“The thing is, up until when Dime turned me on to the Randall was right around the time we started to drop tuning — about 1988. Crowbar were tuning to B standard or drop A, way before the seven string came into popularity.” Kirk Windstein said this to Orange Amps — establishing in a single sentence the two most historically important facts about his guitar approach: that Dimebag Darrell recommended the Randall solid-state amplifier to him, and that Crowbar were tuning to B standard in 1988. B standard tuning in 1988. Before seven-string guitars existed commercially. Before djent had a name. Before anyone had systematized what Windstein was already doing with his band in New Orleans. Crowbar’s tuning philosophy — the extreme low tuning that requires specific amplification to maintain note definition at those frequencies — preceded the broader metal community’s adoption of low tunings by years, and the Randall RG100ES that Dimebag had recommended provided the specific solid-state tight bottom end that makes low-tuned guitar intelligible rather than a undifferentiated wall of low-frequency sound. He is a “self-proclaimed billboard for heavy metal.” He founded Crowbar. He co-founded Down with Phil Anselmo. He tuned to B standard when most metal was still in E. He still does. The Randall still goes. The Orange goes for Down. The riffs are the same: slow, crushing, emotionally devastating. New Orleans forever.
Kirk Michael Windstein was born on April 14, 1965, at an unknown US Air Force base; he grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana. He began his music career in 1985 with a cover band called Victorian Blitz. He joined hardcore punk band Shell Shock in 1988. He founded Crowbar in New Orleans in 1990 — the sludge metal band whose specific combination of slow tempos, crushing heaviness, emotionally raw vocals, and the specific New Orleans musical sensibility (the combination of blues, soul, and heavy rock that the city’s musical tradition produces) has been his primary creative project for three decades. Simultaneously, from 1991, he was a founding member of Down — the New Orleans supergroup with Phil Anselmo, Pepper Keenan, Rex Brown, and Jimmy Bower — whose NOLA (1995) is the foundational document of New Orleans sludge metal. He left Down in 2013 and rejoined in 2020. He formed Kingdom of Sorrow with Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed in 2005. He is sixty years old. He is still making Crowbar albums. He is still tuning low. The riffs keep coming.
Background: New Orleans, B Standard 1988, Dimebag’s Randall Recommendation, Crowbar 1990, Down NOLA 1995
Crowbar’s specific position in sludge metal is foundational — alongside Saint Vitus, Melvins, and Eyehategod, Crowbar is one of the bands whose specific approach (extreme slowness, extreme heaviness, emotional rawness) defined the sludge metal genre in the early 1990s. Windstein’s specific contribution — the riff vocabulary that combines Black Sabbath’s downtuned heaviness with the Blues’ emotional directness and the New Orleans musical tradition’s specific melodic sensibility — produced something that sounds simultaneously like doom metal and like a deeply personal emotional statement. Crowbar albums (Obedience Thru Suffering, 1991; Crowbar, 1993; Time Heals Nothing, 1995; Odd Fellows Rest, 1998; Zero and Below, 2022) are as much emotional documents as musical ones: Windstein’s specific lyrical and musical vulnerability — the willingness to write directly about depression, loss, and the specific difficulty of keeping going when everything seems to be against you — gives the crushing heaviness of Crowbar’s guitar sound its specific meaning.
The Dimebag Randall recommendation story is one of the more consequential peer recommendations in metal history. Dimebag Darrell of Pantera — the guitarist whose specific high-gain, aggressive approach to rhythm guitar became the standard for American heavy metal in the 1990s — turned Windstein on to the Randall RG100ES solid-state amplifier at the same moment Windstein was developing the low B tuning that Crowbar would become known for. The Randall’s solid-state tight bottom end — different from the warmer, more compressed response of tube amplifiers at low frequencies — suited the specific requirement of extreme low tuning: maintaining note definition at the frequencies that tube amplifiers tend to blur. Solid-state amplifiers at low tunings provide a precision and tightness that tube amplifiers struggle to match, and this is why the Randall solid-state became (alongside the Peavey 5150 for some players) the foundational amplifier of extreme low-tuned metal.
