[Kobayashi Issei] How to Recreate the Mizukashikaka Sound + Guitar Gear and Tone Settings [Effects & Amps]

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Introduction (Overview of Tone)

Kobayashi Issei, the guitarist of Mizukashikaka, is renowned for his vibrant sound, primarily using a red Telecaster and skillfully switching between various distortion effects. His guitar play serves as the backbone of the band’s colorful ensemble, showcasing a wide range of expressions from clean to driven tones.

In iconic tracks like “Mela!” and “Character,” he navigates between energetic backing and delicate leads, enhancing the drama of the songs. Particularly in live performances, his thick lead sound, centered around the Friedman BE-50 Deluxe and Bogner cabinet, beautifully intertwines with the sharp tones of the Telecaster, creating an overwhelming sound that captivates the audience.

One of Kobayashi’s distinctive traits is his style of meticulously switching distortions to match the songs. His pedalboard incorporates multiple overdrives, distortions, and fuzz effects, utilizing a FREE THE TONE switcher for instant changes. This setup allows him to achieve a diverse range of textures within a single song.

His sound design is not just about creating a tone that stands alone with one guitar; it is designed to serve as the “core” that supports the entire band sound. The delicate yet powerful tones, sometimes infused with a playful spirit, have garnered attention from many guitarists.

This article will thoroughly explore the amplifiers, guitars, effects, and settings used by Kobayashi Issei (Mizukashikaka), providing readers with concrete tips to recreate his sound.

Feel free to use this as a reference for your gear selection and settings.

▶ Search official YouTube videos of Mizukashikaka

List of Amplifiers and Features

The selection of amplifiers is central to Kobayashi Issei’s sound design. He uses different amps for live performances, recordings, and home environments, ensuring that he maintains a setting that is “thick and present yet retains delicacy” in any situation.

The absolute main amplifier is the Friedman BE-50 Deluxe. He uses the silver version as the main amp and the gold version as a backup, seamlessly switching between clean, crunch, and high-gain channels. Friedman amps are characterized by their modern British-style drive and quick response in clean settings, making them a perfect fit for Mizukashikaka’s pop yet rock-infused songs.

For cabinets, he pairs it with the Bogner 2×12. Choosing a 2×12 over a larger 4×12 cabinet is a practical decision considering sound projection and portability. The Bogner cabinet excels in tight low-end and dense mid-range, highlighting Kobayashi’s rhythmic cutting and distorted leads.

Additionally, the Marshall DSL100H has been confirmed for recording use. This amp is known for its thick, classic rock distortion, providing a rougher texture compared to the Friedman, likely used to vary the tone depending on the track.

For home recording and demo production, he employs the Kemper Profiling Power Head. The Kemper allows for high-quality amp sounds to be reproduced at home using profiling data from renowned amps, aligning with Kobayashi’s style that emphasizes efficiency and sound reproducibility in the studio.

Thus, Kobayashi’s flexibility in switching between Friedman + Bogner for live performances and Marshall DSL or Kemper for recordings forms the core of his sound design. By using Friedman as a foundation while varying the character of the sound, he constructs the optimal tone for each song.

Types of Guitars Used and Features

When discussing Kobayashi Issei’s sound, the red Telecaster is indispensable. His signature Fender American Professional Telecaster (red) is used for both live performances and recordings, with the knobs always set to full and the center position frequently utilized, creating a unique, bright, and clear tone. He uses Elixir .010-.046 strings, which provide stability and a punchy sound in standard tuning.

Recently, he has also been seen using the Fender Made in Japan Hybrid II Telecaster (Modena Red, RW fretboard), which serves as a practical secondary guitar that delivers authentic Fender sound at an affordable price. This choice is practical for live and practice settings.

Additionally, a rare model of the Fender Telecaster equipped with a Bigsby has been confirmed for recording use, likely employed for scenes requiring vibrato effects.

Among Gibson models, the 2018 Les Paul Classic (Pelham Blue, P-90 ×2) is particularly significant. It utilizes the thick and punchy sound characteristic of P-90 pickups, making its presence felt in rock-oriented tracks. The Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Custom has also been spotted on his Instagram, likely chosen for its heavy sound in situations requiring a robust tone.

Furthermore, the Gibson Les Paul Special TV Yellow has been noted for its use in recordings, providing a vintage and lively sound when needed.

For acoustic work, he primarily uses the Gibson J-45 Custom, which offers a warm yet defined sound, essential for solo performances and acoustic band arrangements. He also employs the Washburn RO10 for travel and the VOX ELEUKU as a ukulele, showcasing his commitment to using a diverse range of instruments depending on the scene.

By skillfully switching between these guitars according to the song or situation, Kobayashi creates the colorful and layered sound essential to Mizukashikaka’s music.

