How to Sound Like Mastodon: A Guide for Guitarists

Guitars

Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher both use a variety of guitars in their playing Bill used to play Gibson Les Paul guitars a lot but then he inked a deal with ESP, much like James Hetfield, and has been playing them for over the best part of the last decade.

Bill left Gibson because – to be blunt – they weren’t interested in creating models specific to his requirements, whereas ESP was eager to work with Kelliher and we’ve seen a slew of signature models released during their partnership, most notably the Sparrowhawk.

Some of the most commonly used models include:

• Gibson Les Paul Custom (Bill)
• Gibson Explorer (Bill)
• ESP LTE Sparrowhawk (Bill)
• Gibson Firebird (Bill)
• Fender Telecaster (Brent)
• Fender Stratocaster (Brent)
• Gibson Flying V (Brent)
• Gibson SG (Brent)

Mastodon Guitar Tone

In general, Mastodon’s guitar tone is characterized by thick, heavy distortion with plenty of midrange.

Bill and Brent are pros, so they use expensive – often times signature – models. But you can emulate their sound pretty closely with any style of electric guitar, so long as it is rocking a set of humbuckers. 

Prices of electric guitar vary massively, from less than $200 right up to $5000 for a Gibson Les Paul Custom. 

Finding your sweet spot is key, especially if you’re just starting out. My advice? For beginners, start with something that is good but won’t break the bank. Then, after a couple of years of hard practice, treat yourself to a more premium model.

But if you cannot afford Gibson prices, like most people, you plenty of other Les Paul-style alternatives.

Our current favorite right now would have to be the Epiphone Les Paul Prophecy or, for a cheaper alternative, the Epiphone Les Paul Custom.

You don’t have to spend thousands on guitars these days, plenty of brands like Epiphone and Schecter produce excellent models for way less than $500 in most cases.

Hell, one of our all-time favorite guitars, the Epiphone SG, retails for around $399.99 and is an absolute beast when it comes to creating a thick, heavy metal guitar tone.

Mastodon Guitar Tuning

In order to properly dial-in Mastodon’s trademark sound, you’ll need to tune your guitar down.

Plenty of Mastodon is in D Standard (DGCFAD) which is a whole step down from Standard Tuning (EADGBE).

Mastodon also uses Drop B tuning, so BGCFAD, whereby you run the guitar in D Standard but drop the bottom string down two whole steps to B and, for really special occasions, they’ll drop the lowest string down another step to A for a tuning that looks like this: AGCFAD.

Keep in mind, if you want to use these lowered tunings you will need to use strings designed for lower tunings.

For the most part, though, Mastodon likes to play in D Standard. The vast majority of its most popular songs are in this tuning, so if you want to learn some iconic Mastodon riffs, dropping your guitar down to D Standard is the place to start.

The upshot of D Standard is that you can also learn the riffs and parts in Standard Tuning as well. It won’t sound as “heavy” or as “low” as the record but it’ll all transpose the same.

All the patterns and shapes are the same, ditto chords, only with D Standard you’re a whole step lower which is what gives Mastodon that “heavier” sound when compared to metal bands that play in Standard Tuning.

Amps

Mastodon’s guitar tone is also heavily influenced by their choice of amplifiers. Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher have used a range of amps and cabs over the years.

With Brent Hinds, his current amp setup is made up of two Marshall JMP Mark II Lead series heads, a ’76 and a ’77, and a 1998 Diezel VH4.

Each amplifier is connected to two Orange PPC412 4×12 Cabinets finished in a custom color. When he’s playing his lap steel, Hinds uses an Orange CR120 combo amp.

Hinds has his own signature model with Orange, The Brent Hinds Terror.

With Bill Kelliher’s amp setup, it’s a little more nuanced and a little more modern.

Inspired by Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell’s tones, Kelliher currently uses a Friedman JJ Cantrell Signature 100-watt head, which drives 65-watt Celestion G12M-65 Creambacks housed in a Friedman 4×12 cabinet.

His second amp is a 100-watt Friedman HBE, powering 30-watt Celestions in an Orange 4×12.

To maintain a clutter-free pedalboard, Kelliher has embraced digital technology by incorporating a Fractal Axe-Fx II for his delay, chorus, rotary speaker, and octave effects.

