Guitar FX Depot

James “Munky” Shaffer (Korn) guitar rig

Keeping an up to date list of the gear Korn's number one guitarist, Munky, uses would be a full time job. As you'd expect, if you've listened to any Korn albums, Munky uses a lot of effects pedals to sculpt his signature sound.

Although the exact model may have varied, the one staple in Munky's rig has been an Ibanez seven string guitar. Munky primarily uses the Ibanez K7, a custom Ibanez 7 string guitar, although recently Ibanez launched the Munky Signature guitar, the Ibanez APEX1-BBK Munky Signature model, which he now promotes.

Other guitars he is known to have used on Korn's most recent self titled album are an Ibanez custom K14 guitar (used in the song Alone I Break) and an Ibanez custom RG8 (aka. RG 2228). Other guitars he has been known to use include various custom Ibanez 7-string guitars, Steve Vai's signature Ibanez UV7BK guitar, as well as various Ibanez K7's.

Amplifier wise, Munky has be known to use a variety of amps in the studio. In terms of his live set up, it's generally a mix of Diezel VH4's and Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifiers. Some of the amps Munky has been known to use are:

• Diezel VH4
• Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifers (used in the studio and tour)
• Marshall JCM 900 (used in the studio)
• Line 6 flextone amps (on tour)
• Rivera Knucklehead

In terms of effects, Munky's pedal board seems to be forever evolving. One of his more recent pedal boards, as seen in the Live On The Other Side DVD, can be seen in the picture below (which is a cut and paste of a number of frames from the DVD).

Running from left to right, are the following; Whirlwind A/B Selector, Ibanez Bi-Chorus, Boss RV-5 Reverb, Boss DD-6 Digital Delay, Dunlop UniVibe, Boss Metal Zone, Guyatone Flip Tremolo, Electro-Harmonix Small Stone Phaser, Digitech Synth Wah, and two Digitech XP-100's. The board is powered by twin Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2's.

Munky uses Dean Markley Light Top, Heavy Bottom strings, from top to bottom: .010 .013 .017 .030 .042 .052 .060

Here's a scan of Munky's rig as it appeared in the "Vulgar Displays of Power" column in Guitar World.

The following is a list of pedal used by Munky, indicating which ones were used for which album/tour. This list was taken from the KoRn Board and from what I've read in magazines like Guitar World in the past, looks to be relatively accurate.

USED FOR KORN, LIFE IS PEACHY
+ Vintage Leslie Cabinet ('Lies', 'Kill You')
+ Electro-Harmonix Small Stone Phaser (Russian model)
+ Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress Flanger ('No Place to Hide' )
+ Mu-tron Bi phaser
+ Ibanez BC9 Bi-Mode Chorus
+ Dunlop Uni-Vibe
+ Dunlop CryBaby Wah
+ Electro-Harmonix Big Muff
+ Roland Jet Phaser
+ ProCo Rat Distortion
+ Memphis Envelope Follower
+ Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive

USED LIVE
+ Dunlop CryBaby Wah
+ Electro-Harmonix Small Stone Phaser (Russian)
+ Electro-Harmonix Small Stone Phaser (Russian)
+ Boss RV-3 Reverb/Delay
+ Ibanez BC9 Bi-Mode Chorus
+ Ibanez Tubescreamer (Vintage)
+ Electro-Harmonix Big Muff

USED FOR FOLLOW THE LEADER
+ Dunlop Univibe
+ Dunlop Rotovibe
+ Digitech XP-100 Whammy-Wah
+ Ibanez Tubescreamer TS-9
+ Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress Flanger
+ Boss RV-5 Reverb
+ Boss HR-2 Harmonist
+ Boss DD-5/6 Delay

The following quotes come from an interview with Munky.

The Harmonist [HR-2] got used a lot too, especially on Follow the Leader, along with the Digital Delay pedal for the arpeggio effects.” For 'Got the Life,' I used a Tremolo pedal at a low rate with my Boss reverb.

The RV-5 Reverb It’s a great songwriting tool, I use it all the time when I’m experimenting, trying to find a melody over a rhythm section, because it gives you a warmer, more inspiring tone when you’re fishing for a melody. So that’s been in my lineup for at least five or six years now, especially during writing.”

USED FOR ISSUES
+ Electro-Harmonix Q-tron Envelope Filter
+ Digitech XP-100 Whammy/Wah
+ Boss PH-3 Phase Shifter
+ Boss PS-5 Super Shifter

USED LIVE
+ Whirlwind A/B Amp Selector
+ Ibanez BC9 Bi-Mode Chorus
+ Boss RV-3 Reverb/Delay
+ Ibanez TS-7 Tubescreamer
+ Dunlop Univibe
+ Ibanez DE-7 Delay/Echo
+ Ibanez PM-7 Phase Modulator
+ Electro-Harmonix Small Stone Phaser (Russian)
+ DOD FX25B Envelope Filter
+ Digitech XP-100 Whammy/Wah
+ Digitech XP-100 Whammy/Wah

USED FOR UNTOUCHABLES/TAKE A LOOK IN THE MIRROR/LIVE
+ Ibanez BC9 Bi-Mode Chorus
+ Boss RV-3 Reverb/Delay
+ Boss PS-5 Super Shifter
+ Dunlop Univibe
+ Ibanez LF-7 Lo-Fi Filter
+ Digitech Metal Master (later replaced with Boss Metal Zone)
+ Electro-Harmonix Small Stone Phaser (Russian)
+ Electro-Harmonix Small Stone Phaser (Russian)
+ Digitech XP-100 Whammy/Wah
+ Digitech XP-100 Whammy/Wah

For what it's worth, Boss US have posted an signal flow diagram of Munky's rig, although, as you'd expect, the only pedals that they have specifically named are the Boss products. It's been done in the guitar geek style so you can make out what the other pedals and amps are.

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