Rig Rundown - Incubus' Mike Einziger

www.premierguit...

[@oliverandm]

Such an underrated guitarist.

[@sainttrunks1982]

that cant play "Pardon Me"

[@victorgallegos9849]

sainttrunks1982 who can’t play pardon me?

[@cardbored_]

@@victorgallegos9849 ignore him, clearly an idiot.

[@edgarrivera1733]

Yeah he's not a shredder but he know things.... Mike is a genius

[@extortionguild2779]

Watching him playing with Guthery Govan in Prague is awesome. How does it get better than that ?

[@vlatkorock]

For me this is the best rig rundown. The guy explains how every pedal works. Some guys are just telling i have this i have that.. :D

[@coryleblanc]

Larry from Primus has a good rig rundown

[@SM-bm6jo]

Some guys know they are speaking to other guitarists who already understand a lot of things about a category of pedal.

[@Okla_Soft]

What a cool, humble dude he is. And Incubus is awesome...

[@KleyDeJong]

I've been a huge fan of Mike's style and playing for a long time. He is a very underrated guitar player IMO.

[@Bendc1970A1]

Don't bother checking the lens of the camera... Ever.

[@PedroMachadoBorges]

I know you´ve waited 8 years for this answer, but that´s not the lens, that´s the sensor.

[@SM-bm6jo]

@@PedroMachadoBorges Technically or maybe non-technically it falls under the general umbrella of "the lens" as that is what the viewer sees through. At some point whether pro or amateur you look to check for general acceptable results.

[@Simto]

Mike's probably one of the three guitarists that has inspired me the most, he's awesome.

[@retroguitarmaster]

This guy is a genius

[@ChrisEspino759]

6:17 "18 years of abusing my wrist hehe" Story of every guy, ever.

[@DiogoJordan]

+ChrisEspino759 Of course!!! 3:07 "there's something I like about feeling the wood against my hand" and there you have it!

[@afmill3532]

"I just like to really feel the wood against my hand"

[@danozism]

That explains a fair bit, tbh

[@SM-bm6jo]

Whether you think of it as abuse or just wear and tear from putting it to good use depends on your upbringing I guess.

[@alexmurphy5289]

He seems so humble and I absolutely adore his unique use of effects. Mike is a special guitarist no doubt

[@TheSWA2011]

Thank you for this! Mike is in my top 5 favorite guitar players ever!

[@alanjuarez2317]

One of my favorite guitarist so underrated!

[@oxrjbizzle1984y]

13 guage strings lol, thats insane....mike einziger is one of my favorite guitar players, like other people have said he is extremely underrated, he excels at so many different play styles....

[@Theshark15z]

Sounds a lot but Jesper and Bjorn from in flames used 16.

[@SM-bm6jo]

You lost me with "underrated" STOP THAT! No one equals Brandon's special vocal style but everyone else in Incubus is equal at the level of musicianship. However I will say Mike is not a great lead guitar player. Rhythm and adding color absolutely but his leads sound like suddenly being given the spotlight to play lead having never played lead when jamming or practicing.

[@SM-bm6jo]

Funny you would say he excels at so many different playing styles. I hear him playing one style. I mean they are not a band who delves into other styles. Some songs are more commercially acceptable while others are more specifically Nu Metal which is a conglomeration genre anyway. But they only approach it by way of featured instrumentation rather than playing style. The guitar is the same although they may feature rap and rock and DJ turntable in the song.

[@oxrjbizzle1984y]

@@SM-bm6jo what on earth are you talking about? incubus have jazz songs, metal songs, pop songs, faster almost punk rock songs, funk songs, he plays clean guitar, dirty guitar, super heavy distorted guitar, power chords, complex and strange open chords, barre chords, his guitar style is absolutely all over the place. he often plays in weird time signatures a lot of the time. he also plays with 5 million effects pedals, you are not even close to giving him the credit he is due. he's a very unique and talented guitar player, just look at some guitar tabs for their stuff, his chords are very strange oftentimes....

