Lincoln, Nebraska's For Against have been making music for more than 20 years. Their first releases appeared in 1985 and they are still working today. There have been line up changes and the music today is not some static time-capsule from the past. Earlier guitarist Harry Dingman III talked to Gearwire about his gear choices over the years. Drummer, Nick Buller and bassist/keyboardist/vocals, Jeffrey Runnings get their turn to chat with us next.

"My primary instrument is bass guitar, and I've always played a Fender Mustang . . . they're easier to play than a full scale bass when you have to do double duty (play and sing)," says Runnings. "My synth is an Alesis Micron, super easy to operate with great sound capability, and I play several guitars, notably a Fender Santa Rosa which is acoustic/electric, a Fender Jazzmaster, and a Rickenbacker 360-6 and 360-12. I love old guitar designs and stick with those. They sound and play the best, plus they look great!"

Buller plays a C & C set hand built by Bill Cardwell and his some Jake Cardwell of Gladstone, Missouri. The kits specs are: 16x26 Bass Drum, 9x13 Tom Tom, and a 14x16 Floor Tom. Maple shells.

"This kit is finished in Red Marine Pearl and is fitted with vintage looking tube lugs. My snare drum is a 6.5x14 Ludwig Black Beauty. Black metal shell with gold hardware. I chose to play C&C because they sound so amazing and they are custom. They will build you anything you want! I have always loved Ludwig drums too," says Buller. "I love the Black Beauty because its classic looking and it is so, so, so loud! This drum has that super "crack" when do a rim shot, just what I love. This drum also has tube lugs making it a good match for the rest of the kit."

His cymbals include: a 20" Sabian HHX Evolution Crash, 14" Zildjian New Beat Hi-Hats, and a 22" Zildjian Avedis Medium Ride with Rivets.

"The rivets really help fill the gaps when playing slower songs using the toms and mallets. I use Yamaha drum hardware. I usually use Remo drum heads," says Buller. "For my toms, I use Emperor clear or coated heads on the batter side and smooth white Ambassador heads for the Resonant side (bottom). I use an Ambassador coated for my snare batter head. On my bass drum, I use a Powerstroke 3 with a strip of felt and the factory C&C logo head for the resonant side (which is actually a smooth white Ambassador.) I also like to use various Aquarian drum heads when they are available. I use Promark or Vic Firth 5A sticks."

Runnings says that he has pretty much stuck with the same gear over the years -- especially the Mustang. Buller has moved around a bit.

"I used to play old Slingerland, Ludwig, Rogers, and Gretsch kits. I love vintage drums. I used to own this 4-piece Slingerland kit in a natural lacquered finish," says Buller. "This kit sounded pretty good when fitted with the right heads. But, the toms on the old Slingerland kits just sounded so dull and dead to me! I think this was due to the rounded bearing edge. I needed something that had more attack and punch to it, so I started playing newer kits like Yamaha and C&C."

When it comes to amps Runnings refers to Dingman as the expert.

"I use an Ampeg 1-15 combo because it sounds good but more importantly, it's a pain to move than some bass amps that weigh more than a refrigerator, and believe me, they are out there!" says Runnings. "My Ampeg is convenient and has been trouble-free...and it doesn't take three people to get the amp down a flight of stairs!"

Runnings also uses a Roland DD-2 delay pedal on his synth and a Roland RV-3 digital/delay and an Ibanez CF-7 chorus/flanger on his bass and guitars.

"They perform well and add dimension and character -- the 'dry' instrument sound isn't for us, never has been!" he says.

When it comes to gear they cannot live without Runnings says that he is happy with the Mustang but that it is also the "how" more than the "what" that matters.

"For me, I think it's just HOW I play as opposed to WHAT I play -- playing a Mustang upside down (I'm a lefty but I'm self taught and didn't know to reverse the strings!!) gives the instrument a different sound because of how it's being played," says Runnings. "Same with guitar, playing upside down gives an array of different chord possibilities you can't get with conventional tuning/string placement."

Buller has a few must have items.

"Wow, one peace of gear that I can’t live without--for songs such as “Fate” and “Amen Yves” I use a dampening ring on my snare drum. This gives me more of a focused, almost electronic snare sound. This "ring" is made of mouse pad material whatever that is? This ring helps me achieve that electronic drum machine sound. Sometimes I even put a small towel in between my Hi-Hat cymbals . . . this makes my cymbals sound really Casio-like.

When asked about gear they would like to have but don't Runnings mentions an old Roland 501 space echo.

"The tape whirr and flutter is amazing, and I'd love a Jupiter 6 as they sound extra fat and I love that warm analog sound." says Runnings.

Buller wants C & C to get busy for him again.

"I would like to have C&C build me a 6.5x14 maple snare that matches the rest of my kit," says Buller. "I want this because it would match my kit and offer a different snare sound for different songs."

For Against are in the studio working on an EP. A new full length Shade Sunny Side will be out this spring on Words On Music. The band will be playing shows in the U.S. and Europe beginning with shows in Nebraska in March.