His transition to Orange Thunderverb 50 for the Down context — shared with Pepper Keenan (Series 2 #184), who had the same Malcolm Young revelation at the same NAMM booth — reflects the different tonal requirements of Down compared to Crowbar. Where Crowbar requires the specific solid-state tightness of the Randall for the extreme low-tuned, maximally slow sludge riffs, Down’s more varied musical territory (from sludge to Southern rock to psychedelic doom) benefits from the Orange’s warmer, more organic British tube character.
The Rig: Kirk Windstein’s Guitars, Amps, and Effects
Guitars
Solar Signature Guitars with EMG 81 (Current Primary, Kirk Windstein Signature Series): Kirk Windstein’s current primary guitars are Solar signature instruments — his own signature models with Solar Guitars, the company founded by Ola Englund (of Randall Satan fame and YouTube presence). The Mixdown Magazine Gear Rundown confirms: “Kirk Windstein is an endorsed EMG artist and his current Solar signature guitars also come equipped with EMG 81s stock. It’s safe to say that Kirk is a fan of the high output and smooth compression that the EMG 81 provides when used in the bridge position.” The Solar signature reflects the same EMG 81-centric approach that has defined his guitar sound across his career — high output active pickup providing the consistent, tight, high-compression signal that his low tunings require for maximum note definition. The Solar Guitars brand’s specific emphasis on metal-optimized construction (multiple scale length options for different tunings, EverTune bridges on some models, high-output pickup configurations) suits Windstein’s requirements.
ESP LTD Viper 400 and Custom ESPs (Mid-Career Primary, EMG 81): For the period before the Solar relationship, Windstein’s primary guitars were ESP LTD Viper models — confirmed by UberProAudio. The ESP LTD Viper 400 (black) is documented as his primary production instrument in the ESP LTD price tier. A trans cherry ESP Eclipse also appears in his documented Down-context guitars. The ESP Viper’s specific set-neck single-cutaway construction (different from the double-cutaway Gibson SG-style body) provides the sustain and warmth of set-neck construction alongside the high-output EMG active pickups that define his sound.
San Dimas Charvel (Early Crowbar, “The Slugs,” First Albums): Windstein’s earliest documented Crowbar guitar is a San Dimas Charvel — “this San Dimas Charvel was used by Kirk in the very early days with The Slugs and the first Crowbar albums and live appearances. He got it refurbished now.” The Charvel San Dimas — the California-made superstrat associated with the Van Halen-era Floyd Rose and active pickup metal approach — represents the earliest phase of his instrument history before the ESP relationship.
Gibson Les Paul Custom (Documented, Received Back from Service 2021): A Gibson Les Paul Custom appears in Windstein’s documented collection — “Kirk received his Les Paul Custom back from service. It’s from 2021.” The Les Paul Custom’s warm, sustaining mahogany/maple character provides a tonally distinct option alongside the ESP and Solar instruments.
Gibson Voodoo SG and SG Gothic (Down Context): The Tumblr guitarpornography documentation of his Down setup confirms Gibson Voodoo SG and SG Gothic as Down-context instruments. The Gibson SG family preference for Down reflects the same tradition as Pepper Keenan’s SG use in the COC context — the thin mahogany double-cutaway’s resonant, aggressive character suited to the groove riffing of Southern sludge metal.
White Fender Stratocaster (Down Context, Documented): A white Fender Stratocaster appears in his documented Down instrument collection — a single-coil bright guitar providing tonal contrast to the humbucker-heavy primary instruments. Its presence in the Down context rather than the Crowbar context reflects the more varied tonal requirements of Down’s Southern-influenced musical territory compared to Crowbar’s focused sludge approach.
