Jared Smith: Plays "Limb of Leviticus" on a Dingwall Z + Tour Wars

Jared Smith of Archspire recently stopped by the Dingwall shop in Saskatoon and treated us to a playthrough of Limb of Leviticus. What Archspire song should he play next?

Jared Smith Plays "Limb of Leviticus" on a Dingwall Z

We caught up with Jared Smith from Archspire at Dingwall HQ to talk about life on tour, recording, bass tone, and the realities of touring across Canada.

Jared shares stories from the road with Archspire, the band’s new self-released album Too Fast to Die, surviving Canadian snowstorms in a van, and why he’s been favouring the bridge pickup for the last few years.

We also dive into:
Touring across the Canadian Shield
DIY album releases vinyl production
Nickel vs stainless steel strings
Bridge pickup tone
Neural DSP Quad Cortex
Darkglass electronics
Studio vs live bass tone
Band life tour stories

This video features an interview with Jared Smith from the technical death metal band Archspire, recorded at Dingwall Guitars HQ. Jared discusses the realities of life as a touring musician and the band's recent shift to independent operations.

Key Highlights:
Independent Release: Archspire chose to self-release their latest album, Too Fast to Die, requiring the band to take on the logistics of shipping and vinyl production themselves (0:30-2:16).
Touring Realities: Jared shares stories of the challenges of touring, particularly the vast distances and harsh weather in Canada, including a recent snowy experience in Calgary where the band had to sleep in their van (2:26-3:43, 6:18-7:30).
Band Dynamic: Beyond musicianship, Jared emphasizes that the most important trait for a touring band member is being a "good hang" and easy to live with in close quarters (5:48-6:11).
Gear and Tone:
Main Bass: Jared has used his current Dingwall bass for roughly four years, noting it has held up well during heavy touring (8:55-9:57).
Strings: While he likes the brightness of stainless steel strings for studio tapping, he prefers nickel strings for his current bass to better balance the tone (9:58-10:57).
Pickup Settings: He favors the bridge pickup for its aggressive, mid-focused tone, which he runs through a Darkglass preamp and Neural DSP Quad Cortex for live shows (11:06-12:22).

What Touring with Archspire Is Really Like | Jared Smith