“I’ve played EMG pickups pretty much all my life ever since I got my first pro guitar when I was about 17 years old. It was the green Jackson Dinky and it had the EMG 81&85 set. I played this guitar a lot and coupled with the EMGs it shaped my style and sound. I used it in many recordings including the first two Ensiferum albums and the first Wintersun album. Actually all the albums I’ve ever done, EMG pickups were used.” Jari Mäenpää wrote this for the EMG Pickups artist page — and the statement’s comprehensiveness is the point. Every album. Since age seventeen. The green Jackson Dinky (which he retired when he got the Ibanez endorsement deal around 2006 and subsequently revived when the endorsement expired, retrofitting it with an EverTune bridge and using it again on his YouTube channel). The Ibanez JEM7V-WH modified in 2007, the original middle pickup and tone control removed, the white plastic volume knob changed to a chrome metal dome knob. The Ibanez LACS RGD Custom in silver. The Daemoness Cimmerian signature (current). The Solar S1.6ET. The Aristides Baritone (for playing Megadeth’s “Sweating Bullets” riff on Facebook, Neural DSP). Every guitar in his life has had EMG pickups. Every album has had EMG pickups. He is a Finnish singer, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer who has been working on Time II since approximately 2013 and whose relationship with album production timelines is the most discussed biographical fact in the Wintersun community. The music, when it appears, is extraordinary. The guitars always have EMG pickups.
Jari Mäenpää was born on December 23, 1977, in Helsinki, Finland. He joined Ensiferum in 1996 as vocalist and guitarist and appeared on the band’s first two studio albums. When Wintersun material demanded his full creative focus, he requested time off from Ensiferum during their 2004 tour to record the first Wintersun album. The band, rather than granting the request, fired him. He was subsequently free to complete the Wintersun album, which was released in 2004 on Nuclear Blast Records. The self-titled debut — which Mäenpää wrote, performed, and produced himself (with Kai Hahto on drums) — is one of the most celebrated debut albums in melodic/symphonic metal. Time I (2012), released after an eight-year gap following the debut, continued and expanded the ambitious approach. Time II has been in development since approximately 2013. Wintersun also released The Forest Seasons (2017) between Time instalments. He is one of the most technically accomplished guitarists in the Finnish metal tradition, a singer of genuine power, and a producer whose perfectionism regarding studio sound is as well-documented as Meshuggah’s rhythmic precision or Ihsahn’s compositional ambition. He plays everything except drums on studio recordings. He has EMG pickups in every guitar.
Background: Helsinki, Fired from Ensiferum 2004, Wintersun Debut, Eight-Year Time I Gap, The Time II Saga
The specific biographical context of Wintersun’s formation — Mäenpää fired from Ensiferum for requesting time off to record his own album — is the specific origin story of one of the most technically ambitious and most production-obsessed bands in Finnish metal history. Ensiferum’s decision to fire him rather than grant a leave of absence freed him to do what he was going to do anyway: make the Wintersun album. The album he made — entirely alone except for Kai Hahto’s drums — is the documentation of what happens when one extraordinarily capable musician applies his full technical and creative resources to a single project without the compromises that band collaboration requires.
The Time I gap (2004 debut to 2012 Time I = eight years) and the ongoing Time II development (in progress since approximately 2013, as of 2026 not yet released) are the most discussed aspects of Wintersun’s career outside the music itself. Mäenpää’s explanation — the need for the correct studio environment, the specific processing power required for the orchestral arrangements, the commitment to sonic quality that refuses to release material that doesn’t meet his standards — reflects the same perfectionism that has characterized his guitar approach (EMG pickups in every guitar, no exceptions) extended to production. He is an auteur in the most literal sense: he will not compromise. He will wait until it is right. The community waits with him — sometimes impatiently, sometimes in despair, but always with the understanding that what eventually appears from Jari Mäenpää is worth waiting for.
