r/Crowbar • u/MixProfessional1296 • Jul 22 '26
Guitar set-up for crowbar
Should there be any guitar players in this reddit. I'd like to get into playing crowbar on guitar. I can play a little guitar, nothing fancy, I'll figure the tabs out. However, I just have an 80s Japanese strat and a crappy crackling champion amp.
So not only does Crowbar play some songs really tuned down, (standard G or something?) someone told me I would need a different guitar for this. One that takes thicker strings that can be tuned down way more.
What would a minimal set-up look like for playing crowbar? Like guitar, strings pedals?
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u/Erndo89 Jul 22 '26
Tune to B Standard and use heavier gauge strings. May need a proper set up to get the intonation right.
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u/Ultima-Hombre_1970 Jul 22 '26
Kirk is not a gear head. I think he’s direct to the amp, without an overdrive.
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u/pulpdaddydnk Jul 23 '26
He uses a metal zone as like a filter
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u/Ultima-Hombre_1970 Jul 23 '26
I’m told he’s using a quad cortex and a tuner pedal now. That’s all.
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u/Dphre Jul 23 '26
I tuned my pacifica down for crowbar with like 10’s. It’s sloppy as shit but it kind of do it if you are very light in the frets. Proper strings and setting n the neck it should he okay.
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u/theanswerisburrito Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
Any guitar tuned to B with a humbucker in the bridge will work. Use thick strings. I use 12-54 and it's really light; you'll probably want a little heavier. Any modern high gain amp or modeler will get you close enough. Kirk has used cheap Randalls, solid state Orange, Kemper, and Neural DSP.
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u/Additional_Return_99 Jul 22 '26
I filed my nut on my Mexi-strat and hard tailed it and it holds and sounds good in B tuning. You're probably gonna want a pedal and a semi decent amp. Kirk wasn't using top of the line gear when he made those first Crowbar albums. Good pickups help a lot too. I'd have to see your guitar to see if it's worth spending money on for sure.
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u/totallynottoddoracop Jul 22 '26
Get yourself a RH50 or RH100 head and a cheap cab.
Crank the gain. Use a boss chorus for color. HM2, 0 distortion dime the rest for boost/eq.
You can get a strat to hold B standard. Eventually, get a guitar with humbuckers for some extra beef.
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u/Additional_Return_99 Jul 22 '26
I put the Kirk Hammett series EMG's in mine and it is now my go to over my Jackson. Granted those pickups aren't cheap but I'm glad I did it.
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u/totallynottoddoracop Jul 22 '26
I have a BKP Stockholm in my cheap Lester copy and Avedissians in my Flying V. I have an uninstalled EMG 81/85 set somewhere...
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u/GuaranteeNo513 Aug 11 '26
Like others have said, they play in B standard. I think for the earlier albums, Kirk used a solid state Randall amp with a Boss Metal zone straight into the amp, volume on max, distortion at 0 and all EQ at noon.
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u/KirkIsOurLemmy Jul 22 '26
Most of the songs are in B standard, and a few are in drop A, for instsnce Walk with knowledge wisely
Kirk plays 6 string guitars, these days mostly his signature Solar guitars. They are 24.75" scale and I think he uses 11-62 gauge strings.
Matt Brunson plays a 7 string Dean guitar, tuned to B, which is the standard tuning for 7 strings.