Per Nilsson replaced Fredrik Thordendal in Meshuggah for four years. This is not a small biographical fact. Fredrik Thordendal is one of the most significant and most technically specific guitarists in the history of metal — the co-inventor of the eight-string guitar as a standard metal instrument, the architect of the Drop F tuning approach, the lead guitarist whose jazz-fusion-inflected solo vocabulary defines the specific character of Meshuggah’s lead guitar. When Thordendal took a hiatus from touring between 2017 and 2021, Meshuggah needed a replacement lead guitarist. They chose Per Nilsson — a guitarist who had built his reputation with Scar Symmetry, whose technical proficiency spans the complete range of modern metal guitar technique (rhythm, lead, sweep-picking, tapping, legato, polychord application), and who had graduated from Berklee College of Music with a bachelor’s degree in Guitar Performance, Music Business, and Music Production/Engineering in 2012. The Meshuggah community did not regard the Thordendal replacement with comfort; the specific guitar work that Thordendal does is so personal that no replacement could be the same. Nilsson was not the same. He was, by all accounts, excellent. He toured the world with one of the most demanding live acts in metal for four years, playing music that requires both Thordendal’s specific jazz-fusion lead vocabulary and Hagström’s extraordinary rhythmic precision, as a hired musician who had learned the material from recordings rather than from the years of joint creative development that produced it. He then returned to Scar Symmetry. His Strandberg Boden Singularity 7-string and his Randall 667 were waiting. The Behringer V-Amp that recorded the first two Scar Symmetry albums was long retired. Everything had changed except the music.
Per Fredrik Nilsson was born on March 5, 1974, in Sweden. He discovered music through his parents’ vinyl collection of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. He began with recorder and violin before switching to guitar at age nine. His primary guitar influences include Yngwie Malmsteen, Gary Moore, and Allan Holdsworth — a combination that explains the specific character of his lead playing: Malmsteen’s neoclassical precision and sweep-picking vocabulary, Moore’s blues-inflected emotional directness, and Holdsworth’s legato-dominated harmonic sophistication. He co-founded Scar Symmetry in 2004 with Jonas Kjellgren, handling guitars, keyboards, and much of the songwriting while simultaneously producing and mixing the band’s albums. He also plays with Kaipa — the Swedish progressive rock band — and has been involved with Nocturnal Rites and numerous other acts as a guest artist and producer/mixing engineer. He is one of the most multi-faceted musician-engineers in Swedish metal.
Background: Beethoven and Beatles Vinyl, Berklee 2012, Scar Symmetry 2004, The Meshuggah Years 2017-2021
Nilsson’s musical formation — from classical recorder and violin through Beatles and Rolling Stones vinyl to Yngwie Malmsteen and Allan Holdsworth — reflects the specific breadth of musical education that produces technically sophisticated guitarists rather than genre specialists. Malmsteen provided the neoclassical framework: the specific application of Baroque harmonic language and compositional approaches to electric guitar within a rock and metal context, the specific sweep-picking arpeggios and scalar runs that Malmsteen developed from Paganini and Bach. Gary Moore provided the emotional directness: the blues-inflected bending and vibrato, the specific quality of feeling in every bent note that distinguishes Moore from technically superior but emotionally thinner players. Allan Holdsworth provided the harmonic sophistication: the legato approach (hammer-ons and pull-offs rather than picked individual notes for runs), the specific harmonic language from jazz and fusion that goes beyond pentatonic scales into the full chromatic spectrum. The combination of these three produces a guitarist who can execute with Malmsteen precision, feel with Moore’s emotional depth, and think with Holdsworth’s harmonic sophistication.
His Berklee College of Music graduation in May 2012 — with a Bachelor of Music degree in Guitar Performance, Music Business and Management, and Music Production/Engineering — is one of the more unusual biographical facts in the metal world. He entered Berklee as an established professional guitarist (Scar Symmetry had already released four albums by 2012) and emerged with formal academic credentials in three different music-adjacent disciplines. The Production/Engineering dimension is particularly relevant: he handles the recording and mixing of his own solos from home for Scar Symmetry albums, and his Berklee engineering training gave him the specific technical vocabulary and practical skills to do this at a professional level.
Scar Symmetry’s formation in 2004 combined Nilsson’s technical guitar work with Jonas Kjellgren’s complementary rhythm approach and the melodic death metal framework that the Gothenburg scene had established. The band’s specific sound — melodic death metal with strong progressive and neoclassical elements — provided the ideal context for Nilsson’s Allan Holdsworth + Malmsteen + Moore synthesis: complex, technically demanding, but accessible enough to build a substantial fanbase within the melodic death metal community.
