Equipment

The Pistols at Dawn build their sound from surf guitar, vintage-style organ tones, loud bass rigs, and hard-hitting drums. They operate like a DIY punk band, with no backing track, no clicks, just amps, drums and old school rock and roll skills.

Alexei and Matt performing live onstage in an early Pistols at Dawn lineup, showing guitar, bass, and stage equipment
Lex and Matt at a 2009 Crystal Corner performance. You can see Matt's signature blue Hamer bass.
Alex playing a black Mapex drum kit in a room lined with records

Alex — Drums

Alex plays Mapex Mars drum shells with DW hardware and a DW 5000 pedal. His setup is built for fast, driving surf beats with enough punch for the band’s punk and metal edge.

The cymbal setup includes Zildjian A Custom cymbals, including a 22-inch Ping Ride, 18-inch and 16-inch crashes, and A Custom hi-hats. The snare setup includes a die-cast hoop and brass snare wires, with a Pork Pie throne rounding out the kit.

A Fender Twin Amp tube combo amplifier photographed at practice

Lex — Guitar

Lex plays a custom orange sparkle Strat-style guitar, one of the most recognizable pieces of gear associated with The Pistols at Dawn. His fast tremolo-picked style gives the band its sharp surf attack.

His main amp is a Fender Twin Amp tube combo. The clean headroom, spring reverb, and loud tube response help create the bright, cutting guitar tone at the center of the band’s sound.

A vintage Kustom bass amplifier stack with black tuck-and-roll covering

Matt — Bass

Matt has used the same blue Hamer bass for most of the band’s run, making it one of the most consistent pieces of gear in The Pistols at Dawn.

His bass rigs have shifted over time. The current setup includes a vintage Kustom bass amp stack with the classic padded tuck-and-roll look, giving the bass side of the band a big, old-school stage presence.

A Nord keyboard mounted inside a custom Farfisa-style organ body with a wood top

Tim — Organ and Sampler

Tim uses a custom Farfisa-style body with a wood top, housing a Nord Electro configured for organ sounds. He often uses Farfisa-style settings, but the setup allows him to bring in other organ voices when needed.

Tim is also a vintage organ enthusiast and technician. Over the years he has used vintage Hammonds in both live performance and recording, and in the practice studio he is usually seated at a Hammond B3.