Q: Hi Misha, what string gauge would you recommend for a 26.5" 7-string in drop Ab tuning? Specifically on the low Ab. Have you been able to achieve it with non custom sets? Otherwise, any recommendation for string brand? (I'm an EXL/NYXL fan myself).

A: I'm currently using a 10-52 + 64 Daddario NYXL set and loving it! That's what we used on PIII as well!

(Source: https://ask.fm/MishaPeriphery/answers/136932424683)

"The backstory on this guitar is that Ola made me #15 which i absolutely fell in love with the exception of one issue: Relative to the sound i was after, straight pickups made the low strings sound weird because of the fan on the frets leaving more space between the bridge and pole pieces on those strings.

Ola offered to rebuild the body for me to accommodate slanted pickups that would solve that issue. He contacted Tim at BKP who then designed and made the first angled Aftermath set, spec'd to the fan on the guitar. This maintained a relationship between the bridge and strings that was a lot more in-line with what my other guitars have.

I loved the sound and resonance of the original body, so i made sure Ola use the same woods and used woods of the same density to maintain the sound #15 had. In the process he ended up finding a top that was even more beautiful than the last one, so this guitar saw sonic and aesthetic improvements with the rebuild!

The thing that really struck me with #15 was its instant playability. The fan on the frets was so slight that you wouldn't notice it, but you would noticed the awesome stretches you can do on a 24 fret guitar with a 24.75 scale on the high side. That coupled with probably the lowest playable action i have ever seen on a 7 string guitar made it just a dream to play. If i would describe the feel of this instrument with a few words it would be "touch sensitive".

I recieved #23 when we played Wembley Arena on this tour with Dream Theater, and the first thing i noticed was that the feel of the guitar had not been compromised in the least. Even though i had Ola up the string gauges for me to my live ones (11-64), it still had this insanely low action that still managed to sustain notes without compromise, and that touch sensitive feel to it. The real test was just playing it live for the first time having been used to the feel of my other guitars. I adjusted to the guitar with no issues and managed to play the set feeling very comfortable on the guitar even though it is VERY different from my other guitars in quite a few ways.

As far as the tone goes, the guitar sounds HUGE and almost pissed off with attack. My Daemoness probably has the most attack out of my 7s and my Jackson is the fullest sounding. My impression is that this fits very nicely in the middle. Fuller sounding than my Daemoness, and yet similar in attack qualities. Chords ring out so vibrantly on the guitar, and it stays in tune magnificently well, so i can make the most out of big ringy chords.

The only aspect of the guitar that took some getting used to was the way a headless guitar feels as you are moving about on stage. This is a very lightweight guitar, and since the neck itself has a lot less weight to it because of the headless design, the guitar will feel a little different in your hands as you headbang or move around with it, but this only took a few live songs for me to get fully used to.

So in the end, #23 ended up being a great success, and this will likely remain one of my main 7s for live use because of how quickly i got attached to its feel and sound.

I want to thank Tim Mills and Ola Strandberg for all the hard work they put into making this guitar a reality and getting it ready in time for this tour!"

– Misha Mansoor on the Strandberg #23

Misha posted this video on his youtube page and said the following in the description, "People have been asking me for videos of my Strandberg and Zilla 2x12 Cab as well as for a MAKE TOTAL DESTROY playalong, so I figured I might as well kill all those birds with one stone!". You can clearly see the EVH in the background.

Nail Ganiev. Misha what strings do you use ?? Misha Mansoor. +Nail Ganiev D'addario NYXL 11-56?

"The .88mm Dunlop Tortex Jazz III picks are the perfect mix of precision, tone and durability. I don't need anything else."

When Misha talks about his (now old) pedalboard in this video, he mentions having two noise gates, the ISP Decimator and the Boss NS-2.

In this playthrough video of "Make Total Destroy", Misha shows his Strandberg #23, his Zilla 2x12 cab and the EVH 5150 III head.

During an interview with Guitar Edge Magazine, at 1:26 Misha describes his Blackmachine B2 with "bare knuckle cold sweat pickups."

In this video, Misha's gear is also shown to consist of a regular 6505 amp head.

Misha has a huge collection of guitars that he is adding to quite often. Here, we see he has received a customized Aristides guitar model. Like with just about all of his guitars, he has loaded them with Bare Knuckle Juggernaut pickups. The full gallery of pictures were shared here on Facebook.

This Blackmachine was built by Doug, the owner, for himself from the best woods he could find. He actually sold it to MIsha and Misha as said it is one of his favorite guitars.

Misha mentions having an NS-2 in his pedalboard in this 2009 video.

Now I have the Eventide Space and H9 Max pedals on the board, as well as the Meris Polymoon and Ottobit.

This item can be seen explicitly at 0:18

At 0:59, Misha shows that he is using Cubase 6 for guitar recording.

Guitarists with heavier tastes looking for their next upgrade will find a sturdy solution in the new Peavey® invective™.120 Head and invective™.212 Cabinet. With design input from Periphery's Misha Mansoor, this dynamic duo is perfectly suited for each other, helping players achieve the most revered metal sounds, from woody and clean to the most extreme of high gain tones.

A tube amp only sounds as good as what's inside, and Peavey's invective.120 delivers quality with four matched JJ6L6GC output tubes with top-loaded bias test points and adjustment. On the rear panel, players will find paralleled speaker outputs with impedance selector, an MSDI-XLR direct output with Level/Tone/Ground Lift, MIDI out/thru, and MIDI footswitch input. The included footswitch has nine presets to further help the player achieve their desired tone. Two remote switchable effects loops, half-power switch, and two 9VDC/ 500mA auxiliary power jacks for effects pedals complete the rear panel.

In this video, Misha's studio gear is shown to consist of a Suhr Reactive Load.

In this video, Msha's gear is shown to consist of a Marshall Silver Jubilee amp head.

"The Ultra was a game changer for us both live and in the studio. The Axefx II takes the unit to an unprecedented level of realism and control. This is beyond modeling or effects processing, this is the new standard for guitarists."

Misha mentions having an OD808 "Tube Screamer" in his pedalboard in this 2009 video.

pedals that have made it onto the album

There are many like the Deep Six, but I keep coming back to it. Shown with my favorite current settings.

I just bought my first Analog Synth! @moogmusicinc Sub 37!

Photo of Misha's home studio

In this video, Misha Mansoor was seen using a TC SCF pedal.

Misha demonstrates his signature overdrive by Protone Pedals in this video.

pedals that have made it onto the album

Demo video of Misha playing his Minilogue

I have been using my Sub 37 for bass for so long that I figured I might as well get a dedicated Moog Bass synth! So excited!

At 0:13 in this video, Misha's studio rack is shown to consist of a Fractal Axe-FX III unit.