The MetalSucks “Rigged” article (2013) — in which rhythm guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari describes the Wintersun live rig in extraordinary detail — is the most comprehensive single primary source for Wintersun guitar gear and reflects the band’s unusually sophisticated approach to live sound reproduction: “My and Jari’s units have thirty presets that are essentially identical that we’ve programmed together. Both run stereo and the presets have many different pannings, volume levels and effects in order to re-produce the album sounds more faithfully.” The attempt to reproduce complex studio productions in live performance — through 30 identical Axe-FX presets, through precise stereo panning, through the 17ms delay trick for widening rhythm guitar — is the live expression of the same perfectionism that produces Time II’s development timeline.
The Rig: Jari Mäenpää’s Guitars, Amps, and Effects
Guitars
Daemoness Cimmerian Signature (Current Primary Guitar): Jari Mäenpää’s current primary guitar is the Daemoness Cimmerian — his signature model with Daemoness Guitars, a small UK custom shop. The EMG Pickups artist page confirms: “Nowadays I’m playing and endorsing the Daemoness Guitars, smaller custom shop from the UK. They make insanely crafted and beautiful guitars with only perfection in mind. Exactly my cup of tea!” The Equipboard documentation: “In this Facebook post, Daemoness Guitars announce Jari Mäenpää as their new signature artist and present his first project with the company — Daemoness Jari Mäenpää Signature Series Cimmerian.” The Daemoness Cimmerian, like every guitar Mäenpää has ever played, features EMG pickups: “And of course EMG pickups are going to every one of my Daemoness guitars as well.” The choice of a small UK custom shop — “smaller custom shop” rather than a major production brand — reflects the “only perfection in mind” quality standard that characterizes his guitar selection: he is not interested in a guitar that is widely available but one that is exactly right.
Ibanez LACS RGD Custom Silver (2013 Live Rig Primary, Drop-C): At the time of the 2013 MetalSucks Rigged article, Jari’s primary live guitar was the “silver Ibanez LACS RGD Custom” — a custom instrument from the Ibanez Los Angeles Custom Shop (LACS). The MetalSucks documentation is detailed: “The silver custom (drop-C tuning) has a unique, customized RGD-shaped body and the neck is based on Jari’s Jem. The guitar has EMG 81 and 60 pickups.” The customized RGD body shape with the JEM-based neck represents the specific combination of his two primary instrument families — the extended-scale RGD design for the drop tuning and the JEM’s specific neck feel for the playing comfort he required. EMG 81 in the bridge, EMG 60 in the neck: his career-standard active pickup combination.
Ibanez JEM7V-WH Modified (2007, D Standard Tuning Primary): The second of Jari’s two documented live guitars in the 2013 MetalSucks article is the modified Ibanez JEM7V-WH: “The Jem (D standard) also has a white pair of the same EMG pickups.” The JEM7V is Steve Vai’s flagship Ibanez signature — a white instrument with the JEM’s distinctive monkey grip handle, floral inlays, and premium Ibanez hardware. Mäenpää’s modifications: “The original middle pickup and tone control have been removed and the original white plastic volume knob is changed to a chrome metal dome knob.” The removal of the middle pickup and tone control simplifies the guitar’s control layout, and the chrome dome knob replaces the original white plastic — both modifications reflecting a preference for the specific control configuration and aesthetic.
Green Jackson Dinky (Ensiferum Albums + Wintersun Self-Titled, Retrofitted with EverTune): The EMG Pickups artist page describes Mäenpää’s earliest significant guitar: “It was the green Jackson Dinky and it had the EMG 81&85 set. I played this guitar a lot and coupled with the EMGs it shaped my style and sound. I used it in many recordings including the first two Ensiferum albums and the first Wintersun album.” The Equipboard documentation confirms: “After the deal has expired, he decided to use it for stuff again. It can be seen in some videos on his YouTube channel now, retrofitted with an Evertune bridge.” The Evertune retrofitting — the tremolo-free, continuously self-adjusting bridge system that maintains precise intonation under extreme conditions — documents the current-period evolution: the original career-starting guitar, updated with the most pitch-stable bridge technology available.