Ibanez Destroyer and Peavey PXD Tragic (Historical, Various Contexts): An Ibanez Destroyer (black, from video where he teaches Crowbar’s “Walk With Knowledge Wisely”) and a Peavey PXD Tragic II appear in Windstein’s historical documentation — the Destroyer being Ibanez’s V-shaped model associated with 1980s heavy metal, and the Peavey PXD being a Peavey solid-body that Dave Ellefson had recommended to him (paralleling the Dimebag Randall amp recommendation: trusted peer recommendations from Pantera/Megadeth members shaped his gear choices).
B Standard Tuning (Since 1988, Way Before Seven Strings): Windstein’s most historically significant technical contribution — alongside Victor Griffin (Series 2 #181) and his Drop B — is Crowbar’s adoption of B standard tuning in 1988, “way before the seven string came into popularity.” B standard tunes every string one and a half steps below standard E, giving the guitar a specific sub-bass character that the standard-tuned metal of the late 1980s did not have. The combination of B standard tuning and the Randall RG100ES solid-state amplifier’s tight bottom end produced the specific Crowbar sludge tone that subsequent bands (and eventually the djent movement) developed from.
Amps
Randall RG100ES Solid-State (Primary Crowbar Amp, “Dimebag Turned Me On to Them”): The foundational amplifier of Kirk Windstein’s Crowbar career is the Randall RG100ES — a 120-watt solid-state head confirmed by the Mixdown Magazine Gear Rundown: “Solid-state Randall amplifiers have served as the background for Kirk’s sound for decades. The most notable of which is the RG100ES, a model that Kirk was introduced to by the late Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell.” Dimebag Darrell’s own association with Randall solid-state amplifiers — he used Randall solid-state heads throughout Pantera’s career — and his recommendation to Windstein at the time Crowbar were developing their B-standard tuning approach established the Randall as the foundational Crowbar amplifier. The RG100ES’s 120-watt solid-state power section provides the specific tight, controlled bottom end that B standard tuning requires: the solid-state power stage doesn’t compress at low frequencies the way tube output stages do, maintaining the definition and punch of low-tuned riffs at high volumes. “Perfect for chugging riffs” is the Mixdown characterization of solid-state amplifier bottom end character.
Orange Thunderverb 50 (Two Heads for Down, Same Discovery as Keenan): For Down, Windstein uses the same Orange Thunderverb 50 that Pepper Keenan discovered at the same NAMM booth. The Equipboard documentation: “Alison Richter writes in this article from Guitar World what amps Kirk uses including two Orange Thunderverb 50 heads.” Two heads simultaneously — the standard professional heavy metal approach of dual amplifiers for redundancy and additional power/tonal complexity. After leaving Down in 2013, Windstein reconnected with Orange for the Crowbar context as well — receiving an Orange Crush 120 solid-state from Alex at Orange.
Orange Crush 120 (Post-Down Crowbar Transition): The Orange interview documents the transition: “When I sent him the email saying I was leaving Down and I wasn’t going to be using Orange but thank you for everything… So he is like: ‘I’ve got something you might dig.’ He sent me an Orange Crush 120.” The Orange Crush 120 is a solid-state amplifier — closer to the Randall solid-state approach of Crowbar’s original rig than the tube-amplifier Thunderverb of the Down period. The return to solid-state amplification for Crowbar after the tube Orange period with Down reflects the specific tonal requirement of Windstein’s low tunings.
Marshall JCM800 (Down Context, Live Backup): The guitarpornography Tumblr documentation: “With Down he uses Orange Thunderverb 50s and Marshall JCM800s.” The Marshall JCM800 as Down’s backup/secondary amplifier alongside the Orange Thunderverb 50 — the same JCM800 that defined the NOLA rhythm sound for Keenan — provides an additional British tube tone option in the Down live configuration. Four Marshall 1960B 4×12 cabinets behind him on stage: “Kirk’s four Orange 4×12 cabs come equipped with Celestion Vintage 30 speakers.”
