RIGGED: ARCH ENEMY’S SHARLEE D’ANGELO
Arch Enemy are currently out on their MetalSucks-sponsored North American tour with DevilDriver, Skeletonwitch and Chthonic (dates here). Devildriver guitarist Mike Spreitzer recently put together a Rigged feature for MetalSucks detailing his live guitar setup, and now it’s time for a little bit of bass love courtesy Arch Enemy low-end master Sharlee D’Angelo. Here’s Sharlee:
My main bass is the Ibanez SDB Custom with a white finish. I’ve been playing Ibanez basses since 2005 and I’m very pleased with our relationship. They build me killer weaponry and we’ve also done a ”Sharlee D’Angelo Signature model” for a few years now. This is my main bass on the current North American Khaos 2011 tour, fresh out of the LA custom shop, paint barely dry! Mahogany body and maple/bubinga neck.
I’m currently using an Ibanez SDB2 prototype (white finish) as my backup for this run. It’s actually the prototype for an upcoming signature model, so I’m trying it out to see what needs to be tweaked for the actual production model. The main difference from my signature SDB1 model (aside from the finish) is that the neck is bolt-on rather than through-body. Mainly to give it a bitier, more Precision-like tone, but also with the added bonus of being more affordable.
The first pedal in my signal chain is the MXR bass d.i.+. This excellent little pedal I throw in for a little extra ”oomph!” and not as an actual DI box. It has at times proven to be an absolute lifesaver on fly-in dates where you might encounter some pretty bad sounding local backline. It can turn the thinnest sounding amp into a veritable monster!
I use the ProCo Rat to give the overall sound a bit more nastiness and bite, with the volume almost all the way up and the drive set around eight o’clock. I’ve tried a whole bunch of different types of distortion units throughout the years, but I keep coming back to this one.
I use the Boss TU-3. Your basic floor tuner, easily visible on a dark stage.
I first tried out the Aguilar gear on the last North American tour in early 2010 and I haven’t looked back since. The Aguilar DB 751 has very few knobs, but it doesn’t need any more since the tone is pretty much there from the start. I have two of them on stage. Only problem being the overpowering volume capability, all according to my fellow bandmates…
I tried Aguilar DB 810 cabs and the DB 412 model, and I’m still not sure which one sounds the best. But the 810’s were available with the old school silver front so that sold me right there! I have two on stage.
Other stuff in my rig: LINE 6 Wireless (x2), Dunlop Tortex .88mm picks, Rotosound strings and Planet Waves cables.
My setup is fairly straight forward as you can see. The basic sound that I’m after is something that can compliment as well as compete with the massive wall of guitars courtesy of the Amott brothers, and that is not an easy task, let me tell you! But this rig delivers enough mid-punch and low-end thunder to annihilate a small village, and it is extremely reliable as well.
-Sharlee D’Angelo / Arch Enemy
