Slipknot’s Mick Thomson Details His Signature Ibanez MTM1 RG Guitar

As a guitarist in one of metal's most brutal acts, Slipknot's Mick Thomson demands a lot from his gear. His signature line of guitars from Ibanez helps him deliver the punishing riffs that help form the backbone of Slipknot's unique brand of metal. Thomson recently sat down with Total Guitar to give a brief overview of his MTM1 signature guitar.

Thomson's relationship with Ibanez dates back to 2003, when the band was recording 'Vol. 3 (The Subliminal Verses).' The company built him a prototype RG which impressed him enough to request a full-blown signature model, and that developed into the MTM1 model that's been a mainstay of his rig ever since. Thomson says the guitar "sounds huge, has tons of sustain and sounds f---ing amazing."

The guitar is based on Ibanez's legendary RG, which was originally developed in the 80's as a shred-friendly "Super Strat," featuring a futuristic contoured body shape, thin neck and hot pickups. The MTM1 uses a neck-through build featuring a five-ply maple and walnut neck with two mahogany wings that from the body.

Because much of Slipknot's music contains moments where Thomson has to hit notes with pinpoint precision, he requested a wide and flat neck to help make doing that easier. He says, "It makes it easier to hit notes cleaner, as opposed to something that's a little more comfortable, like a Fender that's more narrow." It also sports a 24-fret Rosewood fingerboard, Thomson's signature Seymour Duncan MT Blackout active humbuckers, and a fixed Lo Pro Edge bridge, which has the feel of a floating tremolo, but with the tuning stability of a hard tail bridge.

Thomson likes the guitar for its simplicity, saying, "For what I need in this band, it works." The band is currently wrapping up a stint in Europe, but fans will have the chance to catch Thomson with his MTM1 and new MTM2 signature guitars with Slipknot at the Monsters of Rock festival this October in Brazil.