Mike's main instrument was a Fender Jazzmaster Reissue
sporting a Custom Shop neck and Seymour Duncan JM-2 pickups.
A normal Jazzmaster neck runs a 7 ¼” radius,
very round and meant primarily for rhythm playing. Because
Einziger was shifting between rhythm and lead, the neck
was replaced with a 12” radius. This one is much
flatter and is similar to a new Stratocaster in feel.
One of the few original parts were the Kluson tuners.
According to guitar tech Larry Melero, these bastardized
amalgams have “No year to them.” Einziger
does use a 1962 Jazzmaster (original) as well.
Other guitars include a variety of Fenders (Stratocasters
and Telecasters that were mainly brought into the studio
by producer Brendan O’Brien) as well as an early
1970s Precision bass and vintage same era electric 12-string.
There are Gibson Les Pauls (all circa 1970s), and a 335
(also O’Brien’s).
Acoustically, Mike picks on Guild D40 Jubilees fitted
with Duncan D-TAR pickups.
Live, Einziger runs through a modified VOX AC30 Reissue
top. Guitar tech Melero eliminated the tube rectifier
and re-wired the tube socket to accommodate a solid-state
rectifier. This bit of sonic surgery results in “The
power tube section running a big hotter. The amp responds
to Mike’s pick attack better.”
Additionally, there is a Marshall 1959 SLP 100-watt Plexi
Reissue that has also undergone the knife. The preamp
stage was reconfigured to extract additional gain and
a master volume knob was installed. The knob is situated
where the second speaker jack normally goes into the rear
of the amplifier. The head powers a Marshall 4x12 slant
cabinet outfitted with Celestion vintage 30s on top and
Celestion 75s on the bottom.
A Top Hat amplifier was also used for the Light Grenades
sessions.
Effects-wise, the live arsenal’s signal chain runs
as follows: Electro Harmonix Memory Man; Danelectro DRE-1Reel
Echo; Jim Dunlop 95 wah; Hughes & Kettner Rotosphere;
a pair of Boss PH-2 Super Phases(the first one is set
to Mode 1 and the second one set to Mode 2); DOD FX13
Gonkulator Modulator; Boss RV-3Digital Reverb/Delay; EVH
MXR M101Phase 90; DOD VFX 25B Envelope Filter; Boss CS-3
Compression Sustainer; Boss OC – 2 Octaver; Digitech
Multi-Chorus; and a Boss Tu-2 tuner;
The live rig utilizes a Whirlwind A/B switcher (clean/dirty)and
two Voodoo Lab power supplies. Melero has custom-designed
power supplies for the Rotosphere and Memory Man. An EBTech
Hum Eliminator fits in-between the A/B switcher and the
amps to get rid of ground loops. A Japanese-built Boss
DS-1, Digitech Bad Monkey, or a Digitech Tone Driver is
inserted before the Plexi for a “little extra kick.
We pick one of them depending on the mood of that day,”
explains the tech. And a Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor is
occasionally placed in front of the Marshall if they need
to “quiet it down.”
Surprisingly, the guitarist does not run a wireless.
The system is completely cabled with Mogami 2425 instrument
cables fitted with Switchcraft jacks (again, Melero handcrafts
every piece).
Picks and strings are Dunlop green jazz Tortex and Ernie
Ball RPS .011 - .048 sets respectively.
“I’ve been with Mike for seven years and
he definitely knows what he wants,” says Larry Melero
(Mike's Guitar Technician). “I try and give him
a big, full, buttery rock and roll tone. It should sustain
and be warm but not big and bassy. It shouldn’t
be grating.”
Courtesy of Ultimate Guitar
Personal Bio:
Written By Mike Einziger
My full name is Michael Aaron Einziger and I play
guitar in a silly rock band called Incubus. I was born in Los Angeles,
Ca. on June 21st, 1976. My favorite color is blue (at least right now
it is). My favorite cereal is Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I like to spend
my spare time working on music (I'm a mad work-aholic). I can run really
fast when I want to. I love Indian food. I do not have a girlfriend.
I really love to play golf because it gives me a chance to hang out
with my dad. I have a fat white Labador Retriever named RUFUS. And a
not-so-fat Lab named BILLY. I like to play Basketball. My favorite place
to go while on tour is New York City (it's fun). I have an older sister
named Rachel. My little brothers Ben and Paul have a band together with
Brandon's little brother called Vent. I admit that I like that Christina
Aguilera song. My mom rules, she's the coolest.
I play Paul Reed Smith guitars and Mesa Boogie Amplifiers
because they're the best, even though they cost a lot of money. I used
to ride horses a lot when I was younger. Brandon and I did a report
for school together on Tahiti when we were 11 years old. The first song
that I learned how to play on the guitar was the theme song to James
Bond. My first concert was the Go-Go's when I was 6, followed shortly
after by Michael Jackson when I was 7. The first album I ever owned
was the Soundtrack to Star Wars. My first real guitar hero was Steve
Vai. I love touring in Europe. I'm not allowed to snowboard anymore
for fear of snapping off one of my fingers, but that's ok, because I'm
still allowed to surf. I've been surfing for 11 years. It's fun. Someday
I would love to score the music for a wierd major motion picture, like
BeetleJuice. I love our new album, "Make Yourself". I'm good at soccer.
It's hard for me to go shopping because I'm extremely indecisive. I
love Bjork's music, I listen to it often. I'm not really allowed to
skateboard anymore, but I do sometimes anyway. Everyone should own a
Led Zeppelin album and a Police album. South Park is funny. I love anything
that has to do with Space Exploration. I believe that aliens exist,
but I've never seen one.
IO Notes
Mike switched to a customised 62 Jazzmaster
after the first performance of the Time Lapse Consortium. Previously,
he used an array of customised Paul Reed Smith guitars,including a
custom artist package archtop, a goldtop archtop, and hollowbody for
Drop D songs.
