvins show and didnt have there ears bleed

[@crellison4537]

just saw them the other night in Florida with Steve MacDonald playing bass and they play with more energy than most 20 year olds

[@GoldenNuggetRec]

FINALLY!! been waiting for a good HQ in depth rig rundown! now get someone to do dale and coadys!

[@arjunkaul]

Cool stuff! He said it. "getting over the mental block"

[@Aaron-zh4kj]

As a passionate student of of the art of guitar rigs and the relationship between them and people's playing/writing/production (where the technical becomes artistic, and the philosophy side of it), I've been slowly starting to get into and listen to Melvins as a result of seeing these things from Buzz. I've been going down the rabbit hole of how to get the best, unique sounding guitar rig that's also tough as nails, durable, and requires the least amount of maintenance, and I love seeing a guy embracing no tubes, durable guitar materials and unique pieces (15" speakers, etc.). Absolutely love that. If you want a new interesting sound, use new ingredients. Also, who likes having to maintain guitars all the time? I'm all about using metal/carbon fiber bodies and necks, stainless steel frets, these new circuit board printed pickups, etc., and I wish more people would. Cool to see a better known artist showcasing how well they work in a real world application.

[@poorbrokeguitarist]

I love this dude. I have always loved the Melvins guitar tone.

[@peterb7435]

Buzz seems so chill. Love his tone

[@NewGoldStandard]

This was really fun to watch. Thanks for posting.

[@quattro4468]

Guitar players need to get over the Tube vs SS thing. Bassplayers and synth guys dont dwell on this as much. Its all about the amp design, signal paths, electronics engineering. Also theres no such thing as tone wood unless its acoustic. Only thing wood affects is sustain.

[@macdad159]

Saw them at this show. Awesome! Love Melvins.

[@bobbyberetta4206]

The toggle volume switch is a great idea! I'm defiantly gonna steal that.

[@dbredred1]

He changed up his rig just a bit. I saw them last night and he was using an orange 2x12 cab with a sunn 6x10. They sounded great.

[@JuanPiVlok]

I love the buzz actitude, i really love this rig rundown

[@A.I-GAMING]

Back in 92 I read in a guitar magazine that Soundgarden used amps without tubes on Bad Motorfinger because in dropped D tuning tube amps got to loose sounding, so I started using solid state amps, The Orange CR120 is a wicked head. Buzz wrote allot of dropped d songs - Nirvana and Soundgarden basically copied Buzz's sound. REPLY

[@jmasson3272]

I love solid state. Cr 120 h is nice but once i tried a quilter od 200, i sold the orange. It smokes the cr120 h. Not the same league.

[@jimisteel5149]

What nice guy! King Buzzo rules! They put on a great show

[@VinylIsForever]

You see that awsome V-Bass in the background all the time and there is no word about it? PLEEEAAASE more bass rig rundowns :'(

[@ML-nj8fq]

VinylIsForever It's also from the Electrical Guitar Co

[@third_ear]

+Micah Laszinski wouldn't be so sure about that. I know J.D. Has a shiny V Bass from Electrical Guitar co (probably the one your're thinking of), but I feel like the one in this vid might be something like a vintage Gibson

[@ML-nj8fq]

Nathaniel Bingier They used it for the Tres Cabrones albums and Pinkus uses it on tour, it's from EGC

[@k.g.alatore355]

+VinylIsForever That bass never got used at the show. I know he's had a white V bass forever, but I think he's solely using it as a backup to his similar-looking EGC. I don't think there were any guitar changes at all in that show, honestly.

[@ML-nj8fq]

+Nathaniel Bingier Oh yea I just noticed that, definitely some sort of Gibby

[@leftoverking]

had a sunn 212 in the 80's. loved that amp.

[@aisle_of_view]

Saw Melvins a few years ago. Buzz's rig sounded amazing.

[@calvinnorthrup8058]

You guys need to do a rig rundown with Adam Jones from Tool

[@ddavis_drums]

That would be sweet

[@ML-nj8fq]

+Calvin Northrup He doesn't like talking about his guitar stuff .. I saw an interview somewhere from awhile ago, where he said he just doesn't like people asking him about that stuff

[@calvinnorthrup8058]

Micah L I know his guitar tech has done a few, but i think it's all pre/beginning of 10,000 Days

[@Hellspwn6]

Tool is overrrated as hell. Cool, but overrated.

