Crowbar gear guide: Kirk Windstein's New Orleans sludge-metal rig, strings, and twelve-album catalog

Crowbar, the New Orleans sludge-metal band led by Kirk Windstein. The documented guitars, tunings, strings, and gear behind twelve studio albums, with primary-source citations and a full Obedience thru Suffering to Zero and Below discography.

Reviewed by the Change Your Strings editorial team · 2026-08-25

Crowbar is a New Orleans sludge-metal band formed in 1990, fronted by vocalist and guitarist Kirk Windstein, its sole constant member. Over twelve studio albums from Obedience thru Suffering (1991) to Zero and Below (2022), Crowbar helped pioneer sludge metal by fusing Black Sabbath doom with hardcore aggression. Windstein plays ESP and Solar guitars in C# standard and drop B, the tunings at the heart of the band's crushing low end.

Band members(1)

Kirk Windstein
Guitarist
Kirk Windstein is the sole constant member of Crowbar and a founding guitarist of Down. A 2007 rig diagram documents his C# standard and drop B tuning; Solar Guitars released his signature model in 2024.

At a glance

Role

Band

Active

1990 to present

Based

New Orleans, Louisiana

Genres

Affiliations

Kirk Windstein, vocals and guitar, sole constant member since 1990
Sludge-metal pioneers of the New Orleans heavy metal scene
1993 self-titled album produced by Phil Anselmo
Rex Brown played bass and keyboards on Lifesblood for the Downtrodden (2005)

Notable credits

Obedience thru Suffering (1991)
Crowbar (1993)
Odd Fellows Rest (1998)
Sever the Wicked Hand (2011)
Zero and Below (2022)

Sourcing4 citations · reviewed 2026-08-25· by Change Your Strings editorial team

Crowbar formed in New Orleans in 1990 and took its name in 1991, fronted from the start by vocalist and guitarist Kirk Windstein, the band's sole constant member. Alongside the rest of the city's heavy scene, Crowbar helped pioneer sludge metal, fusing the doom of Black Sabbath with the aggression of hardcore. The 1993 self-titled album, produced by Phil Anselmo, earned the band national promotion on MTV's Headbangers Ball. Windstein also co-founded the supergroup Down, and Pantera bassist Rex Brown guested on Crowbar's 2005 record. This page is the gear guide; Windstein, the one constant, gets the full rig breakdown below.

Kirk Windstein, vocals and guitar

Windstein has anchored Crowbar without interruption since 1990, the sludge-metal architect whose riffs define the band. His full rig is broken down on his profile.

Guitars · Documented rig (2007)

Two ESP Vipers, EMG 81/85, Dean Markley LTHB (.010-.052)

A 2007 rig diagram, the clearest published snapshot of Windstein's setup, documents a stock LTD Viper-400 in black and a custom-painted ESP Viper, both loaded with EMG 81 (bridge) and EMG 85 (neck) pickups, strung with Dean Markley LTHB and tuned to C# standard or drop B. The same C# standard and drop B tunings anchor his Crowbar riffs.

Source: Guitar.com, Kirk Windstein rig diagram (2007).

Full profile →

Guitar · Signature (2024)

Solar Guitars EFR1.6KW

Released November 2024, designed with Windstein: a 24.75-inch scale, mahogany body and neck, ebony fingerboard, 22 super-jumbo stainless frets, and EMG 85/81 active pickups, the same pairing on his 2007 ESP rig. Sold through Solar directly, not Amazon. He has also endorsed Orange Amps since 2010.

Source: Gear Gods, Solar Guitars Windstein signature.

Windstein's documented 2007 gauge was light for tuning this low, and neither that diagram nor the 2024 Solar announcement confirms his current personal string gauge. So the set below is CYS's own recommendation for his C# standard and drop B tunings, not a claim about what he strings today.

Strings · CYS recommendation

Ernie Ball Not Even Slinky Cobalt (.012-.056)

CYS's recommended set for both C# standard and drop B, heavier than Windstein's documented 2007 gauge for a tighter, more modern low end. A recommendation for the tuning, not a claim about his personal current gauge.

