Rig Rundown - Henry Kaiser's Five Times Surprise

[@premierguitar]

Article & photos: bit.ly/FiveTimesSurpriseRR

[@umpygoodness2369]

SOMEONE NEEDS TO GET TED OFF HEROIN

[@dcrone51]

I like actual demonstrations of the equipment along with all the talk talk. Should make it a standard characteristic of all run downs

[@shivering_sky]

I got to hang out with Henry a few years ago. Very nice guy and very knowledgeable. I once walked into a room where he was warming up before a clinic and he was running scales like a Jazz guy. I can understand how some people don't like what he chooses to play and that it's not their thing. But make no mistake, he has terrific technique and what he plays is a deliberate choice and not because he doesn't have the chops to play it straight. There's a reason a lot of great players have played and recorded with him.

[@mikebrookfield]

Yeah he defo has chops and has way more knowledge than most would realize... so much so he won't be concerned with negative comments... he's past that...

[@Chris_Brah]

Hahahahahahahahaha

[@lexo30]

I really liked him when I first listened to him in my teens, but I kind of went off his music. Henry Kaiser takes super-cool custom expensive guitars and amps and gear, and uses them to make his guitar sound like the most unearthly noise imaginable. Then Fred Frith manages to make the same noise, or better, using a slightly modified ES 345, whatever amp the venue provided, and a piece of string. I prefer Fred Frith's approach.

[@troykelso]

They probably lost bets.

[@carsgunsandguitars]

🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡

[@blairmichaelhogan4502]

This was great. You should guys should do more of these types. Don't let the dad blues crew dissuade you. Variety is good regardless of whether or not you're into this stuff.

[@davorbrijacak]

Exactly, of course Henry is bad but he's also entertaining but dad blues crew aren't that good either yet they're so boring. "I'm playing with feeling." (proceeds to play sloppy unimaginative bends and slow minor pentatonic runs with bad phrasing and limited neck knowledge)

[@zeeeeroin9981]

The Kenny shayne Sheppard crowd.....I know it all too well.....or joe bonnamassa.....great players but meh....who cares . Alot of that stuff is beer tent music.

[@williams.1130]

Henry has made a career out of sounding like old dial up internet through an amplifier. He should be composing for horror movies. A man with a butcher knife jumps out as Henrys solo begins.... now that will give you nightmares.

[@G.GordonMidi]

He should be composing for deaf people

[@troykelso]

29:19 Henry Kaiser being concerned about being in tune. You can't make this stuff up, folks.

[@larrymarotta3446]

One of the odd things about Kaiser is when he is in full atonal freak out mode, his playing vocabulary is extremely blues-based but uses the pedals to get those more out-there sounds and harmonies. But he’s not everyone’s cuppa, though.

[@TheGgreen100]

Kaiser: "I changed out the neck on this guitar for one that is perfectly intonated using the most accurate scientific techniques and artisan craftsmanship." Kaiser then plays the guitar like a gorilla using another gorilla to fight a 3rd gorilla.

[@Kohntarkosz]

And he still probably plays better than you.

[@TheGgreen100]

@@Kohntarkosz Do you play guitar? Kaiser is a complete scam artist. His artistic outlook comes from a very specific point in the 60's where the guiding mentality was that "every creative impulse is special and worth just as much as anything else. ANY creativity is totally valid. Crapping on the floor and calling it 'art' is just as valid as what's on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel." and Kaiser has spent his entire life living off this idea. If he called himself a painter and you handed him paint, brushes, and a canvas, he'd throw the paint on the ground, then headbutt a hole in the canvas and proudly exclaim that his "creation" was just as valid and inspiring as the Mona Lisa. I suppose all art is ultimately aesthetic and subjective though, and if you personally want to believe no art is better or more meaningful than any other art, knock yourself out. But I'd bet your life would be more enriched if you chose to believe some art is more meaningful and evocative than other art. And if you do, you'll see that Kaiser is a moron. I'll even bet that if you, Kohntarkosz, picked up a guitar and practiced every day for only like a month or two, you would be more technically proficient than Kaiser, and could probably produce better art than he could because in that time you would probably have developed a more substantial vocabulary of musical ideas through which you could express yourself than that hack Henry Kaiser has been able to conjure over the course of his entire life.

