DESIGN PHILOSOPHY:
Head’s setup is rather straightforward, especially when compared to the rig used by his Korn co-guitarist, Munky, which will be featured here next month. “Munky’s got some crazy shit going on, especially with his pedal board,” says Head. “But mine’s much simpler. It has only five or six pedals on it, plus a clean/dirty switch for my amps.”  

CONTROL ISSUES
Although many guitarists have rigs with sophisticated MIDI systems that can switch multiple effects on and off at the touch of a single button, Head prefers to use an old-fashioned pedal board. And rather than have his tech do his effects switching for him—a common practice these days—Head prefers to stomp on his own pedals. Except for one: a Uni-Vibe that resides under the stage and is controlled by his guitar tech, Chris “Carebear” Baird. “I do 99 percent of my own switching,” says the guitarist. “The only thing Carebear kicks in is my Uni-Vibe, during ‘Falling Away from Me’ and ‘Dead Bodies Everywhere.’ I like having my pedals in front of me because I have fun switching them and I also like to experiment, if the mood strikes me. Sometimes I even get down on my knees during a show and mess with the knobs on a pedal to get a different sound.”

FAVORITE PIECE OF GEAR
“Well, it’s got to be my guitar,” says Head, referring to his signature Ibanez seven-string. “Because nothing else would work without it.”

SECRET WEAPON
“That’s tough, but I’d probably have to say my blue Boss chorus pedal,” says Head. “But I usually mix it with my Boss reverb and my DigiTech Whammy/Wah. The chorus gets me a lot of sounds that make my guitar sound like a keyboard.”