Solar S1.6ET LTD (Solar Guitars Endorsement): The Equipboard Wintersun page confirms Solar Guitars endorsement: “Wintersun’s use of the Solar S1.6ET LTD guitar is confirmed by Jari Mäenpää’s inclusion on the Solar Guitars artist page.” The Solar Guitars brand — founded by Ola Englund of Randall Satan/Six Feet Under fame — produces extended-range guitars with EverTune bridges and metal-optimized specifications. The Wintersun official site confirms the Solar relationship: “Solar Guitars is the leading innovator when it comes to metal guitars in my opinion. EverTune, different scale lengths for different tunings for 6, 7, and 8-strings are very much needed in modern metal and they sound great!” The EverTune bridge (across both the retrofitted Jackson Dinky and the Solar instruments) is a consistent preference: the perfectly intonated, never-out-of-tune character of EverTune suits a musician whose studio productions require absolute pitch precision.
Aristides Baritone (Facebook Video, Neural DSP, “Sweating Bullets” Riff): A Facebook post from 2026 documents Mäenpää playing “Sweating Bullets riff by Megadeth with Aristides Baritone guitar. Aristides Guitars EverTune EMG Pickups Neural DSP” — the same Aristides composite-body headless guitar brand also used by Ihsahn (Series 2 #169). The combination of Aristides (composite body, headless design), EverTune (perfect intonation), EMG pickups, and Neural DSP (digital amp modeling) represents his current most fully equipped guitar configuration.
Tokai Telecaster (Instagram, Recent): “In a photo posted by Jari Mäenpää on his Instagram account, his Tokai Telecaster can be seen in its full glory.” A Telecaster — the bright, single-coil Fender design most associated with country, rock, and alternative — is a genuinely unexpected instrument for a Finnish symphonic metal guitarist. Its presence in his Instagram documents the breadth of his guitar curiosity and the non-metal dimensions of his playing that exist outside Wintersun’s public-facing identity.
EMG 81/85 and EMG 81/60 (Career-Constant Pickup Configuration): The most consistent single piece of Mäenpää’s gear is not any specific guitar but the EMG pickup set: “Every albums I’ve ever done, EMG pickups were used.” The EMG 81 (high-output active ceramic humbucker, bridge position — the most widely used active bridge pickup in metal) and EMG 60 (active AlNiCo humbucker, neck position — warmer, clearer, with a musical response for cleaner tones and lead passages) combination is his specific preference across every instrument. The EMG 85 (an alternative neck pickup) appears on the earliest documented guitar (green Jackson Dinky’s 81/85 set); the EMG 60 replaced it in the Ibanez and subsequent era.
Amps
Fractal Audio Axe-FX Standard (Primary Live Amp, 2013 — Highly Documented): The MetalSucks Rigged article provides the most complete documentation of the Wintersun live rig: “The top unit is an Axe-Fx 2 that we’re using as a backup. The middle one is Jari’s Axe-Fx Standard and on the bottom is my [Teemu’s] Ultra.” The three Axe-FX units (one per guitarist plus backup) send signal directly to the PA — no physical amplifier cabinets. The 30 presets per unit, programmed together to be “essentially identical,” provide consistent, matched guitar tones for the two guitarists. The Axe-FX Standard is the rack-mount version of the same Fractal Audio modeling platform used by Meshuggah, Periphery, and other technically demanding acts in this guide.
Neural DSP (Current, Facebook Video Documented): The 2026 Facebook post documents Neural DSP as his current amp modeling platform: “Sweating Bullets riff by Megadeth with Aristides Baritone guitar. Aristides Guitars EverTune EMG Pickups Neural DSP.” Neural DSP has replaced or supplemented the Fractal Axe-FX in his current studio and practice setup — the same transition that Ihsahn (Series 2 #169) and Per Nilsson (Series 2 #174) have made to digital amp modeling software.
Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier (2005 Live Substitute, Studio Historical): The Equipboard documentation: “In this concert from 2005, Jari can be seen using a Dual Rectifier as a live substitute for his rack Mesa amp.” The MetalSucks article adds: “They have been mostly phased out from lives after 2009, but still used in the studio, although no studio proofs exist for that.” The Mesa Dual Rectifier provides the same American high-gain character that Emppu Vuorinen (Series 2 #178) and Timo Tolkki (Series 2 #177) also used in the same period — the Mesa Rectifier family as the foundational Finnish metal amplifier of the early 2000s.
Effects and Live Signal Processing
The 30-Preset Axe-FX Programming (Most Sophisticated Live Rig in This Guide): The MetalSucks Rigged article’s description of the Wintersun live rig — thirty presets, essentially identical between both guitarists’ Axe-FX units, with programmed stereo panning, volume levels, and effects — is the most technically sophisticated live rig documentation in this guide. The specific technique for the stereo rhythm guitar: “when both guitars are playing the same riff they are at the same volume and hard-panned, one guitar heard only on the left speaker and the other one only on the right speaker. But when there’s a solo or melody part the lead guitar is usually in the center while the rhythm guitar is panned left or right and doubled on the other side with a 100% wet 17ms delay creating a stereo rhythm guitar sound.” The 17ms delay — a very short, below-echo-threshold delay that creates the psychoacoustic illusion of a second guitar without audible repetition — is one of the most specific and most practically useful live production techniques in this section of the guide.
Dunlop Ultex Sharp Picks (Both Guitarists, MetalSucks Confirmed): The MetalSucks article confirms: “Both Jari and I are using Dunlop Ultex Shar[p picks]” — the same Dunlop Ultex material that Misha Mansoor (Series 2 #171) uses in Jazz III format. The Ultex material (harder than nylon, brighter attack character) suits the precision alternate-picking of technically demanding metal guitar.
EverTune Bridge System (Multiple Guitars — Jackson, Solar, Aristides): The EverTune bridge — which uses a spring mechanism to automatically maintain constant string tension regardless of temperature, playing force, or string stretching — appears across Mäenpää’s current guitar collection (retrofitted Jackson Dinky, Solar S1.6ET, Aristides Baritone). The preference for EverTune reflects his studio perfectionism: a bridge that automatically maintains perfect intonation eliminates one variable from the recording process. In a studio context where he records all instruments except drums himself, maintaining perfect intonation without constant manual tuning checks is a practical advantage that reduces production friction.
Playing Style & Tone Philosophy
Jari Mäenpää’s playing style is the most musically comprehensive in the Finnish metal tradition — combining technically demanding lead guitar (neoclassical arpeggios, fast alternate picking, legato runs), rhythm guitar (the precise, tight rhythmic figures of melodic death metal), and the compositional intelligence that writes the songs, arrangements, and orchestrations that both guitar approaches serve. He is simultaneously a technical lead guitarist and a rhythm guitarist, a producer and a performer, a singer and an instrumentalist — the complete auteur whose guitar playing is one instrument in a larger compositional vision rather than the primary expressive vehicle.
His tone philosophy is the EMG philosophy: the specific active pickup character (high output, compressed, precise, consistent) that has defined his sound since the green Jackson Dinky with EMG 81/85. The active pickup’s specific character — more compressed and consistent than passive pickups, with a specific tight, articulate quality in the attack — suits a guitarist who needs absolute precision in both rhythm and lead contexts within complex orchestral productions. The EverTune bridge preference extends the same logic: absolute consistency, absolute precision, no variables.