Full review →Buy on Amazon

Ernie Ball

Not Even Slinky Cobalt (.012-.056)

.012 – .056

Price tier: $$

Why this one: CYS's recommended set for both C# standard and drop B, the tunings at the core of Crowbar's sound. Heavier than Windstein's documented 2007 gauge, built for a tighter, more modern low end.

C# StandardDrop BSludge metal

View on Amazon Full review →

Guest and rotating members

Crowbar's lineup has always rotated around Windstein. Pantera and Down bassist Rex Brown is the most notable guest: he played bass and keyboards on 2005's Lifesblood for the Downtrodden, credited as a member from 2004 to 2005. Drummer Jimmy Bower, of Down and Eyehategod, has also sat behind the Crowbar kit at points. CYS lists documented gear only, so no rig claims are made for members without a sourced profile yet.

Album by album

Crowbar's catalog runs twelve studio albums deep. Obedience thru Suffering (1991) opened the account, and the 1993 self-titled record, produced by Phil Anselmo, broke the band nationally. The run continued through Time Heals Nothing (1995), Broken Glass (1996), Odd Fellows Rest (1998), Equilibrium (2000), and Sonic Excess in Its Purest Form (2001). Lifesblood for the Downtrodden (2005) featured Rex Brown, and the modern era brought Sever the Wicked Hand (2011), Symmetry in Black (2014), The Serpent Only Lies (2016), and their twelfth album, Zero and Below (2022). AllMusic sums the sound as the doomy heft of Black Sabbath, the riffage of Pantera, and the progressions of Metallica.

Frequently asked questions

Who is in Crowbar?

Kirk Windstein (vocals, rhythm guitar) is Crowbar's sole constant member and has led the band since 1990. The lineup around him has rotated across the years; recent members include Tommy Buckley (drums, since 2005), Matt Brunson (lead guitar, since 2009), and Pat Bruders on bass. Crowbar has long borrowed players from other New Orleans metal bands like Goatwhore and Eyehategod.

RelatedKirk Windstein full profile

Who is Kirk Windstein?

An American guitarist and vocalist from New Orleans, active since the mid-1980s. He is the frontman and sole constant member of Crowbar, a founding guitarist of the supergroup Down, and formed Kingdom of Sorrow with Hatebreed's Jamey Jasta. He has also released solo albums. Crowbar is the band he has anchored without interruption since its 1990 formation.

What guitars and strings does Kirk Windstein use in Crowbar?

A 2007 Guitar.com rig diagram, the clearest published snapshot of his setup, documents two ESP Vipers loaded with EMG 81 and EMG 85 pickups, strung with Dean Markley LTHB (.010-.052), tuned to C# standard or drop B. In 2024, Solar Guitars released his EFR1.6KW signature model, and he has endorsed Orange Amps since 2010. His current touring string gauge is not publicly confirmed.

What tuning does Crowbar play in?

Kirk Windstein's documented tunings are C# standard, every string down a step and a half, and drop B, the same tuning with the low string dropped a further step. Both sit at the foundation of the doom and sludge metal Crowbar helped pioneer. Tuning this low, a heavier modern gauge holds pitch and articulation better than a light set.

What are Crowbar's albums?

Twelve studio albums across three decades: Obedience thru Suffering (1991), Crowbar (1993), Time Heals Nothing (1995), Broken Glass (1996), Odd Fellows Rest (1998), Equilibrium (2000), Sonic Excess in Its Purest Form (2001), Lifesblood for the Downtrodden (2005), Sever the Wicked Hand (2011), Symmetry in Black (2014), The Serpent Only Lies (2016), and Zero and Below (2022).

Did Rex Brown play in Crowbar?

Yes. Pantera and Down bassist Rex Brown lent his bass playing and keyboards to Crowbar's 2005 album Lifesblood for the Downtrodden, credited as a member from 2004 to 2005. His documented bass string is the Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky Cobalt Bass, sourced from his Pantera rig, not a specific Crowbar session.

RelatedRex Brown full profile