"I'm a nerd like that": Slipknot's Mick Thomson is a huge gearhead, and this video proves it again

Mick Thomson of Slipknot performs on stage during the Knotfest at Artukainen Event Park on August 13, 2022 in Turku, Finlan
(Image credit: Venla Shalin/Redferns/Getty Images)

We've talked guitar rigs with Slipknot's Mick Thomson and we already know he's more knowledgeable and involved in the process than most other pro players we've met. Perhaps that's the reason he moves between guitar companies for his signature models – and pickups too. His recent visit to Fishman HQ – a company he joined the roster of in 2023 – for a tour with Larry Fishman himself shows his passion for the details behind his tone hasn't changed a bit.

Mick Thomson (Slipknot) Tours Fishman HQ - YouTube Mick Thomson (Slipknot) Tours Fishman HQ - YouTube
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It's an interesting tour for anyone who wants to know more about the process behind pickups and the multiple people involved in processes like CNC routing, and Mick – who listens attentively throughout the tour – even asks if he can keep one of the Fishman cores that are used in the kind of fluence pickups he's now using. "I'm a nerd like that", he tells Larry Fishman. 

He's one of us, then. 

Rob Laing
Reviews Editor, GuitarWorld.com and MusicRadar guitars

Rob is the Reviews Editor for GuitarWorld.com and MusicRadar guitars, so spends most of his waking hours (and beyond) thinking about and trying the latest gear while making sure our reviews team is giving you thorough and honest tests of it. He's worked for guitar mags and sites as a writer and editor for nearly 20 years but still winces at the thought of restringing anything with a Floyd Rose.