#matt garstka

Rig Rundown - Animals as Leaders

“Article & photos: http://bit.ly/AnimalsAsLeadersRR Win a set of Tosin's signature Fishman Fluence pickups: http://bit.ly/WinFishmanFluence 

Since our 2013 episode with AAL, guitarist Tosin Abasi has gone back in time (or technology) to use traditional tube heads and pedals, while fellow 8-stringer Javier Reyes continues down the digital rabbit hole with the powerful Fractal Axe-Fx II. Watch as they break down (and demo their) setups with PG’s Perry Bean for over 60 minutes. 

Inspired by the recent spur of ergonomic guitar designs and custom builds he’s played, Tosin has been working with Ibanez on this all-original body for his latest signature that’s been in the prototype stage for over a year. Although it is an 8-string guitar, it has a major belly scoop to reduce heft and increase playability. It has a fanned-fret neck that allows the bass strings to have a longer scale length (27), while the treble strings are on a traditional scale (24.75). Tosin prefers the sound of bolt-on guitars (and acknowledges that this will reduce production cost) and it is loaded with his signature Fishman Fluence pickups. Tosin uses D’Addario NYXL custom 8-string sets (.0095-.074) and Dunlop .73 mm signature picks (similar to a Jazz III, but slightly larger). 

Javier Reyes recently scored this custom-made ESP Vintage Plus 8-string that has a gold Floyd Rose trem and a features the same neck profile and inlays that are on his current ESP signature model. It is equipped with a custom set of DiMarzio single-coils. He uses D’Addario NYXL custom 8-string sets (.0095-.074) and Dunlop .73 mm signature picks (similar to a Jazz III, but slightly larger).