Tony Rombola
Encyclopedia
Tony Rombola (born November 24, 1964) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician who has been the lead guitarist for the Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
-based heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Godsmack
Godsmack
Godsmack is an American heavy metal band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is composed of founder, frontman and songwriter Sully Erna, guitarist Tony Rombola, bassist Robbie Merrill, and drummer Shannon Larkin...
since the mid-1990s. Tony Rombola has been cited as 'an extraodinaire' in the guitar world, by Guitar World
Guitar World
Guitar World is a monthly music magazine devoted to guitarists. It contains original interviews, album and gear reviews and guitar and bass tablature of approximately five songs each month. The magazine is published 13 times per year...
magazine, and is cited to be the only guitarist to keep an 'original soloing style' during the nu metal
Nu metal
Nu metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It is a fusion genre which combines elements of heavy metal with other genres, including grunge and hip hop...
period, earning him the respect of the guitar industry. He's also one of the most influential guitarists of the last decade. Rombola is also a guitarist for the side-project band Another Animal
Another Animal
Another Animal is a hard rock supergroup formed by members of Godsmack, Ugly Kid Joe, and Dropbox.-History:During the writing sessions of IV by Godsmack, lead singer Sully Erna encountered writer's block so Tony Rombola, Shannon Larkin, and Robbie Merill went to the studio and recorded music. After...
, formed at the beginning of 2007, the band released their self-titled debut album in October 2007, and played shows, whilst frontman Sully Erna
Sully Erna
Salvatore Paul "Sully" Erna , is an American vocalist and primary songwriter for the American heavy metal band, Godsmack. Erna is also a guitarist and drummer, performing these both on albums and during live shows. He has a daughter named Skylar Brooke Erna and an older sister named Maria.-Early...
did a small solo tour.
History
Born in Norwood, MassachusettsNorwood, Massachusetts
Norwood is a town and census-designated place in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 28,602. The community was named after Norwood, England...
, Rombola is a self-taught guitarist. He first picked up a guitar at age 11. According to his father, the first song Tony learned was a song by Black Sabbath. His first introductions to rock music were the albums Led Zeppelin III
Led Zeppelin III
Led Zeppelin III is the third studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was recorded between January and July 1970 and released on 5 October 1970 by Atlantic Records. Composed largely at a remote cottage in Wales known as Bron-Yr-Aur, this work represented a maturing of the band's...
, 2112
2112 (album)
2112 is the fourth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1976.The album features an eponymous seven-part suite written by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, with lyrics written by Neil Peart telling a dystopian story set in the year 2112. The album is sometimes described as a concept album...
and We Sold Our Soul for Rock 'n' Roll
We Sold Our Soul for Rock 'n' Roll
We Sold Our Soul for Rock 'n' Roll is a compilation album by Black Sabbath, originally released on December 1, 1975 in the UK and then on February 3, 1976 in the U.S.-Album information:...
. Having never taken guitar lessons, Rombola learned everything he knows from guitar magazines such as Guitar World
Guitar World
Guitar World is a monthly music magazine devoted to guitarists. It contains original interviews, album and gear reviews and guitar and bass tablature of approximately five songs each month. The magazine is published 13 times per year...
. His first guitar was an SG copy, before moving to custom Les Pauls that he enjoys now. Before meeting up with Godsmack vocalist Sully Erna
Sully Erna
Salvatore Paul "Sully" Erna , is an American vocalist and primary songwriter for the American heavy metal band, Godsmack. Erna is also a guitarist and drummer, performing these both on albums and during live shows. He has a daughter named Skylar Brooke Erna and an older sister named Maria.-Early...
and bassist Robbie Merrill in the mid-'90s and subsequently joining Godsmack
Godsmack
Godsmack is an American heavy metal band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is composed of founder, frontman and songwriter Sully Erna, guitarist Tony Rombola, bassist Robbie Merrill, and drummer Shannon Larkin...
