Down gear guide: the New Orleans sludge-metal supergroup's guitars, strings, and gear, member by member

Down, the New Orleans sludge-metal supergroup, member by member. The documented guitars, strings, and rigs Kirk Windstein and former bassist Rex Brown play, with primary-source citations and a full NOLA-to-Volume V discography.

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

Down is a New Orleans sludge-metal supergroup formed in 1991, built from members of Pantera, Corrosion of Conformity, Crowbar, and Eyehategod. The lineup: Phil Anselmo (vocals), Pepper Keenan and Kirk Windstein (guitars), Pat Bruders (bass), and Jimmy Bower (drums). Guitarist Kirk Windstein plays ESP and Solar guitars in C# standard and drop B. Former bassist Rex Brown, in Down through 2011, strings his bass with Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky Cobalt Bass.

Band members(2)

At a glance

Role

Band

Active

1991 to present

Based

New Orleans, Louisiana

Genres

Affiliations

Supergroup of Pantera, Corrosion of Conformity, Crowbar, and Eyehategod members
Kirk Windstein, guitars (1991 to 2013, 2019 to present)
Rex Brown, former bassist (recorded Down II and Down III, left 2011)
Debut album NOLA (1995) reached the Billboard 200

Notable credits

NOLA (1995)
Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow (2002)
Down III: Over the Under (2007)
Down IV Part I (2012) and Part II (2014) EPs
Volume V (forthcoming, Nuclear Blast)

Sourcing6 citations · reviewed 2026-08-25· by Change Your Strings editorial team

Down formed in New Orleans in 1991 as a sludge-metal supergroup, pulling members from four of the city's heaviest bands. The current lineup is vocalist Phil Anselmo (ex-Pantera), guitarists Pepper Keenan (Corrosion of Conformity) and Kirk Windstein (Crowbar), bassist Pat Bruders, and drummer Jimmy Bower (Eyehategod). Former bassist Rex Brown of Pantera anchored the band's most productive era. This page is the gear guide; only the two members CYS documents in depth, Windstein and Brown, get full rig breakdowns below.

Kirk Windstein, guitar

Windstein is the sludge-metal architect at the core of both Down and Crowbar. He played guitar in Down from 1991 to 2013, then rejoined in 2019 ahead of NOLA's 25th anniversary. His full rig is broken down on his profile.

Guitars · Documented 2007

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

A 2007 rig diagram 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 run through a Marshall JCM800 stack. Tuned to C# standard or drop B.

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.

Source: Gear Gods, Solar Guitars Windstein signature.

Windstein's documented 2007 gauge was on the light side for tuning this low. Neither that rig diagram nor the 2024 Solar announcement confirms his current personal string gauge, so what follows is CYS's own recommendation for his tunings, not a claim about what he strings today.

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 Windstein's 2007 rig diagram documents. Heavier than his period gauge, built for a tighter, more modern low end.

C# StandardDrop BSludge metal

View on Amazon Full review →

Rex Brown, bass

Rex Brown of Pantera replaced founding bassist Todd Strange and played bass on Down's two most acclaimed studio records, Down II (2002) and Down III (2007), before leaving in 2011. His full rig is broken down on his profile.

Bass strings · Documented

Ernie Ball 2733 Hybrid Slinky Cobalt Bass (.045-.105)

Brown's documented gauge, confirmed in Premier Guitar's 2024 Rig Rundown ("ride with Ernie Ball 2733 Hybrid Slinky Cobalt Electric Bass strings") and matched independently by Gibson's own spec sheet for his signature Thunderbird. This is his current, sourced spec, not a claim about a specific Down session.

Source: Premier Guitar, Pantera Rig Rundown (2024).

Full review →Buy on Amazon

The rest of the lineup

The other four members are documented in depth on their own bands, not yet on CYS. Vocalist Phil Anselmo also fronted Pantera and Superjoint Ritual. Guitarist Pepper Keenan came from Corrosion of Conformity. Drummer Jimmy Bower plays in Eyehategod and Crowbar. Bassist Pat Bruders, who replaced Rex Brown in 2011, also played in Goatwhore and Crowbar. CYS lists documented gear only, so no rig claims are made for members without a sourced profile yet.

Album by album

NOLA (1995, EastWest) is the debut and the band's commercial high point, reaching the Billboard 200 and called a "landmark album" by AllMusic. Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow (2002, Elektra) followed after Rex Brown joined, recorded in Anselmo's barn in 28 days. Down III: Over the Under (2007, Roadrunner) is the last full-length, its lyrics touching the Pantera breakup, Dimebag Darrell's murder, and Hurricane Katrina. The two-part Down IV EP series (2012 and 2014) and the live album Diary of a Mad Band (2010) round out the catalog. Down has since announced Volume V, its first full-length since 2007, for release on Nuclear Blast Records.

Frequently asked questions

Who is in Down?

Down formed in New Orleans in 1991 as a supergroup. The current lineup is Phil Anselmo (lead vocals, ex-Pantera), guitarists Pepper Keenan (Corrosion of Conformity) and Kirk Windstein (Crowbar), bassist Pat Bruders (Goatwhore, Crowbar), and drummer Jimmy Bower (Crowbar, Eyehategod). Founding bassist Todd Strange and later bassist Rex Brown are former members, as is guitarist Bobby Landgraf, who covered Windstein's spot from 2013 to 2019.

What guitars and strings does Kirk Windstein play in Down?

A 2007 Guitar.com rig diagram documents Windstein playing 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 through a Marshall JCM800 stack. In November 2024, Solar Guitars released his EFR1.6KW signature model with EMG 85/81 pickups. His current touring string gauge is not publicly confirmed.

What bass strings does Rex Brown use?

Ernie Ball 2733 Hybrid Slinky Cobalt Bass (.045-.105), confirmed in Premier Guitar's 2024 Rig Rundown and matched by Gibson's own spec sheet for his signature Thunderbird. Brown replaced Todd Strange in Down and played bass on Down II (2002) and Down III (2007) before leaving in 2011. That gauge is his documented current spec, sourced from his Pantera rig, not a claim about a specific Down session.

What are Down's albums?

Three studio LPs: NOLA (1995), Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow (2002), and Down III: Over the Under (2007). The band followed with two EPs, Down IV Part I (2012) and Down IV Part II (2014), and a live album, Diary of a Mad Band (2010). Volume V, their first full-length since 2007, is forthcoming on Nuclear Blast Records.

RelatedDown announces Volume V

What tuning does Down 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 are foundational to the doom and sludge metal Down and Crowbar helped define. A heavier modern gauge holds pitch and articulation better than a light set this low.

Is Down still active?

Yes. The band reunited in 2019 and 2020, with Kirk Windstein returning to the lineup for the 25th anniversary of NOLA. Windstein confirmed in 2025 that a new album was past the halfway point of recording, and Down has announced Volume V, its first full-length studio album since Down III (2007), for release on Nuclear Blast Records.

RelatedDown announces Volume V