Chris Cavera (KillBot Zero)

Chris Cavera of Killbot Zero

Chris Cavera is the brain behind the instrumental, progressive metal band Killbot Zero. Chris has some great chops and licks and a great modern metal tone. Here we discuss Chris’ setup and get some of his insights on tone.

Dirtbox - Hey there Chris welcome to Dirt Box. Thanks for doing this short interview and discussing your rig with us. First off, can you tell us a little about your guitars?

Chris - Over the years I’ve owned many guitars. Everything from the obligatory no-name strat copy to LTD, Peavey, Ibanez, and aWashburn HM-20v that I regret selling. At the moment, I prefer Ibanez. I also have become accustomed to playing V shaped guitars. So much so that normal guitars are extremely uncomfortable for me. This means that I’m limited to the few Ibanez V’s that have been produced over the years.

My main axe is a 1982 Rocket Roll 2. I picked it up through Ebay about 7 years ago. It’s in pretty good condition considering its age. All parts are original and working flawlessly. The gold hardware is fading but the neck is straight, the action is low, and the pickups are hot. It has an Ibanez V2 in the bridge which I believe is meant to be a copy of the Dimarzio Super Distortion, and a Dimarzio Super 58 in the neck position. This particular instrument sings above the 12th fret like no other guitar I’ve played.

I’ve also recently acquired one of the 2007 Ibanez VBT-700’s. It’s a longer scale than the Rocket Roll, has 24 frets, and Dimarzio D-Activators in both positions. It’s a lot less forgiving when playing faster solo passages that are picked. You tend to hear small timing and fingering mistakes more easily. All in all it’s a fun guitar to play, but the Rocket Roll still reigns supreme.

Dirtbox – Nice man, I always wanted to try one of those rocket rolls!
Moving on, what sort of amps do you play?

Chris - Like most folks I started off with a few small practice amps. The first amp that I owned with enough volume to hang with a drummer was a Peavey Bandit 112. This was a real workhorse of an amp. It was solid state of course, with enough gain to satisfy my adolescent thirst for distortion. I played it until it died of natural causes. Seventeen years later it has a special purpose helping to prop open the studio doors when loading and unloading equipment. After the Bandit came the Crate 212. It sounded terrible but it was loud. When it’s time came, it did not go quietly, but died with an angry noise, a puff of smoke and a funny smell all caused by bad wiring at the Ball State University Swimming Team House Party. I don’t remember what became of the carcass.

My first real tube amp was a Peavey Rockmaster pre-amp that I ran through a Tubeworks Mosvalve power amp. I bought the Rockmaster based solely on positive internet reviews and it did not disappoint. This thing had some serious gain. My setup stayed fairly simple. The pre/power amp ran straight into a 4×12 that I put together. I ordered the empty cab from a company call Lynx and loaded it with Eminence Legends. It sounded great and was completely inappropriate considering the fact that I lived in an apartment and was not playing in any band.

My next rig was more complex and built around a Laney GH50L. I would start by going into a BOSS Super Overdrive. I wanted a Tube Screamer but went with the BOSS due to a smaller price tag. This isn’t the most transparent pedal out there. It would overdrive the amp nicely, but also attenuate the lower frequencies. This was actually a good thing as the Laney could be a bit muddy in the low end. Out of that the signal went into a Korg Tuner, then into channel one of an ISP Decimator and finally into the Laney GH50L. Channel two of the ISP ran in the Effects Loop. I believe the ISP to be one of the best noise reduction units you can get right now. This rig still used the custom cab from years earlier.

Always on the hunt for new tones, I purchased a used 5150, the standard amp for all things metal. The BOSS overdrive was no longer needed, and the addition of a Lexicon reverb unit and a BOSS EQ in the effects loop help to round out the sound. Tired of moving the 4×12 around, I decided to get an Avatar 2×12 cab loaded with Vintage 30’s. The 5150 loves those V-30’s. Currently I’m enjoying playing with the new Digitech GSP1101. I’ve always preferred the sound of tubes and relegated the digital stuff to practice and recording. But it seems to me like this new generation of modelers including the Axe FX, the Eleven Rack, the GSP1101 and whatever Line 6 is making is finally up to the task and poised to give the die-hard tube fans something to consider.

Dirtbox - Finally, what are your thoughts or philosophies on tone?

Chris – To me, a good guitar tone is one that lets you hear what the fingers are doing. Too much distortion, compression, reverb, and other stuff tend to cover up those subtle dynamic changes and string noises that I find interesting. Tone should let you hear the guitarist and not the amp. As I get older I find myself playing with less and less distortion. Some of my favorite tones are the ones that feature a medium amount of distortion, but still manage to sing and sustain with chunky pick attack. A minimal amount of reverb and delay can then be added but for me less is more. Ask me again in a few years and I’ll be looking for something else. I’ve come to accept the idea that I may never find the ultimate tone, but perhaps the fun is in the journey and not the destination.

Thanks a lot to Chris for taking the time to answer these questions.
www.cavera.com