At our flagship store in Hollywood, multi-genre guitarist Cory Wong gave in-person and livestream attendees an in-depth look into his approach to gear—notably, how he uses Electro-Voice speakers as a focal point of his live rig—collaboration and his creative process. Known for his tight, rhythmic playing and groove-driven style, Wong offered a masterclass in how a holistic approach and attention to detail can bring out the best in any musician’s sound. The event mixed live demos and a run-through of some of the equipment he uses, providing fans and fellow musicians with a unique perspective on his artistry—inspiring them to forge their own path in music.

Building a Rig for Flexibility and Consistency

Wong kicked off the session by discussing the gear he uses both on tour and in the studio. While many guitarists might opt for complex, oversized setups, Wong keeps it minimal using a floorboard modeler, allowing him to focus more on his playing and less on what’s at his feet.

“Nowadays, all the modeling stuff … the majority of the professional-level stuff is really good. And you can get great tones if you know how to dial it in. And part of that is knowing what it should sound like … I literally had the footprint of my suitcase printed out and thought, ‘What will fit on it?’ And this is what I’ve got,” he said, showing off his pedalboard.

The idea of balancing functionality with portability drives much of Wong’s approach to gear. Instead of building an expansive rig, he focuses on creating the perfect tone with the essentials. Wong’s signature Fender Stratocaster plays a big part in this process. “I think at the core of it, for me, what I’m looking for is what’s going to draw my voice out most effortlessly. If I’m trying to find my own voice, if I’m trying to express my artistry, I want to use an instrument and use gear that’s going to get me there in an effortless way.”

Pictured: Cory Wong Playing his Signature Fender Stratocaster on-stage at Guitar Center Hollywood==>{C}

He elaborated that every piece of his gear is chosen for how it enhances his voice as an artist, rather than for its reputation as a vintage or high-end piece of gear. “Too often, players get obsessed with having the latest or most expensive gear. The reality is you need to find what works for you—something that feels like an extension of your own voice.”

To bring his sounds from his guitar and floorboard to life, he hails his Electro-Voice speakers he uses as FRFR monitors. “So, these are basically what most of us would know is just wedges, right? But you could also use them as boxes for a PA, and that's what they're typically known for. Now, as I was starting to dive deeper and deeper into this neurotic journey of finding my guitar tone and recreating it live consistently, I found that, oh, there's a PA company that also is very well known for making guitar speakers.”

Tone for the Room, Not Just the Stage

A key part of Wong’s philosophy is ensuring that the tone on stage translates clearly to the audience. He pointed out that many guitarists focus only on their own perspective, forgetting that their sound changes as it passes through different systems.

“You mic the guitar with a microphone, you mic the amp with a microphone—and then you put it through a PA. And those different elements are not things that guitar players are often thinking about. The tone doesn’t stop at these XLR outs, or just the way the guitar amp sounds on stage.”

Pictured: Electro-Voice ZLX-8 Powered Loudspeakers on-stage with Cory Wong at GC Hollywood

Wong described his journey toward understanding how his tone evolved once it reached the audience, a process he calls "neurotic" but necessary. “The more I’ve gotten neurotic about sound, the more I’ve just tried to hone in on all those aspects, so the tone really is exactly what I intend for it to be in the audience’s ears.”

He noted that his experience in the studio also shapes how he approaches live sound, especially when using digital modeling rigs alongside Electro-Voice ZLX-8 loudspeakers. “I’ve got this Archetype Cory Wong plug-in by Neural DSP that has all my amp sounds and pedal sounds. When I use it live, I play it through full-range frequency response speakers because they accurately recreate what I dialed in at home.”

Pointing at the ZLX pair on stage, he continued, “So, I will oftentimes use these for live playing, because they’ve just got a flat response that will accurately recreate what I’ve dialed in with the plug-in.”

Pictured: Electro-Voice EVOLVE 30M Portable Line Array on-stage with Cory Wong at GC Hollywood

Asked about the Cory Wong preset on the EV EVOLVE 30M portable line array system, he explained, “If I'm going direct, I like to pull a little bit of 2k down, or in my case—with the way that I play—sometimes the attack is a bit much in 4k … I have certain compression settings that I like to have to get it a little punchier. And the things that we're used to out of a guitar amp—adding some body to it—a certain type of EQ shape and compression can really shape the tone. So, EV said that they were working on this project and they said, ‘Hey if you're plugging direct in, what would you do?’ ‘I'll show you exactly what I'll do.’ And the engineers—we started measuring and doing all the stuff, and I found some stuff that I really liked, and was like ‘This is (grins)—I would plug right into this.’”

Staying Creative With Clean Tones

Famous for his funky, percussive style, Wong has a deep appreciation for clean tones and the freedom they offer. He highlighted how some of his biggest influences—like Nile Rodgers and Prince—used them to shape iconic rhythm guitar parts.

“Clean guitar tones reveal everything,” Wong explained. “It’s like, when you’re playing clean, you can’t hide behind overdrive or effects. It’s all in the touch, the dynamics and the phrasing. That’s where the magic happens.”