[@SM-bm6jo]

Yes and no. I have not heard every song Incubus has done. But what I have heard is either "Nu Metal' or sort of pop grunge. "Nu Metal" covers a lot of ground. @@oxrjbizzle1984y "Clean vs dirty vs super heavy distorted" are not playing styles. Granted, sometimes he uses different effects. But taking that whole post it describes one style, his style in the context of "Nu Metal" which is a hybrid genre. "...a subgenre of alternative metal that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu metal rarely features guitar solos or other displays of musical technique, and emphasizes rhythm with instrumentation that is heavily syncopated."

[@phatman1478]

How many people wiped their phone screen?

[@seanraidley2643]

Joe Jenkins Lol, yes

[@brendanwhite228]

Bout 3 secs before seeing this comment. 😐

[@ravok23]

ha! I kept trying to brighten my screen.

[@losd5959]

One of my fave guitarists of all time.

[@EricNygma]

So the legendary Steve Vai is to thank for one of the best Incubus songs ever, Aqueous Transmission

[@mortenhansen3455]

I truly like how these guys, Incubus, is big.. They have gotten BIG over the years. But they still seem very humane and humble. I like that!

[@DennisTeti]

The cool thing about that Pipa is that Mike wrote one of their, imo, most awesome songs.

[@EdisonsLastInvention]

Mike is my all time favorite guitarist and he has been one of the most informative and interesting rig rundowns because of his intimate knowledge of his rig and his friendly personality. which is why it's such a goddamn shame that this video was apparently filmed from a cell phone camera

[@SM-bm6jo]

You speak like a schoolboy in love for the first time. This is easily one of the worst rig rundowns out there. Sure it matters that Mike is in a band I love and the guitar is very much part of that sound. However as far as describing things well? Terrible.

[@JeremysTech]

that dirt on the lens is killing me.

[@bobbyberetta4206]

(Late reply) I had first thought it was a smudge on my phone so I minimized to check.

[@triggerhare]

What a bunch of nice modest polite gentlemen these guys seem to be. I have become a fan because of these rig rundowns.

[@regalo1979]

Wow! You are unique for having no tattoos! You are my fave guitarist.

[@timmatthews1085]

So cool to hear specifically the pieces that are implanted on three different songs that are probably incubus faves of mine.

[@norwester7018]

VERY COOL... I love Mikes playing. You're not alone Mike: no Tats here either, the looks I get sometimes are funny, as if I'm "missing" some essential part of my ensemble to be a musician (esp. since I'm in Portland OR where it seems like even babies have tattoos) HAHAHA. Mike seems to be my kind of guitar nerd/player, and that neck on the MM looks beautiful. He also seems like such a "background" player in terms of the lime-light and celebrity, but he's DAM good and has a great feel for rhythm and song composition. He also has a knack for playing the perfect complimentary riffs. Great guitar player. If it weren't for his playing/song-writing Incubus would have just been another late 90's/early 2000's "Rock band with a DJ". Anyone know if he's done any side-projects or anything that's more oriented on his guitar playing???

[@HowiBecameSentient]

Nor Wester he reminds me of the bassist for System Of A Down.

[@jpa23245]

When he was at harvard i think he created some instrumental stuff that is good and elaborate and trippy. I could be wrong been years since i heard it.

[@sketchwish5982]

i love how Mike textured 'A Certain Shade of Green' for the Alive @ Red Rocks performance, during the bridge!

[@gonzalozambecchi761]

3:07 "There's something i like about feeling the wood against my hand when im playing"

[@cardbored_]

How do you think he got the wrist injury?

[@SM-bm6jo]

Are you a newbie fan of Incubus or something? Since childhood Mike has held a block of wood in his hand while playing. Over the years it has prevented termites from eating his guitars as he plays.

