Crosses' (†††) Pedalboard & Shaun Lopez on Building Live Sounds in Fractal Audio FM9

Full Crosses' Rig Info: www.premierguitar.com/videos/...
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What if Deftones’ lead singer Chino Moreno fully leaned into his love for the Cure and Depeche Mode (think “Digital Bath,” “Teenager,” “Anniversary of an Uninteresting Event,” and “Cherry Waves”)? The short answer is Crosses (often stylized as †††). And the sole sonic sniper pillowing and piercing through Moreno’s moodily melodic vocals is multi-instrumentalist Shaun Lopez.
Prior to working with Moreno in Crosses, Lopez cofounded Far-an influential post-hardcore 1990s contemporary of the Deftones in Sacramento-and has tallied a variety of producer credits, collaborating with Chon, Rob Zombie, Lupe Fiasco, Dead Sara, Whitechapel, and others. That versatile background is evident when experiencing Crosses with a pair of headphones or seeing them live onstage.
Lopez and bassist Chuck Doom had been jamming together in the late 2000s, and later recruited Moreno to front the dark dance party. As Crosses, the trio released three EPs and a self-titled debut full-length between 2011 and 2014, before going on hiatus in 2015.
Crosses was revitalized in 2022 with fresh material. Then, following the departure of bassist Chuck Doom, the remaining duo doubled down on their digital-based dynamism to feature even more synths, keys, and electronic experimentation. Now, for almost 15 years, the band has been weaving together sounds of new wave, electronica, goth rock, industrial, and ambient pop, as if they’re producing a soundtrack to a neo-noir readaptation of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
Part of Lopez’s post-hiatus experimentation included sampling his guitar through his keys. “When we started Crosses, I was just learning to play piano,” he shares. “I think, back then, I wanted to make synthy-sounding songs, but I didn’t know how to play synths. I was like, ‘How can I get my guitar to sound like a synth?’ So I just incorporated pedals, lap steel, and anything else to make my guitar unrecognizable.
“Since those first songs, I’ve really learned how to play keyboards, and by better understanding that new instrument, at times, I’ve become more inspired by synths over guitar,” recalls Lopez.
But no matter how many synths or keyboards get put to tape, you’ll still see Lopez onstage with a guitar draped over his shoulder.
“I do prefer to play guitar live because it’s more fun and I can run around,” he shares. “I am always chasing sounds no matter the instrument it takes to get there. My sound is growing because I’m always learning. I think if you stop learning, you stop progressing … but guitar will always be home.”
Before Crosses’ sold-out show at Nashville’s Marathon Music Works, Lopez welcomed PG’s Perry Bean onstage to dissect his setup. The lone instrumentalist showed off six stellar guitars, broke down the heavy lifting his FM9 endures for Crosses’ sets, introduced a peculiar pedal he can’t live without, and demoed a Gretsch that sounds like an angry orca.
Full Crosses' Rig Info: www.premierguitar.com/videos/...
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#guitar #rigrundown #guitarist #crosses #deftones #guitarplayer #guitargear #pedalboard

[@premierguitar]

Shop Shaun Lopez' Gear:
Gibson Custom 1968 Les Paul Custom Reissue - sweetwater.sjv.io/zNVnqm
Gibson SG Special - sweetwater.sjv.io/9g3zx5
Gretsch G2420T Streamliner Hollowbody Electric Guitar
sweetwater.sjv.io/baojyB - sweetwater.sjv.io/EKNRVX
Sequential Prophet-6 - 6-voice Analog Synthesizer - sweetwater.sjv.io/21NVYD
Novation Launchkey 49 MK3 49-key Keyboard Controller - sweetwater.sjv.io/3eNmOv
Electro-Harmonix Micro Synthesizer Analog Guitar Microsynth Pedal - sweetwater.sjv.io/4PyVy0
Peterson StroboStomp HD Pedal Tuner - sweetwater.sjv.io/rQLdLj
TC Electronic PolyTune 3 Polyphonic LED Guitar Tuner Pedal with Buffer - sweetwater.sjv.io/vNaEbA
Dunlop DVP4 Volume (X) Mini Pedal - sweetwater.sjv.io/q4n5vq
Mission Engineering SP-1 Expression Pedal - sweetwater.sjv.io/Nkq2PO
Radial ProD8 8-channel Passive Instrument Direct Box - sweetwater.sjv.io/Y9a2oO
Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 PLUS 8-output Isolated Guitar Pedal Power Supply - sweetwater.sjv.io/LXm31V
Truetone 1 SPOT Slim 9V DC Adapter - sweetwater.sjv.io/MmLRjP

[@AleksanderLydkunst]

Interviewer cussin like a middle schooler 😂😂😂

[@bobdoerr9536]

He's got cool sounds and I like how it seems they are listening to this pretty dang loud.

[@Poepopdestoep]

Very nice guitar synth sounds!

[@triton1044]

Cool stuff man. Thanks y'all

[@__belial__]

I didn’t know mark wahlberg was with crosses

[@dananthony6258]

I don’t don’t there’s a sexier looking guitar than a black les paul custom. 😊

[@airixxxx]

365 black custom

[@johnqpublic2718]

Dont think id like this band

[@terrypussypower]

That EHX thing sounds a bit like Earthquaker Devices Sun O)))/Life pedal.