Robin Finck (NIN)
Recognized for his live performances, Robin Finck is one of only a handful of guitarists that can lay claim to have being a member of two of the most recognized and renowned bands of all time, Nine Inch Nails (NIN) and Guns ‘n’ Roses (GnRs). Through out his time with Nine Inch Nail, in particular, his guitar rig has been updated frequently. What follows has been pulled together over a number of years from a number of sources.
NIN – Self Destruct/Fragility
(1994 – 2000)
Throughout the early years playing with NIN Finck predominantly used Gibson Les Paul guitars – a mix of Custom’s, Standard’s, Studio’s and Goldtop’s. One thing to note with the Les Paul style guitars that he has used throughout his career is that he likes to move the toggle switch from the regular position to replace one of the volume controls. He has also endorsed Godin Guitar LGX Series and is still listed on the endorsers list on the Godin website.
Throughout a large part of this period Finck used a Marshall JMP-1 preamp, although he also used a Mesa Boogie Triaxis at times as well during the Fragility tour. His preamps were paired with a TC Electronic G-Force rack effects unit running through Mesa Boogie 2:90 power amps.
In a June 2002 interview with Guitar World, Robin Finck spoke briefly about the gear he used reproducing the sounds from the Fragile live, on the Fragility tour.
“Danny and I will go through the 25 guitar tracks on the record and break it down to the most essential parts,” says Finck, who has been using an assortment of Godin guitars on the Fragility tour, employing their piezo pickups to reproduce some of Reznor’s Parker ones. For meatier stuff, Finck plays a Les Paul. He’s using a Marshall JMP-1 preamp and a Bradshaw switching system with a TC Electronic G-Force and a Voodoo Valve as featured effects.
Guitar World Magazine, June 2002
The Guns ‘n’ Roses era
(2001 – 2007)
Throughout his time with Guns ‘n’ Roses Finck continued to use a fleet of Les Paul guitars.
With GnRs Finck used Marshall JCM2000 TSL 100 heads, although I’d also seen some speculation that he also used Marshall JCM800’s early in his time with GnRs. In the pictures below it appears as though there’s a MXR Micro Amp embedded in the amp case but not sure if/how that was hooked up.
His effects were all housed in his rack (as seen in the image below):
- Exotic Effects RC Booster
- Boss BD-2 Blues Driver
- Emma Electronic DiscumBOBulator (version 1)
- Maxon Stereo Chorus
- Boss DD-5 Digital Delay
- Unknown Boss pedal (Boss GE-7 equalizer?)
The remainder of his rack, which was powered by a Furman Power Conditioner, included the Crybaby rack wah, Ground Control GCX switchers and what may be some wireless units (although I’m not sure).
The images below were original posted on robinfinck.com sometime in early 2007 although the original post is no longer available.
NIN – Lights in the Sky/Wave Goodbye
(2008 – 2009)
Rejoining NIN, following his departure from G’n’R’s, Finck continued to favour Les Paul guitars but was also seen playing a Jerry Jones Baritone and a Fender Jazzmaster. During the NIN ‘Lights in the Sky’ tour, Finck was also been seen playing a lap steel guitar with an effects pedal mounted to the body.
During the 2008/09 tour Finck swapped out the rack gear for a more traditional pedal board set up. In terms of his amplifiers I’ve been unable to find a reliable source for what he was using at this time although I’ve seen some speculation that he continued to use the JCM2000.
The pictures below were posted on a couple of guitar forums and message boards in 2009 and were taken mid-2009 during the NIN tour. Unfortunately I don’t have the original source.
Top left to right:
- Boss TU-2 Tuner
- Boss GE-7 Equilizer
- Boss MT-2 Metalzone (modded)
- Electro Harmonix Big Muff Pi (green Russian version)
- Boss BD-2 Blues Driver (potentially modded?)
- Devi Ever Legend of Fuzz
- Crowther Audio Prunes and Custard
Bottom left to right:
- Ernie Ball Volume Pedal
- Ernie Ball Volume Pedal
- Electro Harmonix Micro POG Polyphonic Octave Generator
- Eventide Time Factor
- Boss LS-2 Line Selector
- Unknown (amp channel switch?)
- Dunlop Crybaby Wah
Interestingly one of his Les Paul’s from the 2008 tour popped up on Reverb mid 2019. It had taken some punishment in it’s time (see the first image where it’s about to be hurled in to a security barrier) but was listed for $9,999USD.