[@fabiogeraldo473]

Very melodic guitarist, knows how to serve the song, doesn't play too many notes to impress the fools. See songs like: Just a Phase, Deep Inside, Pardon Me and Stellar...

[@Place_to_keep_videos]

It’s 2024 and we live in the era of programmed delay pedals that snap to BPM of each song via midi along an entire circuit of other pedals and processors. These guys were heroic in making what they did with what they had available.

[@sikzak]

Finally someone who doesn't just cop-out with a rack. Wonderful interview!

[@robertrodriguez5480]

Take a drink every time he says “you know” man I love mike one of my top guitar players

[@SM-bm6jo]

Yeah you are a true fan and not a fanboy who worships their rock stars religiously. I thought his description was torturous even though I was hanging on every word, so curious.

[@wooooooooot13]

YESSSSSSSS!!!!! the rig rundown ive waited for like a million years!!!

[@thebiiiiigman]

Loved how he made Aqueous Transmission with the Pipa. :)

[@francois633]

this could be a drinking game, simply drink every time you hear "like"

[@MidnightFireBurst]

Or if you want to go full on comatose drunk add "ya know?"

[@sketchwish5982]

I am pleased that Mike did not mention PRS even one bit in this interview, when talking about his history of Guitars.. after the mishap that happened.

[@HTRism]

what mishap?

[@SM-bm6jo]

@@HTRism Supposedly he had conflict with a PRS employee and consequently the deal with PRS ended.

[@HTRism]

@@SM-bm6jo really? Where have you heard this?

[@ScarreCrow]

mike einziger was actually trained as a jazz guitarist, and has a degree in music from harvard... pretty sure his form is good. it probably has more to do with the fact that he plays guitar for more hours than most of us spend doing anything else.

[@SM-bm6jo]

There is also a little factor known to many as heredity.

[@guitargoalie27]

The production value of this is so brutal to get through.

[@EzeICE]

If you look away and hear his voice...kinda sounds like Toby McGuire a bit.

[@Stubz_Perez]

He kinda sounds more like Kirk Hammett

[@EzeICE]

Yeah true lol

[@CTCAC2000]

totally

[@CTCAC2000]

toby hammett or kirk mcguire

[@damnationdefied777]

I miss your gold prs

[@lespaulguy32]

Guys, one lesson to you all; to each his OWN. I personally love Mikey's rig. Others may not. It's his gear. Let him set it up however he wants.

[@SM-bm6jo]

Guitarist gets a lot of feedback when playing live and from "fans" on the internet.

[@5urg3x]

Same...old school incubus sound is def. one of the reasons why I bought a PRS custom 24. Mike used to play the archtop / hollow body ones too...very very awesome sounding guitars.

[@SM-bm6jo]

Really? To my ears they have no unique character at all. You can pick out a Tele, Strat and some hollow body Gibsons and there was a time when if it wasn't a Tele or a Strat it was probably a Les Paul but a PRS is very neutral. You can get them to sound something like many guitars but they do not have a sound of their own and are even on the flat/dull side of the tone spectrum. The attraction comes from the player mostly. A fan is going to love whatever guitar the band's guitarist uses.

[@5urg3x]

@@SM-bm6jo ​​⁠They absolutely have a sound of their own. It’s just they have so many different pickups that you probably can’t keep track of them all. The HFS sounds very different than the 59/09 which sounds very different than the Metal, etc.

[@SM-bm6jo]

@@5urg3x This is a slippery slope to debate. There is a difference between all the different pickup options available for a Strat and comparing a Strat sound to any other guitar. Sure in some cases you can probably get close but in the broader sense the barometer used is different because what is being measured is different. PRS does not have a distinctly recognizable sound exclusively PRS.

[@pierre-claudemeriot6562]

8:39 I completely forgot about that song. Amazing that he came up with that riff on a gift from Steve Vai!