He controls the processor using a Fractal MFC-101 MIDI foot controller, and keeps a DigiTech JamMan nearby for creating seamless sonic transitions between songs.

He also uses an Audiotech Guitar Products Source Selector 1X6 switcher, positioned above his wireless unit, which lets him switch between amps on the fly.

If you’re looking to emulate Mastodon’s sound on a budget, there are plenty of affordable options available that can get you close. Look for high-gain amps with plenty of midrange and bass response.

Alternatively, you can get damn close with software like STL AmpHub if you don’t fancy spending thousands on amps and cabinets. STL is cheap – like $9.99 a month – and you can mix and master hundreds of amps and cabinet combos.

Pedals

Finally, let’s take a look at the pedals used by Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher. This isn’t a definitive list, more of a guide.

Bill and Brent don’t tend to talk about pedals all that much. And neither of them is what you’d consider hardcore pedal users.

They do use pedals, of course, but just a more spartan setup compared to some of their peers.

I’ve seen Mastodon numerous times over the years. My old band even supported them once, so I managed to get a good look at both Bill and Brent’s pedal boards.

I’ve listed all the main-stays used by Bill and Brent below:

• Electro-Harmonix POG2 Polyphonic Octave Generator
• Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner
• MXR Phase 90 Phaser
• Dunlop Cry Baby Wah Pedal
• Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail Reverb

Premier Guitar has a detailed guide on what pedals Mastodon were using on its most recent Hushed & Grim tour.

Hinds relies on two very simple pedalboards to help him achieve his crushing tone. The main board starts with an Ernie Ball VP Junior volume pedal that connects to an Ibanez Tube Screamer.

From there, the signal runs through two MXR pedals—a GT-OD and a Phase 90. His delay of choice is the Boss DD-6, which then runs to an ISP Decimator and a Dunlop Cry Baby 105Q Bass Wah.

A TC Electronic PolyTune Mini keeps Hinds on track, and an MXR Custom Audio Systems Buffer helps with any signal loss due to long cable runs on big stages.

To eliminate a cluttered pedalboard, Kelliher embraces digital technology and uses a Fractal Axe-Fx II to generate his delay, chorus, rotary speaker, and octave effects.

He operates the processor with a Fractal MFC-101 MIDI foot controller, and also keeps a DigiTech JamMan next to it. This looper pedal provides sonic segues between songs to keep the show moving.

An Audiotech Guitar Products Source Selector 1X6 switcher sits above his wireless unit and allows Kelliher to easily move between amps.

Pedals are used to add depth and texture to your guitar tone, as well as create unique sounds not possible with just an amp and guitar alone. Mastodon aren’t a pedal-heavy band. They have a few that they use to devastating effect. And that’s exactly what you should aim to do.

Bill’s pedalboard has now been replaced by the Fractal Axe-Fx II. These are very pricey but as noted inside our review of Fractal Axe-Fx II, if you have the money or are a professional player, this is about as good as it gets right now for sound quality and reliability.

But if you do fancy dialling in some deep, dark, and dirty Mastodon-style tone, you really cannot go wrong with the pedals listed above.

Mastodon Guitar Techniques

Mastodon’s music draws from a wide palette of influences, including metal, stoner rock, progressive rock, Southern rock, and even country.

This eclectic mix of styles which includes techniques like hybrid picking and the use of odd time signatures is what made the band initially stand out amongst their peers.

One of the key elements of Mastodon’s guitar playing is their use of uncommon time signatures.

The band frequently incorporates 12/8 and 6/8 time signatures into their songs, adding a layer of complexity and depth to their compositions.

One of the essential guitar techniques they employ is muted alternate picking. This technique involves rapidly alternating between downstrokes and upstrokes while muting the strings with the palm of the picking hand.

Muted alternate picking is a crucial component of many Mastodon riffs, allowing them to create tight, precise, and aggressive-sounding passages.

You’ll also need to get acquainted with the Phrygian mode. This mode, which is often used in metal music, is what adds that eerie, iconic sound to many of the band’s best riffs

Mastodon frequently employs the A Phrygian mode in songs that are played in drop A tuning, where the lowest string is tuned down to an A note. This combination of the Phrygian mode and drop A tuning creates a powerful and ominous atmosphere that is central to Mastodon’s musical identity.