Peavey 5150 (Historical, Early Crowbar Live): The Equipboard documentation: “In the live performance of Crowbar at Resurrection Fest 2014, Kirk Windstein can be seen using the Peavey 5150 120-Watt Head.” The Peavey 5150 — the Eddie Van Halen signature amplifier that appears throughout this section of the guide — served as a live amplifier for Crowbar alongside the Randall in certain contexts, providing tube-amplifier high-gain character when needed.
Effects
Maxon OD808 (Primary Overdrive, “At the Top of His Rig”): The guitarpornography documentation confirms: “He seems to like Maxon, having an OD808 at the top of his rig.” The Maxon OD808 is the original Japanese-made Tube Screamer — Maxon manufactured the original Ibanez Tube Screamer (the TS808), and the Maxon OD808 is their own direct version of the same circuit. In the heavy sludge metal context, the Maxon OD808’s soft-clipping, mid-boost overdrive character serves the same “makes it more pissed” function that Pepper Keenan described for his Tube Screamer — tightening and focusing the heavily distorted signal without changing its fundamental character.
Dunlop SW95 Slash Signature Cry Baby Wah (Confirmed GuitarGeek Diagram): “Kirk’s wah is the Dunlop SW95 Slash Signature Cry Baby Wah” — the specific wah model identified from his Guitar Geek signal chain diagram. The Slash Signature Cry Baby is a specifically voiced wah designed with Slash’s input, featuring a heavier, more vocal sweep character appropriate for hard rock and heavy metal lead playing.
EHX Small Stone Phaser (Down Stage Setup, 2007 Diagram): “A detailed gear diagram of Kirk Windstein’s Down stage setup shows an Electro-Harmonix Small Stone Phase Shifter.” The EHX Small Stone — the same phaser that appears in Mikael Åkerfeldt’s (Series 2 #168) documented rig — provides the specific organic, warm phasing character of the analog circuit for the Down’s Southern-influenced psychedelic heavy rock passages.
MXR Phase 90 and MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay (Additional Modulation and Echo): The guitarpornography documentation confirms both an MXR M-101 Phase 90 pedal (from the Guitar Geek Down rig diagram) and an MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay. The Phase 90 provides additional phasing alongside the Small Stone in specific contexts; the Carbon Copy’s warm, analog-simulated delay character suits the atmospheric, reverberant quality of Down’s more extended guitar passages.
Boss Metal Zone Distortion (Documented): The guitarpornography documentation confirms a Boss Metal Zone Distortion in his Down rig — the Boss MT-2 Metal Zone’s specific compressed, high-gain character as additional distortion option alongside the Maxon OD808.
Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner (Utility): The Guitar Geek diagram confirms a Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner — the standard professional tuning pedal, essential for a guitarist who tunes to B standard and requires precise pitch verification before each performance.
Dunlop Heavy Core Strings (.012-.054 or Heavier for B Standard/Drop A): Windstein uses heavy gauge strings — Dunlop Heavy Core sets in .012-.054 or heavier — appropriate for B standard tuning. Heavier gauges maintain better string tension and better note definition at the low pitches of B standard tuning on a standard-scale guitar. The specific gauge choice reflects the direct connection between tuning approach and string selection: the lower the tuning, the heavier the strings required for adequate tension and tone.
Playing Style & Tone Philosophy
Kirk Windstein’s playing style is the most emotionally direct in the sludge metal tradition — the approach of a musician who plays heavy music as an emotional statement rather than as a technical demonstration. His riffs are not technically demanding; they are emotionally demanding — the specific way a slow, low-tuned, maximally heavy riff can communicate despair, determination, or cathartic release is Windstein’s specific creative territory. His vocals — a specific combination of growl and melody, more melodically accessible than pure death metal vocals but heavier than conventional rock singing — are the emotional voice of the Crowbar aesthetic; the guitar riffs are the physical expression of the same emotional content.
