Fredrik Thordendal’s live project — the one that was eventually realized in a specific configuration for a major European performance — involved coupling 32 guitar amp heads with 32 speakers, using a switching system by German manufacturer Ampete. Thirty-two amp heads. Each one independently switchable. The aim: to have access to the specific tonal character of thirty-two different amplifiers simultaneously, within a single performance. This is not excess for its own sake but the logical extreme of a specific philosophy: every guitar passage in Meshuggah’s music has a specific tonal requirement, and the correct tool for that requirement is a specific amplifier or combination of amplifiers, and having thirty-two available means having the right one for every moment. The guitar tech who manages the Meshuggah live rig — Kent Eriksson, who discussed the setup in the 2016 Premier Guitar Rig Rundown — is one of the most technically sophisticated guitar technicians working in professional metal. Thordendal’s rig requires this level of sophistication. He is the lead guitarist and a founding member of the Swedish metal band Meshuggah. He is, along with his rhythm guitar partner Mårten Hagström (Series 2 #167), the co-inventor — alongside Ibanez — of the eight-string guitar as a standard metal instrument. Guitar World rated him number 35 on their top 100 greatest heavy metal guitarists list. The eight-string guitar on which he plays in Drop F tuning is not a curiosity or a novelty but a foundational instrument choice that changed what metal guitar was capable of. Everything followed from that.
Fredrik Thordendal was born on February 11, 1970, in Umeå, Sweden. He co-founded Meshuggah in Umeå in 1987 — the same northern Swedish city that produced the specific austere, precise, technically demanding sound that Meshuggah developed over the subsequent thirty-five years. Meshuggah first attracted international attention with Destroy Erase Improve (1995), which fused death metal tempos with jazz fusion influence and the specific polyrhythmic complexity that would define the band’s subsequent career. Since Nothing (2002), the band switched from seven-string to eight-string guitars — a decision that Thordendal and Hagström drove in direct collaboration with Ibanez. The subsequent albums — Catch 33 (2005), obZen (2008), Koloss (2012), The Violent Sleep of Reason (2016), Immutable (2022) — each represent a refinement of the specific Meshuggah aesthetic: rhythmically polymetric, technically precise, sonically crushing, and completely uncompromising in its approach to both composition and performance. Thordendal additionally released a solo album, Sol Niger Within (1997), documented as a specific jazz fusion/avant-garde departure from Meshuggah’s established aesthetic.
Background: Umeå, 7-String to 8-String Evolution, Djent Inventor Status, The Meshuggah Sound
Meshuggah’s specific place in metal history is as both a founding member and an accidental parent of the djent movement — the guitar-centered metal subgenre of the 2010s that took Meshuggah’s polyrhythmic, eight-string, highly processed palm-muted approach and developed it into a distinct aesthetic. “Unintentionally giving birth to the controversial ‘djent’ movement,” as the Wired Guitarist assessment describes it — the specific palm-muted, percussive guitar technique that Thordendal and Hagström developed for Meshuggah’s low-tuned eight-string riffs was later codified as “djent” by the online metal community, and bands including Periphery, Animals as Leaders, and dozens of others built careers from that specific stylistic foundation. Thordendal has not embraced the “djent” categorization of his playing and Meshuggah’s music, which is understandable: the band developed their specific approach from the intersection of death metal, jazz fusion, and progressive rock, not from any awareness of a subgenre that didn’t exist when they made their foundational recordings.
The transition from seven-string to eight-string was driven by the specific musical requirement of Meshuggah’s evolving compositions: the seven-string guitar’s low B string (the lowest note on a standard seven-string) was insufficient for the specific low-frequency riff vocabulary that the band’s compositions from obZen onward required. Eight strings, tuned to Drop F (F-A-D-G-B-E-B-E from low to high, a configuration that puts the lowest string two and a half steps below the standard seven-string’s low B), provided the specific low-frequency authority that the compositions needed. The 29.4-inch scale length of the production Ibanez M8M signature — significantly longer than the standard 25.5-inch guitar scale — was required to maintain proper string tension at this extreme down-tuning: shorter scale lengths produce flabby, poorly defined tone at low tunings, while longer scales maintain the string tension that gives the low-tuned notes their specific authority and definition.
