VOLBEAT

The Danish-American rock ’n’ roll machine keeps rolling on a hearty diet of Fryette KT88 crunch and the profiled treble bite of a fiddly old Marshall JCM800

- Jonathan Horsley

Those following Volbeat closely might spot some familiar choices in frontman/guitarist Michael Poulsen and lead guitarist Rob Caggiano’s rigs. This tour sees Poulsen favouring his Gibson SG GT and Caggiano sporting a Jackson prototype in vivid purple, a colour choice rolled over from his ESP days, running into a Fryette Sig:X. But as shows have got bigger, so has the demands on their gear, and rigs have grown more complex.

Poulsen’s tech Tue Bayer says that Poulsen’s beloved Marshall JCM800, a cornerstone of his sound, is “a fiddly old lady”, and so has persuaded a reluctant Poulsen that a Kemper Profiler will be more consistent. Caggiano, meanwhile, is using a custom switching and rack system built by his tech Jerry Carillo that incorporates some Neve 1073 mic preamp secret sauce and brings some studio fidelity to a live show that’s gotten so big that Carillo now does all Caggiano’s switching. All four sat in and explained how it works.

ROB CAGGIANO

JACKSON ROB CAGGIANO SIGNATURE PROTOTYPE