[@fuarkYT]

Lorde help us if a 4th Gorilla comes in. Brb gonna break a gorilla out of a zoo.

[@chstacy33]

@@Kohntarkosz The day he plays better than me I will quit music for good.

[@Kohntarkosz]

@@chstacy33 Then you should quit, because he already does.

[@jonesisdying]

I'm with tubenshaft below: MORE of this kinda thing, PLEASE. Guitars are capable of so much more than we currently use them for. If Hendrix were alive I'm pretty sure he'd be using gear like this. Playing pentatonics or shredding at 3000mph is all fine, but hardly gonna change the musical landscape. Explore, or be damned... And being mean about other musicians, no matter your opinion on their output, is the worst kind of karma. What's more, Kaiser played with Richard Thomspon and Fred Frith. I'm sure THOSE virtuosos don't just play with any old hack...

[@swagnostic132]

jonesisdying everyone is shitting on this dude and its weird. I figured he did something bad. He just plays weird. Very strange reaction

[@CaptainRaab]

@@swagnostic132 Guitar players are often conservative xenophobes.

[@outsidersounddesign6915]

If Hendrix were alive today, would he even play the guitar? Maybe he would play the computer. He was a modern musician / artist.

[@deathvalleyjoyride]

_"If Hendrix were alive today, would he even play the guitar?"_ oh for fuck's sake. how can you speculate on a man that's been dead for almost 50 years? come on now.

[@CaptainRaab]

Yeah and Jimi Hendrix would've stayed within the boundaries of guitar established by people who spent years playing within those boundaries! He wouldn't disrespect or offend people who expected music to be played within their definition of art!

[@joeylodes]

Henry perfectly plays my tinnitus

[@Poochpatrol]

I am committed to telling the WORLD he doesn’t play!!!! He is just touch the notes completely randomly!!!!

[@user-nu7xx7pc1d]

you are so right!! is this video a joke or what? the bald guy is not a musician at all.

[@EddieG1888]

Totally with you on that, the guy is a conman, and he's been hiding his complete lack of musicianship behind effects for years while using his grandfather's fortune to pay his way into more illustrious musical company to make him look respected. People who play avant-garde music can all usually play, they're all technically good players which enables them to comfortably push things out there. Kaiser discovered that with effects and throwing his hand around a guitar neck, he could bluff his way into looking like he has a bit of a clue. But anyone who plays guitar can tell that he is below remedial.

[@arnowillekes7979]

😂😂😂

[@IbervilleMusic]

Kaiser is more of a guitar sound inventor than a guitar player. He's technically very limited and not very musical without effects, but he has a knack for finding very unique and innovative ways to use said effects. His work has obviously inspired Sonic Youth and Wilco's Nels Cline and that's good enough for me. He's like a famous abstract painters people dismiss because of the age old "I could do the same thing".

[@ba_charles]

Everything you said is wrong

[@IbervilleMusic]

@@ba_charles So you think Kaiser is a technical player that isn't interested in nor a pioneer in guitar effects and that he has had no effect on his peers, some of which (Nels Cline) are actually friends with him. got it.

[@IbervilleMusic]

@Noartist You're completely missing my point. Technique isn't important to what he does. He's a pioneer of noise, post rock free improvisation. He's released 126 LP Albums since the late 1970s. It's like saying Jackson Pollock is a shit painter because he can't paint a classic portrait and all he does is splatter paint on canvases randomly with bad technique. It takes a lot courage, creativity and curiosity to pursue this type of subversive and polarizing sonic exploration and release music that prolifically.

[@troykelso]

Kaiser isn't musical WITH effects.

[@The.ScummyMan]

Kaiser: Virtuoso in pedals... and that's all!

[@treguzzardo]

41:32 THANK YOU Henry for playing Timeless!!!

[@WarmothGuitarist]

This entire video sounds like a Saturday at Guitar Center

[@RandyRugarMusic]

Came for the comments and they didn't disappoint! 🤣

[@outsidersounddesign6915]

Abstract expressionism from the 40s and 50s still offends people. I think people feel like the artist is trying to dupe them. That is not really the case. Artist and musicians express themselves in different ways. This is almost like modern folk music. It is not a put on. No money in it, people do it for the pure joy of expressing themselves. How can someone find fault in that?

