Converge Rig Rundown Guitar Gear Tour with Kurt Ballou & Nate Newton

Рет қаралды 101,120

Күн бұрын

Full Rig Details: bit.ly/ConvergeRR
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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.io/MmNzBN
Line 6 Helix Guitar Multi-effects Floor Processor: sweetwater.sjv.io/Qy6Lnz
Fender American Professional II Precision Bass V: sweetwater.sjv.io/5g7EZD
Orange AD200B MK 3 200-watt Bass Head: sweetwater.sjv.io/vNZk0L
DOD Rubberneck Analog Delay Pedal with Tap Tempo: sweetwater.sjv.io/Y9yPjr
Dunlop CBM105Q Cry Baby Mini Bass Wah Pedal: sweetwater.sjv.io/m52qrO
TC Electronic PolyTune 3 Polyphonic LED Guitar Tuner Pedal with Buffer: sweetwater.sjv.io/k0oEQV
Full Rig Details: bit.ly/ConvergeRR
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Don't Miss a Rundown: bit.ly/RIgRundownENL
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© Copyright Gearhead Communications LLC, 2023
[Brought to you by D’Addario String Finder: www.daddario.com/StringFinderRR]
00:00 - D’Addario String Finder
00:15 - Kurt Ballou Playing Intro
00:45 - Kurt Ballou & Chris Kies Intro
01:14 - God City Instruments Constructivist & GCI Soap Jammer Humbuckers
04:19 - Kurt Ballou's String and Pick Preferences
05:10 - Kurt Ballou's Guitar Gear Design Philosophy
07:05 - God City Instruments Craftsman
09:40 - Kurt Ballou on Using a Line 6 Helix
12:26 - Kurt Ballou on Organizing Helix Workflow
14:19 - Breaking Down Kurt Ballou's Converge "Kvrt Preset V6"
18:26 - Kurt Ballou's Line 6 Helix Amp Models & Quilter Overdrive 202 heads
19:57 - Getting to a Point Where "Gear Doesn't Matter"
21:40 - Bad Cat 4x12s & Speakers
24:19 - Kurt Ballou's Helix Channel 2 Settings
26:00 - Kurt Ballou's Pet Peeves on the Helix
28:05 - More of Kurt Ballou's Helix Channel 2 Settings
29:13 - Kurt Ballou's In-Ear Monitor Blend
30:18 - Nate Newton's Fender P Bass & Signature Lace Riffblaster Pickups
32:30 - Why Nate Newton Chose P over J Bass & Joining Converge
35:25 - Nate Newton on Touring with Cave In
36:31 - Nate Newton's Orange AD 200 Bass MK3
37:55 - Nate Newton's Pedalboard
44:45 - Playing Caleb Scofield's P Bass in Cave In
46:00 - Converge Performs "Axe to Fall" & "You Fail Me"
#guitar #rigrundown #converge #hardcore #kurtballou

Пікірлер: 251

@premierguitar Жыл бұрын

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

@bunnyadrian Жыл бұрын

Hey all. It's Ben, one of the amp/effects modelers for Helix/Line 6. After an update a while back, the tuner got a "Trails on/off" control, which allows delay, reverb, and looper audio to pass when the tuner is engaged. Also, with an update, "Command Center" was implemented a while back.This allows almost any function to be assigned to any switch in stomp mode. This includes all the controls for the looper. Check it out!

@manonthelivingroad Жыл бұрын

The looper could get some quantization love ❤

@scandallpower Жыл бұрын

Looks like a cool rig. Thanks dude

@yourashero Жыл бұрын

The cartographer is crucial, Ben. Bravo to that and the rest of the work you’ve done. I think he also missed that native doesn’t have to be crippled but I can’t remember the setting to turn off hardware limitations

@premierguitar Жыл бұрын

Thanks for chipping in, Ben!

@AudacityWorks Жыл бұрын

Also, you don't need to tape the Main Volume knob. You can assign it to only control the digital out, which means it won't affect your XLR or 1/4" outs.

@Randscorporation Жыл бұрын

Ended up watching Nate eat that entire banana because I was too scared to break eye contact Edit: I’m definitely being over sentimental about it, but I really love that he brings Caleb’s bass on tour

@billyturk8117 Жыл бұрын

Haha dude when he showed up in frame, I literally couldn't look away.

@Jarrodpimental Жыл бұрын

Lurking banana eating was great 😂

@billyturk8117 Жыл бұрын

@@Jarrodpimental dude was funny asf

@ileutur6863 Жыл бұрын

Almost an hour of the best hardcore band ever plus there's a bass rig? Bring it on

@ThePhantomnaut Жыл бұрын

I can’t get tired of Kurt. Hella knowledgable. Also Nate is a great plus!

@fhg8974 9 ай бұрын

A great plus?!!? Hahaha! Broooo!

