Fred Sablan: Anchoring the Deftones

In May 2021, Fred Sablan was relaxing and playing video games when he received a late-night text from his lifelong friend, Wedge, telling him he had put his name in the hat for a band looking for a bassist. Fred shrugged it off until the following day, when he received a text from Chino Moreno asking if he wanted to jam sometime. With his curiosity piqued, Fred began texting back and forth with Moreno until Moreno formally asked him to try out for the Deftones. Sablan received a chunk of songs and a date to show up at their rehearsal space. 

“It was during the pandemic when no one was jamming at all, so it was amazing even to walk into a room to play music with other people,” remembers Sablan. “I rolled in there with the attitude that at least I got to jam with Deftones. I had been sitting there for over a year of the pandemic playing Tony Hawk and working a job, and I just hoped to get second place or something. When I got those texts, I looked at my basses and realized I hadn’t played in so long. I hit it hard.”

After ripping through seven songs fueled with all of the pent-up energy built from the lockdown, Sablan was invited back for another round of playing through their catalog and hanging out. Having all been raised in Northern California (Sablan in San Jose and the band members in Sacramento), running in the same circles, and being of similar age, they quickly bonded, which translated to the music as was evident in their sessions. Shortly afterward, the band formally asked Sablan to join the Deftones. 

“I got in my car and I actually cried. It was pure joy, but also I couldn’t believe I had pulled it off. I was elated. We went out and got sushi that night, and I was sitting there hanging out thinking, Oh my god, I’m playing bass for Deftones. Then we started meeting up a few days each month to jam and hang out and talk shit.”

After the departure of previous bassist Sergio Vega in 2021, who took over the role from the late, beloved band co-founder Chi Cheng in 2009, fans had been speculating on when Deftones would release the follow up to 2020’s Ohms. Sablan, Moreno, drummer Abe Cunningham, guitarist Stephen Carpenter, and keyboardist/multi-instrumentalist Frank Delgado began hashing out new ideas, which came from a number of jam sessions spread out over months, leading to what would become their new album. 

Released in August 2025, Private Music unveiled a renewed energy for the band, receiving widespread acclaim from critics and fans. Despite being new to the outfit, Sablan makes his presence felt from the start between the heavy riffs of the opening track “My Mind Is a Mountain,” to the bass-centric verses of “Ecdysis,” and throughout the entirety of the album. Already having made his mark playing with artists like Peter Hook, Chelsea Wolfe, and Marilyn Manson, this new chapter is proving to be the most energized yet — not only for Sablan, but also for Deftones. 

How does it feel to have released Private Music to so much praise?

It has felt pretty amazing. I’m very happy to contribute to the legacy of this band, and it’s a big deal to me. When we were making the record, it was just about what we were into now. We weren’t trying to recapture anything; we just started coming up with riffs and running with it. Even when we were recording, I wondered if it sounded like Deftones. We didn’t have any style or vibe in mind. All that mattered was that we liked it and were excited about it. 

What was the process like from the very start? 

We had a Dropbox folder and everybody threw ideas in it. It could have been the simplest thing off our phones, or whatever. Abe would get up with his morning coffee and record a little 20-second beat, and I would loop that and come up with different ideas. When we got in the room, outside of two little ideas I had, it was all fresh stuff. We would look at each other and wonder where to start, but then once we did, the ideas just flowed. Some of those songs were written in half a day. We sequestered ourselves in Joshua Tree National Monument for six days and then took a month off, and then we went to Malibu for a week and then took a month off and then went back to Malibu. It really helped to not have any distractions, and also the time off in between kept things fresh in revisiting ideas and having new ones. 

When we were making the record, it was just about what we were into now. We weren’t trying to recapture anything; we just started coming up with riffs and running with it.

When you’re coming up with riffs by yourself, what’s that process like?

It’s weird, but I think about ideas first. When I’m driving down the street or lying in bed at night, I’ll think about a riff, and then I try to play what was in my head. Sometimes I just bust out a little drum machine and come up with a loop, and I’ll record five different rhythmic ideas. There’s one song on the record that was the first thing I put in the Dropbox folder; it’s the verse bass riff of “Metal Dream.” I altered it slightly when we got in the room to jam. Abe and I jammed the part and all of the other parts came. I’m always thinking about what I love about bass players on the records I listen to, including Deftones records and what Chi and Sergio did on that material. Then I think about what I want to bring to it. 