His tone philosophy is the Dimebag-derived Randall philosophy: solid-state tight bottom end for the extreme low tunings, with the Maxon OD808 tightening and focusing the already-tight solid-state response. For Down: the Orange Thunderverb 50’s warm tube character for the more varied Southern metal territory. Two different amplifiers for two different musical contexts, each chosen for its specific character in that specific musical requirement.
The “self-proclaimed billboard for heavy metal” characterization captures his specific aesthetic stance: he is not trying to push heavy metal toward new territory but to serve as its most consistent and most committed representative. Crowbar is heavy metal at its most emotionally direct; the guitar rig is the tool for that directness.
How to Sound Like Kirk Windstein
Guitar: Solar Windstein signature or ESP LTD Viper with EMG 81 bridge pickup. Tune to B standard (B-E-A-D-F#-B, one and a half steps below standard) or drop A (drop the low B to A). Use Dunlop Heavy Core strings in .012-.054 or heavier gauge for adequate tension at these pitches.
Amp (Crowbar): Randall RG100ES solid-state (or comparable solid-state high-gain head) for the tight, controlled bottom end that B standard requires.
Amp (Down): Orange Thunderverb 50 for the warm, organic British tube character of Southern sludge metal.
Amp Settings (Randall RG100ES — Crowbar Sludge):
| Control | Setting (0–10) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gain | 7–9 | High — sludge metal requires full saturation for crushing weight |
| Bass | 8 | High — B standard tuning needs bass authority (Orange interview: “Bass: 8”) |
| Mid | 4 | Moderate — not scooped, but balanced (Orange interview: “Mids: 4”) |
| Treble | 4 | Controlled — not excessive brightness at low tunings (Orange interview: “Treb: 4”) |
| Presence | 5 | Natural — attack definition for the slow crushing riffs |
Effects: Maxon OD808 (gain at noon, volume above unity, tone at noon) into the Randall — tightening the solid-state’s already tight response further. Boss TU-2 for tuning. Dunlop SW95 Slash Wah for lead passages. EHX Small Stone for Down context psychedelic sections. Play slow. Play heavy. Play with feeling.
Influence & Legacy
Kirk Windstein’s influence on New Orleans sludge metal is foundational alongside Eyehategod — as the guitarist whose specific riff vocabulary and extreme low tuning approach defined what Crowbar sounded like and what New Orleans sludge metal became. Down’s NOLA (1995), on which Windstein was a primary guitarist alongside Pepper Keenan (Series 2 #184), is the specific foundational document of Southern sludge metal as a genre. His specific guitar approach — slow, crushing, emotionally raw, tuned lower than anyone else was in 1988 — was fifteen years ahead of the broader metal community’s adoption of extreme low tunings.
His connection to Wino Weinrich (Series 2 #182) as the primary peer figure in American doom/sludge metal reflects the shared tradition of emotionally direct heavy music without technical display — both musicians whose guitar playing is in service of emotional communication rather than technical achievement. His connection to Bill Kelliher (Series 2 #186) of Mastodon — who developed in the same Southern heavy metal underground — reflects the generational transmission of the tradition.
Internal Links:
- Pepper Keenan of COC and Down, Windstein’s Down bandmate and fellow Southern metal architect at #184
- Wino Weinrich of Saint Vitus, the primary peer figure in American doom/sludge metal at #182
- Victor Griffin of Pentagram, who pioneered Drop B tuning in parallel with Windstein’s B standard approach at #181
- Bill Kelliher of Mastodon, who developed in the same Southern heavy metal underground tradition at #186
Frequently Asked Questions: Kirk Windstein Down Crowbar Guitars & Gear
What guitar does Kirk Windstein play?