[@greensmurf9623]

Mark Wright Justin seemed nice enough in one of his interviews I saw.

[@pauljohnson3317]

"You can try it if you want." LEGEND

[@darrenbrush1200]

Sooooooo good guys, thanks.

[@Jakeman90210]

"does it sound like a paf?" That line makes me want to blow my brains out every time.

[@Thomas.harding]

He’s spot on about the distortion pedals bass overdrive is great

[@isaacpunch9295]

Buzz is so goddamn likable.

[@oshikiri999]

*Guitar made of gold* Buzz: "here, try it"

[@steviltanner]

theres also a company in north carolina called blackout electronics thats really good.they make a fuzz pedal called"musket" that is really great and affordable.

[@MarvinMonroe]

Similar to the Travis Bean, I love those. Jerry played one like 1975 to 77

[@DelScully]

honestly he hit that nail on the head when he said when you have the hands of a five year like I do. My biggest reasoning for wanting a EGC guitar is because of them thin necks haha. I'd die if I had enough money to build a completely custom one with a 9.5" radius as well.

[@spookynico4192]

I like how Buzz says "you play guitar?" It just seems kind of funny because the interviewer is in a magazine and KZbin channel that is completely dedicated to guitar gear.

[@alltheserobotsshallfall]

he does? then why does he ask stupid questions like "did you pull these pickups out of a Les Paul" and "does it sound like a PAF"?

[@jf6868]

Buzz is such an awesome dude.

[@alejoromero]

That was quick.

[@acarlovonsexron1994]

***** His last one from 5 years ago was 2 minutes and 7 seconds. Still the record for quickest. I believe this is now the second quickest.

[@Boomstick88]

Actually the 2nd quickest run down is probably with Matt Pike. That video is like two minutes and forty six seconds.

[@brandonnoga]

ChromeGhost0219 he was also wasted in that one wasn't he haha

[@pentatonicburst2753]

dude needed a line bad...at the end he was happy cuz he could do a bump

[@justinrowland5191]

With lemmy gone and some other people too, king buzzos still there. Nice.

[@erykmanuyag1040]

All hail the King!

[@SlyRyFry]

Awesome rig rundown! Should try to schedule a rig rundown with Nothing More, they some pretty amazing stuff!

[@squeelerjakeaxcradle7095]

I own a John Veleno and it's awesome fully aluminium and gold plated in gold.

[@keilan303]

Wanted to hear some of that gear!!

[@ShineDawg]

Dude, I love 15's too!!!!!!!

[@jc.1191]

Love the blown cabinets

[@Dcat75thunder]

Thanks to Nirvana and Kurt Cobain I learned about the Melvins and Buzz a long time ago. Since then I was a fan. The accoustic stuff was killer by the way. I hope King Buzz knows that we the fan know what an influence he had on rock and still has today. When rock resurges in the main stream....and it will again, I am sure Buzz will be an influence for that scene as well.

[@delhidelirium9091]

Shut up pussyO! Go listen to 3 men and a baby with Kunka and shut the f*** nup, nobody cares ...

[@robbyolinski1450]

ah American nightmare. just listened to sworn enemy's live cbgbs album and they are mentioned =D

[@grymlohke9919]

I have the same bass distortion pedal. Love it to death

[@joeandangelikakelley2302]

I have the exact same setup. 15's crush and beta leads handle such a range on tone. People are always asking if my egc's can do something other than "twangy". So weird.

[@AnnoyingOrange420]

I saw them a couple months ago, easily twice the volume of the opening band, it was intense

[@jonathandufern7421]

I have a Peavy Renown 1984 and was a Solid made that sound like a Tube. Is still after it’s age the best sounding amp that’s opened for the best bands we know. Lol

[@jtlemay4878]

Been seeing the dude talkin to buzz around town for like ever

[@mrduckboibones]

LEGEND

[@gilligan80]

the whole "tube"craze started with us idiots in the 90s.... wed see our favorite musicians promote mesa and never realized the innards were swapped

[@notrophyhuntersallowed4231]

Once again humble dude

[@raymondlang]

About time someone made guitars with slim neck profiles..not everyone has hands like Garth. My Levinson Blade Silver Streaks are slim, that's why I stick with them. The guitars in the video look incredible.