Having just joined the band, how comfortable were you when it came down to the recoding process?

I joined the band in July 2021, and I was in the band for a year before anybody knew that I was. Everyone saw me onstage in 2022, but [before that] we would get together for four days each month to jam and hang out and run through old songs. It was pretty instant that we clicked. By the time we got into songwriting, I felt welcomed. And they were really encouraging. They weren’t telling me what I should play or anything. It was also great facilitating Chino and Steph and Frank’s ideas. There was never a point when we’d edit or chop these songs in the studio; we hashed them all out in rehearsal in a circle like any garage band. 

How did you go about woodshedding Deftones’ extensive catalog?

I listened to them all day. I’d go on hikes, go on walks, have them on in my car — I’d watch TV but have my headphones on listening to the music — until it was burned into my brain. In between my first audition and my final audition, I had major eye surgery for a detached retina, and during that time I wasn’t allowed to pick up a bass because I couldn’t hold any weight or put strain on my upper body. I just sat and listened to those songs for three weeks. Then I had about four days when I could actually hold a bass and learn the songs, but because they were so burned into my brain, it was really easy. I knew the songs backwards and forwards with all of the nuances. Now I’m up to around 95 songs. Once you’re in the flow on the music, you can usually pick up on the nuances and learn other songs really quickly.

That’s valuable advice to any musician. Knowing the material before you even pick up your instrument goes a long way. 

Listening is everything. Even with Peter Hook, he sent 70 or so songs for me to learn right off the bat. We flew to every show on that tour, and every day we’d get to the airport and Peter would add a new song to the set for that night. That would be on top of the full New Order and full Joy Division sets we were already playing. So I would sit on the airplane and listen to the song on repeat, and I’d get to soundcheck and only have a moment to learn it for the first time. But that’s how important listening is to learning music.

You’ve used a number of different basses before joining Deftones. Which basses did you use to track this album?

I used my Nash basses, my Fenders, and my Sandberg, and Nick [Raskulinecz, producer] had some basses in the studio that I really liked. One of them was a Spector, and some songs just needed that tone. He’s a bass player, so we got my setup really dialed in. I was using an Orange amp that he wanted to use, and a Trondheim Audio SkarBassOne which is like a SansAmp. I would have the compressors on always, and that dialed in a really nice sound. 

What was it like tracking bass with Nick?

I tracked all of the bass in around two and a half days, and we actually recorded the album pretty much in sequence. I burned through it all pretty quickly. I just felt locked in, and Nick and I went for it. Nick is really good at producing and finding the spots. He’s really a full-take person; I would track each song in its entirety and go back and do it again if we needed to, so it’s very much a live-band recording. There’s no [time] grid; there are parts that speed up or down, and we did that on purpose. That’s the way it feels to us, so that’s how we wanted it to sound. If you add up the days we actually spent writing this record, it’s probably around three and a half weeks. The rest of it was letting things marinate and just being together.

I would track each song in its entirety and go back and do it again if we needed to, so it’s very much a live-band recording.

The album has a lot of standout bass parts, but the one that caught my ear first is the main riff for “Ecdysis.” How was that written? 

That was the last song we wrote for the album. We wanted one extra idea, so we started playing around with that riff and we had it all written in about 20 minutes. The arrangement is exactly what we arranged that day; nothing changed from when we first wrote it. The next day we tracked it, and Nick busted out that Spector bass and I used it. I played it with a pick but I wanted it to sound like a balance of pick and fingers, in a dub kind of way, like Darryl Jenifer of Bad Brains. I knew it had to groove. Once we had the tone exactly how we wanted it, I tracked my parts for that song in under 30 minutes. When we made it, I didn’t even know it was going on the record. 

You create movement and push the song on tracks like “Milk of the Madonna” and “Metal Dream.” How do you find your space within the music of Deftones?

Because the record is so dense and a wall of texture, I wasn’t concerned about getting little bits and moments in as much as I just wanted to make those parts sit right and focus on the rhythm. When Steph and Chino come in playing those big riffs, it would be silly not to play along with them and add a lower layer. Abe is such a killer drummer and can just lay it down. As soon as you give him something, he’ll start going over it. For “Milk of the Madonna,” he and I were jamming the verse and the chorus one morning in Malibu, and Chino came in and heard it and played along and he was kind of stabbing the guitars instead of trying to match the riff that I was playing. Originally, I was playing that riff at half speed, which came out dubby. But Abe started rocking it and gave it a bounce, and it sounded so good. 

