Presidents of the United States of America Biography

The Presidents of the United States of America is a Seattle alternative rock band best known for their quirky, often nonsensical songs that defied the typical sound of most bands from the Pacific Northwest at the time. They were one of the biggest groups to come from Seattle following the decline of grunge in the mid-1990s. Their name was chosen as a means of getting people's attention.

Ballew and Dederer respectively play a basitar and guitbass, which are regular, six-string guitars modified to use two strings (for bass) or three strings (for guitar). The original idea came from Morphine frontman Mark Sandman, with whom Ballew had previously worked.

The modified guitars use heavy-gauge strings for a heavier sound and are normally tuned in Drop D, though the Presidents play half a step lower in C#. Because of the wider strings, the saddles at the bridge and headstock may need to be filed to accommodate the strings. For a basitar, the strings are placed in the D and A positions; on a guitbass, the strings are placed in the A, D, and G positions.