[@CaptainRaab]

Xenophobia.

[@arglbargl]

terminal bluesdadism

[@WiserInTime]

It offends people because it sounds terrible to most people. It's like durian fruit. Most humans are repulsed by it even if there are few who like it.

[@umpygoodness2369]

humans love to kneejerk. that's all.

[@Les537]

Putting down someone else equates to elevating yourself in the mind of many. I thought everything sounded like crap, but at the same time I found it to be one of the more interesting rig run downs so far.

[@chrisnagy1429]

Wow, now I don't feel so bad about the number of pedals I have. I enjoyed this rig rundown even though I do find Henry Kaiser's music too noisy, but it's cool to see all that stuff.

[@midierror]

Really fascinating overview. Henry Kaiser's rig rundown starts at 28:20

[@troykelso]

It's fascinating in the same way that violent, explosive diarrhea is fascinating.

[@lorenkrug]

“Mom says clean your room”

[@jiri187]

Still not sure whether this guy is a genius or just complete crazy.

[@Frostyfoxmist]

35:30 - 35:42 The instant change of expression once Henry started using the tensor pedal. 😂💀

[@tungtobak]

The danger of letting muscians show their rig on home turf - it never ends. :D (This is not a complaint, the same thing would happend if anyone would start to talk to me about my home studio - pedal nerdorama until ears falls off)

[@Necrobutcher777]

best and weirdest rig rundown in the four years i've been watching. BRING ON MORE!

[@umpygoodness2369]

except Ted comes off as so insincere and trying to jump ahead.

[@DrKevGuitar]

Wow! Never though a RAT could sound so good. Tone all the way down? Who knew!?

[@Tom-ub7ti]

I first heard Henry's record "those who know history are doomed to repeat it" in the late 80's. It's a great album of covers including Captain Beefheart and Grateful Dead, on Black Flag's label, SST. He's got TONS of records out in his name and a gazillion collaborations with other artists. All the haters in this comment section have their heads up their asses

[@racketlauncher]

It's cool that Kaiser quoted John Abercrombie's Timeless. Yes. he is well listened and can definitely play! With that in mind, a love letter to many of the commenters here...Just because the players are exploring different sounds, techniques, and displaying a musical philosophy that is not of a standard approach, doesn't make it bad. Everything has validity...even the same old tired pentatonic blues licks that have been played to death in local bars, and concert halls. These fellas most certainly started there; we all have, as they are the building blocks to learning how to play. But some choose a different route. It probably isn't for everyone, and that's okay...You don't have to like it, you just need to know it exists!

[@billhannaford4488]

Finally an interesting one of these.

[@MrDaigoRiki]

The most interesting and ahead of the time guitarist.

[@frankfurter7297]

I wished Ted would ask much more about the guitars - pickups, wiring, tuners, frets, gauge and so on... I don't really care about basses but the choice of a metal neck would have intrigued me as well... He also didn't ask about guitar details on the last rundown he did. I don't know if he's not a guitar player himself (he's no newbie - I don't know where - but I've seen him several times on YT in the past...hmm). Would be cool if he includes such questions next time.

[@luketuke02]

You know you're doing something right when you've pissed off half the commenters on this video

[@ooferrell]

Every guitar player the references and effect pedal as a board of Canada type tone is a hero in my book

[@leewilkes7186]

I've been watching these rundowns for years and never commented. This rundown is so awesome and fun, I just had to. Well done PG. Lets get more of these obscure rundowns happening.

[@pastorsprinkles]

The bald dude at the end makes me feel like I’m EVH

[@within_a_doubt7421]

Ridgeview Lawn Care Phil 😂

[@ThemFuzzyMonsters]

It takes special skills to take the best available gear and create mediocre sounds. These are guys who raid the vintage gear market yet help keep prices down! Oh a ‘63 Fender purist special in a Dumble (makes a fart sound with it).

[@jonathanbrazee3846]

I thought the leader of Heavens Gate drank the Kool-aid and left on a UFO?

[@leroyhung4737]

🤔hahahahaha🥴

[@jeffrey.a.hanson]

Bohlinger invented COVID when he saw this on his calendar.