When you play with different people, you have to play to their style. When I played with Peter Hook, I had to unlearn how to be me and learn how to be him. I’m always playing for the song, no matter who I’m playing with. But this music feels more like how I really want to play.

Tell us a little about your playing technique in this band. 

When you play with different people, you have to play to their style. When I played with Peter Hook, I had to unlearn how to be me and learn how to be him. I’m always playing for the song, no matter who I’m playing with. But this music feels more like how I really want to play. I was also very careful in wanting to respect all of the old songs by getting the same sounds — to do those two great bass players justice on their songs. When we play live, outside of one song where I use a fuzz pedal, I use no effects. The only differences are the bass I’m using in that moment, and the tone knob. [After that] it’s all my Trondheim SkarBassOne pedal through my Ashdown ABM 600. I’ve always liked to bump my tone knob to get a dub sound one way, and then change it in the other direction to get more cut and grit. It all depends on which bass I’m using. The Sandbergs have a really punchy midrange, while the Fenders are warm and round. My Nash basses are very different; one has a thick, vintage sound that almost sounds like a piano. I always keep a sticker on my tone knob so I know where my spots are on them. It’s usually a matter of 5% one way or another. 

I like to let my attack dictate a lot of my tone. I like to dig in and pick harder for some parts, and I really utilize where I’m picking to get different sounds. I also use two different-gauge picks depending on the songs. Those little things make a really big difference. All of the bass players I love do all the stuff without a ton of pedals. I mean, I love pedals and I have walls of them at my house, but I feel like I can get away with everything I need with my pick and my hands. 

What is it like filling the shoes of Chi and Sergio?

I’m fascinated by it. Both of them have such distinct styles that I’m such a fan of. With Sergio it’s not only what he did in Deftones but what he does in Quicksand. I’m amazed at his writing, and I love that style. Studying Chi’s work, I found that his bass parts are just not what I would think to play. There’s a song called “Cherry Waves” and his bass line in the verses is otherworldly. I don’t know how he came up with it to fit with those guitar parts, but I love it. I love playing those songs, like “Minerva” — it’s so dubby, and he’s bending strings and he’s behind the beat, and that is where I kept thinking about him when we were writing this record. I wasn’t trying to replicate what he was doing, but just thinking of the vibe he brought. He was always left of center in such a beautiful way. I wanted to bring some of that, in my own way, to these songs. The band has always been looking forward. They’ve never tried to recreate White Pony — it’s all about what the band is sounding like right now. 

How awesome is it being in a rhythm section with Abe Cunningham? 

Man, look at this smile. I’ll tell you, it’s great. We have fun. We instantly hit it off and got each other really quickly. I used to see them play in clubs before they got signed, and I used to think he was a little kid because he’s so tiny. I was blown away by his playing. It’s the best. It’s fun and he helps me be a better bass player every time we play together. I love the push and pull. Some of Sergio’s stuff is very forward and up front and Chi is very behind the beat. I like to sit a little more behind the beat, but I’m a pick player, so it’s a little of both. Flowing with Abe makes it all so easy. He’s an inventive, interesting drummer, and he comes up with things on the spot that blow me away. Like the song “Locked Club” — the beginning is nuts and I don’t know any other drummer who would write that. And his fills going into the next part are crazy. Even when he was tracking his drums, just being in there, I was in awe.

Steph is very much riffs and chugs and texture, while Chino really brings it with chord structures and melodies. The two of them together sit in a perfect way; they create this texture that’s just stunning.

What is it like writing with Chino and Stephen as guitarists and songwriters? 

They’re very different guitar players. Chino plays guitar on every single song on this album. Steph is very much riffs and chugs and texture, while Chino really brings it with chord structures and melodies. The way he plays guitar is not how most guitar players play; it’s all feel, and the chords he uses are really interesting. The two of them together sit in a perfect way; they create this texture that’s just stunning. Frank adds so much, too, and there are many parts on keys that are important on these songs. A lot of times, I would come up with a melody on bass, and Frank’s keyboard part was so killer that I would give him that space and write more for the groove. 

It was recently announced that Steph isn’t going to travel abroad for your upcoming shows. Is Lance going to fill in for the European dates?

