Premier Guitar is on location in Chicago where Rebecca Dirks visits with Kent Eriksson, Meshuggah's tech for guitarists Fredrik Thordendal, Marten Hagstrom, and bassist Dick Lovgren. He talks about their current live setups including signature 8-string and 7-string Ibanez guitars and Warwick basses, and how each member uses the Fractal Audio Axe-Fx.

Guitars & Basses

Fredrik Thordendal's main guitar for this tour is an 8-string Ibanez Custom Shop "Stone Man" 27" scale guitar built on his own design (pictured, left), incorporating elements of the Fireman, Firebrand, and Explorer guitars with Flying V knob placement. It has Lundgren M8 bridge and neck pickups with a coil split. He also uses the Japanese version of his signature Ibanez M8M, which is a 29.4" scale length. He uses a foam mute after the locking nut on all of his guitars. The 8-strings are tuned a half-step down, and he experiments with string gauges to get the feel that he's looking for.

Mårten Hagström's main guitar is a stock Japanese Ibanez M8M with alder body and Lundgren M8 pickups, also tuned a half-step down with a foam mute, as well as an Ibanez M8M with a swamp ash body (pictured, middle) for the first half of the set.

Dick Lövgren's main bass is nicknamed the Devil (pictured, right). It is a custom Warwick Dolphin Pro I 5-string with Bartolini pickups, an upside-down cross inlay, and is tuned Ab, Eb, Bb, F, Bb. He also uses a Warwick Dolphin Pro II 5-string, and a stock 4-string Warwick Stryker with black hardware tuned down 1.5 steps for "Bleed."

All three players use Shure ULXD1 wireless units that come into a single receiver. All three use Fractal Audio Ax-FX Ultras for their amps and effects, programmed with tempo for each song. The units are controlled by a laptop with Cubase, which automatically cycles through the patches throughout the show.