The Meshuggah touring years (2017-2021) represent a specific biographical chapter that has no parallel in this guide: a guitarist learning and performing another major artist’s specific body of work — including the guitar material that Thordendal developed over three decades with the band — at the highest professional level. The specific technical demands of playing Meshuggah’s music include not just Thordendal’s jazz-fusion lead vocabulary but the specific rhythmic integration with Hagström’s polymetric patterns that requires complete internalization of the compositional approach. “Here’s the rig I use with Meshuggah; a couple of MXR pedals and an Axe-Fx,” he documented on social media — a practical acknowledgment that the Meshuggah rig is different from his Scar Symmetry rig, adapted to the specific requirements of playing Thordendal’s parts.
The Rig: Per Nilsson’s Guitars, Amps, and Effects
Guitars
Strandberg Boden Singularity 7-String (Current Primary Guitar, Signature Model): Per Nilsson’s current primary guitar is the .strandberg* Boden Singularity 7-string — his signature model with the Swedish guitar manufacturer known for their ergonomic, headless designs. The Equipboard documentation: “Per Nilsson uses the .strandberg* Singularity 7-string production model as his signature guitar.” The Strandberg artist page’s characterization of Nilsson is the most complete available: “Per Nilsson is the prototypical modern metal guitarist: virtuosic in both rhythm and lead playing, melodic yet mean, brutal while musical, and intelligent as well as instinctive as a writer.” The Strandberg Boden’s specific construction — headless design (no headstock, with the tuners located at the bridge end), multi-scale (fanned frets that vary in scale length from treble to bass for optimal tension across all strings), lightweight, and ergonomically designed to minimize physical strain — suits a musician who performs demanding technical music across extensive touring schedules.
The custom Lundgren Per Nilsson Anomaly humbucking pickups on his signature model are designed with Lundgren — the same Swedish pickup manufacturer used by Meshuggah (M8 pickups) and other Swedish metal guitarists — for “enhanced clarity and dynamic response tailored to high-gain metal applications, along with hardware suited to heavier string gauges and lower tunings common in progressive and power metal.” In November 2025, Strandberg released the fourth-generation Boden Singularity NX 7 Pitch Black — documenting the ongoing collaboration between Nilsson and Strandberg across multiple model generations.
Ibanez JEM Series (Primary 1992-2013, Flower-Patterned Variant): Prior to his Strandberg endorsement beginning around 2013, Nilsson was endorsed by Ibanez Guitars from 1992 to 2013 — primarily using JEM series models, “such as the flower-patterned 6-string variant, for his neoclassical lead work due to their fast necks and versatile tone options.” The Ibanez JEM — Steve Vai’s signature model with its distinctive “monkey grip” handle, distinctive hardware configuration, and the specific fast, thin neck profile — provided the playing feel appropriate for the neoclassical sweep-picking and legato runs of Nilsson’s Malmsteen-influenced vocabulary. The flower-patterned finish connects him visually to the Steve Vai tradition: Vai’s own flower-pattern JEM is one of the most recognizable guitars in rock history.
Solar A2.6 (Documented, “Coffee with Ola” Pre-Production): “In a ‘Coffee with Ola’ YouTube episode, Per Nilsson is seen playing the Solar A2.6, even before its official production began.” The Solar A2.6 — from Ola Englund’s (of Randall Satan fame) guitar company Solar Guitars — represents another extended-range instrument in his documented collection, specifically designed for heavy metal with high-output pickups and construction optimized for drop tunings.
DiMarzio DP759 PAF 7 (Earlier Bridge Pickup): “Per Nilsson is mentioned on SevenString.org as using the DiMarzio DP759 PAF 7 pickup in the bridge position of his Ibanez RG7420.” The DiMarzio PAF 7 is a seven-string humbucker designed to replicate the warm, clear character of vintage PAF pickups in the seven-string format — lower output than the ceramic humbuckers more commonly used in metal, but with more dynamic sensitivity and a warmer harmonic character suited to the melodic and neoclassical passages in his playing.
EMG 57 (Seven-String Bridge Pickup, Documented): “In description he writes that he uses EMG 57 humbucker for seven string guitar.” The EMG 57 — an active humbucker with a specific warm, clear, articulate character that differs from the more compressed EMG 81 and 85 that dominate high-gain metal — documents another pickup choice in his extended-range guitar configurations.