His jazz fusion influence — visible in the Sol Niger Within solo album (which features specifically jazz-influenced compositional approaches and instrumentation) and in the jazz-aware harmonic sophistication that distinguishes Meshuggah’s compositions from purely death-metal or groove metal contemporaries — reflects the specific musical breadth of his education and interests. He is not only a metal guitarist; he is a musician who chose metal as his primary performance context because it provided the specific combination of rhythmic precision, extreme dynamics, and compositional ambition that his musical intelligence required, while maintaining the connection to jazz fusion sophistication that his listening history includes.
The Rig: Fredrik Thordendal’s Guitars, Amps, and Effects
Guitars
Ibanez Custom Shop “Stone Man” 27″ 8-String (Current Primary Live Guitar): Fredrik Thordendal’s primary live guitar is an Ibanez Custom Shop instrument that he designed himself from the LA Custom Shop — named the “Stone Man” and described in the Premier Guitar Rig Rundown as “an 8-string Ibanez Custom Shop ‘Stone Man’ 27″ scale guitar built on his own design (pictured, left), incorporating elements of the Fireman, Firebrand, and Explorer guitars with Flying V knob placement.” The guitar’s specific design elements reflect Thordendal’s particular aesthetic and functional preferences: the 27-inch scale length (between the standard 25.5-inch scale and the production M8M’s 29.4-inch scale) provides the string tension needed for the band’s extreme down-tuning while remaining more physically manageable than the longest-scale production models. The Lundgren M8 bridge and neck pickups with coil split provide the tonal range from full humbucker warmth to single-coil clarity. The Flying V knob placement — positioning the volume and tone controls in a different location than standard Strat-style guitars — reflects his specific playing ergonomics. A foam mute after the locking nut helps control unwanted string resonance in the very low tunings.
An alternative “Stone Man” version exists with True Temperament frets (the same intonation system Henry Kaiser (Series 2 #161) and, historically, Mary Halvorson’s mentor Derek Bailey-adjacent community have used) and a custom bridge design from German company ABM — described as “a TOM 8-string bridge, but with the inclusion of fine tuners on the stoptail piece.” The True Temperament frets provide accurate intonation across all keys on the eight-string instrument — a more complex intonation challenge than on a standard six-string guitar, and the specific precision requirement of Meshuggah’s technically demanding compositions makes accurate intonation a priority rather than a luxury.
Ibanez M8M (Production Signature, 29.4″ Scale, Japanese Version): The Ibanez M8M — the production signature model that Thordendal developed in collaboration with Ibanez and which “later evolved into the prestigious Ibanez M8M” (from the Mixdown Magazine account) — features a 29.4-inch scale length, an alder body, five-piece maple/bubinga neck-through construction, an FX Edge III bridge, and a custom-designed Lundgren Model M8 humbucker. The Premier Guitar Rig Rundown confirms he also uses “the Japanese version of his signature Ibanez M8M, which is a 29.4″ scale length.” Limited to 150 units worldwide initially, the M8M became the definitive eight-string metal guitar of the early 2010s and inspired dozens of competing eight-string models from other manufacturers. The foam mute after the locking nut appears on this instrument as well — a practical addition for the extreme down-tuning that otherwise allows open strings to ring in unwanted ways during the precise, palm-muted playing that Meshuggah’s rhythmic figures require.
Lundgren M8 Pickups (Both Custom and Production Instruments): The specific pickup in Thordendal’s eight-string instruments — the Lundgren Model M8, produced by the Swedish pickup manufacturer Lundgren Guitar Pickups — is a critical component of the Meshuggah sound. The Lundgren M8 is a custom humbucker designed specifically for eight-string guitar use, “combining passive and ceramic elements for a uniquely brutal tone.” Passive humbuckers with ceramic magnets produce a specific aggressive, high-output, tight, precise character that suits the palm-muted, heavily distorted eight-string riff vocabulary of Meshuggah’s music. Active pickups (like the EMG 808 that many other eight-string metal guitarists use) are cleaner and more compressed; the Lundgren passive/ceramic combination retains a slight “raw” quality that active pickups smooth away.
