Billy Howerdel – What Normal Was

Album 2022

The music gear and equipment used by the artists, producers, engineers, and more involved in the making of the 2022 album What Normal Was.

Music from What Normal Was

Artists on What Normal Was

Billy Howerdel

Roles:

Guitarist Bassist Keyboardist Composer

Groups:

A Perfect Circle Ashes Divide

Gear Used On What Normal Was

Explore the instruments, equipment, software, and production tools used in the making of Billy Howerdel – What Normal Was (2022). Click more on each item to see exactly how it was used.

Billy Howerdel

Roles:

Guitarist Bassist Keyboardist Composer

Amplifiers used by Billy Howerdel on What Normal Was

Guitar Amplifier Heads

Marshall JMP Superlead 100 Watt

Avg price: $2,376.36

"I use the same Marshall amp I’ve always had, a 1978 Super Lead 100 with a modified preamp by Dave Friedman. I came to him with this other amp that I liked the sound of, and we used that as the preamp." – Billy Howerdel on his 1978 Marshall Super Lead 100

Mentioned as a part of the rig used to record his debut solo album, "What Normal Was", according to November 2022 Guitar World interview.

There’s the Gibson Custom Classic given to him by Trent Reznor in the mid Nineties, his Dave Friedman-modded 1978 Marshall Super Lead, the Gibson Goldtone he describes as a “pirate sound” — and that prized Experience octave fuzz by Prescription Electronics. “The Marshall mod was mainly to do with the power tubes and biasing,” Howerdel says. “It’s a fast amp that reacts instantly, which there are pros and cons to... It has a different sound to your typical softly overdriven Plexi head. I found this 60-watt Naylor combo and loved it, so I showed Dave Friedman and he modded the Marshall to sound like that. I don’t even know if they still make those Experience pedals, but they’re hand-painted in different colors and sound great. I enjoy using the Fractal octaver too, rolling the volume down with the tone completely off to get this ghostly thing that, again, doesn’t sound like guitar, but maybe that’s why I like it!”

Combo Guitar Amplifiers

Gibson GA-15RV Goldtone

Howerdel shows the amplifier in Premier Guitar's rig rundown. Mentioned as a part of the rig used to record his debut solo album, "What Normal Was", according to November 2022 Guitar World interview.

There’s the Gibson Custom Classic given to him by Trent Reznor in the mid Nineties, his Dave Friedman-modded 1978 Marshall Super Lead, the Gibson Goldtone he describes as a “pirate sound” — and that prized Experience octave fuzz by Prescription Electronics.

Guitars used by Billy Howerdel on What Normal Was

Solid Body Electric Guitars

Gibson Les Paul Classic

Avg price: $2,063.80

Gibson Les Pauls, predominantly a 1991 Les Paul Classic given to him by Trent Reznor. Plays Ernie Ball strings, with Dunlop 1.0mm Nylon picks. Tom Anderson Pickups. H3+ Bridge H1- neck. Mentioned as a part of the rig used to record his debut solo album, "What Normal Was", according to November 2022 Guitar World interview.

Effects Pedals used by Billy Howerdel on What Normal Was

Fuzz Effects Pedals

Prescription Electronics Experience Octave Swell Fuzz Effects Pedal

Mentioned as a part of the rig used to record his debut solo album, "What Normal Was", according to November 2022 Guitar World interview.

I don’t even know if they still make those Experience pedals, but they’re hand-painted in different colors and sound great. I enjoy using the Fractal octaver too, rolling the volume down with the tone completely off to get this ghostly thing that, again, doesn’t sound like guitar, but maybe that’s why I like it!”