Amps
Randall 667 6-Channel 120-Watt Programmable All-Tube (Primary Live Amp): Per Nilsson’s primary live amplifier is the Randall 667 — a 120-watt all-tube head with six independent channels, each programmable for specific tonal settings. “Per Nilsson frequently uses the Randall 667 6-Channel 120-Watt Programmable All Tube Guitar Amp Head, as evidenced by images available through Google.” The six channels provide the tonal flexibility that Scar Symmetry’s material requires: clean channel for the melodic, progressive sections; crunch for rhythm; multiple lead channels for the specific overdrive characters of different passages. The Randall 667’s specific programmable, switchable architecture suits a musician who needs different tones for different sections of complex progressive metal songs without manual knob adjustment between channels.
Randall Thrasher 120W (Alongside the 667): “Per Nilsson uses the Randall Thrasher 120W amplifier head alongside the Randall 667 during his performances with Scar Symmetry, as confirmed by Randall Amplifiers.” Running two Randall heads simultaneously — the 667’s six-channel flexibility alongside the Thrasher’s aggressive, focused tone — provides both tonal variety and sonic weight in the live performance context. The Thrasher is Randall’s flagship high-gain design: ultra-tight, aggressive, with the specific “rectifier-style” bass response that suits low-tuned metal.
Randall RD45H Diavlo 45W Tube Head (Documented, “Noumenon and Phenomenon”): “Per is jamming to ‘Noumenon And Phenomenon’ on a Randall RD45H Diavlo 45W tube head in this YouTube video.” The Diavlo is Randall’s lower-wattage British-voiced tube offering — a 45-watt head with EL34 tubes (the British tube type, as opposed to the American 6L6 and 6V6 types in most Randall designs) providing a specific warm, harmonically complex British character distinct from the tighter American tone of the Thrasher and 667.
Mesa Boogie John Petrucci Signature (Studio Recording): “He has also employed Mesa Boogie heads like the John Petrucci signature model for studio recordings to achieve saturated, articulate distortion.” The Mesa Boogie JP-2C (John Petrucci signature) — Petrucci’s collaboration with Mesa Boogie producing a specific high-gain head with the Mark IIC+ circuit topology that Petrucci and other Dream Theater-associated guitarists favor — provides the specific “articulate distortion” that Nilsson’s neoclassical leads require: sufficient gain for full sustain, but clear enough that each note of fast sweep-picked passages and legato runs remains individually distinct.
Axe-FX for Meshuggah (Adapted to Thordendal’s Rig Requirements): “Here’s the rig I use with Meshuggah; a couple of MXR pedals and an Axe-Fx.” For the Meshuggah touring years (2017-2021), Nilsson adapted his setup to the Meshuggah standard — using the same Fractal Axe-FX platform that Thordendal and Hagström use, with the specific patches developed to replicate (as closely as possible) Thordendal’s lead tones. This is the specific practical challenge of replacing a distinctive guitarist: not just learning the notes but finding the tonal configuration that produces the specific character of the original guitarist’s parts.
Behringer V-Amp (First Two Scar Symmetry Albums, Home Studio): The Guitar Messenger interview documents one of the more honest gear admissions in Swedish metal: “For the first two albums, I used a Behringer V-Amp — really cheap gear.” The Behringer V-Amp is a budget consumer-level multi-effects processor — not a prestigious studio piece of equipment, not a tube amplifier, not a professional recording tool by the standards of established studios. Using it for the first two Scar Symmetry albums — the recordings that established the band’s reputation — documents the specific home-studio, limited-budget origins of the band’s most important early work. He noted that Dark Tranquillity also used V-Amp for recording, acknowledging it as a shared low-budget solution that nonetheless produced professional-quality results: “It’s a good-sounding unit for its price.”
Effects
Boss SY-1 Synthesizer Pedal (Newest Scar Symmetry Album): “He mentions in 13:50 that he used SY-1 on the newest Scar Symmetry album.” The Boss SY-1 is a guitar synthesizer pedal that uses the guitar signal to trigger synthesizer-like tones — adding an electronic, synthesized dimension to the guitar sound. His use of it on recent Scar Symmetry material reflects the progressive dimension of the band’s evolving sound.
MXR Pedals (Meshuggah Touring Rig): “Here’s the rig I use with Meshuggah; a couple of MXR pedals and an Axe-Fx.” The specific MXR pedals are not documented, but their presence alongside the Axe-FX in the Meshuggah touring rig confirms that Nilsson adapted his effects approach for the Meshuggah context — using analog MXR pedals alongside the digital Axe-FX, consistent with the Meshuggah approach of mixing analog and digital processing.