Custom RG7620 and Nevborn 7-String (Pre-2002 Seven-String Period): Before the transition to eight-string guitars on Nothing (2002), Thordendal played seven-string instruments — including the Ibanez RG7620 and custom Nevborn seven-string guitars. The seven-string period documents the earlier phase of Meshuggah’s low-extension guitar use: the seven-string’s low B string (standard) tuned to various drop configurations for the specific rhythmic vocabulary of the pre-Nothing Meshuggah albums.
Ibanez 7-String Acoustic (Documented, Practice and Writing): An Ibanez seven-string acoustic is documented in Thordendal’s collection — a seven-string acoustic guitar presumably used for songwriting, arrangement work, and practice contexts where electric amplification is not needed or not available. Acoustic instruments for composition and practice are standard professional tools for any guitarist, and the seven-string configuration reflects the extended range that Meshuggah’s compositions require.
Amps
Fractal Audio Axe-FX Ultra and Axe-FX II XL (Primary Live Amp Simulation, Controlled by Cubase via Laptop): For their primary live amplification, all three of Meshuggah’s string players (Thordendal, Hagström, and bassist Dick Lövgren) use Fractal Audio Axe-FX units. The Premier Guitar Rig Rundown confirms: “All three use Fractal Audio Ax-FX Ultras for their amps and effects, programmed with tempo for each song. The units are controlled by a laptop with Cubase, which automatically cycles through the patches throughout the show.” The Axe-FX sends guitar and bass signal straight to the PA — no physical amplifier cabinets involved. This approach gives Meshuggah absolute control over their live guitar tone: the Axe-FX’s amp models are consistent from show to show, from venue to venue, regardless of the specific PA system, stage temperature, or power supply variation. For a band whose music requires exact, precise, unyielding tone as a foundational part of the performance, the Axe-FX’s consistency is not just convenience but a musical necessity. The automation via Cubase means the specific amp model, gain settings, and effects configuration change automatically for each song — the Axe-FX cycling through patches on cue without requiring manual footswitching.
Randall Ola Englund Satan 120W Signature Head (Primary Rhythm Amp, 2016): The 2016 Premier Guitar Rig Rundown specifically documents that “both Thordendal and Hagström played through fellow Swedish shredder Ola Englund’s signature Randall Satan heads, which are used by both guitarists for their heavy chugging rhythm parts.” The Randall Satan — a 120-watt high-gain head designed with Ola Englund (the Swedish metal guitarist and YouTube personality) — provides the specific high-gain, tight, aggressive tube tone for Meshuggah’s rhythm guitar work. Running the Randall Satan alongside the Fractal Axe-FX gives Thordendal both the warmth and organic character of a real tube amplifier (from the Satan) and the absolute consistency and variety of the Axe-FX modeling system.
Fortin Meshuggah Signature Amplifier (Limited Edition, Tube Tone): The Mixdown Magazine account documents a specific Fortin Meshuggah signature amplifier: “Limited to just 150 units worldwide, the Fortin Meshuggah Sig Amp provided 50 watts of brutal tube tone, using a variety of new and old stock parts to complete the specs of the head.” The Fortin Amplification company — based in Montreal, Canada, known for their high-gain, high-quality tube amplifier designs — collaborated with Meshuggah on a signature model that provides the band’s specific combination of high-gain brutality, tonal clarity, and bottom-end authority in a tube amplifier format. The 50-watt rating (moderate for heavy metal) ensures that the power tubes are operating in their natural saturation range without the extreme clean headroom of higher-wattage designs.
Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier (Historical, Recordings and Earlier Touring): The Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier appears in Thordendal’s historical documentation as a recording and touring amplifier from the early Meshuggah career — the standard high-gain choice of 1990s and 2000s metal, whose specific “dual rectifier” power supply provides the tight, punchy character that Meshuggah’s riffs require. The Dual Rectifier’s specific character — tight bass, scooped midrange in some modes, aggressive high-gain saturation — suits the palm-muted, rhythmically precise Meshuggah approach that requires each note to have a specific “thump” quality without blurring into adjacent notes.
