INTRODUCING | God City Instruments
Designed By Converge Guitarist Kurt Ballou, God City Instruments Are Crafted To Meet The Needs Of Today’s Working Musicians
For more than two decades, Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou has been building a career based on his love of music. From his guitar work for his groundbreaking metalcore band, which broke onto the hardcore punk scene in the early aughts; to owning God City Recording Studios, where he has engineered records for a host of indie, punk, hardcore, metal, and experimental artists since 2003; to founding God City Instruments (GCI) in 2017, after his circuit-board business card for the studio—a DIY PCB distortion pedal, based loosely on one of his favorite distortions—took the DIY pedal-building world by storm.
Whether he is recording music or playing it himself, GCI has come to represent the nexus where the Converge guitarist’s own long-term musical interests, influences, and aspirations intersect! With an aim to provide unique, great-sounding, tools for the active musician, GCI guitars and basses employ a no-frills approach, straddling the line between old-school aesthetics and modern power.
From the body contours to the pickups, to the neck joints, God City Instruments guitars and basses combine some of Ballou’s favorite features from classic guitar models of the past and use only high-quality components, setting the standard for today’s recording and performing musicians, so they can continue shaping the sound of tomorrow’s music.
Shop for GCI guitars and basses today at Chicago Music Exchange!
SHOP GOD CITY INSTRUMENTSSHOP GOD CITY INSTRUMENTS
Related Posts
Tone Exploration | The Guitars of Bruce Springsteen
Released on September 30, 1982, Nebraska marked a radical departure for Bruce Springsteen. Recorded entirely alone on a four-track TEAC Portastudio in his Colts Neck, New Jersey bedroom, the album was never intended for release. Springsteen had planned to re-record the songs with the E Street Band, but the raw demos—haunting, intimate, and unvarnished—proved more powerful than any full-band attempt. In their imperfection, he found a truth he couldn’t recreate.
View DetailsGibson | Back to the Future “1955” ES-345 Collector’s Edition
Go Johnny Go—to Chicago Music Exchange! CME proudly presents the Gibson Custom Shop Back to the Future “1955” ES-345 Collector’s Edition, a stunning recreation of the “impossible” guitar featured at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance in Back to the Future. With unpotted Custombuckers, Alnico 3 magnets, a 6-position Mono Varitone switch, and Murphy Lab aging, this ultra-limited run of 88 guitars bridges movie magic and Gibson history. Complete with a Lifton case featuring Marvin Berry & The Starlighters graphics, this collectible is the ultimate time-traveling tribute for Gibson and film fans alike.
View DetailsFender | American Professional Classic Series
The all-new Fender American Professional Classic Series redefines the balance between vintage soul and modern performance. Built for gigging musicians and tone purists alike, these guitars and basses deliver the classic Fender feel with modern upgrades like Coastline vintage-voiced pickups, the Greasebucket tone circuit, sleek Modern “C” necks, and custom-color finishes. From Stratocaster and Telecaster to Jazzmaster, Precision, and Jazz Bass, every model blends heritage tone, comfort, and craftsmanship—reborn for today’s stage and studio. Shop the full Fender American Professional Classic Series at Chicago Music Exchange, online or in-store today!
View Details