PreSonus Audio Interface and Various Software Apps (Home Studio Recording): “I’ve got a computer with a PreSonus audio interface, and I use different software apps.” His home studio setup — confirmed in the Guitar Messenger interview — is the production environment for his Scar Symmetry solos and for his production and mixing work for other bands. The PreSonus audio interface (a professional-grade recording interface) with software amp modeling provides the consistent, controllable recording environment that allows him to work from home with professional results.
Playing Style & Tone Philosophy
Per Nilsson’s playing style is the most formally educated in this section of the guide — the approach of a musician who has studied both the informal curriculum of guitar influences (Malmsteen, Moore, Holdsworth) and the formal curriculum of a Berklee education, and who applies both systematically to a specific genre context. His Strandberg artist page characterization — “virtuosic in both rhythm and lead playing, melodic yet mean, brutal while musical, and intelligent as well as instinctive as a writer” — captures the specific quality of his approach: the technical range covers the full spectrum from rhythm brutality to lead melody, and the compositional intelligence that produced it goes beyond instinct to include formal musical knowledge.
His tone philosophy reflects the studio engineer dimension of his career: the right sound for the specific part, achieved through the right combination of guitar, amplifier, and effects for the specific tonal requirement. The Behringer V-Amp for the first two albums documents his willingness to use available tools — “cheap gear,” as he called it — when the expensive options aren’t available. The Strandberg + Randall 667 + Mesa Boogie John Petrucci combination for later work documents his access to better tools and his systematic exploitation of them. The Axe-FX for Meshuggah documents his adaptability to different tonal environments. In each context, the approach is the same: find the tools that produce the specific tonal result the music requires, use them expertly, and record everything at home if necessary.
His role in Meshuggah — filling in for Thordendal — is the most specific public demonstration of his tonal and technical range. Playing Thordendal’s specific guitar parts in front of audiences who know those parts is one of the most demanding contexts a replacement guitarist can face. His four-year successful tenure in that role is the most authoritative available evidence of his comprehensive technical and musical capability.
How to Sound Like Per Nilsson
Guitar: Strandberg Boden Singularity 7-string (Nilsson signature) or comparable headless, multi-scale seven-string with extended-range capabilities and high-quality passive humbuckers. Custom Lundgren Per Nilsson Anomaly pickups are the authentic choice; DiMarzio PAF 7 or Seymour Duncan comparable seven-string humbucker for accessible alternatives.
Amp: Randall 667 6-channel for live performance tonal flexibility. Mesa Boogie JP-2C for studio recording high-gain clarity. Randall Thrasher alongside the 667 for live weight and dual-head sonic density.
Amp Settings (Randall 667 / High-Gain Programmable Tube Head):
| Control | Setting (0–10) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gain | 7–9 | High — but articulate; neoclassical leads need note definition |
| Bass | 5–6 | Full — seven-string needs bass support but not excess |
| Mid | 5–6 | Present — neoclassical leads live in the midrange |
| Treble | 6–7 | Bright — high-speed legato and sweep runs need treble definition |
| Presence | 5 | Moderate — attack without harshness for sustained lead notes |
Technique: The Malmsteen + Holdsworth combination: sweep-picking arpeggios (the wide, multi-string arpeggio picking that Malmsteen brought to metal from classical music) alongside legato runs (Holdsworth’s hammer-on/pull-off approach to fluid, smooth passages). The Gary Moore element: bending and vibrato with emotional commitment, not just technical precision. Polychords (his Berklee-influenced harmonic approach) for chord coloring beyond standard metal power chords.
Influence & Legacy
Per Nilsson’s influence on progressive and melodic death metal is the most quietly significant in Sweden’s extensive contribution to the genre. Scar Symmetry’s six studio albums documented a guitarist who combined neoclassical precision with melodic death metal’s aggression in ways that influenced subsequent progressive metal guitarists looking for the specific synthesis of technical complexity and metal context. His Meshuggah substitute tenure brought his playing to the largest audience of his career — Meshuggah’s live show is one of the most attended in progressive metal — and earned him the specific credibility of having passed the most demanding possible audition for guitar replacement.
His connection to Fredrik Thordendal (Series 2 #166) as the guitarist he replaced during the Meshuggah hiatus is the most consequential single professional relationship of his career. His connection to Mattias IA Eklundh (Series 2 #173) as a fellow Swedish progressive metal guitarist of the same generation reflects the specific richness of the Swedish metal tradition that produced both — two radically different approaches (Eklundh’s no-effects purist philosophy vs. Nilsson’s multi-platform engineering approach) coexisting in the same national tradition. His connection to Mikael Åkerfeldt (Series 2 #168) through their shared membership in the Swedish progressive metal community reflects the same tradition’s range.