The live rig’s 30 Axe-FX presets, programmed identically for both guitarists, with the 17ms delay trick for stereo widening — this is the specific technical intelligence of a musician who is simultaneously a guitarist and a production engineer, who understands both the musical requirements of the performance and the technical requirements of reproducing complex studio productions in a live venue. The guitar serves the production. The production serves the music. The music is Wintersun.
How to Sound Like Jari Mäenpää
Guitar: Any guitar with EMG 81 (bridge) and EMG 60 (neck) active pickups — the career-constant pickup combination. Daemoness Cimmerian for the current approach; Ibanez RGD or JEM7V for the peak Wintersun period (2012-2013). EverTune bridge if available and affordable for perfect intonation stability. Drop-C on the primary guitar; D standard on the second guitar for the full Wintersun tuning range.
Amp: Fractal Axe-FX (Standard, II, or III) for the authentic live rig approach. Neural DSP for current studio and practice contexts. Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier for tube amplifier alternative.
Amp Settings (Fractal Axe-FX — High Gain Metal Preset):
| Control | Setting (0–10) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Amp Gain | 7–9 | High — Finnish symphonic melodic death metal requires full saturation |
| Bass | 5 | Natural — drop-C tuning provides inherent low-end weight |
| Mid | 5–6 | Present — lead guitar needs to be heard above orchestral arrangements |
| Treble | 6–7 | Bright — fast alternate picking and neoclassical runs need treble definition |
| Presence | 5–6 | Moderate — clarity without harshness in the high-frequency range |
Stereo production technique: For rhythm guitar: hard-pan L and R for the two guitars (one per speaker). Add a 17ms delay (100% wet) to one channel for the stereo widening effect — creating the psychoacoustic illusion of a second guitar without audible echo. For lead guitar: center the lead in the stereo image while keeping rhythm panned to one side with the delay creating stereo width on the other. This is the specific Wintersun live rig approach that makes one guitarist’s rhythm sound like two hard-panned guitars.
Influence & Legacy
Jari Mäenpää’s influence on Finnish metal and on symphonic melodic death metal is the most technically ambitious in the tradition — a musician whose self-titled debut set the standard for what one musician with complete technical mastery could do entirely alone (except drums), and whose subsequent albums (Time I, The Forest Seasons) have maintained that standard across a career characterized by extraordinary output per release. The Time II development timeline is both the most criticized and the most understandable aspect of his legacy: a perfectionist’s refusal to release work that doesn’t meet his standard, from a musician whose standards have produced music of genuine quality every time he has released it.
His connection to Emppu Vuorinen (Series 2 #178) as a parallel figure in Finnish symphonic metal reflects the shared national tradition. His connection to Alexi Laiho (Series 2 #176) as a fellow Finnish guitarist of extraordinary technical capability working in the extreme metal tradition documents the specific richness of Finnish metal’s technical guitar tradition. His connection to Ihsahn (Series 2 #169) — whose Aristides guitar endorsement he shares and whose symphonic black metal approach preceded Wintersun’s symphonic melodic death metal — reflects the Scandinavian extreme metal tradition within which both musicians developed.
Internal Links:
- Emppu Vuorinen of Nightwish, a parallel figure in Finnish symphonic metal at #178
- Alexi Laiho of Children of Bodom, a fellow Finnish technical guitarist of the same generation at #176
- Ihsahn of Emperor, whose Aristides guitar endorsement Mäenpää shares and whose symphonic approach preceded Wintersun’s at #169
- Timo Tolkki of Stratovarius, another Finnish metal guitarist who shaped the symphonic metal tradition Wintersun built from at #177
Frequently Asked Questions: Jari Mäenpää Wintersun Guitars & Gear
What guitar does Jari Mäenpää play?
Mäenpää’s current primary guitar is the Daemoness Cimmerian signature — from Daemoness Guitars, a small UK custom shop. Earlier primary guitars include the Ibanez LACS RGD Custom in silver (2013, drop-C tuning), the modified Ibanez JEM7V-WH in white (2013, D standard tuning), and the green Jackson Dinky that was used on the first two Ensiferum albums and the Wintersun self-titled debut. He also plays Solar S1.6ET (Solar Guitars endorsement), Aristides Baritone, and has a Tokai Telecaster documented on Instagram. Every guitar he has ever played features EMG pickups (81/60 or 81/85 configuration).