[@thejimmichanga2913]

Dudes an absolute legend. Should be writing compositions for indie 8bit style video games and horror flicks. Everything he plays reminds me of music you'd hear in a NES, Sega, and SNES game or horror movie during a butcher scene.

[@jimmyhoffa2530]

Ever notice how 3/4er or these guitarist with awesome vintage gear aren't that great of players??

[@shaneh-f8451]

All of these are fantastic musicians. Much better than your typical tone chasing solo driven rock regurgitator.

[@williambock1821]

Kaiser developed his ear in a very eclectic way. Being different is not the same as being a bad musician. Listen to one of his albums before making your mind up. I’m not sure how a great musician couldn’t at least respect the heck out of what he does. It may not be your favorite style but it IS actually a unique STYLE that’s incredibly difficult to play. He kind of makes Adrien Belew seem like Angus Young!

[@rei6nofrot]

I suppose oh Fred Firth is terrible too?

[@chrisbauman2562]

@@shaneh-f8451 this guy sucks what are you smoking

[@Datanditto]

That first guy->> I could never play in a band with someone speaks with such terrible vocal frye.

[@Brittjones]

Cable management is cool!

[@Saganite]

"Songs are really just interesting things to be doing with the air." -Tom Waits. Many find Henry Kaiser's work interesting, and it's definitely musical. Whether or not it fits into a person's personal interests is subjective. Every brain responds differently to things.

[@clapdrix72]

If his songs are music then I ask you sir, what is not music?

[@christianmcdepressed5899]

I love harsh noise however this might be jealously, but a man doesn’t need to be buying this much stuff and getting all this work done for this style of music. To each his own I guess.

[@troykelso]

Farts are musical, too.

[@Kohntarkosz]

I've been a fan of Henry Kaiser since reading his Essential Listening article in the December 1984 issue of Guitar Player, and then finding his It's A Wonderful Life album at local library (!). I've got many of his albums, and I think he's done a lot of great music over the decades.

[@coreymineard]

It looks like a music store threw up on the floor. Get weird, nerds.

[@MetalSonicBricks]

If you want inventive guitar playing, check out Adrian Belew. He's basically what Kaiser desperately wants to be, but actually talented and humble.

[@salmonline]

talented and humble... like you right, simpleton?...lol...

[@guillermopulido2759]

And musical

[@MetalSonicBricks]

I never said I was either?

[@TheZooropaBaby]

oh you can't forget Nels Cline

[@MetalSonicBricks]

damn right!

[@seeyouinhale2317]

The comments on this thread are comedic gold. Haha. It’s not my cup of tea and I’ve never heard of these guys but there is talent involved in this for sure. This was more of a Premier Pedal Party but what evs. Would love to see something like this with drummers and their gear. Some of those snares in the background are badass.

[@FrenchToasted1995]

Adrian Belew 2 but in all serious him, belew, metheny and snakefinger are my top influences

[@agony664]

Henry Kaiser belongs to the "Outsider Music" genre for sure!

[@hchoe741]

Rebecca really let herself go...

[@ICACJ]

No she looks really cute today. Wait a minute. You're right.

[@lahloonatic]

This made me stupidly happy. Love seeing this sort of bands covered. Have you considered other cuneiform artists?

[@kirkmckim2685]

I enjoyed this. Crazy experimental stuff is fun too.

[@andreabui9034]

Henry Kaiser: the art of making unintelligible any note u play on a fretboard.

[@georgessheehy_sh33hy]

Fabulous! Thanks!

[@fusion5866]

Wow! I have that same Deluxe Reverb RI in electric blue with the Celestion Blue 12. IIRC, Fender only made about 200 of those.

[@troykelso]

Yeah, when you're making random noises, you definitely want the rare amps.

[@stevenlewis4385]

The Dregs were the closest to Rockstars that any fusion band ever got. I remember Andy doing shots of JD during a song.

[@Kohntarkosz]

Well, they certainly managed to con their way onto American Bandstand AND The Tomorrow Show, and after the Dregs broke up, I remember seeing Steve Morse on MTV (again, he managed to con Elektra into making videos for some of the songs on The Introduction, which MTV played, and they also did an interview segment and then later, we saw him in the videos that Kansas did when he was in the band).