@vwharman Жыл бұрын

Trying to get ready for work and you all drop this? Looks like I’m going to be late today…

@Keith4Childs Жыл бұрын

😂

@Mothhole Жыл бұрын

😂same

@vwharman Жыл бұрын

This thing can go the moon, but it can’t go to Kroger. That made me laugh out loud, nice!

@sira.scottascot8865 Жыл бұрын

You're not trying! I know because I do the same shit. 😆

@Pure_KodiakWILD_Power Жыл бұрын

This is your boss... so THAT'S why you were late. We're going to have a chat when you come in to work tomorrow 🤔

@ajandtheerathpoem Жыл бұрын

Great run down. Glad bass was given some time. Hope this happens more often. Also, Nate at 22 mins just eating that banana in the background was great.

@dantelamusta Жыл бұрын

Seriously the best part of Kurt’s interview! 22:17

@leavingsoulsBO Жыл бұрын

Great rig rundown! As a modeller user I'm often disappointed that in many rundowns when there is a Helix, Fractal or whatever it usually goes like "oh here's my entire rig, plugged this way" and that's it; so this was a nice change of pace to see the artist actually going through his preset and explaining his design idea and reasoning. Hope to see more like this in the future

@BishopDelicious Жыл бұрын

Awesome to see Kurt’s rig and to see some detail about the Helix setup beyond “I use a Helix” and moving on. As someone who tours/gigs Helix regularly.. I’d love to pass along to Kurt that the giant volume knob can be disabled “in the menus” - lest he doesn’t love neon tape ;). Hopefully Helix 2 won’t have that damn thing: Long live Converge 🤟🏼

@scandallpower Жыл бұрын

Do you like the helix? I have used line6 stuff live and I love it

@HTRism Жыл бұрын

Nate eating a banana in the background while serious cabinet talking happening is gold. Also he is becoming Tom araya. Boss.

@Scott__C Жыл бұрын

Chris is always amazingly researched on folks he doing rundowns with.

@jakelorefice Жыл бұрын

I think he's just a genuine fan of most of the artists! Chris seems to have deep HC roots

@Scott__C Жыл бұрын

@@jakelorefice Definitely, it's just cool and even they seem surprised sometimes when he pulls out some deep info.

@sammadden5540 Жыл бұрын

Nate staring into my soul

@paulodantas1492 Жыл бұрын

Premier Guitar never fails with the rig rundowns, what a surprise this one!

@kevinmyles6369 6 ай бұрын

Kurt knows his shit, a true passionate gear nerd. He's incredible

@MrMikewright1980 Жыл бұрын

Nate eating a banana at 22:30!!!! LOL!!!

@davidwaldeck8736 Жыл бұрын

Michael Myers vibes.

@bassyey 11 ай бұрын

Wow this guy is knowledgeable. I don't want to diss other professionals because they're obviously better than me, but Kurt knows what he uses and is eloquent in explaining the how's and why's. Good interview.

@Bilsuburbians Жыл бұрын

22:18 I love how the Side Villain Character goes up like that in the middle of Conversation 😂

@20042842 Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for having Kurt go through his helix pedals. I've been wanting that. So many of us use modelers and it's so helpful to see how other pros are using the same gear. It's the same as going through their pedalboard signal chain and I hope you do this every time.

@ChrisVenturaArt Жыл бұрын

I could not have clicked on this faster. Love this band for 20yrs and this was cool to see. Also I love that a performance was included at the end. I hope that becomes regular!

@benmpearson1 Жыл бұрын

Nate is my bass hero. So good to watch live, and unreal tone.

@wolvesdensound 11 ай бұрын

GREAT banana

@noyd4172 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for including the full bass rig with Nate and letting Kurt dive into the reasoning behind his Helix patch (his take on noise gates is priceless wisdom). They've always had great songs with a great sound.

@josecansecoismyhero Жыл бұрын

Nicest, most down to earth people and ground breaking musicians. So awesome to see this.

@ileutur6863 Жыл бұрын

When Kurt and Chris talk about the problems with the Helix setup, this is exactly what I've found troubling with most multifx units and modellers. They're extremely powerful for complex stuff, but have glaring oversights in unexpected places

@paulfitz6614 6 ай бұрын

I listen to a lot of music. This dude might be one of the best hardcore guitarists of all time. Very creative, incredible technique. Does some genre blending stuff.

@eric3198 Жыл бұрын

i admittedly don’t listen to much converge, but i could listen to kurt talk about gear for hours

@biteyourownteef Жыл бұрын

Amazing! Been waiting for this for ages!

@Therealbackslabbath Жыл бұрын

As someone who has been playing in heavy bands for the last two decades, and now making my first tentative steps into music production, Kurt is a massive influence. IMO, God City is the perfect moniker for his various endeavours. Thanks so much for this rundown. One of the best!