Referencing some of his musical heroes, he pointed out, “Look at someone like Nile Rodgers—he’ll plug directly into a console, and it’s just right there, in your face. Same with a lot of Prince’s early stuff. They’re just plugging in and playing, and that clean tone is so full of energy and rhythm … Sometimes people think clean tones are boring, but that’s when you really have to dig in. You can get creative with where you place your notes, the way you pick and how you mute the strings. That’s where you unlock new ideas.”

Pictured: Cory Wong in the Vintage Room at Guitar Center Hollywood

On the subject of creativity, Wong keeps his playing sharp and constantly innovates on the tour bus, backstage—and wherever else he goes. Looking at the EV EVERSE 8 battery-powered loudspeaker, he enthused, “I can Bluetooth into it wirelessly, and just listen to music. It’s great—I don’t know how many hours of [battery life] it’s got—I’ve never run out time.

“And then I can just plug my guitar into it, and I'll plug my pedalboard, or I'll have something like even just an acoustic guitar to plug into it. And for a jam session, we sound great … I was looking for an amp that could be battery powered, that I could just keep in the car—if I ever was just hanging with friends who wanted to jam … This thing sounds great. It gets pretty freaking loud. It's a nice-sounding speaker. It can [also] tip back.”

The Art of Listening and Collaboration

As someone who frequently collaborates with others, like how he does in Vulfpeck, Wong knows the value of listening to his bandmates and understanding how each musician fits into the larger sound. He stressed the importance of knowing your role and adjusting based on what others are playing.

“It’s just important to understand, ‘Okay, I can hear everybody, so I know how what I’m playing works with what this person is playing and what this person is playing,’” Wong said. “If I don’t have the percussionist in my in-ears, I have no idea if she and I are locking up in the same way … Or, it might be, ‘Oh wow—there’s something that’s really cool there that I’ve been missing out on—let’s feature that!’ As long as we’re listening to each other and have the awareness of what everybody’s doing, then it really tightens the arrangements, as well.”

Wong also explained that being a good collaborator means being flexible and knowing when to step back. “It's not a competition. It's just we're playing music. And sure, it can be some sort of macho, like, ‘Who can play faster?’ But if you're with other people that are good collaborators, they and you recognize that it's just about playing and expressing who you are in your voice.”

Pictured: Cory Wong Answering Audience Questions at GC Hollywood

This mindset has helped Wong build tight musical connections on stage, especially with his longtime drummer, Petar Janjic. “We’ve been playing together forever, so we feel time the same way. But every night, it’s a little different. Sometimes we might feel a little rushy or a little behind, and we compensate for each other.”

Speaking to the Electro-Voice PXM-12MP wedge monitor at the front of the stage, Wong acknowledged there’s a time and place for a guitarist to take the spotlight with the foot-on-monitor stance. “Totally fine if it feels appropriate … Like, yeah, serve the song. But there are times when your moment—this is you now. The singer was doing the thing. The band was doing the thing. But now the audience needs something different. It needs to be a guitar moment. Come in blazing. And in that moment, foot on the monitor absolutely feels appropriate. There's a certain command of the room that it has. You know, if you have the confidence to do it and take full ownership, absolutely.”

Rhythm as a Core Principle

Wong’s approach to rhythm playing has become a defining feature of his sound, and he credits much of his development to his time in drumline during high school and college.

He shared a unique practice technique he once used to develop his sense of timing. “One of the things that one of my drumline instructors asked me to do—he was like, ‘Little secret of the pros—not everybody can hang with this—but give this a try this week.’ And I was the only one in the drumline that actually did it, and I was so proud of it. I slept with a metronome underneath my pillow for two straight weeks—120 BPM, 110 BPM, 100 BPM, 140 BPM, 60 BPM, 90 BPM. I'd switch it up every night, and I would just learn to not be phased by it.”

Pictured: Cory Wong Playing his Signature Fender Stratocaster Outside of Guitar Center Hollywood

Speaking of timing, Wong also discussed those nuances as they relate to guitar. “There's a couple moves that I do that are very downstroke dependent. Like for it to sound right, it needs to be all downstrokes in the same way that when you play ‘Master of Puppets,’ it has to be downstrokes.”

This rhythmic focus is a landmark in his signature playing style, where Wong blends elements of punk energy with funk groove. “So, in a lot of the music that I play, it's this high-energy funk thing ... The energy of what I play comes from growing up listening to Green Day and Rancid and Blink-182.”

Finding the Right Balance With Technology

Wong also touched on the ever-evolving relationship between musicians and technology, offering a balanced view on its role in both recording and live performance. “The amount of gear that's pretty reasonably priced considering what you get, and the access to education online, and the access to people you might look up to, and the access to inspiration is everywhere. So, I really feel like we're going to continue to see huge spikes and growth in creativity. I know a lot of people think the opposite, but I really, really feel like we're just at the start of seeing some wild creativity.”

However, Wong warned against relying too heavily on technology at the expense of mastering the fundamentals. “It’s easy to get lost in the gear and forget that the most important thing is the music you’re making. You have to start with a strong foundation and build from there.”