Yeah, Steph doesn’t fly, so Lance stepped in and does a great job of nailing all of those parts, and he’s also a great backup vocalist. He’s our utility guy on many levels, and we’re so lucky to have him. The initial intent was for him to cover some of his guitar parts so Chino could get out and move as a singer. But then we realized that some of this stuff Steph had doubled in the studio. So now we do two guitars on a lot of parts like “Be Quiet and Drive.” Then we realized how great it sounded, and he started playing on more and more of the songs. We want it to sound fuller and more cohesive. It’s a lot of weight to step in and be Steph, but we’ve done it enough now to where it feels great. 

What is a Deftones show like from your perspective?

It’s energy. There’s never a point where I feel like we have to showboat. We’re all looking at each other and there’s a lot of stage interaction and we’re working with each other. It’s a live band. We have live amps and monitors and no click track. We’re just up there rocking. Even if we make a little mistake, we all just laugh. It’s never anything other than getting up there and enjoying ourselves. The only time I was really thinking about being on a stage was when we were playing a big show in London at the Crystal Palace and it was 25,000 people. The crowd was electric and it was so killer. But a mutual friend had introduced me to Deb Googe of My Bloody Valentine, and she came over and said hello right before we went onstage, and then she stood in the photo pit in front of me. The whole time I was so mindful of her being there. She’s one of my favorite bass players! That’s the only time I was doubting every movement I made. She was so cool, though, and we hung afterwards, and it was great. 

Which are your favorite songs to play live? 

It changes. Of the old stuff I love playing “Minerva,” and I never get tired of playing “Change (In the House of Flies),” but I really never get tired of playing any of them. It’s also fun when we do our Dia De Los Deftones Festival where we bust out deep cuts and play them. I love playing “Beware” and one called “Needles and Pins” where Steph plays bass also. There’s a waltz, triplet kind of thing that he does high up on a bass, and I play a pretty straight-up part. And then for the bridge, Chi came up with a dub bass line that no other bass player would have thought of. It’s like Peter Hook, where I have no idea where those ideas come from. 

How and when did you first start playing bass?

I’m one of the horrible people who was a guitar player first. I always loved rhythm guitar, and I had a band and when I would write I was always thinking of what the bass and drums were doing. There was a band in L.A. that I really liked called Butcher Holler that was kind of like Roxy Music meets Black Sabbath. Their bass player was a friend of mine, and he quit to go back to school, and I asked to play bass for them. They asked if I had a bass, and I had a Fender Mustang that I would doodle on at home. Their drummer was so good, and I learned how to be a rhythm section with him. I was like any dumb guitar player — Yeah, I can play bass. And then I went, Oh, no, there’s so much more to it. I played a show three weeks after first taking on the bass. Now no one ever knew that I played guitar. Instantly I was only focused on the rhythm section. 

Who are your greatest bass influences?

I love Eric Avery, and I love Joseph “Lucky” Scott, who played bass for Curtis Mayfield. For some reason I’m obsessed with the way he played. John Paul Jones has always been the absolute north star for me. He played for the song, and sometimes it needed a pick and sometimes it needed fingers, and sometimes it needed a melody and sometimes he just laid back. Obviously, Peter Hook, Paul Simonon, JJ Burnell…there are so many players. 

Why bass? 

Even when I was a little kid and I heard “The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac, and especially the ending, I just loved the way bass sits in a song. It adds a melody that does so much. You can listen to a Roxy Music record or Bad Brains and you have all that excitement going on and then there’s this glue holding it all together. I love it. I love that there are so many different types of bass players. There are people who are technical and do all this stuff, and then there are people who are pure feel. I’ve always gravitated toward bass because I love hearing that warmth.

Hear Him On Private Music, Deftones [2025]

Gear 

Bass Nash Guitars P52 (drop C), Nash Guitars P63 (drop C), Nash Guitars P63 (C#), Fender American Pro II Precision Bass (C#), Fender Ultra II Precision Bass (drop D), Sandberg 4-string, Sandberg 4-string (drop D), Yamaha Custom BB (BEAD tuning) 

Rig Ashdown ABM 600 rack heads, 2 Ashdown 8×10 cabs 

Effects Tronheim SkarBassOne, EHX Bass Big Muff, MXR Sub Octave Bass Fuzz,

Line6 HX Effects

Strings Dunlop Dual Dynamic .050–.110 and .045–.105

Picks Dunlop Tortex Triangle .88mm and 1.0mm

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