Windstein’s current primary guitars are Solar Windstein signature models equipped with EMG 81 active humbuckers — he is an endorsed EMG artist and all his Solar signature guitars come stock with EMG 81s. Previous primary guitars include ESP LTD Viper 400 (black) and custom ESPs with EMG 81s. Down-context guitars include trans cherry ESP Eclipse, Gibson Voodoo SG, Gibson SG Gothic, and a white Fender Stratocaster. Historical instruments include a San Dimas Charvel (early Crowbar), Gibson Les Paul Custom, Ibanez Destroyer, and Peavey PXD Tragic II. All primary instruments feature EMG 81 pickups.
What amplifier does Kirk Windstein use?
Two distinct amp setups: Crowbar: Randall RG100ES solid-state (introduced by Dimebag Darrell, used since approximately 1987-88), subsequently supplemented by Orange Crush 120 solid-state. Down: Two Orange Thunderverb 50 heads, alongside Marshall JCM800 backup, through Orange 4×12 PPC412 cabinets with Celestion Vintage 30 speakers. He also used Peavey 5150 in live Crowbar contexts. EQ settings from the Orange interview: Bass 8, Mids 4, Treble 4.
When did Windstein start tuning to B standard and why?
“About 1988. Crowbar were tuning to B standard or drop A, way before the seven string came into popularity.” Windstein adopted B standard tuning (one and a half steps below standard E) in 1988 — the same year Dimebag turned him on to Randall solid-state amplifiers. The extreme low tuning required solid-state amplification to maintain note definition at those frequencies. His early adoption of B standard tuning preceded the broader metal community’s adoption of low tunings by approximately a decade, making him a foundational figure in the extreme low-tuning approach that subsequently became widespread.
Who recommended the Randall RG100ES to Kirk Windstein?
Dimebag Darrell of Pantera — “Dime turned me on to the Randall right around the time we started to drop tuning, about 1988. Dimebag turned me on to them when Phil Anselmo joined Pantera in ’87. I used them ever since with Crowbar.” Dimebag used Randall solid-state amplifiers throughout Pantera’s career; his recommendation to Windstein at the moment Crowbar were developing their extreme low-tuning approach established the Randall as the foundational Crowbar amplifier for decades.
What is Down NOLA and what is Windstein’s role?
Down is a New Orleans supergroup formed in 1991 by Phil Anselmo, Kirk Windstein, Pepper Keenan, Rex Brown, and Jimmy Bower. Their debut album NOLA (1995) is the foundational document of New Orleans sludge metal and Southern heavy metal. Windstein was a founding guitarist, contributing his Crowbar-derived heavy riffing to the Southern metal context of the supergroup. He left Down in 2013 and rejoined in 2020. The Marshall JCM800 that defined his NOLA rhythm tone and the Orange Thunderverb 50 of the later Down period represent the two primary amplifier phases of his Down career.
What effects pedals does Kirk Windstein use?
Windstein’s documented effects include: Maxon OD808 (primary overdrive, “at the top of his rig”), Dunlop SW95 Slash Signature Cry Baby Wah (confirmed Guitar Geek diagram), EHX Small Stone Phase Shifter (Down stage setup), MXR Phase 90 and MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay (Down context), Boss Metal Zone Distortion (documented), and Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner (utility). His approach is minimally effect-dependent — the amplifiers provide the primary tonal character, and the Maxon OD808 provides additional tightening and drive.
What are Dunlop Heavy Core strings and why does Windstein use them?
Dunlop Heavy Core strings are a heavy-gauge nickel wound string set designed for drop and low tunings — with gauges of .012-.054 or heavier. At B standard tuning (one and a half steps below standard E), normal gauge strings (.009-.042 or .010-.046) lose adequate string tension — becoming “floppy” and losing note definition. Windstein’s use of heavy gauge strings maintains the specific physical feel and tonal character of properly tensioned strings at his extreme low tunings, ensuring that the crushing B standard riffs of Crowbar have the specific punch and definition that sludge metal requires.