The 32-Amp Ampete Project (Special Performance): The most ambitious live amplification project associated with Thordendal’s name: the KLOTZ AIS documentation mentions the aim “to couple 32 guitar amp heads with 32 speakers, using a switching system by German manufacturer Ampete.” This project — developed for a specific major European performance — represents the logical extreme of Thordendal’s amplifier philosophy: having access to the specific tonal character of every available amplifier type within a single performance, switchable in real time. The Ampete switching system (Ampete makes sophisticated multi-amp switching units for professional touring musicians) makes this practically manageable. The project documents the difference between the Meshuggah approach (the right tool for every specific moment, even if that requires 32 amplifiers) and the minimalist approach of musicians like Jason Pierce (four pedals, no amplifiers beyond the PA).
Effects and Controllers
Fractal Audio Axe-FX (Amp Modeling, Controlled by Cubase): The primary “effect” in Thordendal’s signal chain is the Fractal Audio Axe-FX itself — which handles not just effects processing but complete amp modeling, effects routing, and patch automation. The Cubase laptop control means that Meshuggah’s entire live signal chain is essentially a MIDI-controlled computer system: the human guitarist provides the physical performance; the computer manages the tonal environment.
Behringer FCB1010 MIDI Foot Controller (Real-Time Switching): The Equipboard documentation and the Premier Guitar Rig Rundown both confirm a Behringer FCB1010 MIDI Foot Controller in Thordendal’s documented rig. The FCB1010 is a professional-level MIDI floor controller with ten footswitches and two expression pedals, allowing direct MIDI control of the Axe-FX and other MIDI-capable devices from the floor during performance.
Fortin Amps Custom Preamp Pedal (2016, Documented): A Fortin Amps Custom Preamp Pedal appears in the 2016 Premier Guitar Rig Rundown documentation — a preamp stage that provides additional gain shaping before the Axe-FX or amplifier input.
Pigtronix Mothership Guitar Synth (Documented): The Pigtronix Mothership analog guitar synthesizer — a monophonic guitar synth based on voltage-controlled oscillator synthesis — is documented in Thordendal’s gear (via Equipboard from Pigtronix’s own show). The Mothership’s analog synthesis capabilities allow the guitar signal to trigger synth-like sounds rather than conventional guitar tones — consistent with his jazz fusion interest in extending the guitar’s sonic range beyond its conventional character.
Pigtronix Philosopher King Compressor (Documented): The Pigtronix Philosopher King — a studio-quality compressor with an envelope filter and a clean blend function — appears in Thordendal’s documented rig. Compression is critical for the even, precise, note-by-note clarity of Meshuggah’s palm-muted playing: each palm-muted note should have the same apparent volume and the same attack character, and a well-set compressor ensures this consistency.
DR Strings (Endorsed): The Meshuggah official website confirms DR Strings as an endorsed string brand — appropriate for the extreme down-tuning of Drop F, where string gauge and construction quality significantly affect the tone and playability of the low strings at extended scale lengths.
Playing Style & Tone Philosophy
Fredrik Thordendal’s playing style is the most technically demanding in the metal guitar tradition — a lead guitar approach built on the jazz fusion influence he absorbed through his listening history and deployed in the context of Meshuggah’s extreme rhythmic and tonal environment. His solos — documented on every Meshuggah album as the specific contrast to Hagström’s rhythm work — combine jazz-inflected melodic lines (the jazz vocabulary applied to metal’s harmonic context), extreme technical precision, and the specific electronic processing that gives his leads their characteristic warm-but-slightly-alien quality (the Pigtronix Mothership’s synth element, the Axe-FX’s specific amp model choices for lead passages versus rhythm passages).
His tone philosophy is the metal guitarist’s philosophy of precision: every note must be placed exactly, every palm mute must be exactly as muted as intended, every sustained note must sustain exactly as long as the composition requires. The Axe-FX automation — controlled by Cubase, cycling through patches automatically for each song — reflects this philosophy: the guitarist should not have to manage the tonal environment during performance; the system should manage it, freeing the performer to focus entirely on the physical precision that Meshuggah’s music demands.