[@bobbyberetta4206]

Defiantly a Steve Vai gift, Awesome rig rundown!

[@mechanichalpixels]

OMG! Breathe for a minute, Mike! Valleytalk is obviously very exhausting, but it's just as exhausting to listen to.

[@NelsonVelazquez]

Cool interview but I agree with regards to the editing. The audio choppiness drives me a bit mad. It seemed unnecessary but maybe the jackass in the background kept killing the audio that editing was needed.

[@bassplayersayer]

Who sneezed on the camera lens?

[@tingkagol]

"I went through a lot of different guitars... Fenders, Gibsons... SGs, Telecasters, Strats..." No mention of PRS's eh?

[@SM-bm6jo]

Aside from the conflict, any good word about a PRS is purchased. No one uses PRS who doesn't have an endorsement deal unlike Fenders and Gibsons. Paul Reed Smith has been on a mission to sign up everyone who is or was once famous for being a guitarist.

[@alexbc131]

he NEVER mentioned playing PRS... Strange.

[@morgancross5481]

+sutop1255 Same exact thing in the Chevelle rig rundown, it is REALLY odd. Two guys that primarily played PRS' for big chunks of their career and now pretend that they don't exist.

[@FaintestOfBreath]

+sutop1255 Wonder if there's a copyright or some sort of agreement in place. If they're sponsored with another company they can't mention the other? Not sure.

[@astorgaluthier]

+sutop1255 Same thought here

[@thinkingjack]

+sutop1255 $$$$ These guys left PRS due to money and a bad taste in their mouth from some stories i heard. Sucks because PRS and Mesa was the sound i copied off the first two incubus albums growing up. still, solid stuff Just so bizarre they ignored it

[@WalrusDoom]

+thinkingjack I still don't understand what happened though. Mike played PRS guitars for years and years before going Fender. Chèvelle dude, even more so.

[@JasonTMays]

this needs a 2023 update.

[@musagicsk8]

does anyone else think mike kinda sounds like chris from family guy?!

[@TheChessrecords]

I can easily see how he could be inspirational I wont take that away from him. And thankfully I am old enough to have experience and continue experiencing Jack White

[@brosettastone7520]

1no wonder early incubus songs have such a heavy grit to them, he was playing 13s

[@veerchasm1]

He really get’s maximum sound from his gear 👍🏻

[@alfredomercurio7356]

3:09 bro said "feeling the wood" Huh huh huh huuh (with Butt-Head voice)

[@lespaulguy32]

Been a fan of him for ten years... fucking genius...

[@KleyDeJong]

May or may not be truth there, but you can't deny the impact his playing had on guitar playing as a whole. May not be your cup of tea, but he is definitely a giant influence on thousands of players.

[@ThroughTheTides]

Miles Kane plays a Danelectro Reel Echo. Boss pedals are excellent, well some are. I love the BF-2, VB-2, CE-2 and DM-2. Those are all great pedals!

[@WessStewart]

Budget pro rig, for the win!

[@JerkyChid]

actually he didn't invent any of them he just brought them to popular attention; still he was the catalyst for using techniques that many others would never have considered otherwise

[@lespaulguy32]

AGREED! We love you, Mikey!

[@alkeneify]

at 6:02 when he mentioned that he has to play more lightly, that explains why his strumming isn't as extravagant as it used to be. before when playing the heavier songs, he used to use his whole arm, now he's much more toned down with it

[@SM-bm6jo]

That dramatic strumming was all show. You don't have to strum that way to get that heavy sound. It is in the guitar set up not the arm motion. It would be all muddy if he really hit the strum that dramatically. Think of those guys with the large movement at a stadium show. They get the same sound in an intimate club or the practice studio. It would break a guitar if it required a strum proportionate to the size of the venue.

[@LouSassles]

Saw this dude solo while Linkin Park was playing Sabotage. It was pretty effing cool.