@oddthemute6172 9 ай бұрын

Kurt is such a passionate gear nerd. I love hearing him talk shop.

@willlabuffalo6679 Жыл бұрын

I’ve never been so intrigued and so lost at the same damn time.

@Metalbaum Жыл бұрын

Interesting that he doesn't use a Kemper since he has a dedicated pack, also props to Nate for just staring at us while eating

@stevenspiva2616 4 ай бұрын

That part about Nate using Caleb's bass brought me to tears. As a former touring bassist, Caleb and Nate's style were huge influences on my writing and playing. That's so sweet he keeps him that close.

@Ryo7_7 11 ай бұрын

Haven't heard from these guys in a while. One of my favorite bands.

@BoaeCH Жыл бұрын

Great rig rundown ! So fun to see Kurt being all nerdy and precise and Nate being.........himself xD Freaking legends, Converge rules !!

@G.GordonMidi Жыл бұрын

My man at 22:17 eating the popsicle kinda stole the show Edit: P.S. can we get a Nails Rig Rundown, guys?

@aubreyxengland Жыл бұрын

lmaooo so glad someone else noticed this 😂😂

@NimrodBoz Жыл бұрын

Looks like a banana

@G.GordonMidi Жыл бұрын

@@NimrodBoz He does sort of look like a banana

@MercyBlastTV Жыл бұрын

I knew this would be an excellent Rundown and it was but Nate in the background eating that ice cream?... LMAO

@premierguitar Жыл бұрын

🍌

@mattrulz98 Жыл бұрын

Fantastic video, great interview, great band. This made my day! Excellent work Premier Guitar!

@premierguitar Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@Chris-em4tc Жыл бұрын

I used to help out Nate all the time at Guitar Center, Danvers. Always such a cool dude. I was dying watching him standing in the background. 😂

@Direksone Жыл бұрын

Shoutout to Stefanie and Stijn in the background waliing by. Brutus deserves your ear KZfaq commentors!

@elcaminocarcrsh Жыл бұрын

What a fantastic treat y’all

@blendernoob64 Жыл бұрын

NOW I KNOW WHAT THAT MINI HEAD THEY HAVE BEEN USING IS! Seems like such a cool amp for playing with amp modeling. Kurt and Nate are kings of tone and riffs to me

@bimmerman5978 Жыл бұрын

Kurt knows what he's doing! Dark riff lord 💯

@pattonPwr Жыл бұрын

Finally some bass! Great Nate’s gear 🎉👍🏻

@raminile Жыл бұрын

I love taking the time to walk through the modellers setup rather than just ”I use a kemper… ok moving on”

@TUNNELOFREVERB Жыл бұрын

this was awesome

@IanHaghighat Жыл бұрын

Had no idea this rundown was happening and now I only wish my lunch break was longer!

@jsmr2281 Жыл бұрын

YESSSSSS!! 🎉 and thank you 😊🙌

@cheeseburger1752 Жыл бұрын

54 mins of kurt and nate talking about gear?! I love you premier guitar

@TheEnderBand Жыл бұрын

I like the dude just standing eating a popsicle or something at like 22:30

@Betweendillinger Жыл бұрын

Axe to fall plus you fail me. Yes thanks, great rundown thank you guys

@premierguitar Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed

@Betweendillinger Жыл бұрын

@@premierguitar also the live song is Axe to Fall then goes into You Fail Me. Cheers

@jimotten5887 8 ай бұрын

This guy eating in the background 😂 classic. Also Kurt is amazing. So down to earth and I love his view on gear. I mean, I love my old 2203 and my sg’s but lately I just plug into my cheap orange super crush and we just jam a bunch of doom stuff and it sounds awesome… It really is just in the fingers. Cheers guys, love this stuff🤘🏻😎

@collisiondevices Жыл бұрын

Loved to see Kurt and Nate too! nice one

@sebastianjaromi3540 Ай бұрын

HAHAHAHAH Nate waiting his turn patiently in the back 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

@macdad159 Жыл бұрын

Converge's Jane Doe got me through multiple combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Prior to missions it was all I listened to. I absolutely love this band! Thank You for being there for me.

@ileutur6863 Жыл бұрын

I'm sure hardcore punks love the fact that oil empire invaders listen to their music

@BethGazoJC Жыл бұрын

Best band. So excited this happened

@nickynoodles88 Жыл бұрын

As a guitarist, Kurt is f***ing incredible.

@shaunlafountain7189 Жыл бұрын

Hands down my favorite Converge gear was their Jane Doe setup

@duhlike Жыл бұрын

Iconic.. Kurt's Rick with his stampede, and nate with his Ernie Ball Sting Ray.