The eight-string guitar in Drop F is not a technical challenge for its own sake but a compositional necessity: the specific low-frequency tonal territory that Meshuggah’s compositions inhabit requires strings capable of reaching those frequencies with the precision and definition that the rhythmically complex riff patterns demand. A six-string guitar cannot access this tonal territory; a seven-string can approximate it but not achieve it with full authority. The eight-string in Drop F is the specific tool that the specific music requires.
How to Sound Like Fredrik Thordendal
Guitar: An eight-string guitar with a 27-inch or longer scale length — the Ibanez M8M signature (29.4-inch), Ibanez RG8, or any quality eight-string with active or high-output passive pickups. Lundgren M8 pickups are the authentic choice; the Seymour Duncan Nazgûl 8 or similar high-output ceramic humbucker provides accessible alternatives. Tune to Drop F (F-A♭-D♭-G♭-B♭-E♭-B♭-E♭ from low to high, one common Meshuggah configuration) or approximate with Drop A on a six-string as a starting point.
Amp: Fractal Audio Axe-FX III (current model) or Fractal Audio FM3 for the digital modeling approach. For tube amplifier approach: Fortin Meshuggah Sig Amp, Randall Satan, or Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier for the rhythm work.
Amp Settings (High-Gain Tube Amp, Rhythm):
| Control | Setting (0–10) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gain | 7–9 | High — the low-tuned 8-string needs gain to speak clearly |
| Bass | 5–6 | Controlled — excessive bass blurs the low-string palm mutes |
| Mid | 4–5 | Slightly scooped — metal tone requires midrange clarity without boxiness |
| Treble | 6–7 | Present — the low-tuned strings need treble definition for note clarity |
| Presence | 5–6 | Moderate — attack definition without excessive brightness |
Technique: The palm mute is the foundational technique of Thordendal’s rhythm playing — placing the side of the picking hand across the strings near the bridge, muting them partially to produce the percussive “djent” attack of low-tuned metal guitar. Absolute rhythmic precision is not optional: Meshuggah’s polyrhythmic compositions require every note to be placed exactly within the compound time signatures. Practice with a metronome at slow tempos, building both the palm mute control and the rhythmic accuracy before increasing tempo.
Influence & Legacy
Fredrik Thordendal’s influence on metal guitar is the most structurally significant of any guitarist in the metal tradition since the mid-1990s. His specific contributions — the eight-string guitar as a standard metal instrument (developed with Ibanez), the Drop F tuning as an extreme low-extension approach, the polyrhythmic compositional framework of Meshuggah’s music, the Fractal Axe-FX as the primary professional live tool for heavy guitar — have all become foundational elements of contemporary metal guitar. The djent movement, the progressive metal expansion of the 2010s, the widespread adoption of extended-range guitars (seven-string, eight-string, nine-string) across metal — all trace back to Meshuggah’s specific innovations, which Thordendal and Mårten Hagström (Series 2 #167) drove in their specific creative partnership.
His connection to Hagström as creative partner is the most important single relationship in understanding his contribution — the rhythm/lead division between the two guitarists (Hagström’s rhythmic precision providing the foundation for Thordendal’s jazz-fusion-inflected lead work) is the specific creative dynamic that produces the Meshuggah sound. Neither could produce it without the other.
Internal Links:
- Mårten Hagström, Thordendal’s Meshuggah rhythm guitar partner and 8-string co-developer at #167
- Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth, a fellow Swedish metal guitarist of the same generation at #168
- Misha Mansoor of Periphery, one of the primary inheritors of Meshuggah’s 8-string and djent approach at #171
- Bill Kelliher of Mastodon, a fellow technical/progressive metal guitarist of the same era at #186
Frequently Asked Questions: Fredrik Thordendal Meshuggah Guitars & Gear
What guitar does Fredrik Thordendal play?
