Full Crosses' Rig Info: https://www.premierguitar.com/videos/rig-rundown/crosses

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What if Deftones’ lead singer Chino Moreno fully leaned into his love for the Cure and Depeche Mode—think “Digital Bath,” “Teenager,” “Anniversary of an Uninteresting Event,” and “Cherry Waves?” The short answer is Crosses (often seen as †††). And the sole sonic sniper pillowing and piercing through Moreno’s moodily melodic vocals is multi-instrumentalist Shaun Lopez.

Crosses was formed by cofounding members Lopez and bassist Chuck Doom in the late 2000s before recruiting Chino Moreno to front the dark dance party. The trio released three EPs and a self-titled debut album between 2011 and 2014 before going on hiatus in 2015.

For almost 15 years, the nucleus of Shawn Lopez and Chino Moreno have creatively layered and disguised guitar and synth combining new wave, electronica, goth rock, industrial, and ambient pop producing a soundtrack to neo-noir readaptation of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly that subs the old west and gunplay with after-hours Miami and foreplay.

“When we started Crosses, I was just learning to play piano. I think back then I wanted to make synthy-sounding songs, but I didn’t know how to play synths so I was like, ‘how can I get my guitar to sound like a synth,’ so I just incorporated pedals, lap steel, and anything to make my guitar unrecognizable,” admits Lopez.

Prior to working with Moreno in Crosses, Lopez cofounded Far—an influential post-hardcore 1990s contemporary of the Deftones in Sacramento—and has tallied a variety of producer credits collaborating with Chon, Rob Zombie, Lupe Fiasco, Dead Sara, Whitechapel, and others. That sort of versatility is evident when experiencing Crosses with a pair of headphones or seeing them perform onstage.

Throughout the band’s run, Lopez has interplayed and interwoven guitar and synths countering brooding against beauty and gentle versus tense. When Crosses was revitalized in 2022 with fresh material—and the departure of bassist Chuck Doom—the remaining duo doubled down on their digital-based dynamism featuring even more synths, keys, and electronic experimentation where he would even sample his guitar through his keys.

“Since those first songs, I’ve really learned how to play piano and keyboards and by better understanding that new instrument, at times, I’ve become more inspired by synths over guitar,” recalls Lopez.

But no matter how many synths or keyboards get put to tape, you’ll still see Lopez onstage with a guitar draped over his shoulder.

“I do prefer to play guitar live because it’s more fun and I can run around. I am always chasing sounds no matter the instrument it takes to get there. My sound is growing because I’m always learning. I think if you stop learning you stop progressing. but guitar will always be home,” states Lopez.

Prior to Crosses’ sold-out show at Nashville’s Marathon Music Works, Lopez welcomed PG’s Perry Bean onstage to dissect his setup. The lone instrumentalist showed off six stellar guitars, broke down the heavy lifting his FM9 endures for Crosses’ sets, introduced a peculiar pedal he can’t live without, and demonstrated a Gretsch that sounds like an angry orca.

Full Crosses' Rig Info: https://www.premierguitar.com/videos/rig-rundown/crosses

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[Brought to you by D’Addario Strings: https://ddar.io/wykyk-rr & D'Addario XPND: https://ddari.io/xpnd.rr]

0:00 - D'Addario & Yvette Young

0:15 - Perry Bean Intro

1:14 - Shaun Lopez Intro

2:08 - Creating Crosses Sound on Record

6:30 - Gibson Les Paul Custom 20th Anniversary 1974

10:11 - Recreating Crosses Albums on FM9

11:04 - Chino’s Gibson SG Special

12:48 - 1960s Gretsch Corvette

16:44 - Gretsch G2420T Streamliner Hollowbody

17:47 - The Heaviest Gretsch Ever!

20:13 - Schecter PT Fastback

21:39 - Schecter Coupe

23:01 - D'Addario XPND & John Bohlinger

23:50 - Shaun Lopez's Main FM9 Sounds & Pedalboard

33:22 - Fender FS-52 Lap Steel & Prophet 6 Synth

36:17 - D'Addario & Joe Glaser

© Copyright Gearhead Communications LLC, 2024

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