[@rickjones641]

Trip hazard. I'd be on my face with no sound within five seconds of walking into that room.

[@jland12]

I saw these guys play at my local cafe. By the time they set up their gear the cafe was closing so I watched through the window

[@jeffcampeau9491]

This is the first f’d up noise rundown

[@gearzilla4112]

How about a Rig rundown for Tesla. They have doublenecks, theremin,talkbox,all classic guitars..

[@BenLubin]

Pirog is an awesome player!

[@troykelso]

Yeah - he has no business being in this "band."

[@MrSneakyPants]

@@troykelso well said

[@ludlow555]

So many sad boring people getting all angry about things they don’t understand. Love it.

[@marknorris3769]

fabulous rig rundown , this could have been a full episode for each artist

[@goodun2974]

I wish youd pulled a cartridge out and showed it to us; are the repairable if they fail? Because if vintage cartridges are available, theyll likely cost an arm and a leg and may need bad caps or noisy trasistors replaced. I hope the parts arent encased in epoxy.

[@rknprs]

Is it just me or does 12:57 sound like the guitar dude was taking a whiz at a Pilot truck stop when some long haul driver dropped a big deuce in the stall next to him?

[@its_just_berk]

i literally thought he might have a Miku. instead he has pedals that Miku for him.

[@StarliteCampbell]

Great...

[@spivvo]

Is it the first of April?

[@BillWalkerGuitarScapes]

Very Cool rundown, As far as I know Old World Audio is alive and kicking on the web via its web site and facebook presence. Henry's right about the Old World Audio 1960 compressor, it is a phenomenal handmade dual release compressor/limiter like an LA-2, Henry is right about a lot of things gear wise, Im a huge fan of the Dumkudo pedals from Tanabe as a result of Henry's advice. It gets a little tiresome to see people slag him like they do. He's a free player, his stuff can get a little crazy, he's reaching for new sounds all the time, deal with it, you may not like his music, but to say he can't play is complete doo doo. just because you don't understand or like abstract playing. The world is polarizing enough without the hater comments.

[@EddieG1888]

He can't play, its that simple. Putting it down to "oh, you just don't understand that kind of music" is incredibly rude and arrogant. People who perform under the "abstract playing" banner that you mention all still have a basic technical facility. They didn't reach that point in their development and then stop! Beefheart's band could all play in more conventional settings. Pat Metheny could play exactly the was Kaiser plays, the difference between the two would be that Pat's playing would be technically more accurate. Henry Kaiser is an extremely sloppy, technically remedial guitarist. Its not that he's choosing the play the way he plays; he is simply incapable of playing any other way! The constant use of effects is to hide the fact that he barely knows what he's doing, and throws his hands around the neck of a guitar.

[@BillWalkerGuitarScapes]

@@EddieG1888 he is a friend of mine and you are an opinionated jerk, show us all something you've posted of your playing and we'll all rip you a new one . what a hater fool you are, go play your Billy Joel records and find your happy place.m'kay?

[@EddieG1888]

@@BillWalkerGuitarScapes Dude, I don't care if he's a friend of yours or not! Is that supposed to make me alter my opinion and powder his and your little hineys for you? Don't be so silly, eh? Its funny how people like you pull out the "hater" card when someone doesn't fall in line with your own opinion. He's a dreadful player, utterly dreadful. He uses effects to try and mask that, but its clear to see in the technical aspects of his playing. And if you can't handle other opinions than those that agree with you, maybe the internet isn't the right place for you.

[@BillWalkerGuitarScapes]

@@EddieG1888 Dude if I were dissing your friend you would react the same way have a nice day

[@EddieG1888]

@@BillWalkerGuitarScapes Dude, if my friend were shit, I'd back you up. To be fair, I just checked out a couple of your videos, and at least you try to be musical in your pieces, which is much more than can be said for your friend.

[@11wario11]

About time someone Spinal Tapped Jazz/fusion - well done. Guess you couldn’t wait until April 1 to get this gem out there.

[@LostPlanet2024]

What the heck is Andy West doing with Henry Kaiser and what is Henry Kaiser doing with a guitar?

