Chris Broderick
Chris Broderick (born March 6, 1970 in Lakewood, Colorado, USA) is the current lead guitarist for the popular American thrash metal band Megadeth. He currently resides in Sherman Oaks, California. Formerly the lead guitarist/keyboardist for Jag Panzer, he appeared on the last four Jag Panzer albums The Age of Mastery, Thane to the Throne (a concept album about Shakespeare's Macbeth), Mechanized Warfare and Casting the Stones before moving on to Megadeth, replacing Glen Drover. Before joining Megadeth and while still in Jag Panzer, he was also a touring guitarist for Nevermore between 2001 and 2003 and then again between 2006 and 2007.
Early years
Broderick started playing guitar when he was 11 years old and his playing styles range from pop to RnB, classical, and jazz. Broderick has been said to have practiced 14 hours a day during his summers as a teen. He practiced electric guitar, classical guitar, piano, and violin under a strict daily routine. He has said that at that time it seemed more like a "chore" than for entertainment. He was a standout player in the Denver music scene from 1988 on in bands Grey Haven, Industrial Eden (guitarist/lead vocalist) and Killing Time.
He also has a degree in classical guitar music performance at the University of Denver's Lamont School of Music.
Jag Panzer (1997-2008)
In 1997, guitarist Joey Tafolla left Jag Panzer for the second and final time, citing a lack of interest in playing heavy metal. For the band, this was a huge problem. Tafolla's guitar work was complex and technical, and as far as they knew few guitarists could comprehend it. This is when Chris was brought into the fold of Jag Panzer and stayed with them for almost a decade. He played on four of the band's albums. 1998's The Age of Mastery, 2000's Thane to the Throne (a concept album about William Shakespeare's play Macbeth), 2001's Mechanized Warfare, and 2004's Casting the Stones.
Nevermore (2001-2003, 2006-2007)
Many people have been confused as to whether or not Chris was actually a member of the heavy metal band Nevermore, but during the time period of 2000 - 2003 and some of 2004 he was only taking part in live shows. After the release of the album, This Godless Endeavor, he began once again to tour with Nevermore until his recent joining in with Megadeth.
Megadeth (2008-Present)
In late 2007, rumors had been circulating that Megadeth guitarist Glen Drover had left the band. This was proved to be true after statements released from both Glen and Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine. The night after the statements were released, Megadeth drummer Shawn Drover brought up Chris as a possible replacement. Shawn then proceeded to show Dave a video of Chris playing both classical and electric guitar. Dave was immediately won over and soon managed to get in contact with Chris. Two weeks later, Broderick was officially declared the new guitarist for Megadeth. He made his live debut with the band on February 4, 2008 in Finland and toured with them on Gigantour 2008 and also recorded guitar parts on their 12th album Endgame. He has stated due to extensive touring with Megadeth he will no longer be able to collaborate with Jag Panzer and Nevermore. Dave Mustaine said that when he partnered up with Broderick, he said that it reminded him of when "Ozzy Osbourne met Randy Rhoads". On March 8, 2009, Dave commented that he thought Chris was the greatest guitarist Megadeth has ever had.
Equipment
Chris is endorsed by Ibanez guitars and DiMarzio Pickups (A Pair of D Activator 7's neck and bridge models) along with ENGL Powerball amplifiers and uses Ernie Ball Slinky strings, often with a .70 on the low Bb. Before using DiMarzio pickups, he used Bare Knuckle pickups (A Cold Sweat model in the neck, Nail Bomb in the bridge). Before using Ibanez Guitars, he used Schecter Guitars with Seymour Duncan pickups. Recently, there were rumors among fans that Chris's arrival in Megadeth would force him to switch to Dean Guitars, but Chris has continued using his Los Angeles Custom Shop Ibanez RG and RGA Prestige Seven Strings in his gigs with Megadeth, settling the rumors. However, due to Mustaine not wanting any seven string solos, Chris has begun using modified production and custom Ibanez Six String S and RGA guitars (some of which are covered in Megadeth themed graphics), with which he recorded Endgame.
Despite an ENGL endorsement, both he and Dave used Marshall JVM amplifiers to record Endgame. Mustaine prefers the sound of Marshall amps in Megadeth and thus would not allow Broderick to use ENGL. He uses black Dunlop Jazz III picks as well as Herco thumb picks. Broderick's guitar features a locking tremolo but he often uses a graphite nut instead of a standard locking nut, opting instead to use locking tuners. In his posts on the SevenString.org forum, he revealed that this is due to his only subtle use of the tremolo and the straight string pull of the guitar's tuners (Though some customs do have locking nuts).
One of his most used guitars (picture top right) is constructed of a bolt-on neck with a rosewood fingerboard dyed black, a mahogany RGA body with a quilted maple top, and the entire guitar (body, neck, and headstock) is bound in flame maple.
As listed on the Artist's page of the manufacturer's web site, Chris uses the Fractal Audio Axe-Fx Ultra for amp/cab tone, routing and effects.