Internal Links:
- Fredrik Thordendal, the Meshuggah guitarist Nilsson replaced during the 2017-2021 hiatus at #166
- Mattias IA Eklundh of Freak Kitchen, a fellow Swedish progressive metal guitarist with a completely opposite gear philosophy at #173
- Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth, another Swedish progressive metal guitarist of the same generation at #168
- Mark Holcomb of Periphery, a contemporary progressive metal lead guitarist with a similarly extensive technical approach at #172
Frequently Asked Questions: Per Nilsson Scar Symmetry Guitars & Gear
What guitar does Per Nilsson play?
Nilsson’s current primary guitar is the .strandberg* Boden Singularity 7-string — his signature model with the Swedish headless guitar manufacturer, featuring custom Lundgren Per Nilsson Anomaly humbucking pickups. Strandberg released the fourth-generation Boden Singularity NX 7 Pitch Black in November 2025. Earlier he used Ibanez JEM series guitars (1992-2013), primarily a flower-patterned 6-string JEM for neoclassical lead work. Other documented guitars include a Solar A2.6 and various seven-string configurations with DiMarzio PAF 7 and EMG 57 pickups.
What amplifier does Per Nilsson use?
Primary live amplifier: Randall 667 6-Channel 120-Watt Programmable All-Tube head, used alongside a Randall Thrasher 120W for live performances with Scar Symmetry. He also uses a Randall RD45H Diavlo 45W for specific contexts. For studio recording: Mesa Boogie John Petrucci signature head for articulate high-gain saturation. For Meshuggah touring: Fractal Axe-FX with MXR pedals. For the first two Scar Symmetry albums: Behringer V-Amp (“really cheap gear” — his own description) in his home studio.
What is Per Nilsson’s connection to Meshuggah?
Per Nilsson served as the touring lead guitarist for Meshuggah from 2017 to 2021, filling in for Fredrik Thordendal during his hiatus from the band. He played Thordendal’s specific guitar parts — including Thordendal’s jazz-fusion-inflected solos and lead lines — on multiple world tours. For this specific context, he adapted his rig to the Meshuggah platform: “a couple of MXR pedals and an Axe-Fx.” The four-year Meshuggah tenure is his highest-profile live performance role and the most demanding guitar replacement situation in metal.
What is Per Nilsson’s educational background?
Nilsson graduated from Berklee College of Music in May 2012 with a Bachelor of Music degree in three concentrations: Guitar Performance, Music Business and Management, and Music Production/Engineering. He entered Berklee as an established professional guitarist (Scar Symmetry had already released four albums) and completed the degree while maintaining his professional career. The Production/Engineering training enables him to record and mix his own guitar parts from home for Scar Symmetry’s albums.
What were Per Nilsson’s primary guitar influences?
Nilsson’s primary documented influences are Yngwie Malmsteen (neoclassical precision, sweep-picking arpeggios, harmonic language), Gary Moore (blues-inflected emotional directness, bending and vibrato quality), and Allan Holdsworth (legato technique, jazz-influenced harmonic sophistication). His broader musical upbringing also includes The Beatles, The Rolling Stones (from parents’ vinyl), and the full range of metal genres from thrash through progressive.
What was the Strandberg Boden Singularity designed for?
The Strandberg Boden Singularity NX 7-string was developed with Nilsson’s specific requirements as a lead player in progressive and melodic death metal. Key features: Strandberg’s headless design (tuners at bridge end, lighter and better balanced), multi-scale fanned frets (varying scale length from treble to bass for optimal tension across all strings), custom Lundgren Per Nilsson Anomaly humbuckers (designed for enhanced clarity and dynamic response in high-gain metal), and hardware suited to heavier string gauges and lower tunings. The headless, multi-scale design minimizes physical strain across demanding technical performances.
What is Scar Symmetry’s musical approach?
Scar Symmetry is a Swedish melodic death metal band founded by Nilsson and Jonas Kjellgren in 2004. Their sound combines the aggression of melodic death metal with strong progressive and neoclassical metal elements — incorporating sweep-picked arpeggios, extended harmonic vocabulary, and technically demanding lead guitar work within the melodic death metal framework. Nilsson handles lead guitar, keyboards, songwriting, and much of the album production and mixing. The band is signed to Nuclear Blast Records and has released multiple studio albums. Nilsson also performs with Kaipa, the Swedish progressive rock band.