[@troykelso]

It sounds like he's strangling it.

[@within_a_doubt7421]

I feel like it smells weird in there.

[@troykelso]

😂😂😂

[@james9789]

Dang! my internet exploded on me around the 33 minute mark

[@johnetone]

My jaw just keeps dropping lower during this Rundown. Wow! These guys are masters of their craft. Thanks for doing this little field trip PG!

[@imaseeker100]

i'd love to hear henry kaiser play acoustic guitar.

[@troykelso]

To get his tone, he'd have to stuff a cat into it.

[@JasonJohnson-qv3hp]

@@troykelso best. reply. ever.

[@damnbigfish]

Here ya go. It’s actually technically pretty amazing. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y5ytpqaVpstlhs0

[@BenLubin]

First guitarist is awesome

[@thesteelstrummer2307]

I like Anthony! He is a great player

[@chstacy33]

WHY IS THERE A KLON CENTAUR ON THE GROUND SANDWICHED BETWEEN TWO PEDALBOARDS AND TURNED OFF???? THAT MAKES ME PHYSICALLY ILL

[@jackflorio6483]

coolest rig rundown I've seen in a while. Amazing set up

[@k-ondoomer]

Personally I cannot stand Henrys style of atonal madness it's hardly music to me, but I admire his passion for gear and the fact that he had the balls to make it work for him.

[@Les537]

I never made so many strange faces watching a RR before. This band should have been named Glitzh. I'm not complaining. It was interesting.

[@michaelreis8266]

Tabs please...... LOL!

[@vjcasagrande]

AWESOME!!!

[@Nathan-d7t]

What a mess of a studio, The cables everywhere would drive me nuts!

[@ericskinner7355]

If Jimi was still around these guys would be buddies.

[@doubleslit3389]

No

[@mh-oh8kf]

How about some more “psych” bands? Loved the black angels rundown. 👍

[@bobbaumeister5243]

Henry is absolutely cool! Fantastic Sounds on his boards. Thanx

[@CalamityHillMusic]

*All the gear and no idea" is the best way to describe heny.

[@dav_yodha]

13:24 man from PG just be like : man, wtf are u doing

[@markwood3389]

Looked like he was gonna piss his pants on that last one.

[@andtrea.]

Very interesting! There are a lot of similarities with Nels Cline rig!

[@sebbityseb]

This is the most interesting RR in, oh I don't know, a very long time!

[@nickvandermusic]

Wait wait wait! You mean Wes Montgomery was playing out of tune? Please somebody could explain that to me? Personally I always felt that something was wrong on the guitar, that f.... some many moments of inspiration.... If that fretboard is the only one in tune why you use other ones?

[@diegolastra]

This may be the first and only time that anyone calls Henry Kaiser a "virtuoso". And what an interesting use of the word "supergroup"...

[@GerryBlue]

Nice rundown, personally I think (nobody ahs to agree) that if you want your guitar to sound like violins, or a space pad, you should play the keyboards.

[@aquabot]

Thanks for this rundown, guys. Pretty different from what you usually do, which is good.

[@xthexadvantagex]

Why have I not heard of this guy?!

[@troykelso]

Maybe you have good taste.

[@within_a_doubt7421]

@43:38 da fuk is that?!??....i think at that point I would’ve jerked the cable out of the amp and walked out.

[@bryanclarke1927]

Every day's a school day!

[@methyod]

bunch of extremely upset octogenarians in these here comments. i cannot imagine having this much vitriol at the mere existence of music you don't like, just close the fuckin tab lmao

[@joshuakristopeit7322]

i wanted to hate this but so far this guitar player is fucking great!!!!

[@rmcfee]

Pirog is a monster. Wow.

[@macdad159]

Anyone else want to clean up all those cables and make it look neat or is it just me?

[@chriskozub8012]

When will Henry actually learn to play the guitar

[@deeppurplefan9648]

He knows already but the problem is that he over uses sound effects which makes his guitar playing sound bad.

[@troykelso]

If he actually knew how to play, it would ruin his sound.

[@DavidMorisset]

Wow😳

[@rmcfee]

Hey! He said Jeff Sipe is in the band. That means awesome music is guaranteed!