same time , I believe you don ’ t ever want to force creativity . I feel like your first or most natural instinct is probably the best . But , yeah , it is hard . It would be interesting to do something themed like The Alchemy Index again for that reason — it might draw something new and different out of us .
As your sound has evolved , it stands to reason that your taste in gear has as well . Is there any gear in your collection that ’ s inspired more riffs than others ? Or changed the way you play or even write ? Teranishi : The baritone has for sure . Mine is a 2005 or 2006 Jaguar Bass VI Custom . It ’ s not the current one that has humbuckers . Mine has a slightly longer scale and shrill , thin , brittle , single-coils . I think that sounds cool in that lower tuning . I love that contrast between something that ’ s harsh and thin , yet heavy and low . That sound has inspired a lot of stuff like “ Yellow Belly ,” the first song on Major / Minor . Kensrue : Teppei has a Casino that I love , and he loves it , too . It ’ s a hollowbody , so it sings quite a bit . Even unplugged it ’ s really fun to play . In the studio it would inspire me a lot … maybe I should get one .
In your opinion , what constitutes “ heavy ?” Teranishi : I think it ’ s a combination of a few things . Tuning plays a big part , because you can take something that doesn ’ t sound that heavy on a regular guitar in E standard , and then play it on a baritone in B standard and suddenly it sounds really heavy . Also the groove . To me , those are the biggest things . The arrangement can play a big role , as well , because a dynamic contrast of sounds can make things heavy .
Speaking of tuning , Dustin , I hear you ’ re pretty picky about your gauges ? Kensrue : I ’ m specific about it because the way a guitar feels to me is pretty important . I think string gauge has a lot to do with that . The reason it ’ s more complicated for us is we ’ re typically tuning down to D standard or dropped C , and that lessens the tension . I ’ m also playing a 24 " -scale guitar , which lowers the tension even more . I had to figure out how to balance all of that and make it feel right . I keep it just tight enough
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