Effects and Pedalboard Setup

Kobayashi Issei’s sound design is characterized by a diverse array of distortion-based effects on his pedalboard. He employs a programmable switcher system centered around the FREE THE TONE ARC-4, allowing him to switch tones instantly within a song. Analyzing the gear visible in live footage and on Instagram reveals a combination of overdrives, distortions, fuzz, and multi-effects, enabling a wide range of expressions.

At the front of the board, the Shin’s Music Baby Perfect Volume Standard is often placed. This volume pedal allows him to control the guitar’s output, enhancing the dynamics of the songs. Following that, the XOTIC XW-1 wah pedal is set up, utilized for funky cutting and expressive lead play.

For distortion effects, he incorporates several overdrives, including the Vemuram Jan Ray, Greer Amps Southland Harmonic OD, and J. Rockett Audio Designs The Jeff Archer. These provide a range from transparent crunch to mid-focused lead tones. Additionally, he creates thick distortion with the Suhr Eclipse and 320design Brown Feather, while unique fuzz sounds are achieved with pedals like the Gamechanger Audio PLASMA Pedal, adding impactful textures.

Spatial effects are centralized in the Line 6 HX Effects, managing reverb, delay, and modulation while allowing preset changes for each song. This setup simplifies the handling of complex spatial processing required for some tracks.

Supporting effects include the DigiTech Whammy Ricochet for pitch shifting and fuzz/auto-wah effects like the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff and Bassballs. In the past, he has also used the BOSS OD-1X, Fulltone OCD, and BamBasic Freesoul Over Drive, indicating that he rotates his distortion lineup depending on the period.

For power supply, high-quality units like the K.E.S KIP-001 and FREE THE TONE PT-5D are used, ensuring stable voltage supply even in live environments. This reflects a professional setup that is both reliable and efficient.

In summary, Kobayashi’s effect system appears simple but is actually a sophisticated arrangement of programming and meticulous settings, allowing him to instantly recreate the diverse tones needed for Mizukashikaka’s songs.

Tone Settings, EQ, and Mixing Approaches

Kobayashi Issei’s sound design is characterized by “a three-dimensional tone created by combining various distortions” and “an EQ balance tailored to the song.” Rather than merely adding distortion, he skillfully adjusts frequency ranges and compression to position the guitar optimally within Mizukashikaka’s band sound.

His main amp, the Friedman BE-50 Deluxe, utilizes its three-channel capability to switch between clean, crunch, and high-gain. The clean channel is set with lower gain to faithfully reproduce picking nuances, while the crunch channel combines with Jan Ray and Southland OD to enhance the mid-range. The high-gain channel adds thickness and sustain during solos with the Eclipse and Brown Feather distortions.

The basic tendency of the EQ settings appears to favor a slightly subdued bass and an emphasis on mids. Since Mizukashikaka’s songs feature prominent bass and keyboards, if the guitar occupies too much low-end, it muddles the overall sound. Therefore, it is assumed that the guitar is set to focus on “cutting through the mid-high range.” Treble is set slightly higher to leverage the bright characteristics of the Telecaster while maintaining balance without excessively boosting presence.

In the representative track “Mela!”, the backing leans towards crunch with a peak in the mid-range, while the lead in the chorus combines high-gain channels with fuzz to enhance clarity. By skillfully switching effects throughout the song, he delivers a strong impact to the listener. In pop-oriented tracks like “Character,” he emphasizes a clean-cutting sound with minimal distortion, adding reverb and delay via HX Effects to create spatial depth.

In mixing, Kobayashi’s guitar is often recorded using a combination of the SE Electronics VR1 VE ribbon mic and Sennheiser MD521. The VR1 captures warmth and fatness, while the MD521 complements the attack, achieving a balanced tone right from the recording stage. From an engineer’s perspective, it is assumed that the blend ratio of these two mics is adjusted for each song to fine-tune the track’s color.

For guitar solos or prominent phrases, it is likely that he boosts around 2–3kHz in the EQ. This frequency range is where the human ear is most sensitive, ensuring clarity for solos. Conversely, low frequencies (below 100Hz) are cut using a high-pass filter to avoid overlap with the bass drum and bass.

Another crucial aspect is the use of compression. Kobayashi’s guitar likely has light compression applied to maintain the dynamics of his playing while leveling the overall sound pressure. During live performances, he relies on the natural compression of the amp, while in recordings, it is assumed that the engineer uses compressors like the 1176 or LA-2A to refine the sound.

Overall, Kobayashi Issei’s sound design emphasizes “careful organization of frequency ranges and dynamics for each song,” incorporating multiple guitars like the Telecaster and Les Paul, along with EQ, effects, mic placement, and mixing, to create a comprehensive design. This approach supports the balance of pop and rock strength in Mizukashikaka’s music.