[@Celticsaint777]

Awesome guitars

[@luisgalvan2523]

I love my 83' Sunn SL260, I also love my 84' JC-120. now in search of an 80's Peavey stereo chorus 400. i play shoegazing so that explains my need for pure clean tone. nothing wrong with solid state unless your a pentatonic blues page fan

[@davidjameschamberlain]

Even then, BB King favored Solid State Lab Series amps

[@AnodyneHipsterInfluencer]

"I have answers, everyone is stupid, if I looked like Cobain, we'd have sold 50 million albums too."

[@ileutur6863]

And he's absolutely goddamn right

[@pokeystotle]

Buzz. Love that guy.

[@ram4ndud3]

Straight up godlike style and sound from buzzo

[@SRNF]

The dead air signaled the end of interview, the host was like oh shit he ended it early.....I'm fired. And yes, he was fired.

[@poundtacos4006]

1:54,.. I see you!

[@prodajie]

Please help! The song playing at the very beginning, I had the 7" close to 30 years ago but I can't remember the title to save my life.

[@Kell1984]

Hooch

[@potsandpans960]

Never thought of the 15 10 combination. I suppose I could build. Rather buy one of his because well. It the cool story factor.

[@J20M]

I used to use a boss bass overdrive too for years but only because I lost my distortion pedal

[@mooferoo]

I love Buzz

[@Pstaines439]

The squeaky 3 way switch is killing me

[@salamancadingding]

I was just thinking the same thing! Needs a little WD-40

[@JuanPiVlok]

what a cool guy!!!

[@sahietstephen2294]

Very Humble!!

[@witchbvrner]

Shout out to King Buzzo for repping the beta series.

[@metalguru3558]

15” speakers are also hard to find! Especially with watts & hz thats good for guitar

[@Ninja_Gaijin]

Absolutely love King Buzzo and the Melvins - is there any other band that has always been so forward thinking when it comes to their setup? Didn't Dale use 30" rides at one stage? I love that Buzzo has ditched his Marshal stacks for PA amps and some preamps. 15" speakers kick ass too. Why not try an 18 while at it? TOO muffly? I'm more of a single coil guy though so for me, more bass is not really any issue usually.. :) you can't go wrong with having a small high quality PA setup for your guitar 'amp/cab'. Worth trying at least. Probably the best sounding setup I ever heard was a 6 string semi acoustic cello plugged into a small PA stack, the bass was incredible and on all levels (tone, attack, volume etc) whooped a 5 string double bass playing through a regular electric bass amp.

[@protronix]

What kind of goddamn picks does he use goddammit!? Kidding. Nice video.

[@vonjunzt4130]

i'd get an aluminum guitar too if I could afford it. They're like $3000!

[@sydIRISH]

King Buzzo for Global Emperor

[@SaberToothGary]

Buzz!! Just a guy... fuggin awesome...

[@volt0z]

Blur's Graham Coxon next, please!

[@ChesterTheGm]

Groovy!

[@MrMotherfuck123]

I´d love to try out a Aluminum Guitar !

[@alejandroblanco2071]

Dang this is the fastest shortest rig rundown vid ... Very good though !

[@TristanJCumpole]

Hah! Buzz is just the coolest and friendliest guy ever.

[@ruination775]

Buzz is Legend..

[@kingbuzzo58]

the neck is great

[@yumadapaka]

do a rig rundown of dredg! please

[@mertmunson1417]

King Buzzo!!!

[@Boomstick88]

Sweet

[@seandohe]

Please do a Swervedriver rig rundown

[@TheGodseye76]

Long live the King

[@danielcarter3928]

i’m gonna order that boss bass overdrive

[@JPTyler]

I'm dying to know the settings on his Boss Bass Overdrive. Anybody know?

[@Hellspwn6]

Ayone else think that King Buzzo inspired Rick Sanchez?

[@TheSPY1997]

MTNDEW Salamander Holy shit, his voice sounds very similar. Can't believe I just noticed

[@loggerhead837]

Please try to do weezer for a rig rundown!

[@stepitupandgo67]

I

[@stephenowens3687]

A company called Tokai made some odd looking alloy guitars in the early 80,s. Don't know what became of them?