Thordendal’s primary live guitar is the Ibanez Custom Shop “Stone Man” — a 27-inch scale 8-string guitar that he designed himself at the LA Custom Shop, incorporating elements of the Fireman, Firebrand, and Explorer body styles with Flying V knob placement. It features Lundgren M8 pickups with coil split and a foam mute after the locking nut. He also uses the production Ibanez M8M (29.4-inch scale) signature guitar. A “Stone Man” variant exists with True Temperament frets and a custom ABM bridge with fine tuners. Both instruments are tuned to Drop F (Meshuggah’s standard tuning since the Nothing album).
What amplifier does Fredrik Thordendal use?
In live performance, all three Meshuggah string players use Fractal Audio Axe-FX units (Ultra and II XL models) sending signal directly to the PA — no physical amplifier cabinets. The patches are programmed with tempo for each song and controlled by a laptop running Cubase, which automatically cycles through patches during the show. For rhythm guitar sections, both Thordendal and Hagström additionally run through Randall Ola Englund Satan 120W signature heads. The Fortin Meshuggah Signature Amp (limited to 150 units) provided the studio and special event tube tone. Historical amplifiers include Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier.
Why does Meshuggah use 8-string guitars?
Meshuggah switched from seven-string to eight-string guitars for the Nothing album (2002) because the eight-string’s additional low string — combined with Drop F tuning (lowering the lowest string to F) — provided the specific low-frequency tonal territory that their evolving compositions required. The eight-string’s 29.4-inch extended scale length (on the M8M) maintains proper string tension at this extreme down-tuning, giving the low-frequency riffs the definition and precision that standard-scale guitars cannot achieve at Drop F. Thordendal and Hagström collaborated with Ibanez to develop the M80M (prototype) and M8M (production) as the standard eight-string metal instrument.
What is Drop F tuning?
Drop F is the lowest of Meshuggah’s primary tuning configurations — dropping the lowest string of an eight-string guitar to F (two and a half steps below the standard eight-string’s low F# in standard tuning). The full tuning from low to high is approximately F-A♭-D♭-G♭-B♭-E♭-B♭-E♭. At this pitch, only the extended scale length of the Ibanez M8M (29.4 inches) or the custom Stone Man (27 inches) maintains sufficient string tension for clear, defined note articulation. Six-string guitars typically use Drop D as their lowest drop tuning; Meshuggah’s Drop F requires instruments specifically designed for the purpose.
What are Lundgren M8 pickups and why does Thordendal use them?
The Lundgren M8 is a custom humbucker designed by Swedish pickup manufacturer Lundgren Guitar Pickups specifically for eight-string guitar use. It combines passive construction with ceramic magnet elements for “a uniquely brutal tone” — the high output, tight low-frequency response, and aggressive attack that Meshuggah’s palm-muted, heavily distorted eight-string riffs require. Active pickups (like the EMG 808 used by many other eight-string players) provide a cleaner, more compressed character; the Lundgren M8’s passive/ceramic combination retains a slight raw, organic quality that active pickups smooth out, contributing to the specific character of Meshuggah’s guitar sound.
What is the Fortin Meshuggah Signature Amplifier?
The Fortin Meshuggah Signature Amplifier was a collaboration between Meshuggah and Montreal-based boutique amp builder Fortin Amplification — a 50-watt tube head limited to 150 units worldwide, designed to provide the specific tonal character of Meshuggah’s studio guitar sound in a tube amplifier format. The 50-watt rating ensures the power tubes operate in their natural saturation range. The amp features “a variety of new and old stock parts” per the Mixdown Magazine description. Fortin Amplification is known for their high-gain, high-quality tube amplifier designs used by several major metal artists.
What is Fredrik Thordendal’s solo album Sol Niger Within?
Sol Niger Within (1997) is Fredrik Thordendal’s solo album, released under the name “Fredrik Thordendal’s Special Defects.” It represents a significant departure from Meshuggah’s sound — incorporating jazz fusion, avant-garde, and more melodically varied approaches than the Meshuggah aesthetic allows. The album features contributions from various jazz and progressive music players and was documented at the time as a revelation of the jazz fusion influence that runs through Meshuggah’s compositional sophistication but is not always audible in their extremely heavy live context. It documents the breadth of Thordendal’s musical range beyond the specific demands of Meshuggah.