Affordable Alternatives to Recreate the Tone

Kobayashi Issei’s gear primarily consists of high-end professional equipment like the Friedman BE-50 Deluxe and Vemuram Jan Ray. However, for those looking to emulate his sound, cost can be a significant barrier. Here, we introduce commercially available alternatives that are relatively accessible for beginners to intermediate players (around $100–500, with a maximum of $1,000) that can effectively recreate his tones.

For amplifiers, the BOSS Katana-100 MkII serves as an excellent alternative to Friedman and Marshall. It covers a wide range from clean to high-gain, and the three-channel switching necessary for Mizukashikaka’s songs can be replicated with presets. Additionally, the Line 6 Catalyst series offers modern, clear sound quality suitable for home recording and live practice.

Regarding guitars, purchasing the American Professional Telecaster exceeds $2,000, so starting with the Fender Player Telecaster or Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster is recommended. The bright sound in the center position can be adequately replicated, allowing players to experience Kobayashi’s backing style while keeping costs down.

For overdrives, the BOSS BD-2 Blues Driver is the best value alternative to the Vemuram Jan Ray. It combines mid-range punch and transparency, easily achieving a “clean boost-oriented drive” similar to Jan Ray. The Maxon OD-808 is effective as a substitute for the Greer Southland OD, providing warm and natural crunch.

For distortion, the BOSS DS-1W (Waza Craft) is recommended as an alternative to the Suhr Eclipse and 320design Brown Feather. It features modern improvements on classic distortion, ensuring clarity during solos and leads. While achieving the unique texture of the Gamechanger PLASMA Pedal may be challenging, introducing the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Nano can yield a similar fuzziness.

For spatial effects, entry-level multi-effects like the ZOOM G3Xn or BOSS GT-1 are optimal alternatives to the Line 6 HX Effects. They can handle reverb, delay, and modulation collectively, allowing for preset changes for each song.

Finally, since the XOTIC XW-1 is quite expensive, a safe alternative would be the Jim Dunlop Cry Baby Standard GCB95. It accommodates a wide range from rock to funk, making it suitable for mimicking Kobayashi’s wah play.

With these combinations, beginners can relatively easily recreate the “Kobayashi Issei sound.” The key points are to focus on the “Telecaster + mid-focused overdrive + multi-effects for spatial effects” trio, which will help capture the vibrant band sound characteristic of Mizukashikaka.

Summary and Conclusion

Reflecting on Kobayashi Issei’s sound design, its essence lies in “meticulous distortion control” and “frequency design optimized for each song.” Centered around his red Fender Telecaster, he skillfully switches between unique guitars like the Gibson Les Paul Classic (Pelham Blue, P-90) for different tracks, while his amp system, primarily the Friedman BE-50 Deluxe and Bogner cabinet, balances power and delicacy.

Moreover, his effect board, centered around the FREE THE TONE ARC-4, is equipped to switch instantly between overdrives, distortions, fuzz, and spatial effects. This flexibility allows him to adapt tone changes to the diverse songs of Mizukashikaka, establishing his presence as a lead guitarist. His ability to switch between bold sound in live performances and subtle sound design in recordings further solidifies his role.

In terms of EQ balance, Kobayashi emphasizes “reducing low frequencies while enhancing mid-high presence.” This approach is crucial as the bass and keyboards contribute thickness to Mizukashikaka’s sound, necessitating the guitar to have a “cutting tone.” Thus, he employs techniques to organize frequency ranges using the brightness of the Telecaster and the thickness of the Les Paul.

Another notable characteristic is his “approach of finely adjusting sound design for each song.” In the representative track “Mela!”, the dynamic transitions from crunch to lead create a strong impression, while in pop-oriented songs like “Character,” he colors the music with light cutting and spatial effects. This nuanced approach is the key to the diverse sound of Mizukashikaka and exemplifies Kobayashi’s prowess as a guitarist.

For readers looking to replicate his sound, it is essential to focus on the setup of Telecaster + mid-focused overdrive + multi-effects for spatial effects. By incorporating Les Pauls and fuzz pedals as needed, one can get closer to Kobayashi’s sound. It is entirely possible to capture the “vibe” without investing in expensive gear by effectively utilizing alternatives.

Ultimately, Kobayashi Issei’s sound design is not merely about “distorted guitar” but rather about the design of sound that supports the entire band. The key to aspiring to his sound is not just in gear selection but in being mindful of “how to resonate within the overall music.” This is the greatest charm of Kobayashi Issei, supporting the vibrant and layered sound of Mizukashikaka, and serves as a significant hint for all guitarists learning sound design.