[@ThomasRBowen-gq3jr]

If anyone out there is having problems with strings breaking, first off quit playing gibsons, second, install a roller bridge, roller nut, and roller string trees with locking tuners. You'll never go out of tune and you have dramatically reduced the friction at the bridge and nut which is what breaks strings. Higher gage strings are just dumb unless your playing in some weird drop tuning. I use 10's on a 24.75 scale neck and 9's on a 25.50 scale neck.

[@nickb3250]

"first quit playing gibsons". The hell are you talking about? I've owned tons of Gibsons -- no problem. "Higher gauge strings are just dumb". Different gauge strings affect ton and play-ability. Everyone: this guy is an idiot. Do not take advise from him.

[@trb198330]

Gibsons suck. Over priced horse shit. Lighter string gages are easier to play and heavies are for metal heads who go to drop a and all that shit.

[@nickb3250]

trb198330 Yeah, because SRV was totally a metal player. Do your homework before you pretend to know anything guitar, boy.

[@nickb3250]

Thomas R. Bowen Point is they produce different tones, asshat. There's a time and place for it. SRV just epitomizes that: he's the perfect example of someone who liked the tone from heavier strings. Do you know anything about guitar? Connecting the dots for you must be a full-time job. Haha.

[@allresentment1990]

just exactly what i got in mind during the " Im breaking strings" part

[@hampussoderberg1129]

Closing my eyes the only thing I hear is Seth Green's voice.. :P

[@guitarofdestiny]

Line 6 verbzilla does this via it's "trail" feature and I love it

[@nickb3250]

DamageIncM Bending, vibrato, even just fretting takes more effort with heavy strings. Frankly, I think he probably had a pre-disposition to wrist injury: small hands, whatever. SRV played 13s and that dude went years playing tons of smaller venues until he got famous. He played super aggressive too, but also had some mitts.

[@alfredomercurio7356]

call me old school or romantic , but i will always think of Mike as a PRS player , even though he only played those for a short time in the late 90s- early 2000's , i guess because it coincided with Incubus peak in popularity.

[@SM-bm6jo]

For you at least of course. I have loved them since I discovered them at their 3rd album release. However the studio production is too perfect and becomes tiring to me. I prefer their recorded live performances. Although the Autotune is present someone has to sing the parts instead of Brad overdubbing everything. And Brad has had such range it also displays how on pitch his vocals have typically been in reality. They embrace Autotune not because they need it but because it is an instrument to them. WHo else in a true Rock context uses a DJ playing the turntable? And they rap. Their sound is not only the greatness of Brad's vocals.

[@bubsadoozy]

Honestly Boss pedals shouldn't be overlooked. CS-2, DD-2, CE-2 are all incredibly sought after and a lot of people agree they are boutique quality for a better price. If I were him though I'd consider look at MXR Phase 90's. Personally I've always prefered them to any other phaser and they are incredibly cheap.

[@SM-bm6jo]

My first was a Phase 90 but he is going for the Roland (Boss) CE-1 chorus sound not the phaser sound as they eventually came to be known for so much. The difference is that of an ee ew ee ew ee ew (wah wah) vs. wayo wayo wayo phasing. His phasing sounds more like a modulating wah pedal.

[@ZYGTropicals]

Line 6 Echo park is a another great delay that does exactly what he talks about in this vid, trails off when switch off.

[@davidwantsahug]

What a nice guy.

[@blackhawkchalk]

A Crow Left of the Murder is the last album I've enjoyed by them.

[@kylecoffey6010]

I Love Mike but I have to point out why all of play guitar as much as we do ... & I'm Quoting here (3:10) "I love feeling the wood in my hand". Cheers to that my friend!