@shaunlafountain7189 Жыл бұрын

@duhlike I think Kurt also ran a Ampeg v4 and JMP in combination while Nate bi amped his bass with the Ad200 and Thunderverb guitar head if I'm not mistaken...and of course Kurt's sick Rickenbacker

@Tyrannosaurine 11 ай бұрын

@@shaunlafountain7189 can you imagine how loud it was in front of that V4 and JMP combined? Fuuuuuuuck….

@Mumumumykul Жыл бұрын

love how much security is enjoying them playing. haha

@PrimoSchnevi Жыл бұрын

sweet, awesome band

@azraelgm Жыл бұрын

Nate is excellent, seems like such a chilled out dude.

@jonluick Жыл бұрын

Nate eating a banana in the backgound at 22:20 is hilarious

@slickrick5574 Жыл бұрын

Coverage are Lords🤘🏼need one of those GCI guitars. I love the deconstructivest shape the most wish he had one out for this. You guys should do an in person redo of the Dave Davidson rig rundown as well!!!

@fancykarlmarx Жыл бұрын

That moon/Kroger line was great

@k_dawg7475 11 ай бұрын

the best bit is the story about joining Converge, that Nate tells 😂😂😂😂

@diodesDankessAndDives Жыл бұрын

I will watch anything coverage/kurt vidjios 🤙👏👏👏

@duhlike Жыл бұрын

Finally First Act getting their shout out for the design.

@Alfredo78666 Жыл бұрын

Big man!

@xaviergrant7165 Жыл бұрын

HELL YES

@michaelkosciesza645 Жыл бұрын

Hell yeah

@GothicXlightning Жыл бұрын

didn't knew anything about the guys and did not expected MachineGun Blue Sparkly cool riff i could relate 7:35 so simple yet cool in that SG sort of coolness

@tubescreamer7288 Жыл бұрын

MAD 😮

@BasilHayden Жыл бұрын

This guy has great advice, especially that you don't need a magical pedal like a Klon. What's weird is how we got here. Imagine Hendirx's rundown, a wah, fuzz, octavia, vibe, amp

@marcelinomedina3232 Жыл бұрын

This is awesome! I thought that Nate was The Terminator for a moment.

@Left_Hand_Path Жыл бұрын

YES.

@luckylayne Жыл бұрын

YES

@droptunedemos2204 Жыл бұрын

Cool tone from the Helix. 2 button looper should be possible if you connect midi cable from in to out, and setup buttons to use the midi mapping of the looper instead.

@brooksrocco Жыл бұрын

Shame we can't do that in the box-the beauty of keeping everything in Helix is reducing or even eliminating points of failure, but that definitely seems like a solid workaround! Thanks!

@sebastianjaromi3540 Ай бұрын

Gonna have to try out a quilter on my 80s road ready boogie 2x15. Cheers bro

@drewsmithbass Жыл бұрын

Can't wait to see these at Arc Tangent and explain to a stranger in between songs that is silence because the Helix tuner mutes the output and not the input

@rlm4471 19 күн бұрын

Kurt looks and talks like he's explaining his new birding setup.

@alexstewart839 Жыл бұрын

38:43 "It's not very exciting..." then plays the exact sound that I think about when I think about metal and hardcore bass.

@pranayudha4688 Жыл бұрын

YESS

@merkantelismo Жыл бұрын

These Rig Rundowns never fail and to feature one of my al time favorite bands is just too awesome! Just wondering with their sound demos here, if that's captured from room mics or from the FOH signal? They're sounds here are killer and totally gives justice to how loud they are.

@premierguitar Жыл бұрын

Kurt put his sound direct from the Helix into our cameras via XLRs. We plugged into the mic on Nate's Ampeg 8x10.

@ziva6630 Жыл бұрын

42:29 - Kurt Ballou is a legend

@garrettboomerbender Жыл бұрын

I really hope you guys did Frail Body too ♥️

@Evy-1988 Жыл бұрын

this guy, Nate, this guy

@Killall12 Жыл бұрын

Let's. Fucking. Go.

@raytorvalds3699 Жыл бұрын

Toasted maple neck. Cool!

@badjon Жыл бұрын

kurt rips! nice seeing Tomas in the background

@badjon Жыл бұрын

then nate with the banana lol

@leonsibum Жыл бұрын

I love the Helix line of products. I own a Helix LT, an HX Stomp XL and Helix Native, and I love them very much. Good sounds, awesome interface, and tons of options, but it's nuts to me that Kurt says that his Helix is reliable. I've had all sorts of footswitch malfunctioning problems and am down to my second Helix LT unit (original was replaced after of a fabrication error of the expression pedal). The Stomp I also had to send back for a footswitch fix. I love those products but it would be awesome if Line 6 would do something about the sturdy-ness of those products. Great interview once again, PG!

@HARTYNMUGHES Жыл бұрын

Possibly luck of the draw? I’ve gigged with my floor 3 nights a week for 2 years with no issues.