Dethklok shredder Brendon Small is set to sell a collection of electric guitars, tube amps and more on Reverb after concern for his gear collectionwas raised following a studio break-in in 2022.
The guitarist turned to musical comedy after graduating with a degree from Berklee College of Music, and his Metalocalypse TV show – which charts the wild career of fictional heavy metal band Dethklok – cemented his reputation in the metal community.
He even earned his first signature guitar with Epiphone in 2013, which was followed by a Gibson Burstbucker-loaded GhostHorse Explorer in 2021. But when his studio was broken into a year later, he was forced to reconsider the size of his collection.
“I realized that I really didn’t need to be in charge of this many guitars,” he says. “I play music every single day, I cannot physically play this many guitars at once! Therefore, I’m taking a healthy chunk and making them available for people who will play them!"
Top picks from Small’s haul include a prototype of his Epiphone signature. One of two, it was built circa 2007 and features a matte black finish, strap locks, and custom tuners.
A Gibson Thunderhorse, from a run of 250, also features, with Small championing its versatility. “You can play everything from Cannibal Corpse to Steely Dan on this,” he says.
Continuing the Gibson theme, a 1980s E2 Explorer represents the most vintage axe set to be sold, and it’s been modified during its time in Small’s possession.
“I took it on tour when Dethklok co-headlined with Mastodon back in the 2000s [it was 2009],” he says. “Somebody did a mod on it somewhere along the way so that when it’s in the middle [pickup] position, you get that Brian May kind of phase-reversing thing. It’s really cool.”
There’s also a 1961 reissue Gibson SG, which was used on Dethklok’s 2007 track, Kill You. Its neck has been polished with steel wool for a makeshift matte finish that “voided the warranty.”
Lastly, for Gibson guitar picks, another Mastodon tour axe, a Joan Jett Melody Maker, features alongside a Flying V that dominated Small's formative years and was used to track early Dethklok demos. The Melody Maker has a label with former Mastodon guitarist Brent Hinds' name on it, as the guitarist is said to have admired the instrument.
Dethklok fans can also get their hands on the guitar that was used to record the show’s theme song – an Ibanez Iceman that has since been converted to fretless by Small’s brother.
“You’re not going to find a guitar like this anywhere, unless you’re at a dump site, or underneath a city in the catacombs of some crazy trashy place,” Small jokes.
Small’s official Reverb store opens on July 30.
Visit Reverb for more.
The guitarist, it turns out, was a key player in Canadian prog shredder Nick Johnston replacing Hinds in Mastodon.
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