What amplifiers does Jari Mäenpää use?
Primary live (2013): Fractal Audio Axe-FX Standard, with 30 presets programmed identically for both Wintersun guitarists. Current: Neural DSP (documented in 2026 Facebook video with Aristides Baritone). Historical: Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier (2005 live, and reportedly used in studio until approximately 2009). All three amplification approaches reflect the same tonal requirement: high-gain, precise, controllable guitar tone suitable for complex orchestral productions.
Why does Mäenpää use EMG pickups in every guitar?
“I’ve played EMG pickups pretty much all my life ever since I got my first pro guitar when I was about 17 years old. I used it in many recordings including the first two Ensiferum albums and the first Wintersun album. Actually all the albums I’ve ever done, EMG pickups were used. After that I played the Ibanez Jem and other Ibanez guitars for many years and EMG pickups were a must install for every single one of them! Here and there I experimented with other pickups, but nothing ever beat the EMGs.” The EMG active pickup’s specific combination of high output, precise attack, and compressed, consistent signal suits the complex studio productions he makes — providing a reliable, known sonic foundation across every guitar.
What is the 17ms delay trick in the Wintersun live rig?
Documented in the MetalSucks Rigged article by Teemu Mäntysaari: “when there’s a solo or melody part the lead guitar is usually in the center while the rhythm guitar is panned left or right and doubled on the other side with a 100% wet 17ms delay creating a stereo rhythm guitar sound. This way both guitar lines have their own space in the stereo image and the one rhythm guitar still sounds big and wide resembling two hard-panned separate guitars.” The 17ms delay (below the ~20ms echo threshold at which it would be perceived as a separate echo) creates the psychoacoustic illusion of a second guitar through the Haas effect — giving one guitarist’s rhythm sound the spatial width of two hard-panned guitars.
Why was Mäenpää fired from Ensiferum?
Mäenpää joined Ensiferum in 1996 and appeared on the band’s first two albums (Ensiferum, 2001, and Iron, 2004). When his Wintersun material demanded full creative focus during Ensiferum’s 2004 tour to support Iron, he requested time off from the band to complete the Wintersun recording. The band fired him instead. He was subsequently free to complete the Wintersun self-titled debut, which was released in 2004 on Nuclear Blast Records. The dismissal freed him to focus entirely on the more ambitious musical project he had been developing.
What is the story of Time II?
Time II is the second part of Wintersun’s planned two-part Time album. Time I was released in 2012, eight years after the self-titled debut. Time II has been in development since approximately 2013, and as of 2026 has not yet been released. Mäenpää’s explanation for the extended development timeline has centered on the need for adequate studio computing power for the complex orchestral arrangements, the specific sound quality he requires, and his commitment to releasing only work that meets his standards. The band ran a crowdfunding campaign (“Sauna” Kickstarter, 2014) partly to fund the studio infrastructure for Time II. The Wintersun community’s relationship to the Time II timeline is simultaneously supportive, frustrated, and resigned — the specific texture of a fanbase that trusts the artist’s standard but finds the wait difficult.
What is the EverTune bridge and why does Mäenpää use it?
The EverTune is a guitar bridge that uses a spring mechanism to automatically maintain constant string tension — keeping the guitar perfectly in tune regardless of temperature changes, string stretching, picking force variation, or other factors that cause conventional bridges to go flat or sharp. Mäenpää has retrofitted his original green Jackson Dinky with an EverTune and uses EverTune-equipped Solar guitars and Aristides instruments. The preference reflects his studio perfectionism: perfect intonation maintained automatically, eliminating one variable from the complex production process of recording all instruments himself.