, Rombola played cover bands, funk, rock, classic rock, and metal. The two encountered Rombola performing in a local circuit with some band playing covers of Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
and Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk...
. Erna and Merrill knew they needed someone with Rombola's skill to reach the success that they have with Godsmack. They recorded an EP in 1997 which later became their self-titled debut album in 1998. This album went on to sell over 5 million copies (5* platinum) in just a couple of years. The song 'Keep Away' was inducted into the top 100 greatest rock songs, labelled under 'Guitar legends'. Rombola was also a carpenter before he joined Godsmack
Godsmack
Godsmack is an American heavy metal band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is composed of founder, frontman and songwriter Sully Erna, guitarist Tony Rombola, bassist Robbie Merrill, and drummer Shannon Larkin...
. Tony says that if not for the band, he would still be working as a carpenter. Tony has a wife, Sue, and three step children: Joe, Trisha, and AJ. Tony enjoys playing video games and golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
as hobbies.
Tony recently worked with and Brian Coombes, of Tristan Park
Tristan Park
Tristan Park was formed in October 1986 by songwriters Brian Coombes, Chuck Dyac, and Marc Larochelle. Early Tristan Park sets included their theatrical/musical production, "The Screams for an Absent Dawn." It was an ambitious and influential beginning for a group of fledgling songwriters.The band...
and David Pierog at Rocking Horse Studio
Rocking Horse Studio
Rocking Horse Studio is an audio, video and multimedia production company located in Pittsfield, New Hampshire. The studio was established in 2003 by Brian Coombes of Tristan Park and his wife Michelle Coombes of Waking in the Blue, and designed by acoustician Michael Blackmer. Dave Pierog would...
, on the Prospect Hill Album which was released in November 2007. David and Tony are co-producing his first solo release with bassist Joe Pierog.
Guitars
- McNaught Guitars
- Gibson Les Paul guitars
- Gibson Les Paul Classic Custom Electric Guitar Antique Ebony
- Ovation Balladeer 6751-CCB. He also performs with an Ovation Elite T 1778T-5
- Ovation 1778T Elite T Series Acoustic-Electric Guitar Black
- Takamine Acoustic guitars
- Gibson J-45 Acoustic
- Gibson Acoustic J-45 True Vintage Acoustic Guitar Vintage Sunburst
- Double-neck acoustic Ovation
- Yahama acoustic
Amps and Cabinets
- Splawn Amplifiers (Splawn QR and Nitro) and cabs
- EVH® 5150III™ Amplifiers
- Diezel Amplifiers (Herbert)
- Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifiers (used to use these) and 4x10" cabs
- Fender Bullet (for practice in hotel rooms)
- 1967 Plexi Marshall Tremolo (used on recordings)
Effects and more
- Boss NS-2
- Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor Pedal
- Ashly PQX-571 7-band parametric equalizer
- Digital Music Corporation GCX Guitar Audio Switcher
- Digital Music GCX Guitar Audio Switcher
- Dunlop Cry Baby Pedals
- Dunlop Original Crybaby Wah Pedal
- Shure U4D wireless system
- Dunlop DCR-1SR
- Dunlop Crybaby Rack Wah
- Boss PH-2 Super Phaser
- Boss PH-3 Phase Shifter Pedal
- Boss DD-3 Digital Delay
- Boss DD-3 Digital Delay Pedal
- Dunlop Rotovibe pedal
- Dunlop JD-4S Rotovibe Expression Pedal
- MXR 31 Band Graphic Equalizer
- Dunlop TS-1 Tremolo Stereo Pan
- Zakk Wylde MXR (studio)
Strings, picks and accessories
- Dunlop Tortex Picks
- Dunlop Tortex Standard Guitar Picks .73MM 1 Dozen
- GHS guitar strings gauges .011 to .054 (drop c tunings) and also .010 to .046 (drop d tunings)
- GHS GBL Boomers Light 010 Electric Guitar Strings
- Franklin Guitar Straps