[@HolyTerrorDYNAMIKE]

The amps are hella expensive for real. I saved up $ for almost a year and finally bought my 3-channel dual rec for one grand off eBay when I was 19 years old...and by far was worth every penny \m/

[@SixStringHarmonies]

Eddie didn't invent anything. For most of us in the 35-50 yr old demographic, however, EVH was the first guy on the radio who was doing two-handed tapping, pick scrapes, tremolo acrobatics, pinch harmonics, and using insanely compressed high-gain while doing it. Eddie was the incarnate of Hendrix's soul, had Hendrix gone to the woodshed. If you weren't there in '78, you can't comprehend. You had to be there for Hendrix, EVH, Cobain, & Jack White. Otherwise it's too hard to explain to folks.

[@LouSassles]

I KNOW RIGHT!? Sure Brad and Mike are very simple guitar players but soo? Brad as this whole theology about guitar tone and it even goes down to the gear he uses!

[@Telecaster-uz9pu]

thats a good point, I loved the guitar tone he had in Morning View and make yourself though

[@NickCasale]

I've seen Reel Echos all over the place...it's awesome

[@BeRoyal37]

what a cool dude

[@johnraffaghelloii]

love the reel echo!!!!

[@JohnnyCarvin]

Great rundown!

[@hankatstricklandpropane]

18:20 Or is Michael Jordan the Van Halen of Basketball?

[@JoneHoftun]

still want a Rig rundown with noodles from the offpsring :)

[@garethwatson5952]

What Microphone was he using on the cabs? There condensers i'm sure, but cant find anything about his rig and mentioning the mics he's using. In studio or Live...

[@GuitarSussMatt]

You should get everyone you interview to play something with their setup!!

[@zshwn]

hell yeah. good interview

[@timmoral]

Informative, humble, awesome.

[@tarkenton3895]

Kind of surprising that Mike uses the HH model, but if he wanted the tele/strat tones he could use Albert Lee single coil versions instead.

[@Telecaster-uz9pu]

hah wow I just bought a custom 24 as well! Its a Korean built one but still such an awesome sounding guitar

[@mlmyers69]

A nice and interesting way to interpret "multi-effect" ;-)

[@extortionguild2779]

I am trying to find out what 6 string banjo Mike was playing in Prague for Hans Zimmer. If anyone knows or is able to point me in the right direction, it would mean a lot. Thanks, everyone. Edit: nevermind. I was able to reach out to Mike directly. Thanks though everyone!

[@JamesFerrerosa]

The Incubus and Linkin Park show was awesome!

[@RicardoDiazHimself]

That dirt stain on the left side of the camera lens is killing me!!

[@ILLFEABEE]

All the pedals run to a whirlwind selector which he uses to switch between (clean/dirty) amps. (i.e. all pedals go to the selected amp)

[@SM-bm6jo]

...and they go to 12

[@lespaulguy32]

I LOVE YOU.

[@lespaulguy32]

To the dudes who bash Mikey for breaking strings... CALM THE TITS. Most of us break strings. Unless you are a blues, jazz, or classical guy, or whatever isn't in rock/heavy music, I can guarantee you break 'em once in a while. That's why there is a such thing as a BACKUP for live shows!

[@thamidwestmob]

If I'm not mistaken he has used (and still uses?) the MXR extensively. I believe he had the EVH model at one point.

[@marviosantos]

There's a huge difference between bringing a backup guitar to a gig just in case you break a string, and breaking them often enough "the only way" you can stop it is to fit heavier and heavier strings, so much so that now you have a problem with your wrist, which in itself should clue you in you're doing something wrong. If you're attacking the strings that hard you will sound like shit, because you start creating micro tones.

[@mikeygoda]

Or use a parallel mixer, and wire the effect return to always be connected to the output mixer.

Mike is awesome.

[@IssacMarin]

they do have one! search it! I've seen but not sure where its at

[@Naztyjoe69]

I know this is an old video and no one will read this but what happened to his hollowbody prs? I always wanted that guitar.

[@Matsbh89]

I have the Danelectro Reel Echo, and i noticed that the guitarist in Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds used one. ....soooo, now you know.