Sleep Token are one of the hottest metal bands on the planet right now, but the gear behind their music has been nearly as mysterious as the identities of the mavericks that mastermind it. Until now, that is.
Gear-ogglers have previously had to feed off scraps about what guitarist IV uses in the band. His guitar tech did drop the bomb that he was using Kempers some time ago, along with a handful of Jackson eight-string guitars, but he’s since been listed as a Quad Cortex user on Neural DSP’s website, which added to Sleep Token’s already mysterious mystique.
Thankfully, IV has now made an offering to his gear nerd Instagram followers by listing the companies he’s been using for the band’s recent sold-out UK arena shows, with his guitar tech, Billy, on hand to talk through his picks in a new post.
It also shows how close this writer got to nailing IV’s gear haul in a piece discussing how to sound like IV from Sleep Token, which even included some budget-friendly alternatives (not that we’re bragging).
Neural DSP is top of the list, meaning the Quad Cortex floor modeler is indeed IV’s tone-bringer. Both the main QC and a spare are kept off-stage, with changes made via MIDI. However, Revv Amps also play a key part.
“Our main tones,” Billy reveals, “come from a Revv Generator [amp head] and Mesa cab that IV captured onto the QC in the studio. We run two amps left and right.” The QC’s doubler feature is also used for extra oomph.
Four guitar manufacturers are listed, with IV chugging on Jackson, Aristides, and, Balaguer, while frontman Vessel opts for a Fender Telecaster (a new American Ultra II model, to be precise).
The first three are no surprise. IV has been a Jackson advocate for a long while, with his 28” scale Monarkh – complete with a pale moon ebony fretboard, Fishman Fluence humbuckers, and tuning-solidifying EverTune bridge – serving as the pick of the bunch.
He also plays Misha Mansoor’s SoCal Strat-a-like, though his personal model has been spray-painted white “to fit along with the album aesthetic”.
Meanwhile, Aristides had previously shown off the specs of its multi-scale 080SR build for IV. The eight-string sports an S-type body, a richlite fretboard, Bare Knuckle Ragnarok pickups, and a multi-scale EverTune bridge. It's finished in a not-so-spooky Desert Tan colorway.
All his eight-strings are tuned to E-A-E-A-D-G-B-e.
Elsewhere, IV’s custom-built Balaguer Espada seven-string features a 28.5” scale length, a roasted maple/walnut neck, and Fishman Modern Fluence pickups. It is tuned to drop A via D’Addario 10-64s electric guitar strings.
The aforementioned Fender Telecaster American Ultra II is being employed for the song Missing Limbs, which Vessel plays solo. He places a G7th capo on the fourth fret and plays the neck pickup.
For less sexy but no less vital picks, IV uses Richlite guitar straps and 0.73 custom Tortex guitar picks. As far as rig rundowns go, this is pretty darn comprehensive.
“As you can see, we've kept things pretty streamlined and simple,” Billy concludes. “There's not a whole lot going on within the rig. I hope that's cleared up any questions or curiosities about how we run the show.”