NIN – Twenty Thirteen
(2013 – 2014)
Between the 2009 and 2013 tours Robin Finck worked with Schecter on his signature guitar based off the Ultra body shape with reverse headstock. The Schecter Prototype – of what became the Schecter Ultra-III – was seen with NIN on the Twenty Thirteen tour. It features a Bigsby tremelo, Seymour Duncan mini humbucker (Seymour Duncan SM-3B) in the bridge and two Duncan Designed FG-101s in the middle and neck positions. The Schecter was used on tour for songs where the Bigsby was heavily employed live on tracks such as ‘The Day the World Went Away’.
In an interview in 2013 posted on the Seymour Duncan website Robin Finck reported that he was using a Kemper Profiler with a couple of drawers of pedals and the RJM switching system.
I’m using the Eventide Factor boxes throughout the set and I have a few favorites like the Keeley Comp and Voodoo Lab Proctavia. I have different settings on a Micro POG that Chris (Whitmeyer, tech) is dialing from song to song. There are a few songs where I’m running through Main Stage to get at NI Guitar Rig, at Trent’s request. So my signal is going all over the place.
‘Five Questions with Nine Inch Nails’ Robin Finck’ Seymour Duncan
2017 – onward
From around 2017 onward Finck has been favouring Reverend guitars, a red flame maple Reverand Sensei RA with Joe Naylor Railhammer pickups. The Sensei is a neck through design with a bass contour control that allows for passive bass roll-off which Reverand say “is great for tightening up the low end, or re-voicing the pickups. It can make a humbucker sound like a single-coil, or give a P-90 that classic twang.”
The second Reverand guitar seen during the 2018 tour was a Reverand Charger. Like the Sensei it features a bass contour control but, unlike the Sensei, is fitted with Humcutter pickups.
He also started to use a Manson Works Series custom 6-string and is currently listed on the Manson website. The custom model used by Finck includes a swamp ash body, ebony fingerboard, large C profile neck, kill button, custom Psychopaf bridge pickup and Sustainiac sustainer system.
‘Nothing face’ Manson Custom
He could also be seen playing one of two Gibson Les Paul Customs in natural finish, including the well recognized ‘Nothing Face’. Both guitars were fitted with Seymour Duncan JB humbuckers in the bridge and Alnico IIs in the neck.
He was also touring with a couple of Fender Nocasters both modded with humbuckers, Billy Gibbons models as well as a Firebird humbucker wedged in the bridge of his yellow model.
Finck also continued to use his Schecter signature.
Other guitars occasionally used throughout the touring cycle included:
- The Parker Fly (used for ‘The Big Come Down’ with every string tuned to D, with only the piezo pickup being used).
- Jerry Jones baritone (sometimes confused with a Danelectro) with lipstick pickups.
- Gibson 335 Reissue.
- Ibanez John Scofield Artist model.
During the tour he’d also use an Electro Hawaiian lap steel guitar tuned to C-G-G-D-G-C with an Electro-Faustus Guitar Disruptor with a slide and/or ebow for “God Break Down the Door’.
For the 2017 tour on he has swapped out the Kemper Profiler for a Fractal Audio Axe FX-II XL with a bunch of stomp boxes running through a loop switcher. In a Premier Guitar Rig Rundown interview while on tour in 2018, Robin Finck walked through most of the gear he was using at the time, including his rack and effects setup.
His rack includes:
- Axe FX-II XL
- RJM Effect Gizmo programmable true bypass loop switcher
- Matrix GT1000FX power amp
- Motu Micro Lite and Motu Mk3 Ultra Lite
The pedals running through the switcher include:
- Voodoo Lab Proctavia Octave Fuzz
- Electro Harmonix Micro POG
- Red Panda Particle
- Catlinbread Csidman
- Eventide H9
- Industrialectric RM-1N
Powered by a T-Rex Fuel Tank Chameleon.
For strings he uses a mix of Ernie Ball strings to put together a custom set with gauges .011, .014, .018p, .030, .042, .052 (sometimes swapping the 52 for a 56 depending on tuning.
A lot of the information regarding his rack and effects rig for the 2017 onward section came from the Premier Guitar Rig Rundown video below. The video is quite long and the interview is a little slow and awkward but there’s some interesting information if you have the time (53 minutes).
If you want to check out more info on Robin Finck check out the fan site https://www.fincktheworld.com/
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