appearing in Guitar World, Rodríguez-López stated that he "began to see effects as allies in my war against the guitar". In that interview he also stated that he hated the guitar for a very long time. He only utilized it because it was the instrument his bandmates could "relate to". He said he "wrestled" guitar by adding effects and playing oddly to attempt "making it sound like anything besides this thing I hate—the guitar!". However, he claimed to feel more comfortable with the instrument on Amputechture. Rodríguez-López plays guitar left-handed. He has cited salsa pianist and bandleader Larry Harlow as his primary influence. Both Rodríguez-López and bandmate Cedric Bixler-Zavala have recorded with former Can lead singer Damo Suzuki for the Please Heat This Eventually EP. In the progressive rock genre in which the Mars Volta are often categorized, he has professed that he "like[s] a lot of those groups, particularly King Crimson and early Genesis." As such, he has cited his main and clearest influence Frank Zappa, Crimson's Robert Fripp, jazz fusion guitarist John McLaughlin as well as hardcore punk and hard rock guitarists Greg Ginn and Jimi Hendrix respectively. He has also named Siouxsie, Missing Persons, Wayne Shorter as being among "all the greats" along with Steve Reich, Tangerine Dream, Tchaikovsky, Tom Petty and Marvin Gaye." He has also stated that film is a primary influence on him, likening his recording style to that of a film director, where the "scenes are shot out of sequence and the final creation is in the hands of the director.". Equipment Omar has endorsed Ibanez guitars since the Mars Volta's inception in 2001. Previously he used Squier Super-Sonic guitars while playing with At the Drive-In. He also recorded De-Loused in the Comatorium with a Gibson SG II from the early 1970s which he also used in live improv shows with Flea and John Frusciante. In 2008, Ibanez released the ORM-1 Omar Rodriguez-Lopez signature guitar, which was produced through 2012. He uses Seymour Duncan JB Jr. pickups as well. Although he tunes to E standard tuning, Omar uses Ernie Ball .013-.056 gauge strings with a wound G string, saying that "they feel more real than the really thin ones". Omar also plays through an Orange Rockerverb combo amp as well. In recent years, Omar has taken a minimalist approach to his pedals, which at one point was a very complex setup. During the